katyb213

I agree with the above poster. My first job was psych and I transitioned to med/surg. You will always have psych patients no matter where you go! Your background should definitely give you an edge to get the med/surg job!

I attended a fairly prestigious school and I believe that helped me land my first new grad job in the specialty I wanted. I think in the future it may not be as important as I think experience is overall more important but I think as a new grad in this economy and where I live-where you go to school matters, and leg up from the other applicants you can get is helpful.

Inpatient psych-NH

Hey everyone, I became a psych nurse straight out of school and have been in psych for about a year and half. I just accepted a medsurg position at a local hospital. I am excited but nervous since it is so different. I will be working 6a-6p (3X12s). Please any advice, tips, cheat sheets, etc would be super helpful since it is a whole different ballgame than psych. Thanks!

Thanks for all your support. I actually just accepted a job offer from a medsurg unit at the hospital I used to work at...completely different specialty I know...but I feel that I really need that experience and that will help open more doors for me in the future.

I actually just signed up for it through NSO. Very reasonable for the peace of mind and protection it provides

Do you know what school you are aiming to get into? I was in the same exact boat as you and I know how you are feeling. Once you get accepted though, the school often will help you out. However, I had to take out private loans because I didn't qualify for federal. I recommend local credit unions for private loans since they often have a lower interest rate. This website helped me find what university I wanted and would be the best fit. I just researched a ton of different schools from this site. I recommend it if you haven't seen it yet. American Association of Colleges of Nursing | Accelerated Programs: The Fast Track to Careers in Nursing Good luck to you! I am so happy with my decision to do my program so I wish you the best!

I love Danskos. I feel like you either love Danskos or hate em. But they are the only shoes that actually give me support and I do not feel fatigued by the end of the day.

Anyone?! Please help!

Hey everyone, I need some guidance here. So I have worked in a local hospital on a geriatric psych floor for over a year now. The floor that I worked on had a fair amount of medical issues plus psych issues. I switched to a different job 2 months ago in a child/adolescent psych unit because I thought I really wanted to be a psych nurse (I have a BA in psych and a BSN) but now I am kind of confused. I miss the medical side of things and I am worried that I am pigeon-holed now since being a psych nurse. Also, the facility that I started working for is more disorganized than the other and there seems to be some animosity between management and reg. staff (union hospital). I just am not as happy as I thought I would be. I feel like a made a mistake and I am not sure what to do. Should I try to go back to the other hospital? Should I try a different unit? Any suggestions would be super helpful. Thank you!

Hey everyone, I am interested in getting to know what a day in the life of an inpatient hospice RN would be like. I volunteered at a hospice house during nursing school and I loved it but I would love to hear what you all have to say about what it is like being an RN in this type of facility. PS I am more interested in inpatient hospice vs home health. Thank you!!

I would also say that it should not hurt you. But as the above poster said, I would not disclose any information like that.

I would definitely say go for the NICU job if you can get it. That is an amazing opportunity. I knew med/surg was not for me either and I went right into a specialty as well and I have not looked back. I think you should go for what you truly want to do.

Congrats to you! That is a great opportunity for you! I do not understand the mentality of believing you have to have medsurg experience before anything else either. Medsurg is a specialty as much as any other nursing specialty. Some people love it, some people hate it...I think you should go with what you love and you will be happy.

Hi everyone! I just accepted a position in a child/adolescent psych unit. I am transitioning from the geriatric psych unit. Any tips/pointers for a smooth transition? Any tips on how to get kids to take you seriously? I am a little worried that since I look young, they may not take me seriously. Thanks for the help!

Hi there, Depends where you are but most of the time around $21-24/hr. Good luck to you. It is tough out here in NH right now but it is possible! Just gotta keep trying.

I did it! I got a BA in psych and my senior year I decided I wanted to do nursing. I ended up completing my BSN in an accelerated program at the University of Rochester (NY). I am really happy I did it. I am now working in a psychiatric unit. If you want to do psych, a lot of psych units should love that you have a background in it! Good luck to you. :)

I very much agree with you. I think managers should be able to be open to real interest and love for that certain area of nursing. I know many new RNs who go into medsurg because they feel like they have to. I did not do that because I tried so hard to get into psych which I really enjoy. Luckily, the nurse manager on the unit said I got the job basically because of my cover letter. So do not give up! Someone will see your passion and believe in you! Good luck to you. :)

I think Kaplan was a lot harder than the NCLEX but it teaches you to critically think and breakdown each question which was invaluable to me during the NCLEX. I did not use Saunders so I can't comment about them but I owe a lot to Kaplan. Their questions were very helpful in preparing for NCLEX. Good luck to you! :)

New England is pretty tough right now. Full time jobs in New England for new grads seem non existent. I went to school in upstate NY and a lot of people who stayed there got jobs. I would try there. I think determination is key! I was determined to get a job in NH and I was lucky enough to land my dream job (per diem) but I took it anyway because I know how tough it is around here. Good luck to everyone!

I loved Kaplan! I would highly recommend it. I really think it helped me critically look at each answer choice. It also just had so many questions which helped you get used to the format etc. I passed the NCLEX-RN the 1st time with 100 questions. I really believe Kaplan was a big reason that I passed the 1st time. Good luck to you!

I was lucky enough to get 2 job offers in New England after graduation. I focused on smaller hospitals which helped a lot I think. Also, some people may advise against cold calling, but that is what got me my job! So go for it! Good luck to everyone and keep at it. You WILL get a job eventually! :)

I used Kaplan and ONLY Kaplan online. I felt that the lecture content plus the book really helped to show you the important things to know and not the unnecessary things like Saunders did. I believe getting high 50s-low 60s is totally fine because that what I was getting and I passed the NCLEX the first time with 100 questions. Don't worry, keep practicing questions and you will start being able to see patterns! :) It helps a lot in the NCLEX because some of the content of the NCLEX I never even heard of so I think being able to make an educated guess is very important in the NCLEX and Kaplan was perfect for that.

PVT trick works! I went home crying and thinking I didn't pass and 30 mins later I checked and got the good pop up. A couple days later, I checked the nh bon and my license number was there! I PASSED! Good luck to everyone!

Hey guys! Just took it this morning. I honestly felt like I definitely knew maybe 5 of the answers and I took a 105 question test. I was incredibly nervous throughout the test that I was almost shaking but I took some deep breaths and that helped me focus. I was fine until the computer shut off and I started getting super anxious again because I felt like I was not able to prove myself. But, I really hope the PVT trick is right because I am getting the "good pop up"! Good luck to everyone, you guys will do great. Believe in yourself, your hard work, and your accomplishments. :)