fem

You wrote (a LONG time ago): I casually mentioned an interest in a PRN NP job, and my professors told me basically "no one will hire a new grad NP PRN". Is this true? Would love to hear what you actually did do. It was a few years ago since your post. Try Locum Tenens Physician Jobs & Physician Recruitment - LocumTenens.com

Maybe try enpnetwork.com? I saw they help students find preceptors.

Yes, medical campus. First floor. Double glass doors. Where the Academic Advisors are. (maybe called Registration department?) Not sure of the room number. Sorry.

Not sure the application is online. Everyone I knew went to the 1st floor registration & advising department and asked for the one page application (maybe front & back?) and filled it out right there and turned it in, right there. Compared to other college applications I've done, this was a piece of cake. Loved that! Good Luck!

Hello Alisabeth, Please share with me any key information regarding the full scholarship for UM's NP program. The only way I could consider UM would be to acquire a full scholarship. Was it a need-based scholarship or a merit-based (academic performance) scholarship? Thanks. FEM

It is a bit of a surprise this thread is still open. yes, I graduated from MDC. Great GPA. who hoo! No retaking classes. Who hoo! Passed NLEX 1st attempt 75 Questions. Who Hoo. In retrospect, here are my opinions about RN School: MDC was a Better Choice than Broward College or expensive non-State accredited schools. Be Professional & Courteous to All Faculty. Be Thankful for those brilliant yet very kind professors. Yes, I found a few! Be thankful for the difficult professors (helps you prepare for the real world). Study like it is more important than breathing. Make time for distraction & recuperation (movie, exercise, dance, etc) Take One Day At A Time. Advise from students ahead of you is often helpful. if you can work part-time (non-RN position) in an acute care facility prior to graduation, ... it paves the way for employment at that hospital. Start trying to figure out your personality type & interests. As there are many options once becoming a nurse. Be helpful to those struggling or retaking classes. No need to be denigrating or critical. Understand the class pass/fail rate. (We lost about 50% of classmates at Med-Surg & Pharm). ... We started with about 42 and about 14 were still together at the end. ... Some changed to full-time & grad early, others fell behind & hopefully grad later. Once you graduate, don't think you are "all that"... You have just enough info to begin learning in a hospital. Often the ADN is enough to get employment at some hospitals. Other Hospitals require BSN to be considered for employment. Seems like plenty students intend to work full-time & go for the BSN part-time. The BSN seems to be the wave of the future. (Can get a job subject to finishing BSN in 2-3 years) Keep your grades up if you intend to go for BSN or beyond. Even some employers have a minimum GPA requirement. and finally, remember, opinions are like doorknobs, every house has a bunch of them. FEM

On the list of Universities that accept WGU.edu credits, what does the asterisk mean? usually it is some fine print, right?

Thanks for all the input. It helps new grads decide what unit/department is a better fit.

ElixRN Thank you for your courage in sharing your story of failure and more importantly overcoming that failure to find success. You not only risked failure but also risked chastisement by sharing your experience. If everyone is "tight-lipped" about medical errors, how can they be prevented? if medical errors never occurred, there would not be protocols to handle medical errors in effort to prevent future errors. it is interesting that this was not just an error on the student nurse's part... But multiple people & departments... people with more experience than the student nurse. It is a beautiful thing when those with experience help teach those with less experience. Thank you for sharing. FEM

Hi yogapants14, Certainly I am curious about this concept. Is it possible that some decision-makers may not accept a more "mature" SRNA? What about job prospects? Will employers hire an "older" SRNA? How do we find out these answers? OR do we choose to be like the bumble-bee? “According to aerodynamic laws, the bumblebee cannot fly. Ignoring these laws, the bumble bee flies anyway.” The SRNAs idea of taking ARNP (MSN) classes to demonstrate willingness & ability to handle graduate work seems wise. Further, if one did not get accepted to CRNA school, the other option was already underway. Seems like a wise "back-up" plan. FEM

Hi, Thank you to all who provided input as I am in the process of making decisions for my next "steps". It was a lively and sometimes heated debate. Great food for thought. FEM

Stargazer, You have no idea how much your comments mean to me!!! "Think I'd make a great ICU or OR RN because of detail-oriented, methodical nature ... balances out my OCD nature ... good enough vs perfection". While I tend to do well on prioritization... I have tended to prefer slower & more accurate activities in the past. Good to know there is the ability to adapt. And "yes, I can do ER" (thinking positivity) If I can make a successful transition from a 20 year career to having a fantastic GPA for my ADN (studied like it was more important than breathing! LOL!) and passing NCLEX in 75 questions on 1st attempt, I can adapt to ER ! The options of non 7a-7p shifts... For example... 11a-11p or 3p-3a is very appealing. Having a Dr always nearby is appealing. (Love to learn from them) I like the idea of teamwork. I was not expecting the 1st interviewer's question.... "What is your idea of teamwork?" my reply was "being there for my fellow nurses when they need help". Which corresponds to my attitude in nursing school... I felt so fortunate to have those ahead of me give me guidance, in turn, I was very happy to help guide those behind me". Mentors are a beautiful thing. So I "blew" my first interview which happened to be the first interview I'd done in approximately 20 years. So my classmate ended up with the "new grad training program" in ER. Happy for her. Disappointing for me. I mean, what is the chance I get a 2nd chance at that type of interview??? It isn't like this opportunity is easy to come by. It is not clear my next steps to "try again". ACLS, PALS, Phlebotomy (wanna be good at hitting that vein), & RN-BSN are all on my agenda. Interviewing often enough where it is not so "foreign" to me might help me present myself in a positive fashion? FEM

Hi, I think I opted for the "use it for a year" for $100. You can "use it for less time" (3 months? 6 months? I forget exactly) and pay less. My feedback about NCLEX 10,000 is this... it must be a competitor to Kaplan, Feuer, or other "NCLEX prep programs" because It is "CAT=computer adaptive testing." It was NOT like the NCLEX that started you out at a "normal" level and then decided if you passed or failed. It starts you at level 1, which felt like I was doing the most straightforward questions ever. Way too easy. Then as you continue, it graduates you to a higher level. I was told not to attempt the NCLEX til I was at level 4 and level 8; it was a 94% chance of passing the NCLEX. Okay, so at least start me out at level 4 and see if I'm successful. Okay, so start me at level 8 and see if I'm successful. Nope, that isn't how their program works. When I called, one of NCLEX's 10,000 Customer Service Reps advised me if I wanted to "move up the levels quickly" to do quizzes with only ten questions in them. I tried that, but it was taking me longer than I wanted to start getting More challenging questions. I'm not saying it is not a good program; I liked it pretty well. It's just that I already had Kaplan and wanted a sample CAT test before taking the actual NCLEX. And NCLEX 10,000 wasn't suited for my particular needs, unfortunately. By the way, I passed the NCLEX recently in 75Q and felt that Kaplan prepared me adequately. Be Well, FEM

Kimberly, THANK YOU so much for posting your scores. I've been doing high 60's low 70's on the Qbanks. And then I tried the NCLEX sample test 1 & 2 and did pretty badly 52/54. It shook me up. So I then immediately did a QBank of 50 questions and got a 68. Today I have vacillated whether or not to delay my testing date because of those low sample test scores. Next week I will do QT 7 and see how I do. I'll try not to make a decision on "go for it" or "delay testing date" today. But another allnurses.com poster scored REALLY high on the NCLEX Sample tests. So that REALLY concerned me. Glad to see you struggled with the sample tests and still passed the NCLEX. A bit of encouragement for me. Thanks Again for posting. FEM

Hi, I'm doing well on the Kaplan Qbanks. high 60's low 70s. But I really blew it on the NCLEX "Sample Tests". It seemed so much harder than the Qbanks. I thought... oh, I'm having a bad day... but just to test that theory, I did a 50 Question Qbank (same day) and did my normal high 60's. Any idea what this is all about? If I had done ok on the Sample Test, I would have been inclined to proceed with my testing date. Now, I've lost some confidence due to the poor scores on the sample test. Worse, the testing dates are filled up on days/times I can do it. So It's not so EZ to just switch the dates. Sorry... guess I'm rambling here.