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I'm looking for any advice from nurses with Type 1 Diabetes. I've been diabetic for about 17 years and I have worn an insulin pump for 10 years. I am looking for an tips about basal rate adjustments and managing your own diabetes. I will be starting on a floor and it will require more walking. I'm curious about what challenges I will face because I will be working nights once I am off orientattion. Thanks for any advice!

ATC Healthcare, I started about a month ago. I am working as a school nurse until June because I am relocating for an RN job at a hospital then.

I earned my IL license last year and I am now getting a license for MO. Once you have a license in one state, you can apply for a license by endorsement. (I think this is different for compact states, but IL is not part of the compact) Be prepared to pay new fees and you must have fingerprints in the new state. MO issued me a temporary license until I submit all my information. They mailed me the new license in about 1.5 weeks and I have 6 months to submit the rest of the paperwork.

Have any recent grads/newer nurses gone through the Versant RN Residency Program? How does the program work? Did you find it beneficial?

As of 2 hours ago, I thought the Transplant ICU job was lost....1 hour ago, I received this email: Okay you must be really lucky, the other candidate from the hospital will not be available. I apologize for the back and forth, I just did not want to send out the wrong impression. Please call me on Friday if you are still interested. Thank you. This is not a fun game to be playing. It's unbelieveable that with this "nursing shortage" hospitals can treat applicants however they want and there is nothing we can do because we are desperate. It is not worth my time to be a tech and barely be living paycheck to paycheck. It is smarted for me to sit home in Chicago and do nothing for 3 months (rent free), than to struggle because I moved too soon.

This is what I woke up to this morning...I guess my decision is made... I wanted to send this email as we just had another candidate who is internal at the hospital and would be offered the job prior to any external candidates as she has the same credentials as you. I just wanted to let you know that you were a strong candidate and this application came unexpectedly. I sent this prior to next Friday so as to not delay any prospective job offers you may have in the coming weeks as you are an excellent candidate. I wish you luck in your nursing career.

The training program would consist of general hospital orientation and then 4 months with a preceptor. The new grad said other nurses are willing to help if they have time, but everyone is usually busy with 3-4 patients (some considered step down, some icu with a higher acuity). There aren't any new grad/nurse meetings or classes to follow up. I know of several hospitals that meet with new hires as education or a "support group" once they are working on their own. Since I have been out of nursing school for almost a year, I'm nervous to jump into this situation. I don't want to risk losing my license before I can truly utilize it.

Thank you everyone for your advice! I called the Missouri SBN and they said it is legal to work as a tech with a RN license....I found this article http://www.nursingworld.org/mods/archive/mod311/cerm202.htm which does not make this sound like the best opportunity. The HR lady is on my side and keeps apologizing because she knows this is unfair and the most they can offer my is $14.59. She states she has "exhausted all of her resources" and they will not budget with the wages. I called the leasing company and they said they would be willing to work with me due to the circumstances. One option is to suck it up and stay in Chicago until June, but what if suddenly they pull something like this in June? Then I will have an entire new class of "newer" new grads to compete with and have wasted 2 months. This program does sound beneficial, but it seems like I will be taking a big risk because the company has already made me lose my trust. If I have to wait, I need a 110% guarantee that I will start in June without any changes. I've already had a 10 month "vacation" since graduation and I feel like I will continue to lose my skills if I don't get into a hospital soon. Late yesterday I received a phone call from a hospital in Chicago (and interviewed this morning) for a Transplant ICU. They will make a decision next Friday and I could start in the beginning of May. The pay is much better, but they told me they are very short handed and their training program is practically non-existent. I spoke with a new grad nurse who has worked there for less than 6 months and she was just finishing a 16 hour shift. I'm not sure that this is a heathly work environment. I am extremely torn at this point and I really am not sure what to do...

As a new grad (May 2010) without experience, the job search has been quite a challenge. I was finally offered a job in St. Louis (I am from Chicago but went to school in STL for my BSN) and I thought things were looking up. I was willing to relocate and made a trip to sign my offer letter, complete my physical and sign a lease. I was schedule to start my first day of orientation in 2 weeks and move into my new apartment in 1 week from yesterday. I got a call yesterday stating that I "was selected" to be a part of the new nurse residency program (The Versant Program) which is just starting at the hospital...I have heard this is a good program, but here's the catch...it won't be until June 20th! Can hospitals really do this after an offer letter has been signed by the hospital and myself???? I know I should be happy to have a job, but I have spent a lot of money to transfer my RN license, my living room is full of boxes, I have signed a lease and quit my current job and now I'm just to sit around and put my life on hold for 3 months? The hospital told me they may be able offer me a position as a tech until then, but 1. $12 an hour is not going to pay my rent and 2. Is is legal for an RN to work as a UAP? Thoughts??

I PASSED! Third time's a charm, I guess. I really liked the nclex-rn exam prep book by Rinehart, Sloan and Hurd from the library. (I think these are the same authors as Exam Cram). I went through the entire book and made my own hand written outline because I remember things better when I write them down. I also watch most of the Kaplan LOD content videos because they have been updated since I last used Kaplan (they are much more concise and to the point!) I completed about 60% of the QB with an average of 65%.

Sadly, I know how you feel. It's just kind of numb and this point because I don't not how to react I've been studying a lot and I'm sure you have too! I just reapplied on Thursday, so I am waiting for my ATT. Best of luck to you on Monday!! Hopefully you can post some good news on wednesday

Thanks for writing your experience! It's nice to know I'm not the only one! I'm using Mosby, NCLEX-RN Exam Prep (Rinehart) and using questions from the LaCharity book that several people on here recommended :) Good luck!

Have you taken NCLEX since the Hurst review? I have failed twice (265 ?s the second time), after Kaplan and I dont know where to go from here...

Thank you for all of your feedback! I tried the NCSBN program, but I cancelled my subscription after 2 days because I was very unimpressed. I got an nclex-re exam prep book by Rinehart, Sloan and Hurd from the library. (I think these are the same authors as Exam Cram). I like the format of the book, as far as content, and I have a few other books to practice questions. mikeny, have you found a method that helped you pass?

I graduated with my BSN in May 2010. I took Kaplan the first week of June and unsuccessfully attempted NCLEX at the end of that month. I took Kaplan again in Mid-July. This time I completed 100% of the Q-Bank, with a 60%. This is exactly what Kaplan says you need to pass, but I was unsuccessful once again. This time I answered all 265 questions. I was only "below the passing level" in one area when I received my written results. I know I need to take NCLEX again, but I don't know where to go from here. I have lost motivation and have not opened a book in a month. Can anyone recommend any other study tools? I have heard mixed reviews about the NCSBN program, but I don't know what other options I have.