Gonzo13

Congrats on getting an interview. I recall when I was being interviewed for my job there were two interviews. The first was with the nursing manager and to me it seemed that she was just trying to get a feel for me. The second interview was a panel interview and they asked some interesting questions. How do you deal with people that you don't get along with give an example, when was the last time that you took something personally and how did you handle it, why do you want to work here, what do you bring to the table etc... Then questions about the resume. Other than researching the company and having good answers for weaknesses and strengths the only advice that I can give is when asked a question take a breath before answering. It's not a race. It turns out that the panel interviewer where just some of the nurses that had about 30 minutes free to sit in on the panel.

MrChicagoRN Thanks for your insight. I didn't say bartending is the same thing as administering medications I said it's similar. Word docs sometimes don't paste well into dialogue boxes and this is one of those cases. The work history has a very defined section on the resume and it is three columns. It starts with the dates then the job title then where the work was done so each position is in one line which makes it easy to read and it takes up less room than the skills list takes up which is in 2 columns. Curiously how many jobs do you think is too many? I do appreciate the comments, thanks. LaughingRN I am a Father and I'm not putting any of the things that I do for my daughter on my resume. I'm also not putting any of the wound care stuff that I have performed on my self. I get that. My resume when in Microsoft Word or printed is a little less than 2 pages. I was putting the job history in here because it shows only one gap and I was attending nursing school at the time. From what I have always been told having gaps in a work history on a resume is a bad thing. I might be wrong, the people that told me this might be wrong. I do know that when I would look at resumes when I was involved in hiring processes people with big or multiple gaps in work history were not usually hired. I was actually thinking of putting stuff from clinical rotations in the cover letter if I had done rotations at that hospital. Again thanks for your insight and I'm not taking anything the wrong way we are just people talking.

Thanks LaughingRN. I get the taking everything out that isn't nursing/healthcare. I think that working as a tech diagnosing problems with cars is a little relevant just like the bartending is similar to administering medications (and I have had multiple people comment on working in a bar called the Emergency Room). Managing and the customer service come in to play being a nurse as well. It might just be me but if I say that I have 9 years of customer service and 3 years of management without something showing it then it could easily be fluff. I do agree with leaving in the preceptorship but I'm still not that sure about the info about my clinical rotations. What do you think.

Good Morning, Afternoon, or Evening, I currently work on a med-surg floor in an LTAC. This is my first nursing job and I have been there since March 2010. I don't like it. I almost hate going to work. It might be because I would rather be at home with my 10 month old daughter. It might be because half the patients don't want to do anything to get better. It could be something completely different. I am working on my resume and I am thinking of looking into peds. I like kids more than I do most adults. My hospital doesn't have peds so I would need to go else where. I'm not planning on quitting I am thinking of looking for a per diem peds job initially to make sure that it is what I want to do. So on to the questions. I changed my resume around a little. I'm wondering should I keep any of my clinical experience in there or should I take it all out or just leave in what is relevant? Like if I am applying to a hospital that I did a rotation at and maybe where I did my pediatrics at? I did do a preceptorship at a NICU should that stay on there or should it be scrapped? I would just go and ask one of my supervisors or a co worker but everything spreads around there like wildfire. Objective To acquire employment at a hospital as a Registered Nurse to care for, educate, and better the health of the patients that utilize the hospital for health services in a caring and holistic fashion. Education Associate Degree of Nursing - College of Southern Nevada December 2009 Certification/License Advanced Cardiac Life Support CertificationFebruary2010 Registered Nurse License: Nevada February 2010 Basic Life Support CertificationAugust 2011 Work History Jul. 2011 - Present Registered Nurse Home Health Company Mar. 2010 - Present Registered Nurse LTAC Nov. 2007 - Jan. 2009 Host Nightclub Jul. 2006 - Nov. 2007 Manager Nightclubs May 2003 - Jul. 2006 Bartender Nightclub Jul. 2002 - May 2003 Bartender Local Bar Mar. 2002 - Jul. 2002 Technician Local Mechanic Jan. 2002 - Mar. 2002 Fence Installer Fencing Company Feb. 2001 - Jan. 2002 Sales Associate Car Dealer Apr. 2000 - Oct. 2000 Valet Car Dealer Nov. 1999 - Apr. 2000 Zamboni Driver Ice Skating Rink Jun. 1995 - Dec. 1999 U.S. Soldier U.S. Army Gipsy and 8½ Nightclubs LV,NV Gipsy Nightclub LV,NV Emergency Room LV,NV Econo Lube N Tune LV,NV Barrier Fencing LV,NV Team Ford LV,NV Team Ford LV,NV Las Vegas Sports Park LV,NV U.S. Army Ft. Bragg, NC Skills *Knowledge of computer charting *Excellent medical math skills *Proficient in medication administration *Experienced in wound care *Able to educate patients regarding medications, treatments, and procedures *Nine years of customer service experience *Exceptional communication skills *Experience in high stress environments *Management skills with 3 years of experience *Proficient with Microsoft Office *Excellent at assessing patients *Communicating with other departments to improve patient care *Skilled at coordinating with RTs for patients on ventilators *Communicating with patient/family regarding patient status and care given *Assessing patient's pain and administering medications to control the pain Clinical Experience Clinical practicum has included medical-surgical at University Medical Center, pediatric at Sunrise Children's Hospital and St. Rose Siena Campus, maternity at Mountain View Hospital, critical care at Summerlin Hospital, and psychiatric at Rawson-Neal Psychiatric Hospital and Montevista Hospital logging over 700 hours of clinical experience. Related Experience Nurse Preceptorship - Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, St. Rose Siena Campus *Responsible for assessing, planning, implementing care and charting of multiple neonates *Communicating neonates' status to parents and doctors Combat Life Saver - United States Army *Assessed and stabilized adult patients in a high stress field environment *Placed and ran intravenous fluids into personnel when needed *Cleaned and dressed wounds when needed Awards Dec. 1999 Received Honorable Discharge from the United States Army. Dec. 1999 The Army Achievement Medal for meritorious service while assigned to CCP Platoon, C Company, 51st Signal Battalion, Ft. Bragg, NC. Sep. 1998Certificate of Achievement for meritorious achievement during the Rapid Force Projection Initiative Field Experiment. Mar. 1998 Certificate of Achievement for exceptional performance during a Command Post Exercise. Feb. 1998 Certificate of Appreciation for outstanding support during Purple Dragon. Aug. 1997Humanitarian Service Medal for participation in the Hurricane Fran Disaster Relief Operation in September 1996. Feb. 1997 The Resistance Medal for meritorious achievement in resistance operations. Certificate of Appreciation for participation in an Unconventional Warfare Field Training Exercise. Dec. 1996 The Army Achievement Medal for directing the installation, operation, and maintenance of Local RAU with 100% reliability. Apr. 1996 Certificate of Appreciation for exemplary performance during Ultimate Victory Exercise. Certificate of Appreciation for exceptional service during a Command Post Exercise. ~Scott

It has been a while since I went over the specific whys of it but I believe that the cardiac muscle of an athlete has more stretch so it can fill with more blood and that it has stronger contractions so more blood gets pumped out. If I recall correctly the heart pumps about 5L of blood per minute during rest. So if you have more blood per contraction going out there doesn't need to be as many beats/min. While I was in the Army and running everyday I used to have a resting heart rate of 50. Now I just walk quickly up and down the halls of a hospital 3 12 hour shifts a week and it's at about 65. I think that there will never be a range for athletes because who defines a person as an athlete? I just did my normal duties while in the military, I never considered myself an athlete. I smoked and drank heavily the whole time that I was serving. If you admit a patient and they have bradycardia then ask them if they exercise and if so how often.

Thank you everyone I feel a little better knowing that feeling overwhelmed is normal. I am planning on staying with the unit for a while. I have a daughter on the way and the Wife and I are planning on buying a house. I mainly wanted opinions about the situation. @MaryAngel that is exactly how it is with me right now. If my patients talk to me about things other than their health I feel like it is making me late for my med passes with other patients. It's not that I don't want to talk to them I do it's just that I don't have the time. The only time that I thought the patient load was dangerous is when I had the 9 patients. I made sure that the charge nurse and nurse manager knew about it and they brought someone else in. @are n I have friends and fellow classmates that are still looking for employment. I just told one to keep her head up and that something would come along. @Fribblet you are probably right about the 8-9 month mark and me being able to go home on time. @MBARN I have been trying to chart events right when they happen it just seems that half way through it something else comes up and I have to either hurry or stop and take care of it. I am looking at going into Peds. I like kids better than adults so I care more about their health when I am around them. I don't think that it is considered a specialty area but I could be wrong. @nyteshade The unit isn't bad or anything. I have heard that it is a tough unit and that if a person can be a competent RN there then they can be one anywhere. I'm not sure how true that is though. @RNperdiem thanks I think that I already know what I want it's just that no one was hiring new grads for those positions. I was searching for employment for months with no luck before getting this job. @gentlegiver I have asked some of the "older" nurses to no avail. I'm going to refrain from badmouthing my coworkers techniques in a public forum. Again I want to thank everyone for the responses. I feel better knowing that I am not alone in this feeling.

Morning everyone, I am new to the nursing field. I graduated in December, passed my NCLEX in February, and acquired a job on a Med-Surg unit in late March. I feel very overwhelmed, usually I have 7 patients but I have had up to 9. Since I finished the orientation I have not left work on time. Most of the time I feel like I am a drug pusher. Is it just the Med-Surg unit or is this the way that all nursing is? I really came on here to ask a question about being a new grad. I am thinking about going and looking for another job. I am curious though about how long a new grad is considered a new grad in the eyes of a potential employer. I don't want to waste my time looking for another job and sending out resumes if they are just going to tell me they aren't hiring new grads. I have asked some of my fellow employees and they have said everything from 3 months to 1 year and everything in between. Let me know what you all think or experiences that you have had.