kbs36

thanks for your help, everyone :) I will have to double check with the policies for my unit

My shift that I get paid for is for 12 hours (7p to 7a). Included in that 12 hours is a 30 minute meal and two 15 minute breaks. I didn't start working yet....I start in August. I know I'm never going to be able to leave right at 7 a. I'm just curious why someone is getting paid for an extra half hour. Maybe one nurse per shift works longer to be able to ease the transition between shifts and tie up loose ends? I don't know.

some nursing shifts go from 7 p to 7:30 a ? There was a job opening on my unit recently for this shift, but my shift is 7p to 7a...

The nursing job market here is very saturated, especially for new grads. Hahnemann Hospital just switched to an all-nursing model, so they are hiring about 60 nurses. A bunch of my classmates (12+) have gotten hired there. However, many hospitals around here require a BSN, especially for their new grad programs. For my nursing program, it is a second-degree accelerated BSN program, we graduated in April and the majority of the people who have landed jobs were at Hahnemann. Only a handful got jobs at other hospitals so far, many had to move out of the area. I got an interview through networking, and landed a job at a South Jersey hospital. My advice to you is to start marketing yourself now and calling recruiters. There is a lot of competition around here, however it is not impossible to get a job.

I think it is universally important to look at test-taking strategies (Kaplan is great with that). Content is important, too. However, remember that you aren't expected to know everything. There are some questions on the test that I had no idea what the condition/med was, so I just took an educated guess. When do you take your boards and what kind of nursing program were you in? Have you had a lot of practice? I took my exit hesi on March 23 and got pinned April 4. I took my boards today (June 2) -- the only reason why I waited so long was because my BON was incredibly slow in processing my application and i got my ATT a week ago. I finished in 75 questions. I started doing practice questions 5 days before, and yesterday I looked at content all day. I got the "good message" with the pearson vue trick today. It really all depends on whether or not you are a good test-taker / if you know your stuff. The questions are very random.

I live in the philadelphia area, where there are tons of nursing schools...but there are also many hospitals. I really don't think it is impossible to get a job. I graduated in April with my BSN and had a job in May without even passing my boards yet. It really is who you know, not what you know. So, like everyone else says, NETWORK. Also, tell everyone you know that you are in nursing school. The word will get around, and someone is bound to know someone who is either a nurse or a hospital administrator. ...And that is exactly how I landed my interview and got my job. Good luck!

Hi, Blinky! You should include your clinical experiences on your resume as well. List where you did your clinicals and then put a bullet or two underneath explaining what you did at that clinical and what types of patients you had. Also, you don't need to list your high school...just what colleges you attended after high school. Is there a way you can pm the word document of your resume? maybe i can help. Also, definitely list your restaurant experience! Customer service is very important and nursing recruiters like to see that experience on a resume.

Wow.......You are probably right. This is such BS. :(

It better not be!!! I'm going to call monday and ask. The program is less than a year...so 38 K in tuition alone does not sound right.

Are you sure? Don't you look at the total unmet need to figure out how much you are paying?

Hi everyone! I'm going to start the program in Spring 2011. For all of you looking for a place to live that might be a little cheaper than Philly...I suggest Collingswood. It's in New Jersey and is close to the PATCO train that takes you into Philly. I assume all of our classes are on the Center City campus where Hahnemann hospital is and it is really close to the train. Also, is the program 40 K only if it includes housing costs? Or am I reading the Financial Aid Award paper completely wrong....?