ladybug28

Thank you! I will PM you my email.

Hello! I was wondering if someone would mind sharing any preceptor names for family nurse practitioner students located in the Memphis, TN area. Thank you!

Hello there! I am a New Jersey relocated nurse as well. However I used to live in Memphis, moved to Jersey and then moved back to Memphis. In Jersey (Cedar Grove, NJ) I used to make about 34/hr as a unit manager at a LTC facilty. I am in the process of looking for a job in Memphis so far the results have been positive, filled applications in the major hospitals Methodist, St Francis, The Med, VA and Baptist and within a week I have scored and interview at Baptist. I was an LPN and then became an RN, total experience 3 years (plus some extra in healthcare as a medical assistant and in research). The other plus here is that hospitals want you to get your BSN eventually, but it is not a full requirement like ti is in Jersey nowadays. In terms of living, if you want to live in the city (that's our preference, we like to be close to everything) I would live in the following zip codes 38120 (the best one in my opinion) 38117, those two zip codes have White station assigned as the high school one of the top high schools in the country, that is why people want to live in those zip codes in the city, it is also stable when it comes to buying a property, those two zip codes prices do not fluctuate as much, It can get a little competitive to get a house there and some can be on the pricier side for Memphis, however compared to Jersey it is wayyyy cheaper! 38120 also has great private schools if you are interested in that. if you prefer the suburbs I agree head to Germantown, Collierville, Lakeland and even further Arlington all of which have good schools and you can get a bigger house out there with more land. I would skip Cordova and Bartlett because prices for realstate have gone down the tube, might not be the best investment (nice places though). But in the end, It is all a matter of preference. There is some crime in Memphis, but just as Jersey it seems to be concentrated on certain areas etc, you will learn where to go and where not to go. I can also tell you that Memphis is headed in the right direction, so much growth and it seems the community is pushing to make big improvements, something that when I left was not happening. In terms of expense compared to Jersey it is about 30% cheaper to live here. Everything is cheaper, utilities, gas, groceries, no tolls, no state tax. Hope this info helps. PM if you have any further questions!

I am another starter on August 25th -- I think the 15 week course is going to be more managable than the 8 week. All reputable colleges request college Algebra nowadays, I passed calculus 1 with a D back in college and I suffered all the way through, so I am getting geared up to suffer through this as well. I am just going to get additional help like algebra for dummies etc.

I believe so, that is good, I had offers of 29 bucks an hour. As a per diem it is a good rate for a new nurse.

Oh ok that makes sense! I asked if I could take two courses per term and he said yes. Then I asked the length more into the conversation. Thank you! So far my experience with them is better than UTA -- which was a complete disaster.

I am considering this program, is it possible to complete it in less than 12 months? I just applied, after deciding to give up university of texas - arlington, since I applied back in October and they are yet to review my transcripts (totally wasted time!) So far ULL has been great in terms of the application process, which gives me hope! I also applied to Purdue and Thomas Edison

Medical Boy in reply to your question: let me give you a little bit more about my background. I was an LPN before going to RN school. Before being an LPN I was a medical assistant at a very busy medical practice and was blessed to work with a doctor that taught me all sorts of skills, I ended up being a manager there. After LPN school i started at a nursing home where we had no treatment nurse, so I had to do meds and wounds from the get go. I was lucky to have co-workers that loved teaching and taught me more than any school ever taught me. I worked the skilled unit there. I got promoted while being in RN school to a unit manager position. It was a small facility 77 beds. I also decided to pick up 2 days as an MDS assistant so I would learn it. I could have gone to another facility and get payed more, but I stayed where i was because I was learning a lot, and that in my opinion was more valuable than a dollar sign. It payed off, because of that experience i was able to get my current job. When I interviewed the fact that I was an LPN weighted heavily, they loved seeing the hands on experience that LPNs have. We are not your traditional RN graduate, that gets the degree but is fresh with no experience. I see my patients everyday, I am not a manager that sits at an office and does paperwork, I do all the wound rounds, hang IVS, and practice my skills every chance i get. i think what is "recommended" or not is a personal choice, it should not be based on what people say. It really depends on what you see in your future and what path you want to take. I personally think that in my case a managerial position with more responsibilities was appropriate since it would reflected advancement throughout the years in my resume. I also like challenges and learning. Some people are happy with passing meds all their life (nothing wrong with it), others want to try to switch it up. It is a personal choice at the end of the day. :)

I apologize for the delayed response. Yes, he charges i believe that flat fee of 100% --- RESUME SERVICE : Ross Recruiting Services. As an update, I am still working at the nursing home, have gained a lot of managment experience and clinical experience. I am now enrolling in University of Texas - Arlington online to pursue my BSN which I know is my next step if I want to go to the hospital eventually. My objective is to complete the program during this year. I also have to add that working at the nursing home has given me the opportunity to network.

Applied on October 15th to the program, Got notification that all my stuff was recieved on January 3 saying that it would take 2 weeks for everything to be evaluated. is this true or will it take a few more months for everything to get evaluated? How good are they with credit transfers? I have a B.S in Natural Science and an A.S in nursing of course. How much time did you dedicate on average to each class? Thank you!

I was an LPN for a year and a half before I finished my RN degree. I live in hudson county. I have a Bachelors in Science and an associates in Nursing, currently working on completing that BSN since it is not that many classes I need. I spoke to Barnabas and they told me they were trying to hire RNs with BSNs and at least in most cases one year experience but for some positions they could not find them so they hired new grads with BSNs) . I decided to go the long term route for a year or so while finishing my BSN. With that background being given, I received 6 offers, only one paying 29 bucks (the rest where all higher). The one I accepted is a unit manager position (I was a medicare skilled nurse as an LPN, and MDS assistant at my previous job, which did not pay well but I thought the experience was worth it, and it payed off in the end, this was when I lived in another state). It is a salaried position, 70K Mon through Friday, all of the holidays off. 3 weeks of vacation and full benefits. I decided I am going to become more experienced and get my BSN, ACLS, PALS etc so I can become a more qualified candidate for the hospital and therefore be able to get a higher salary. Best advice my recruiter friend gave me was to be selective of where I worked, and wait for the right opportunity (which sometimes can be the first one) and told me to go with my Gut. My job search lasted total of about 2 months. The jobs are out there, it is important to understand what you need to do to get the position you want and make a plan. Also make sure your resume is impecable. Nothing wrong with declining an offer if you think that it is too low. Most HR individuals will give you a low offer because it is to their advantage, they wont get upset if you negotiate, they are used to it and in most cases expect it. It is their win if you take what they offer you. If you think the amount is reasonable then take it. I gave a range when asked during my interviews, after I got the first two offers (in those interviews i did not give a range cause I did not know what was being offered). Then I had leverage to say "I have been offer this or that". Anyhow this is my experience getting a job out here. I am loving my job right now, learning a lot everyday. Good luck to everybody out there!

I took the CPNE on dec 2013 at St Peters Hospital in Albany NY. I recently relocated to NJ from Memphis. I do not regret doing this program at all, opened many doors. Feel free to PM me if you have any questions and good luck!

I am officially employed. Here is how It went finding a job as an Excelsior graduate in New Jersey. I got my conferral date in Feb (CPNE back in December). Took boards April 2nd but did not get a NJ license until May 15. A little bit of background about myself. I graduated from LPN school in 2011, worked as a staff nurse and then got promoted to MDS Assistant/Medicare Charge nurse (small manageable nursing home 77 beds). Worked full time in that position until I finished Excelsior and the hubby and I got relocated to NJ in January. So after I had my license in my hand - I began the job hunt. First thing, I checked out resumes on indeed. Wanted to see how nurses out there were making their resumes to get an idea, all I found were dreadful resumes. My husband is a hiring manager at a corporate so he said he would make one for me, and then our friend Adam at Ross Recruiting Services could polish it really well (he charges a small fee of 100 bucks, well worth it in my opinion, others charge hundreds). Got my resume back and it looked perfect. On several interviews it was mentioned how well written and good my resume was. So my number one advice: make sure your resume stands out. Found every hospital within a drivable distance of my house and started applying to hospital positions. Don't apply to stuff you do not qualify for (tip my HR buddy and my recruiter friend gave me) it really annoys HR when you do. Remember the difference between required and preferred. This is time consuming because it is all electronic. I made a list in Excel of every job i applied, what hospital, shift, reference number etc. Nothing worse than an HR person calling and you applied to so many jobs you do not know which one they are calling you about. After I was done with the hospitals I moved on to nursing homes. Again made a list of the ones within drivable distance, I verified their medicare ratings which eliminated some of them, also looked at their online reviews, (research this places first, nobody wants to work in a dump) and their websites. Some had emails on their websites to submit resumes, some simply had fax numbers. I got an online fax number which is free for the first 30 days and then 7.99 a month, you upload your cover letter, resume and you can fax it with no problem. I faxed every single nursing home I was interested in (some dont advertise their openings) Week 3 though 5 of this process have been interview after interview. I gave people a chance to interview me, remember it is a two way street, learn about who is trying to hire you as well. Overall I got an offer from a hospital -- which ended up too far from home and the pay was not as good as other places. However I did learn that Barnabas wants to become a magnet and eventually hire all BSNs sometimes it is just hard. Got a unit manager offer in Jersey city at 32/hr with benefits, 34 w/o benefits. Another unit manager I did not get but was refered to their assisted living facility for an ADON position. I got an offer for a case manager position for a nursing home at 32/hr, I got offered a staff nurse position at 29/hr at a nursing home. Eventually I choose a unit manager position with a big nursing home company that gave me a great impression from the get go, my future bossess were super nice and relaxed, but on top of things. Company was well rated online overall, HR very professional and knowledgable. I get to work 7-3pm Monday though Friday, full benefits, dont work holidays, only have to work a saturday or sunday every 8 weeks (and get a day off during the week). It is a salaried position, they did take into consideration my LPN experience and I got 34/hr (but I am really salaried). I am really excited to start using my RN degree :) The effort definitely paid off.

So today I had an interview with Barnabas, part time position for outpatient position that could become a full time position. Got the chance to speak with HR, she provided me with some useful information. She told me that they are in the process of becoming a magnet hospital which means they only hire BSNs, however she told me certain positions are really difficult to fill with BSNs so they will take Associate degree RNs. I had one interview for a unit manager position at a nursing home (not sure if I got it) , another one for a nurse supervisor position (got offered 32 with benefits 34 w/o benefits) , and one for a case manager position at another nursing home at 30-32/hr (if that does not work with her boss, she offered me to go per diem at 35/hr). I am scheduling another interview with a nursing home next week. So far this is what is happening. I hope this can portray a decent picture of what is out there. I will keep you guys posted on what route I decide to take. I have some thinking to do :)

I hope everything is ok, just think that you finally get to become an RN! Now, just another update: got two more interviews set up, so that brings it a total of 4 companies I have/had interviews with. 3 are this week. I am filling out an application at Bayada this week. I will keep you posted on what happens :)