DrivenToDream

Thanks for all of the ideas. Community Health is a possibility but I have not found any opening so far. I love the idea of hospice but, as mentioned by others, I think one needs to have some significant skills and confidence to go it alone. Same for home health. In addition, in these parts, there are large home health care organizations but all the feedback I get is that there is a ton of charting done after hours, at home, unpaid. Yuck. I am still looking into it, though. I have looked at my weaknesses and I know that time management is one of them (but isn't that the case for most new nurses?). I felt like I was making progress but when the plug was pulled, that was it. The other feedback I got was that I seem to do fine until the unexpected happens. My ability to quickly reprioritize has been brought into question. I am a very organized person, so both of these problems baffle me. I gather what I need so I'm not making needless trips back and forth. I think through the things each patient might need given their condition and status. But throw a new patient into the mix and I fall behind and find it hard to catch up. The good news is that I have an interview coming up. The bad news is I am terrified. It is a hospital position, however, this hospital, especially on the floor I am looking at, is not likely to assign more than three or four patients per shift. These are sick folks who need increased assessment and monitoring. It has crossed my mind that I might be better suited to a unit such as this. I like complex care, but I can't see handling too many complex patients per shift. Problem is, if I couldn't handle a big patient load of medium-complex patients, how can I convince anyone that I could do well handling sicker, more critical patients? Keep the thought and advice coming. It s very helpful. Any ideas on how to discuss my two prior experiences? Thanks!

I left my first job in acute care peds just before orientation ended because I didn't feel like it was a good fit and I didn't think I could handle up to 7 patients on the night shift (four was about my limit at the time). It took several months but I got a new job in adult med/surg which I loved, but after orientation was told that they didn't think I could be safe handling up to six patients on my own and I was let go. I did make mistakes, for sure, but I truly felt with a little more time I could have increased from four to six patients. I did handle six, only one time, and thought I did well. But the next night I handled five and did, well, not so well. So if I really am a nurse who needs a calmer work load, where should I go? LTC and LTAC nurses handle way more than six patients, yet I am told I should look at those opportunities. I am looking into community health and jail nursing but the opportunities in our area are limited. I am just so confused on what to do next and where I might fit in. Any thoughts? Thanks!

I would love to see this, but it isn't likely to happen. There have been similar bills introduced in every legislature since 2004 and every single one of them bit the dust. The hospital industry in Michigan wields incredible power over our legislators. In addition, one of the the current bill's sponsors, Rebekah Warren, is so disliked in so many quarters that she is positively the last person who should have introduced this bill if it were to have a snowball's chance in hell of passing. Ms. Warren proposed amendments to a recent abortion bill that sought to require men to have digital exams before they could be prescribed viagra and to be screened to make sure they weren't being coerced into getting a vasectomy (all to supposedly create parity in how she perceives reproductive health care is provided in Michigan). Her amendments were soundly rejected and she earned a reputation as a mindless grandstander bent on making a point rather than passing sound legislation. With her name on the bill, I think it is dead before it gets to the floor, if it even gets that far.

Thought I would post this update on my NCLEX worries: I passed! Yes, my results took an additional day or so to post, but I guess I was worrying about nothing! So glad that is over and done with. Thanks for all of the input everyone.

Man! I am so bummed about this. So on top of wondering if I passed (in 75 questions) I have to wonder if they'll invalidate my results and I will lose my job. I have to be licensed before the 16 of July or my offer is pulled. And around here, most of July is already booked for NCLEX-RN. We have zero money. I couldn't afford to pay another $200 to retake the exam. Can't even buy gas or groceries. I have to have this job (not to mention I WANT this job.... it is really my dream job!). What kills me is that someone else could have waited five more minutes to get through the tutorial and then truly dumped a bunch of information on their board and nothing would happen to them. I guess I don't understand why a little blip like mine would cause a fuss. At first, I didn't understand why she took the board. I crossed off the info when she reminded me it wasn't allowed. And I didn't even use the second white board at all, not one squiggle. I truly wasn't doing a "brain dump." I sure hope they see it that way. I will definitely call Pearson Vue in a day or two. Calling our board of nursing, I am afraid, would be fruitless. I've heard from others who have had some pretty urgent problems and called them and got no help whatsoever.

I took the NCLEX-RN today. Yes, I read the stuff and signed the things that I read them. Then clicked on the tutorial to begin. Absent mindedly, I just wrote down on the white board Phos Alb Pot.... which meant that all of these have similar lab values. Anyway, the moderator came up and told me I can't write anything on the white board until the test starts (duh!). She took my little board and gave me a clean one, which i did not use at all. I tried to do the Pearson Vue Trick, and even though my results are supposedly "delivered" my results are on hold. Are they really going to hold this little doodle against me if I passed? Will they make me take it again? I have a job riding on this and now I am frantic! Has anybody ever done what I did and had it used against them to invalidate their test result? This was hardly a "brain dump." But I am freaking!

Thanks, Commuter and IIg. I would certainly not drop the peds position without having an offer from the other hospital. They have offered me an interview for a position on a progressive care surgical floor. I am just torn. I know that the peds position I have been offered is a difficult position to get (I was one of 160 who applied and only about 15 slots were open) and I definitely like pediatrics and will probably never get this chance again. But if I decide after a year or two that I am not really a peds nurse, would it be difficult to get a job in adult care? What about transferring from peds care to adult maternity nursing? That is another area that I would love to be in one day... any thoughts?

Hi, I'm a new grad and I accepted a peds job at a well-known hospital, which I am excited about. However, there are a few downsides to the job: it is a bit of a drive from where I live now (think gas prices! Ouch!) and the pay is slightly lower than some other places. The upside is a fantastic residency program that I think surpasses most programs in this neck of the woods. Today I got a call from another hospital, one which I've always wanted to work at, that wanted to interview me for a couple of positions. Before we even talked about which positions, I told the recruiter that I had already accepted a position and felt I needed to honor that decision. She asked if peds was an area of interest to me, and it is, and I told her so, but I am equally comfortable and enjoy working with adults. Now I don't know if I should call her back and at least talk about the positions. Is it unacceptable to rescind a position you have already accepted? The new position doesn't start for a month so I am sure they could offer it to one of the others they interviewed (assuming, of course, I interviewed, was offered and accepted a different job in the adult nursing). I am very confused. Any thoughts?

I think you had to provide a statement of working at ABC Nursing Home or whatever. Had to be on their letterhead. Things change so I would make an appointment with an adviser to see what is current. I know they are always evaluating the programs and admission process and I'm sure the website is most current.

I just completed an OB clinical at Sinai-Grace. It is located on the city's northwest side, where I grew up many years ago! While the neighborhood has slipped a bit since I lived there, I never felt unsafe going to clinical. I really enjoyed my time there. The nurses were very helpful!

This happened to me, too, when I approached 45 credits. I simply went to my advisor and they gave me a form that showed I was taking "new" credits for this particular program. In other words, they were required classes that I did not take when I earned my first degree. I then went to financial aid with that piece of paper and a few days later was told I would still receive financial aid. I think the intent of the law is not to exclude second bachelor's, but rather to stop students from becoming "professional students" who never graduate (and are on deferrment forever! ) Could be wrong....

I, too, am wrestling with this issue. I start school in September. My issue is that I wear In The Ear (ITE) hearing aids. I have resolved that I will have to take them out when I use the stethoscope, but I don't know if I will be able to get by with a regular acoustic stethoscope or not. I'm prepared to spend the extra money on an electronic scope, but you can't try them out anywhere, so what to do? I like the thought of the Thinklabs but it isn't available right now and probably won't be before September. Does anybody have any advice on my situation, with in-the-ear aides? I've looked at the Cardionics model that includes headphones, so that I wouldn't have to take my aides out... but what a way to yell to the world, "Hey! I have a hearing problem!" I don't really want to do that. I am not ashamed of my hearing loss, and I'll take on anyone who tries to make me feel I can't do this job because of it, but I don't want people treating me "differently" right out of the gate, ya know? I will definitely be checking out the ADA site. I talked with a person in the nursing school, before I was accepted, and her jaw dropped when I told her I wear hearing aids. She was concerned, of course, until I took them out and told her I could hear her just fine without them (but I didn't mention that I would not do so well in a noisy room!). Anyway, I would appreciate any advice on which amplified/electronic stethoscope to buy, etc., especially anyone who has experience with aides like mine! Thanks!

I saw that but I was not reading it right. I guess we just need to pick up the Hunter Green scrubs and I definitely need to start looking for some decent shoes because they said "clean!" LOL! My present pair would not qualify!

I just got my acceptance letter in the mail today, as a matter of fact. They also give you your schedule. I was expecting three classes (already took micro) but they didn't sign me up for DTC 203, or whatever it is! I don't know if I should be worried or not! I'll make a call after the holiday. I have a couple of questions about the dress code, too. For example, they don't say you need to wear any specific uniform to clinicals, except when we go to nursing homes. I don't know what to get as far as uniforms go! Anybody have an idea? ~ Patrice

Hi, I am starting EMUs 2nd bachelor accelerated program this fall, 2010. I just wanted to say that I started the process a year ago because I needed to take all of the prereqs first. I've met with two different advisors in the nursing office (in addition to a counselor in the second bachelor's admissions department) and I found everyone to be helpful and pleasant while at the same time they were upfront and told me what I was up against: you need a high gpa to get in to EMU's programs and, yes, they do give preference to people who took the three science class prereqs (two A&P classes and Chem 120). Because it is a decently-priced program in comparison to UM, MSU and others, there are many applicants. They take working experience in a health setting into consideration and everything is on a points basis. I have heard that others got in that did not take all of their prereqs at EMU. I have not heard anything negative about the process... it is what it is. If you don't get in, try again next year. At one time EMUs accelerated program was 16 months. It is now 20 months, year around. So, really, it is almost like a traditional program but accelerated by only a semester, really. I liked that idea. I, too, wasn't sure I was going to feel prepared for the profession if I took a 12-month program. I also like the fact that in the last cohort or two of EMUs program everyone passed the NCLEX on the first try. I feel fortunate to have been accepted, but if I had not, I would have applied to other programs. I am glad my experience with staff at EMU was good, but please don't let an unpleasant person or two deter you from going for the program you think is best from you. The entrance people and counselors are not the ones who will be teaching you and I've heard a lot of praise and not much negativity on the part of current nursing students at EMU about teaching staff. The key is to examine each school on objective measure and not on an unpleasant personal experience with one of two people. After all, I think we're going to run into some pretty unpleasant sick people along the way and you just have to deal with people as they come to you! ; )