Jwin10

Im a 2011 graduate of aria's nursing program! I highly recommend it! Lots of hands on clinical time vs traditional bsn programs (la salle, Drexel, etc) instructors who take time to help you and make sure you are working to your full potential. Great value!

In my first nursing job I worked on a tele/observation floor. We often got pulled to the unit as we were the only other Rns in the hospital who had been through the critical care course .... It sucked at times because as we all know, being pulled sucks. We never had unstable patients in the unit and usually had tele patients who hadn't been moved due to no beds. It is what it is. At my hospital I work at now, we don't get pulled to the units, there is a critical care float rn team. I do find that icu Rns have a difficult time handling a 5 patient load when they are pulled to my floor, which is a tele/trauma unit. They are often behind and can't keep up with the pace. They are knowledgeable and spend lots of time with their patients when they are pulled to my unit but my unit doesn't allow that kind of time due to high acuity and how busy it is. I think the bottom line is that when census is lower in one area and units are short staffed, being pulled is the name of the game, regardless of skills and knowledge. If it's your turn that's the deciding factor. :-/

My personality is laid back and calm. I find that it helps with new RNs. They are scared, nervous, excited and overwhelmed all at the same time. Having an excitable preceptor does not lend itself well to the learning process. I always tell them, "this is how I like to organize my day, when you are on your own you'll find what works for you so don't think what I do is gospel". Never talk down to them or yell. If something needs to be rectified a private conversation is the way to go about it. Keep lines of communication open. My orientees had my number and could call or text me whenever they needed to. Many of their questions came after shift was over or the next day. :-) even now, my most recent gn -----> RN is on her own, but she works my schedule as much as possible and has her assignment as close to mine as possible. We have a huge unit so we have that capability. Good luck and have fun!

Read the job requirements for the job posted and then tailor each resume to that job. Use the buzzwords these places are looking for, such as "Patient satisfaction", etc. I have a main resume and then I altered depending on the job I was applying for. Most resumes are scanned for certain words. If they aren't found then your resume will be looked over, no matter how good it may be.

Nursing school grad would be accurate

The er and icu are two different worlds, and to make that transition will take some time. More than two months. For your preceptor to tell you it'll be sink or swim after that? Inappropriate! And hell, there are still docs at my hospital who I don't know because I don't see them often. What do the nurse manager and nurse educator for the unit have to say? For the preceptor to tell you she's annoyed because you're not picking up as fast as she'd like, is just wrong. I guess she was born into the position? Charting is important and should be done as quickly and properly as possible, but yes there are times it's not until after lunch that I can sit down and chart. I wouldn't let this RN dictate your job, but I get its hard to do because she's supposed to guide you and help you transition and it doesn't sound like she's holding up her end of the partnership. :-/

I was 37. I'm 43 now. I've been a nurse for 4 years and quite happy I made a career change. It was challenging for sure as I had 3 small kids at home and a husband who was deployed for some of that time, but that which does not kill us only makes us stronger. ;-) I also enjoyed my adult beverages! Haha. I feel as an older RN, we bring a different experience to the job. Life experiences as well as whatever other skills we've learned through the years. Communication, etc. I say go for it!!

You also never know who you might wind up working for, or with in the future.

Notice is always necessary regardless of how often you work or how long you've been there. It's the right thing to do. Additionally you may be counted on for shifts in the future and to just up and leave is unprofessional. Now, on to the statement that "its not just for you". Is a month of only working once a week, if that really enough to determine that? I've been at my current job for about 16 months. I had a hard time for the first 6 months. I had to break myself of my habits and routine from my previous job and get used to a new hospital, computer system, co workers and employees. Now, I love it. It takes time to get used to a new job, even if it's only per diem. Personally I'd be giving it longer than a month to make that decision. As a new employee, yes they should be finding ways to orient/train you, but as a new employee you also have a responsibility to take that matter into your own hands and seek out answers for your questions. Good luck

I already had a bachelors degree from a previous work life. I went for my ADN first and when I was done I got my first job, (this was 2011) and then used my tuition reimbursement to get my BSN. It took me less than a year. As an RN now, I still feel that an ADN program turns out more clinically sound grads vs a BSN. I've had students on my floor from both types of programs and I can tell a huge difference. If the option is there, I'd suggest ADN and then BSN when tuition reimbursement is offered. Best of both worlds. That being said, most places that I see only want BSN RNs now. :-/.

Often times it's who you know. Or who your family knows. A new grad program is also another great way to go.

So many typos! So sorry! :-/

I think the main issue is that the preceptor is not an experienced RN herself. Had OP been placed with a more seasoned nurse, she would have known how to handle, or even anticipate new grads questions and concerns. Sound changes are clean, not sterile unless specifically indicated. Yes, always check glucose prior to giving insulin and don't go based on an old result. That is one of my pet peeves. It irks my soul when I get report in the morning and the night nurse says "their 0600 accu check was 234." I ask if it was covered and I get "no, I figured you'd cover it when they eat breakfast". :-/ which is usually 2 hours later. I tell them either cover it when you check it or don't check it and I'll do so before they eat. Ugh!! Scanning meds. Most places have a window of an hour before and an hour after the med is actually schedule. If med is a 1000 then anywhere between 0900-1100 is acceptable. No need to prescan iv abx as many only run over an hour or even half hour. If it's a time issue then reschedule med. or ask pharmacy to do so if the RNs don't have that capability. Or ask the dr. There are work around a that are legit. Maybe the precepting RN didn't KNOW to ask to reschedule a med and thought she was doing it the right way. Which leads back to my point that the preceptor has no business being one with only a year experience. I'm a preceptor for my hospital and I had to get recommended by my nurse mgr and unit educator to take a class to learn how to precept and have intelligent and productive interpersonal communications. My style of nursing and teaching is laid back. Not saying I'm lazy, but I don't get excited by many things and especially when teaching a brand new RN!! It's scary enjoy it to be a new RN and to have an excitable or inexperienced preceptor is just making it worse. Also, I don't think I take short cuts per se, but I work smarter. I bundle many things into a task. If I'm ambulating a patient I'm also checking their skin, watching their gait, listening to their breathing and also checking their mentation. So short cuts, no. Making the most of my time. Absolutely. OP sounds intelligent enough but it's hard to make that switch from student to RN. I hope there are other experienced RNs who OP can go with to finish her program. Any preceptor who has the best interests of the new RN at heart would encourage such, as it takes more than one person, experience or job to shape ones nursing style. Good luck

Aria is an RN diploma with the option (if you choose) for an associates from PSU.. I'm currently a second level student at ARIA and am very pleased with my choice to go there..