LGD2011

I've been offered this position at Good Sam. My understanding is they are hiring 20 new grads, will train for 10 weeks with a preceptor on three different med-surg floors, and then you become a per diem staff (no benefits, no guaranteed hours). This is a 3 year position, but there is no contract. If a permanent position opens up you can apply for it or if you find a position elsewhere can leave without penalty.

Thank you for your thoughts. Human Resources did a poor job explaining the job on the phone, but I got a better understanding in the interview. The general idea of the program is they train you (full time paid training) for 10 weeks with a preceptor and then you become a per diem staff. I have to be available to work at least two shifts per week. There is no contract, so I can leave any time I find a full time job. If I stay there are yearly bonuses and pay increases. They are hoping the majority will apply for permanent positions with them, but even if that doesn't happen I'll have the acute care experience that most employers want. Even though I'm not sure how the per diem part will work out for me, I couldn't pass up the chance to be trained in the hospital. I accepted the job offer and will start next month.

So I have an interview for a new grad program at a hospital tomorrow. They changed the program for this year, so it will now be a 3 year commitment as a per diem staff with no benefits. I'm going to clarify tomorrow but it also sounded like there is no guarantee of number of hours per week. Doesn't this seem like an excessively long time to commit to being a new grad?

Yes, lab is for the whole semester. I guess in previous years lab was only half the semester and students said they didn't feel prepared enough for clinical. It meets for one and a half hours each week and the class is divided into two groups, so either 1p-2:30p or 2:30p-4p lab.

I'm in the current ACCEL class and just wanted to mention that we have the largest class they have ever had with 35 students. Also first semester is 2 days of courses, but also a Wednesday lab. So you are required to be on campus three days a week.

I work at a much larger agency (not as a nurse) which has over 30 group homes and a day program. The day program has two part time nurses who split the 5 day work week. There is one RN and one LPN to oversee the residences and teach trainings, but they are rarely actually in the homes. I'm quite jealous of the poster who always has a nurse in house. OP, perhaps you could talk to the Executive Director about being solely responsible for day program if you are cut to 20 hours a week. I think it depends on the medical complexity of your clients whether the work load is reasonable. Just realized this is an old post. Cd1229, what happened in your situation?

I saw an advertisement looking for direct care staff for a rest home. They specified they are not a nursing home. What are the major differences between the two? Anyone have experience working at a rest home? Thanks!

I'm so glad for this thread. I'm also a fainter, not due to watching something gross, but standing for long periods and getting dehydrated. I'm concerned that I won't be able to eat and drink as much as I need when doing clinicals. I'd hate to stand out in a negative way as someone who is always trying to take a snack break.

Fscjess, Congrats on the baby, that's so exciting! The January start is actually going to work out better for me also. My mother will be having hip replacement surgery in September and I'll be free to help her recover. Thanks for the financial aid info. Good to know I didn't really miss anything. I hope they give us a book list in advance, so we can find some good deals on them. I imagine books are going to be one of the major expenses of the program.

Britbrit, Have you decided which program you'll be attending?

I can only speak for myself, since I don't know anyone else who applied for the ABSN program. I have a BA in psychology and English. I've worked as an administrative assistant at a major Boston hospital since high school. I was also a manager at a non-profit human service agency and worked directly with developmentally disabled adults with Alzheimer's, some on hospice. To make your application competitive I'd recommend having someone you trust critique your personal statement. Also try to get as many A's as possible in pre-reqs. I think it helped my application that I only had one science course left to complete. Hope that helps!

I'll be going to Curry in January! I sent in my deposit, but haven't received any confirmation back yet. I agree it'd be nice to be starting in the fall. I'm not sure what I'll be doing before nursing school starts, since I've been working on a very part time basis while working on the pre-reqs and they don't have any more hours available. On a side note, did anyone attend the financial aid night at Curry and have any advice to share?

I'm also a career changer who will be starting an accelerated program next year. Since you haven't been out of college long, I'd recommend taking a CNA course or doing some volunteering to make sure you understand what nursing actually entails. I worked for years and saved money before going back to school for pre-reqs. You're ahead of the game having most of them completed already! I don't think your journalism degree will be a problem. Most schools are looking for diversity in the types of students they accept. Your grades sound good, pre-reqs grade are much more important than overall undergrad GPA. I took all my pre-reqs at a community college, so don't worry about taking micro there. So my advice is to make sure this is really what you want and start saving your money!

I think it depends on what type of student you are. I took A&P last summer and did really well because I was only taking the one course and really had time to focus on it. It was a lot of reading and memorizing. It sounds like you're used to a heavy course load already. Best of luck!

I relate to your problem. I also quit full time work last year to start pre-reqs and have just been accepted to a program and I find myself not excited about it. The school doesn't start until January, so I think it just might not have sunk in yet for me. I'm not sure what advice to give you. I don't think prestigious / pricey schools are necessarily better, especially since you will be continuing on with your education. Also, once you finish that one year program, you could get a part time nursing job to pay for your master's program.