AndiSN

I can definitely understand where you are coming from. I can tell you that it is taking several of my classmates quite awhile to get a job. I am freaked out because I am pretty sure that it will be at least 8 months out before I can get a job. I ended up getting pregnant in November (we had been trying for awhile and couldn't so kind of gave up and then boom it happened at kind of an inconvenient time lol) and graduated in December. I have still been job hunting big time but the only companies willing to give me a chance have also only wanted to give me a 2-3 day orientation, so not safe for a new grad. At this point I am visibly pregnant and no one wants to hire the lady who is going to be missing 6 weeks this summer. I am so so scared that I am going to go try to find a job after this baby is born and everyone is going to not want to hire me because I have been out of school too long. A quick little bit here about the whole abortion clinic thing (I still can't believe some people were trying to turn it into a political debate), I don't know if it is just my part of the country but I will say that I found out quickly that majority of the nurses on the L&D unit I had experience on, were very unforgiving about the whole abortion thing. I can PM you a bit more on that if you would like. I just wanted to say that because while it would give you experience in women's health, it may also give you a big fat scarlet letter A on you resume or app if the person who is in charge of that decision is adamantly against it. This has nothing to do with my personal opinion on the matter. Also I am not trying to say that all L&D nurses are against abortion but in my experience and area the vast majority very strongly were.

Wow PetsToPeople, that was really nasty. You actually had some valid points but they kind of got lost in the hateful way you came across. That nurse came on here to vent from a situation that was frustrating to them which is what a lot of people do on here. While I had some similar thoughts regarding the mother's struggle and the boyfriend's right to be there, I completely disagree with your approach. I truly believe that there is something to be learned from your ideas of how the situation could have been handled better but unfortunately that probably won't happen. Instead of trying to help a fellow nurse learn from a situation that post looked more like you were trying to tear them down. Chill Pickle

Yeah multiple interviews are kind of the norm for a lot of jobs now. My nurse tech job required 2 interviews. Unless it was a mom and pop location, the jobs I interviewed for before nursing school all required multiple interviews.

When I started school we had to get the 2 step TB skin test done to start. I had to get it done at my doctors office and I kid you not I had to fight with the doc's asst (this one happened to be an EMT and not an MA) to get her to do the second part. She told me that I had just had a TB skin test and I certainly didn't need another one. Even after explaining the rationale behind it and that it was for nursing school she was still refusing. I finally had to tell her that if she had such a problem with it then she needed to send the doc in and I am sure he would take care of it. Lo and behold she came back with the stuff and did the skin test, not without some grumbling though. Anyways, a little off topic but this just reminded me of that.

Talk about a cryfest there. I pretty much can hardly see now. I am still a student and I haven't been through all of these things so I can't give any words of wisdom. I can say that your posts and posts of others like you help to keep me inspired and let me know that it's ok and normal to have emotions as a nurse. I know it's important to be there for the family and save my emotion until I have already done that but it helps to know that I won't be some oddball to feel that way.

I absolutely say LPN hands down. With MA you can only go so far and your education doesn't help you if you decide to further your education down the line. With the LPN you can do a bridge program later on if you want to get you RN but you can't do that with the MA. An LPN can do all the things that an MA can do but not the other way around.

Wow, I certainly don't think it's the dumbest idea I have ever heard at all. Also, nursing homes/rehab facilities are excellent places for first semester students to start. While I did not spend my first semester in a nursing home, some of our other clinical groups did. A skilled nursing facility is an excellent place to get your basics down. The people in our class who went to those learned a lot. The nursing staff was happy to have extra hands for baths, turning patients, ambulating patients, feeding patients, all that patient contact that helps people new to the profession of nursing more comfortable in patient contact. Now I don't really know what all is involved in nursing at a prison but I can imagine that the nurses there have a great deal that they could teach. We have spent time in nursing homes, public schools, community environments, clinics, and mental health facilities that some people may say wouldn't be a good learning experience but nursing is a lot more than just "hospital nursing". I have spent a good deal of time in the hospital as well but I feel that I have learned so much from all of my experiences.

You know I never thought about it. The city that our college is in has a state prison and we don't have the option of having students there. I hadn't thought about it before but now you have me interested.

I have read all of these posts about nurses not liking students and I just thank my lucky stars that I have been blessed. The majority of the nurses I have come across have really been great teachers. Some of them have even said they love students. I have run across the occasional nurse that doesn't like students but most of the time if I show them that I won't get in their way if they get super busy then I generally win them over. There was this one nurse that one of the students in my clinical group said she looked at her and said " I really hate students. " My poor friend did the best she could but was the sensitive type anyways and it just shook her up so bad. I had that same nurse the next week and she hated it at first but when I proved that I was fairly competent (as much as a student can be anyways) and when things started to get really crazy I either grabbed my instructor to help, or just stood out of her way and let her regain control, she did much better with me then. She even grabbed me to do an NG insert when she heard another nurse needed it done and stayed with me the whole time. I know that you can't win every nurse over but if you do what you can to make their day easier at first then many of them will warm up to teaching you things. I just do my best to keep a positive and grateful attitude that they are giving of their time to me.

I definitely try to be very careful about what I post because online because it just doesn't go away. That being said it's not just because it may get me in "trouble" but because the words you choose are important and can be damaging to others as well. What I don't agree with is firing someone because you don't like what they said online. I understand letting someone go because of a HIPPA violation or a violation of a confidentiality contract. I also have a problem with employers trolling looking to get someone in trouble. Don't you have something more constructive to do with company and personal time other than trolling employee social networking sites. It's one thing if it comes back to you through the grapevine and you have the responsibility of due diligence but to go looking for it is something else all together.

Oh my goodness!! That poor C.N.A. That had to rank right up there on the most embarrassing days of her life.

I really don't know enough to give advice but I love your title heading :) Love to see a nutcase with a sense of humor lol I haven't been hospitalized but I am quite sure that my husband would tell you I am a nutcase as well. Really hope the BON doesn't question him :)

That's just fine Merlyn. I have been known to get mixed up once or twice myself

Absolutely not. I would be thinking lets double that and maybe we can talk.

My comment wasn't in reply to yours. Sorry if it appeared that way. I saw another post regarding "anti-union" and people thinking that nurses made too much money. I was just saying that the attitude of many American's is very anti-union and it is frustrating. My comment was really after reading the following two posts " I tried to read about it, but the post disappeared quickly. I can say, tho, I was shocked and dismayed over all the nasty comments about nurses that I read. Apparently, there are a lot of people in the general population that think nurses are overpaid and have great benefits, and that we shouldn't complain! Blew me away. " "I would not have been surprised at all, given the current "anti-union" attitudes in politics lately. Teachers, firefighters and now nurses are being criticizised by those who think "we" get too much. If you don't believe it, google Wisconsin/Ohio state union laws. "