my3kiddos

And the chorus sings on. I completely understand why you are concerned, dholly2015, and your questions are valid.

I am in the last few weeks of an RN to BSN program that has a detailed handbook full of stringent policies. Prior to beginning the program, all students had to sign a document verifying that they read, understood, and agreed to abide by these policies. Over and over and over again, a number of my classmates have blatantly broken these policies, yet the infractions are overlooked and they are given undeserved grades allowing them to move on to the next course. I am certain that these students would gladly join in with the "mind your own business" chorus being sung on this thread. When we receive our degrees next month, only half of my class will have truly earned theirs. The issue is that it looks bad on the program to fail so many students, so they let way too much slide. As one of the few that has worked their butts off and followed the policies we agreed to abide by, I find it offensive to stand next to those who did not, receiving the same honor as if we were equally deserving. That IS my business. Nearly every single one of these undeserving students plan to go on to become nurse practitioners. When these under-educated slackers become NPs and care for your family members, it will become your business as well. There is a time and place for minding one's own business. The grocery store example given above is one of those and not at all comparable to this situation. While there should always be room to give grace to those with extenuating circumstances, repeatedly ignoring the violation of policies just makes the program look like a joke.

That's what I needed to know. Thanks!

I have been researching my options quite extensively over the past few days and have come to the conclusion that I am pretty much out of luck. New grad + ADN + no experience = no chance. I am going to try to get any job I can and plan to go back for my BSN in the mean time. It's not ideal, but I have to do what I have to do.

I appreciate the suggestions and I will look into those places. I really wish we didn't have to move!! I was offered a RN position on a med-surg floor in a magnet status hospital here (VA) and had to turn it down because there is no way I could stay. Many of my classmates have gotten jobs at local hospitals and one that moved to Alabama has gotten a job, so I just figured I would be able to get a job at a hospital after we moved. Once I began researching job opportunities, I quickly realized that this wasn't the case and I kind of feel like I have busted my butt in school for nothing. I am not really ready to go back for my BSN quite yet, but I may just have to in order to be competitive. I plan to aggressively look for a job and keep my fingers crossed that it all works out.

I am a new grad (ADN) and will be moving to Ft. Worth in about a month. I have been searching job opportunities and looking for insight on this site. I see people post about internships and I am wondering if internships are required as a new grad. I have looked at different hospital's sites and have seen info about the internships, but didn't see how to apply. Other hospital's sites didn't even mention internships, so do you just apply for a job? I would love to begin applying, but don't know how to properly go about it. I'd appreciate any info offered.

We'll be moving to the area soon and I am a new grad, so this thread answered a few of my questions, too. Does anyone know how the hospitals in Ft. Worth or Weatherford are about hiring ADN new grads? All I've heard are horror stories and I'm looking for a little hope.

Thanks for the input. We have to move in the next month or so, so waiting until I have a job isn't possible. I didn't think it would be necessarily easy to get a job, but it is starting to sound darn near impossible. I must work and I want to work, so I need to figure out what my options are. Any suggestions? I'd like to avoid working in a doctor's office or nursing home (my worst nightmare) because I have heard that hospitals won't want a nurse who's only experience is in one of these places. I plan to return to school and eventually get my MSN, but that isn't something I can do right away, so I have to figure out a way to make this ADN work for me for now. Has anyone heard about jobs outside of the metroplex in a more rural area? I know that this isn't going to be easy and would greatly appreciate any insight into where to direct my job seeking efforts. Thanks!

I recently graduated from an ADN program and am moving to the Ft. Worth area soon. I was raised there and have visited the area many times since we moved away, so I am familiar with the hospitals in the area. I am wondering if any are known to be good or bad about hiring new grads. Ideally, I'd like to work at Cook's, but don't know how they are about new grad RNs. I keep hearing horror stories about the difficulty others have had getting a job straight out of school and I'm really hoping to avoid that. I'd appreciate any info you all could offer me. Thanks!

I am an RN student at the VB campus. When I started last year, the cost of the program was $36,000. From what I understand, it is now over $40,000 without financial aid. They accept VERY few credits from other schools. English I and II are the only ones that I know you can transfer. I ended up retaking quite a few classes at MCI after taking the same classes at TCC only a year or two before.

I am an RN student at the VB campus now. It is intense! The semesters are 5 weeks long, yet we cover the same amount of material as other schools with 8-16 week semesters. It is A LOT of self teaching. There are some great instructors and there are others who are awful. It is all a matter of the luck of the draw as to which instructors you get. I'm not too fond of that aspect. In my opinion (and that of many others) MCI is more of a business than a school. It is all about the money and the students and their needs tend to take backseat. Last I heard, the cost of the program was over $40,000. It tends to go up every time a new class of RN students begin the program. From experience, I must say that the representatives will tell you whatever they think you want to hear to get you to sign up and inflate their commission check. Be very cautious when sitting down with them and don't believe every thing you hear. Do lots of research before you go in and, if you want to hear the real story, hang out in the back of the building and talk to the RN students (navy blue uniforms) while they are on break. Most of us are more than willing to give prospective students the real scoop and answer questions honestly. Day students go to class on various days (depends on the mod) M-F. They also do clinicals during the week. Night students have class various nights M-F (usually 2-3 days a week) and go to clinical on Sat and Sun. You need no previous medical experience to begin the RN program without a wait. I got in the first time I applied and I have only been a stay at home mom for the last 11 years. Entrance into the program mostly depends on your TEAS test scores that you take when you first go in to see a representative. It is kind of a stupid test because a lot of the questions don't really relate to the medical field, it is just general knowledge stuff and, to my knowledge, there is really no way to prepare for it. If your TEAS scores aren't good enough to get into the RN program, they most often won't tell you that. They will tell you that there is a waiting list or try to sway you toward the LPN program. If you stand your ground, they will let you continue on to pre-requisites, but you will be disappointed months later when you find out that you didn't make it into the program and wasted your time. Ask the rep. directly if your TEAS scores are competative enough to go RN with no problems. I STRONGLY suggest not working during the program! It has been done before, but very few succeed at passing the classes and working. There is generally a test or quiz every night covering 4-8 chapters each. Expect to spend 10 or so hours a day studying once the more challenging classes begin (esp. Med-Surg and Acute Care). Each clinical day requires a care plan that will take 8 plus hours and must be turned in 48 hours (or less) from leaving clinical. Then there are other assignments like papers, homework, case studies, drug cards, etc. that can take many hours to complete. Bottom line, if you have the time, I would suggest looking elsewhere. If you are in a hurry and can do a 15 month program, then give it a shot. It's not bad, it's just not great.