RadBSN

I applied and got in while I was working on my one year of experience. By the time I start I will have about 18 months. I deferred one class. I would encourage you to apply when you are ready!

The stuff for new grads goes up and down pretty quickly. For Dec. grads UNC had stuff up last week in November and it was down by the first week in December. I would subscribe to Duke's listings for CNIs so that I got that info when it was posted. Other than that I checked Rex, WakeMed and UNC's sites daily. It sucked. Usually the new grad positions are posted a month or two before graduation would be. You've probably missed all the jobs for summer start dates, but keep your eye out for fall start positions. Winter start positions (February) will probably be up in Oct/Nov. I will say that I know a few people who were able to get CNI jobs at Duke because they already had their licenses. We're only looking for experienced people on my floor right now because my NM hired 5 new grads in the beginning of the year and just hired 4 more. That's actually better because for the last several graduating classes she's only hired 2 new grads. Best of luck! I don't know of any more rural hospitals that hire new grads or have new grad programs. Honestly, I wouldn't want to work at most of them but mainly that's because we get the trainwrecks transferred from there!

My patients tend to have meds at 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, and 1800. If I got all their meds to them "on time" I would never do anything else. Last weekend I had someone with meds at all those times plus, 7, 11 and 1500. Sometimes their Cipro is scheduled to be given at the same time as their Magnesium Oxide and their "take an hour before meals" med is scheduled at the same time as their "take with meals meds". What this means is that I always take a look at the MAR while I'm getting report and highlight my "must give on time" meds, such as IV abx. We do bedside report/pt handoff, so that's when I check to make sure they're not laying on the floor or in any acute distress and check a pain level. Then I plan my day and give any insulin (if pts are eating). Sometimes I'll do my assessment while I'm giving meds (esp if the pt takes pills one at a time). I use a lot of nursing judgment/critical thinking when figuring out the timing of my meds. The MAR timing is set up by the pharmacy computer based on the schedule of the med, for example, meds written as "every 6 hours" show up differently than ones written as "4 times a day". It's not always logical.

Remember that all the skills with important sequences have a reason behind the sequence. You wouldn't wash your hands and then give the pt a call bell because you've just recontaminated yourself.

Not everyone requires a continuous infusion of IV fluids. Walking is HEALTHY for patients who are able to do so and it should be encouraged. Smoking, notsomuch.

My unit has a lot of independent pts who stay at the hospital for a LONG time, so we'll often med-lock them in between antibiotic infusions, for personal care, walking the halls with PT, etc. It helps them maintain some sense of normalcy in their lives. I usually give my patients a schedule for the day, so they know when they're getting what and can plan in between. I won't interrupt treatment (abx, fluid bolus, etc.) for a shower, but if it's just KVO fluids I will. I haven't had anyone ask to be unlocked so they can go smoke, but we're a non-smoking campus, so they would have to leave AMA.

I kind of like the idea for this reason. If you're willing to be texted, great, you get the mass text at the same time as everyone else. Those who don't want to be texted get called in order. I don't think it would be fair if they only texted people, both should be done. Plus, there are situations when I don't want to answer my phone, but looking at a text quickly is fine.

When I got into Yale the Admissions Director said that they didn't allow people to defer, that I would have to reapply, but didn't have to submit a new application...I decided not to go and now I'm a nurse on a Medicine unit hoping to start CNM school next year.

I love text page, I would be so sad if it went away! I don't understand how it's a HIPAA violation if the intended person is receiving the message and has a "need to know" this information.

My first instinct is: OMG GO! However, Yale is expensive and who knows what the economy or job market will be like in 2 years. Having a maternal child health job will definitely benefit you in CNM school. Will your current position pay for grad school after you've been there a year? I know Yale won't defer (at least they wouldn't for me 3 years ago). If you got into one school it means you're probably a good candidate for grad school in general, so I wouldn't be too concerned about getting in again.

I only highlighted what I did in clinical if I was applying for a specific position-for a peds job I described my Peds rotation, a public health job I outline what I did in my public health clinical, etc. Honestly though, I don't really think it matters if you are applying in the same area where you went to nursing school. Nurse recruitment knows each of the programs and what happens in them.

Congrats on passing! I also got a TON of SATA! At one point I said "seriously?!?" out loud. I didn't think to count, but most of my questions were either SATA or "who would you see first?' I had one pharm question--on a drug that I knew. It's such a weird test!

I found Saunders and NCLEX 4000 to be pretty similar to the ones on the NCLEX. I did not find the ATI questions to be similar, but find that they were good for helping me review the content. My exam had almost a "theme" a lot of questions from one area it seemed. I've heard from other people too that theirs seem to have a "theme" too. I had no calculations, my friend who took it in the same room had 10. It's a weird, random exam. I wouldn't worry too much if you're weak in one area (unless it's all of med-surg) I was really nervous about oncolgoy and neuro, but ended up getting the subjects I was strong in. I honestly felt like I wasn't using that much knowledge about the actual disease process, but more about using my nursing judgment to prioritize. If there was something I didn't know there was usually some other clue in the question or answer that helped me figure it out.

I rarely got them right when practicing, but had a lot on the NCLEX and passed. I honestly felt like the NCLEX ones were more straight forward and therefore easier than the practice ones. Just do a bunch each day.

The minimum number of questions for the NCLEX RN is 75 and the min for the PN is 85...sounds like someone was exaggerating! I know people who passed with 256, 260, and 75. Just keep going and don't freak out if it doesn't shut off after 75! Honestly, I think the key to the NCLEX is to not freak out. There was a poor girl crying in the waiting room, BEFORE the exam even started, that is not a good way to start an exam!

Yeah, the hospital in our area that calls its L&D a "Birth Center" has the highest c-section rate in the area and just got scolded for it because they don't actually do enough high risk deliveries to justify a c/s rate that high.

I can honestly say that was the weirdest test I've ever taken! I can't decide if I'm going to do the PVT or not, so I'm just going to relax for a while. I don't know if I could have honestly studied more and felt better about the test. There were just a lot of SATA and prioritization type questions. One of them I thought "First I'd see my nurse manager and give her my resignation if I worked on a floor and this was my typical patient population!" I did a good job not freaking out, except when I raised my hand for a new dry erase board the guy who came to give me a new one said to me "You know, we have to let the NCBSN (or whoever) know if you request too many of these." Um, okay, I am halfway through my test and I just requested one more! I was using it to help eliminate answers and write things out, which was well within my right to do, so I just had to calm myself down a bit. So that's my big piece of advice is to not freak yourself out. There was one woman in there in tears before the thing even started, not a good way to start. I just did a lot of deep breathing and made myself focus on one question at a time. When I got to question 74 I wrote on my board "you can do it, take a deep breath and keep going" so that I could look at it and reassure myself just in case it didn't shut off, but it did! Good luck everyone!

Thanks for your support everyone! Headed to bed and hoping to do well tomorrow!

Did you do the PVT!?! I heard it's so hard to judge after you leave. One of my friends said she felt like she didn't know any of the answers, but still passed. I'll keep my fingers crossed for you!

I don't own a bible and I don't believe in god, but thank you for your prayers.

I think that getting opinions is great, but it would really behoove you to go out there and do some research. Check PubMed and CINAHL for studies on continuous EFM v. intermittent fetal monitoring, midwife attended deliveries, pick up a copy of a midwifery journal, etc. We could really "what if" the situation and the scenarios to death, because there will always be these crazy situations that happen and we wonder what would have happened if... You say that the mom with the severe lady partsl lacs had them as the result of uncontrolled pushing, maybe a midwife would have been in there and able to help the mom control her pushing avoiding tears. Or, maybe, if she was at home the same thing would have happened and the midwife would have called 911 to transport her to the hospital for a repair and transfusion.

I really liked the NCLEX 4000 format for testing, studying, and selecting questions. I would have to say that I don't think it could be my only study resource. The annoying thing about it is that you have to be extremely precise when clicking on the "hot spots" for some questions, they give you a very tiny box that is supposedly "correct"

For a normal healthy mom with a normal healthy pregnancy I would argue that birthing centers are safer than hospitals. In a birth center you are not exposed to the numerous interventions that put moms and babies at risk for the cascade of interventions and iatrogenic complications. Midwives and staff at birth centers are well trained to deal handle emergent complications during labor and birth (and less likely to cause them). They can handle the complications at the birth center or transfer to the nearest hospital if necessary.

One would hope not. I would think that a health-care employer should know that once you test positive for TB you always test positive. They should have protocols in place to deal with it. I know health-care workers who have tested positive for TB and gone through the antibiotic regimen to eradicate their latent TB, it would be discriminatory not to hire them. It would be like not hiring someone because they had chicken pox scars! (okay, not quite, but you get my point) As others have said, I've never heard of a TB test being given as part of the interview process.

I'm scheduled to take the NCLEX-RN tomorrow at 8 am! I'm so excited and ready to be done! I spent Sunday relaxing, then most of yesterday I just relaxed and took a few comprehensive exams. I'm making around 80% on my comprehensive tests and have done 3750 questions. Today I'm going over my flashcards one more time and will maybe take a practice test or two, nothing big though. Making my coffee now! Who else has is ready to go? Any last minute advice? Let's have a positive attitude-we can do it! (Can you believe I haven't had coffee yet )