CoffeePlease

I suppose I'm going to get some good and some bad feedback from my friends here. I was a camp nurse at a pretty big camp this summer and I decided to come back for their fall season of school age science camp. Now that I'm here, I am counting the days till I can be finished. I would rather be back in a hospital. I don't feel fulfilled here and I long for more acute care. There are 3 nurses here, and about 30 counselors, with about 400-500 campers per week. The admin staff is wonderfully supportive. The salary is good and I share a house with nice people. I really have nothing to complain about- I just would rather work somewhere else. I want to keep my word, and make it till mid December, so I don't screw the other two nurses. Does anyone have any pointers for what I might be able to do to feel fulfilled in this work? Any challenging projects that I might be able to take on to make this nursing more interesting? I have thought about working on certifications that might be helpful in a job search, re-writing the camp health policies, and finding a job in a local hospital for a few per diem shifts to keep life interesting. None of these seem completely practical. Maybe I'm just in a rut and can't think for myself right now. Ideas, friends?

Hey There, I am a year in to my first job as an RN. I didn't get the job I wanted when I graduated, and others (who I KNEW were complete idiots) got the jobs instead. I was heartbroken. It still stings. However, I ended up on a crazy amazing unit. I love my co-workers, and my supervisor. I work on a monitored med surg unit that has tele, renal, hepatic, stroke, and you name it patients. I'm learning a lot and I look forward to going to work. This experience has ben really great for grounding my practice. My friends who got the dream job are still struggling, hating their supervisors, and crying all the way home because they had such hard shifts. I know it's hard to believe, but you'll be in the right spot for you soon. H

I am in the program, and I LOVE it. I used the book with the yellow cover and did well. Take a deep breath, and have a nap. You'll be fine. :-)

I've been accepted to the program in January as well. I'm really excited because I love the vibe of the school! I talked to a few current students during my application process (I just introduced myself to them in the lobby), and they had nothing but good things to say about it as well. Most of the time, nursing students complain because the work is HARD. But these ladies have some crazy passion for that they were learning and I'm totally excited to be around that. I will be taking several classes in the first term: English, A&P, and Sociology. From my talks with them, I think that the following is true: 1. I think we will have access to the schedule around the end of December. Not a lot of notice, but we can probably make it work if we all warn our bosses/kids/parents/friends now. 2. We get 2 sets of scrubs but can buy more of them, probably around $40 per set. Personally, I plan on having 5 sets- depending on how many days a week we'll be in school. I hate having to do laundry all the time and I hate wearing dirty clothes. 3. About financial aid. (I have private loans.) I was clear with them that I would be paying by check and that I would be able to pay when they were due, I just needed a schedule. I will be bringing proof of my ability to pay, but I doubt that I will need it. They want to make this work for us. Just be open with them and be honest with yourselves about your ability to get the loans. The whole point about them wanting to be sure we can make the payments, is that they really want to be sure that we will be able to finish the program. That they will help finance us, is really nice. Getting a rejection letter is easy, the bank will do it on the spot. I have experienced this a few times. :) We'll get there! It'll be starting before we know it. Breathe in and out and relax now, because once school starts, we'll be up to our umbilici in WORK. :-)

Good Luck! It's so exciting to watch these "waiting for acceptance letters" posts.

Thank you! I needed this today. :-)

Keep the job for a year. If you have doubts, look in the new grad nurse forums and read all the woeful posts about people who don't have jobs. Look for a new job while you're working, sure. But don't quit.

I didn't wait to take my NCLEX- I graduated in Feb '11. I was 4.0 student and my resume is perfect. ( I had several resume smarties proofread it for me.) I have a bachelor's degree as well as my LVN and am IV certified. I will work any shift, any distance away, any type of facility, for any salary. I have applied to over 50 different places. I am starting to get nibbles now, but don't have a job yet. There are a lot of new grad LVN's out there. We just have to stay positive, keep networking, and keep looking for that first job. Hopefully we get lucky, and get the chance to prove ourselves. Crossing my fingers for you (and the rest of us too!)

Classifications, and the main drug in each classification is what I remembered the most about. Then, remember the other drugs in each clasification. If your class is taught that way, it'll be easier for you. Good luck!

Hi Cyndi17, I took and passed the current version of the NCLEX. 1. First off, relax and breathe. Stress will keep you from thinking clearly. 2. Hopefully you have been in a program that taught you what you need to know, if you have passed your classes and taken an exit exam and done well, you probably already know what you need to know. 3. Hopefully you have been using a review book like Saunders, and/or have taken an NCLEX review class. Doing questions, many many many questions is really excellent preparation. 4. Drive to the testing facility, see what it's like. Figure out where you are going to park. Do a walk through. 5. Wear layers of shirts to the test. They won't let you wear jackets into the room. One poor girl had on a tank top and a hoodie. They wouldn't let her wear the hoodie and I could hear her shivering in the super cold test room. I wore 3 t-shirts on top of each other, and was perfect (but I am always cold). 6. Read the NCLEX forum on allnurses. There is great information on here! Good luck! Heather

I'm a recent grad LVN and here's my take. Nursing school prepares us to be self-sufficient, lifelong learners. We learn some basic facts at school and how to perform certain tasks. More importantly, we learn how to learn from ANYONE. I am quite clear that I will have a very sharp learning curve, should I be lucky enough to actually get a job. I now have a complete library of books (that I am very familiar with) to refer to during the first few days, weeks, months, years of working. I also know that I will be learning from a lot of different personality types while working and I got excellent preparation for that at nursing school. I now know I can probably learn from anyone, while bone tired, and in completely uncomfortable situations. I think this was time and money well spent. Now, I just really want a job. :-)

I wish they could teach "gut instinct" in nursing school.

Everything you'll need to know about formatting an APA paper can be found here: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/ I had the hardest time writing the first one, the formatting is tricky if you aren't a word expert. Plan on spending a fair bit of time on the formatting alone. Just figuring out how to get a different header on the title page and the rest of the document took me almost a whole day. (Yes, I've now signed up for a class on Word.) I have an APA paper in Word 2007 for a Mac that I would be willing to email you if you like. PM me with your address and I'll send it along.

Ouch! I'm glad you found a new spot!

Good for you! I hope your supervisor wasn't too mad at you.