Donnuh

I forgot to add I have 1 yr of L and D, 2 of medsurg

64.68/hr plus 20% 3rd shift, 10% weekend. I am in CA

I was a Buddhist but converted to Christianity a year ago. I will tell you my story as I believe God has a plan for everything. I was raised Buddhist, and my ancestors for the last few hundred years had been Buddhist. My great grandfather built a temple in my country in honor of our devotion to Buddha. Well, as a child I had always been curious about God, and wanted to know what and who God was. I would asked my mom but her answers were always vague. It did not satisfy me as my inner self was empty and thirsty for a deeper connection with God. So throughout my college years I went back and forth between the idea of one day visiting a Christian church. I never did for years, and continued to feel empty and alone despite the family and friends I have in my life. I turned to the occult to to fill that void and emptiness. Well, my emptiness got worst and worst, and I was in debt now for spending thousands of dollars on my new found hobby. In 2009 I graduated from nursing school and continued to dabble in the occult for 2 years. During this time I would always think of God and prayed that I could learn about him more. I could not find a nursing job for 2 years since my graduation. During that period I met and started to get to know a guy who talked to me about God, and taught me a great deal about God. We started dating and getting serious and in 2011 I relocated to Florida where I found a nursing job on a medical-surgical floor. There, I met my Charge Nurse on the medical-surgical unit. If you meet her, you would feel and see the compassion and love radiates through her from God. I told her that I wanted to know more about God, and she introduced me to her church and helped me grew closer to him. I went to her church for 6 months before I decided I was ready to be baptized and become a Christian and a child of God. It was the best decision in my life. Everything in my life started to fall into place then. After 2 years of being on the med-surg floor I found a Labor and Delivery job that was very competitive but I got hired on the spot despite having no experience in L and D. At this point I had been in Florida for almost 3 years. I wanted to move back to California because that was where my family resided, and I had been trying to find a job in California since I have gotten some experience but had no luck. Well, my aunt works at a store. She met this lovely lady who told her she works as a secretary at one of the hospital in the area I wanted to move back to. So I gave her my resume, not knowing what area she worked in. It turned out she was in Labor and Delivery, and had been a secretary there for 20+years! I was so surprised when I heard this, because I thought I would be going back to the medical-surgical floor! I interviewed, got the job despite only having a year experience and now I am back in California. (The hospital is a Magnet status hospital and is fairly competitive for hiring) I am more than halfway through with paying off the debts I owned from my occult hobby. I am happier than ever, I speak to God daily, and I witnessed miracles every day I am at work! A patient I recently met told me that she had IVF with her first pregnancy because she couldn't get pregnant, but her baby that I helped delivered was a gift. She did not think she would be able to get pregnant again! She told me it was God's gift and that she prayed to him daily! So Mysteriousdarkness, if believing in God and your connection with him give you peace and happiness then you are doing the right thing and you have found him! Trust me, I had a lot of criticism and judgement from people for becoming a Christian. My family, friends, and even strangers and etc. I do not care what others have to say. Some people tell me that my life is happier because I made it to be. Ok, well let me ask them this: How come a few years ago when I tried to make my life happier by dabbling in the occult I was horrible and depressed? But now that I have a connection with God I am happier than ever? It awed me that we live in a time where believing in God could be considered a bad thing. People have told me that only irrational people believe in a being that does not exist because there is no scientific evidence that God exists. These people had never experienced a relationship with God in which he could melt your sorrows away with a simple prayer, or give you strength when you are ready to give up. Let me tell you guys this, Labor and Delivery for a fairly new nurse on a super busy floor is very challenging. There are many days I wanted to quit and just change specialty or do something else. But when I think of how I got to where I am, I stay strong and when I pray to God my heart tells me its not time to change yet. I believe God have lessons in life he wants you to learn, once you have learned that lesson he will proceed you to the next. My lesson in life right now is to stay strong and grit my teeth through the challenges at work (I want to quit daily ) because he will never place me in a situation he think I am too weak for!

accident repost sorry.

What are your patients to nurse ratio? We have 2 to 1 patient ratio. I have to learn how to triage too because we will being doing that after a year of experience. I also have to learn how to circulate for c-section. Right now I am even having difficulting reading fhr strips lol. Are nights a little bit calmer?

Thank you for your input. The encouragement gives me hope. Some day I will get it like how I finally got med surg. How long did it take for you to feel comfortable?

So I had been a registered nurse on a medical/surgical floor for two years. I just started my second day of orientation on a high paced labor and delivery unit and I am so stressed out and overwhelmed. I love ob/gyn and delivering babies, but goodness I feel like there is soooo much to learn and so many things to look out for when monitoring the baby's heart rate that I don't know whether I made the right change! It took me a year before I got comfortable on med/surg but now I feel like a new grad all over again. Any advice? In nursing school my favorite subject was ob/gyn, so it was natural for me to want to go into this. How long did it take for you guys to feel comfortable?

I love most people and is happy I am in the heath field. But if I have to choose again I would be a social worker.

I don't think I could ever do LTC. The idea of 30 plus confused old patients with risk of falls stresses me out. Dealing with one at night is usually enough to make my good night turn bad. Hat off to LTC nurses!

Thanks for all your input!

I am currently working night shift on medsurg and it is stressful. Although the stress level was ×2 during day shift. I have a very supportive crew and charge nurse at night so it makes it better. They cannot pay me enough to make me go back to day shift. I just accepted a position as a l and d nurse. I know that would be a different type of stress. Do you guys think it is more stressful than medurg?

Medsurg, surgical/ ortho floor, cardiac floor, l and d, mother and baby, ICU, ER etc...Let us hear your opinion!

Thanks for your advice. My handshake was actually very firm. I gripped her hand real hard and looked her into the eyes. I know eyes contact is important too. Thanks for your . =D

I just recently had an interview. I thought I did pretty good, I was able to answer all the questions. I researched about the hospital and asked some questions that reflected on that. I knew the vision, values and mission of the hospital too. I had a pretty good resume (ACLS, BLS, IV/Therapy and blood withdraw), and also experiences at home health care agency and diabetes society for about a month. The location I interviewed at is a rural location and they are only accepting 6 applicants in a pool of 80 applicants. I am wondering what I could do to further improve my interview process if I get another interview. And I know I should not beat my self up over it but I can't help but wonder what I did wrong!

Thank you you guys that made me feel better. I had been beating my self up the whole day, wondering what I did wrong! Thanks for your words of encouragement..

I thought I did great on the interview, I have some experiences in a home health care agency and the Diabetes Society. I also have ACLS, IV/blood therapy, and BLS. The hospital I applied at had 80 applicants and they are only accepting 6 people. I thought the interview went pretty well but I got a rejection letter today. Any tips of how to do better? What did I do wrong???

Thanks a bunch!

to wannabe07, I am taking an ACLS class at the end of this month. I am also taking an IV/blood certification class. I hope that helps! I am planning to get a Florida license and applying there. Thanks you guys for your advice!

I am sure many of the old graduates have the same concern. I graduated on December 2009 so I am still considered as a new graduate RN but I am getting concern about the one year mark. I have applied for RN transition programs and had been rejected. I have called a refresher course for RN and the person I spoke to told me that I would not qualify until I am unable to find a job for two years! Ok, so my question is how do we stay marketable?????? I am volunteering at a Diabetes society, as a volunteered nurse who do diabetes screening. I am also working per diem at a home care agency but I feel it is not enough. Any advices??

It worked for me. It did not let me register and I passed.

Not California, in the Bay Area, many people have not found a job even after a year.

Thanks! I searched on Craiglist and I got lucky because my friend was in it. Try Craiglist, I check every day and there is always new postings.

I have just been hired to work per diem as a home care nurse for a health care agency. I have been looking for jobs everywhere with no luck! Will working part time as a home care nurse be something that employer at the hospital consideedr as an experience? Will that increased my chance of getting hired for new graduates program or just to be hired in the acute care setting? Thanks :redbeathe

It does not bother me at all. I feel that part of nursing is the ability to adapt and work in a multicultural setting. I barely graduated but I recalled that during my clinicals many of the patients are elderly patients who does not speak English because they came to the U.S at a very very late age. Whatever circumstances that prevent them from speaking English is not what I am worry about. What I am worry about is that they get the best care they can get and that they feel comfortable in a place where they do not understand anybody! I would use that interpreter 20,30,40, and etc. times if I had to. Whatever makes the patients comfortable. I know it takes up our time to use the interpreter phone, but a few mins of our time will not outshine the satisfaction that the patients get!

8 patients load!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!??? That is crazy and unsafe. They should mandate a certain number of nurses and patients ratio for all nurses. For Medsurg in California the most patients a nurse will have is 5!!!! Goodness, I have a hard time managing 4 patients on medsurg/tele during my preceptorship, I would die if I had 8 patients. . I am sooo glad you left that hospital, I would resign too if I was you. We are humans, not robots, 8 patients per nurse leave no time for you to actually sit down and talk to the patients. RIDICULOUS!