mandyc

Good Luck to you! WE all make mistakes, it is a hard lesson learned that some of them will follow you for the rest of your life! I hope you get the chance to take your NCLEX.

I did not have a problem finding a job with my ADN but, have continued on to get my BSN. I graduated with my RN in May of 2009, and even in that short time period the nursing market has become very competitive . If you want to stand out above the rest of the applicants I truly believe you need to strive towards improving in the field you have desired as a career. This means taking CEU classes, joining an organization to improve quality of care of patients/nurses (Colorado Nurse Association or other organizations) and such. It does show that you are placing importance in self improvement and are the type of person that wants to grow and become efficient in your career. Just a suggestion anyway. I do know that certain school graduates do have a harder time obtaining employment then others, I am not for certain if this has to do with the school itself or with the applicant/resume process. There are too many variables to tell for sure. There are MANY applicants right now..for not so many nursing positions. Its tough out there!

Bed side nursing is not what every nurse dreams about, and believe me at times I am inclined to agree...However, as a new graduate it can sure help you along the way to a career in nursing you would rather pursue...There are nurses in research...but mostly require an MSN/PhD...does not necessarily require bedside experience, phone triage(good to have some bedside knowledge), case managers that I know DO love their jobs...Health department as previously stated would be a good choice....I believe there is a website called http://www.discovernursing.com that has just about EVERY career you can go into for nursing...I would give that a try...Good luck with your goals,dreams and ambitions. Nursing is one of those career fields that will take you places you have not even thought of before!

The consensus seems to be..."Good Work Ethics, regardless of what reasons a person enters a career, say volumes about a persons ability to do a job well." I agree completely. I wonder however if a person is a GREAT worker but has no patience or compassion how well they would do in nursing or even if they would likely be drawn to it? Any given career, regardless of the reason you entered it should have some sort of interest to you....in order for you to truly "Like/Love" the chosen profession. There is nothing better in the world then truly being excited about going to work(for whatever your reasons are...good paycheck, helping people, education...etc) ..... "Find a job you love and you'll never work a day in your life.".....Confucious

As said before, there are MANY different reasons for nursing. I originally decided to go into nursing right out of high school in 1993 because my dad told me a nurse always has job security and financial security....however, my heart wasn't in it and I later dropped from the program. However, after YEARS of being in careers that did not feel personally or spiritually fulfilling I went back to school in 2006 into an ADN program, I cannot say honestly that money was not somewhat of the motivator back then, but after going to nursing school and working as a nurse I felt like I had found my niche, so to speak, and found the passion in my newly chosen career. It does matter where you work, because there is a HIGH burnout rate among nurses and even more so among new grads. If you can find what you LOVE about nursing or any career for that matter, you will be happy and at the very least, content with your choice in career. It is always 99% attitude and 1% situational (for the most part) As a new grad I worked in a hospital and felt like I could change the world...Later found out that it wasn't that EASY...I was definitely a little over ambitious and there were many times I was given a lesson in "Humility". But it is the overall experience of nursing and the rewards even though you may not be able to change the world over night, you can certainly have an impact...one person/patient at a time! With any job/career it comes with stress, and yes some problems...It is your choice to decided whether or not it is worth it and if the benefits out way the problems/stress. I have found that they by far have.....

I have worked for Magnet and non-magnet hospitals. I can honestly say I am sure it has to do with the people that are there. For instance, My last job(non-magnet) would never even promote let alone PAY for certifications, However, I have never had so many opportunities in education and certification then I do now in a magnet hospital. My NEW managers listen and work with ideas and suggestions. They seem to really care about the opinion of the nurse and I believe that says a lot. However, when I asked nurses if there was a BIG difference since they became magnet they said "No"...So in all reality, it is the hospital of choice that you work for and not necessarily the "Status", "Certifications" and such that make the hospital what it is......My opinion anyway!!!!

I believe all/any/some of us would be willing to help. What type of help are you looking for exactly. Med surg/pharm/OB..? You sound very frustrated as we have all experienced a time or two ourselves in nursing school. I do not agree that ALL nursing instructors are the same. But, with any profession, there is always going to be that one that you feel will make or break you. It looks bad on the school if so many student "FAil". It is an indication of their (instructors) performance and for those of us that look into a school with a good track record, that is one of the criteria. So, in response to your first initial question.......What area's are you looking for help in?

What type of help/assistance are you looking for? You cannot find an instructor that you trust?

From what I "understand" if a person does have sickle cell anemia, it will show in the production of their RBC. For instance, a normal RBC will live approx. 120 days while a sickle cell RBC will only live approx. 10-20 days. The body cannot produce healthy RBC to the extend of the death of the mutated cell. (can clog spleen, ....etc) With that said, I would imagine that it would show low levels of both Hgb and RBC counts. It should also show in the oxygen transportation, meaning decrease O2 saturation during sickle cell crisis. (which I am sure you already know, given your statement) Also when a CBC is done they also do a Mean corpuscular volume (MCV) this is a measurement of the size of the red blood cells. A low MCV is often the first indication of thalassemia. If the MCV is low and iron-deficiency has been ruled out, the person may be a thalassemia. http://www.labtestsonline.org/understanding/analytes/hemoglobin_varho/glance-3.html I hope this helps a little...I just did a research paper on sickle cell anemia.

Most nursing schools or advertisements say 60K-80K a year, most entry level nursing in Colorado will start anywhere between 20hr to 21hr (if you are lucky) So, If you work exactly 36 hours a week(3 - 12hr shifts) you will make around $39,312 a year, based on 21 dollars and 36 hours per week...Now lets say that you are "Overstaffed" on your floor according to the Hospital you are employed with....guess who is going to get "Called off"...Well, there goes a days pay of $252.00, so now you are making EVEN less.....I am not sure about everyone else that IS working, but my health insurance cost went up so much that I HAD to find another job that had better benefits then the hospital I worked in. It is a fact of life, economy is BAD and hospitals(some) are "Overstaffed" according to their nurse/pt. ratios they some how they magically figured out while doing the budget, guess I cant BLAME them considering the rise of unemployment and the rise of uninsured patients...kinda goes hand in hand!

Thank you for the information. I believe it is important to let nurses where to look for employment. Your help is greatly appreciated by all.. MAndy

I remember nursing school....ugghh all of the reading...I worked FULL time plus, have a family, kids....etc...everyone makes sacrifices..It IS suppose to be hard....or everyone would be a nurse...lol...I am doing my ADN to BSN now, and I have TONS of information to go over every night. I guess it is what it is....LOTS OF HARD WORK! Find ways to make your life easier by building on the information you have to read about. Group diseases and their processes together, along with their treatments and medications. Believe me this will be SOOO much easier for you in the long run. It is almost impossible to remember EVERYTHING you read, but you will eventually need to know how things work the farther along in school that you go!

There are jobs out there, VERY FEW...the process, I guess can be very selective now. I count my blessings everyday that I managed to secure employment as a new grad and then after a year of working as an RN was able to secure a second alternate job in a hospital. I work My BUTT off everyday, try my best to have a positive attitude and work hard to advocate for my patients, and most of all, I remind myself that I am not irreplaceable! Though I am not sure this is good for self-esteem, it reminds me that my job can easily be taken/removed/eliminated/terminated at anytime(not that I live in fear or anything)! I remember when I first started nursing school the pages and pages of job adds (especially in the medical field)....now there are hardly even 2 columns, which exists mostly of MA or CNA jobs!....

When I first started nursing school, All I knew was that I wanted to be a nurse! When I graduated, I was employed on a cardiac/ICU unit....After doing research I realized that the unique part of being a nurse is that you can be just about ANYTHING you want to be and still be a nurse! There are sooo many different choices, avenues, decisions, paths and directions that it is almost overwhelming at first, but find what you enjoy and you will find which path you want in life....Good Luck to you! Follow your Heart and you cant go wrong.

caliotter3, what about teaching/nurse instructor! Might be an option? They are always looking for good nurses with experience to teach!