kbok

you are totally not alone! when i was a new nurse (also med surg), my first 2 years were miserable! well, miserable because i felt overwhelmed by all the responsibilities and my lack of experience. it was extremely challenging (mentally and physically) and required so much critical thinking. plus i used to work at a smaller hospital with less staff and less resources, so i was always caring a 6 patient load too. i complained all the time (to my family) and i broke down and cried in front of my charge once. but my co-nurses were really great to work with so their fun and laughter made all the difference. looking back i am really thankful for those 2 years.. it was so difficult, but i'm a more competent, independent, and capable nurse because i persevered through it and learned a lot more than i thought i ever would. i still work med surg and it really does get a lot easier with time.. so just hang in there!! try to stick it out for a few more months to gain your experience and build upon your knowledge base. afterwards you'll be more versatile when you apply for other jobs. i do agree with the other nurses that maybe you might consider a different kind of nursing later. you may find a better fit for you career wise and lifestyle wise. oops- i just noticed this was first posted 2 years ago. how are things now, redeemed98?

i think there is value in obtaining any kind of degree, whether its liberal arts or sciences or whatever else. however, as with anything, education comes with a cost and then there's also the practicality and usability of it. you can totally finish your liberal arts degree and then do an alternate entry program if you want. but if you know you definitely want to be a nurse, then i would just switch now to save future time and money. when i was in college, i started off as a computer science freshman and had no clue i would end up becoming a nurse. a classmate during summer school told me she was going into nursing and i figured why not apply too? so i switched my major my sophomore year into pre-nursing. (coincidentally, i graduated from UT austin). but what really helped me gain a better understanding of what nurses do, was volunteering. so that'd be my suggestion. before you switch majors completely (or switch states, or schools!) it'd be great if you could volunteer at a clinic, hospital, or even a nursing home or assisted living facility to be exposed to the nursing profession. for me, that was the opening door that allowed me to see the roles that nurses play in the hospital and helped me realize nursing was for me. plus, that'd work out the best for you since you are a full time student and can only offer a few hours of your time a week. when i volunteered at the hospital, they made me commit to 4 hours a week, so i would volunteer from 7 am - 11am every tuesday, and then go to my classes in the afternoon. another semester i had classes in the AM, and would volunteer in the afternoon. check out the hospitals close to you or other nursing facilities and inquire about volunteer opportunities. currently a lot of the CNAs at the hospital where i work are nursing students as well. but if you work, you're looking at a bigger commitment, maybe 20 hrs a week or so. lastly, i noticed you said you live in pennsylvania? i dunno what the job outlook is like there, or how competitive the nursing schools are, but i'm in massachusetts and its tough for new grads to find new jobs out here. (i heard its also hard for alternate entry/ MSN prepared nurses to get new job as RNs as well because even though you have a previous degree in another field, you are still unexperienced so that's what hospitals look at). honestly i think the job market is better in texas, especially for new grads.

wolverine. i totally agree! i liked episode 2 this week. I thought it was much better than episode 1! they did a good job of showing the various roles and responsibilities that nurses do on a daily basis that defy the nurse stereotype often portrayed in media.

i knew a Dr. Stool. critical care. it would've been funnier if he were GI though.

memorial hermann and ben taub are both level 1 trauma centers and you'll see all kinds of stuff there. memorial hermann is private though and ben taub is public so the uninsured go to ben taub. yes the cost of living is crazy cheap in texas. you can get a really nice home for dirt cheap compared to the rest of the States. the homes closest to the med center though (where bentaub and MH are) are crazy expensive. they are either apartments or condos / high rises that have expensive rent, OR there are really rich expensive homes in the Rice Village area (expensssiivvvee). i don't even eat out in that area because its that expensive. i ain't baller enough! the good thing is that even with all the suburbs around houston , including kingwood, there are tons of community hospitals popping up like daisies. they pop up just as fast as the cookie cutter manufactured homes. you may be able to find a job at one of the community hospitals in the kingwood or surrounding area so you don't have to commute as far, although what you'll see in those ERs may not be as interesting or critical (or traumatic). i do warn you though that if you decide to buy a home in kingwood and commute to the med center, you'll have quite a drive... i used to work nights in houston and commute about 30-45 minutes (45minutes with traffic). i'd always fall asleep going home in the mornings on my drive home (dangerous). so i had to sleep in my car in the parking garage in the morning (sad but true).

don't give up. i'm sure you'll find something. be persistent and bug the heck out of those HR pps. =) did you ask your supervisor at children's if there's another unit that is hiring? maybe she can talk to another manager on another unit that needs RNs.

the harvard affiliated hospitals in boston are Beth Israel, Brigham and women's hospital, and Mass general hospital. all good hospitals to work for. Brigham and women's has some openings for ER nurses, as i recall seeing in job postings recently. with your experiene i dont' think you'd have difficulty interviewing for a job, although it is true that there is no nursing shortage here. usually you have to know someone or have a connection to get into a hospital. if you like trauma, Boston Medical Center sees a lot of trauma. thats where most of the underserved population get their care. however, massachusetts requires healthcare for all so the 'uninsured' are actually insured, and they can go to any hospital really. but generally speaking most trauma goes through BMC so i've heard. and about the standard of living... we couldn't even find a decent 1 bedroom for $1500. we were paying that much for a STUDIO. -_-

i'm a female nurse married to a male doctor so its the opposite of your situation. however my husband and i were like you and your wife, in that we both started our schooling at the same time. except back then we weren't married yet, and we were long distance. i dont know how it will be for you, but this is how it was for us: ROUGH. personally, it was more difficult for me to deal with him being in med school than for him dealing with me being in nursing school. he studied (and still does study) 24/7. things were less stressful on the relationship when school was intense for both of us because we were overwhelmed with school. when i graduated and started working as an RN, even though that carries its own stress and responsibilities, it was by far much more difficult learning how to support my husband during his internship year and throughout his residency. there are a few positive things- my husband is really good with being a nurse advocate and teaching other residents and med students how to listen to nursing concerns and nursing intuition. he even pulls a chair for nurses during rounds. so that's pretty cool. for me, i have more sympathy for residents because my husband is a resident, so i try not to pester them with petty things and try to encourage/teach them and treat them nicely (instead of some nurses who try to show the residents who's boss). so in some ways yes you can compliment one another, but then its also a difficult road during the schooling/residency time. but its not impossible, with lots of prayer, understanding, and patience yall can do it. =)

why are you interested in relocating to texas? if you're an experienced nurse, i dont think you'll have a hard time finding a job in any of the major cities. so i recommend you base your search on finding a city that works out for you. for e.g., do you prefer a large city? urban or suburb lifestyle? family friendly activities or lively downtown night life? conservative vs liberal? eco friendly / bicycle friendly neighborhoods? etc... a brief preview Houston& Dallas: large cities (like a cluster of suburbs put together), diverse, family friendly, big new clean homes, wide streets/highways, plenty of parking, cheap cost of living, lots of restaurants/shopping Austin: smaller city but growing bigger... big college population.. (crowded on UT game days), live music capitol of the world, "keep austin weird", eccentric, more eco friendly, growing bicycle culture, also diverse, lots of restaurants /shopping too... housing more expensive than in Htown or Dallas

i haven't worked at st. luke's in several years, but the last i remember you pay a small amt for parking and you park in a lot near Old Spanish Trail then tail the metro rail into the med center. but if you work at night you can park in the garage which is a huge time saver!

everyone already replied with the advice i would give. definitely consider smaller hospitals (outside of boston) not limiting yourself to larger hospitals. i worked in a small community hospital prior to relocating here to boston. - the advantages of working in small community hosiptals are : you can have a large learning curve because you have more responsibility, and you become more independent because there is less staffing. and i would also highly recommend relocating-even to another state, and even if it means you have to separate from your boyfriend temporarily. (you don't want to go too long without experience- you'll lose your skills and then future employers may require you to take a refresher course and question why you haven't been hired yet.) i'm from texas and there wasn't a shortage of jobs when i graduated as a new grad. although its been 4 yrs since then, i've been keeping in touch with new grads there and they said although the job search is a lil tougher, there is no shortage of jobs and new grads are still able to secure a job even though the interviewing process is more difficult than in previous years.

i agree with your reply, April. it seems to be tough competition with older experienced nurses returning back to work (even retired nurses who are no longer retired, seeking work because of the economy). on my unit, there's even an N.P. who decided she missed bedside nursing so she's working as an RN now (instead of an NP position). future_GA_rn- i only have 1 friend who was in psych nursing and then he decided to go back to school to become a psych CNS. so i dont know anyone who has transitioned from psych to acute care- sorry i can't help more.

i've only been a nurse for 4 years, but if you're feeling burnt out i would recommend switching into a different area. when i was in school, one of my nursing professors warned us of burn out- its when you get impatient easily, you get annoyed easily, you no longer look forward to working with your patients or eagerly do your job with a smile. and it gets worse..first you're burnt out- then you get crispy. and no ones likes working with a crispy critter. she recommended to us that when we become crispy critters, we leave for a new position elsewhere b/c then we're no longer therapeutic to our patients. when i was a student nurse extern, i explored various departments in the hospital (i travelled with my patient wherever they went). each of these departments, the RN had a completely different role- in cardiac cath labs, it was observing patient's condition and VS during procedure, in angio labs, it was also observing and assessing patient before/after procedure (but much less intense, very quiet calm environment) on the IV insertion team, nurses just places IVs and piccs... i've also seen a need for nurses in primary care offices and settings, where they may do some phone triage, assessment, and general teaching. the roles vary depending upon the job- but i think you may find something that may provide a challenge- or break- from your current job.

i didnt realize the nursing shortage wasn't much of a shortage, until i moved to MA. i'd recommend new grads to search for jobs outside of the city, in any type of facility, any type of setting, not limiting themselves to acute care hospitals and positions. when i was in the south, there was a huge nursing shortage (4 years ago) and i got offers at every hospital i applied at. i've talked to new grads down south and they are having a tougher time overall, but still able to find jobs. to me, the real shortage lies in the small towns outside of the major cities, in providing care to people who cannot reach the major urban hospitals. these are the places that you have to commute really far to get to, or that aren't really an ideal place to live.nonetheless, you'd get the experience you're looking for.

i work in a boston hospital but have also worked elsewhere (i'm originally from texas). pros about working in boston: high appreciation for nursing by hospital administration, doctors, patients, good nurse advocacy and support, encouragement of research/evidenced based practice to improve quality of care, academic/constant learning environment cons: cost of living -_-