Platinum_One

Usually required to work a certain number of shifts within a certain time period. For example, at one hospital, I had to do 3 weekend shifts per X number of weeks. Another place I just have to do one shift every 90 days, but have to at least be available and accept if called for 1 shift per month. There are holiday requirements…like 2 holidays per year, or one summer and one winter holiday. Just varies by hospital. Both places I've been let you schedule yourself via their online scheduling software. If certain shifts were still going unfilled, they would call around, but there is no obligation to take it. PRN is cool, just depends on how many hours you need vs how many are regularly available. Best to pick a couple PRN positions to increase your chances for getting the amount of hours you want, if you want a higher amount. Having a couple also helps to break up the change of scenery. You can work enough at each place to not get tired of either. You don't get benefits. But if you don't need them, then it won't matter. Pay is better too. Good Luck!

Sorry to hear this. Leaving at 6 …yikes! Seems to me that the facility is not staffed appropriately/workload is not distributed efficiently. I've never worked in a state hospital before, so I am unsure if this is typical or not. I agree. Nothing wrong with jumping ship. Apply around to other psych nursing positions in the meantime. Are there any regular hospitals with psych units in your location? Any stand alone private psych hospitals? Any hospitals with psych/med-surg units? You may still like psych, just seems that this position is not giving you a fair introduction so that you can make a true assessment as to if this speciality is a good fit.

I obtained my Va license via endorsement back in 2013. It's fairly easy and had a quick turnaround time (about a week or so). If I recall correctly, I didn't have to go get fingerprinted. KellyRN is right. Easiest way is to call. I had a question as well, and whomever I spoke with was very helpful. It's definitely one of the easier states to get a license via endorsement. Good luck.

Base pay is $28/hr w/o differential

I can only speak for myself, but yes, it took me about 2 years, give or take. (One semester I didn't take any classes, and I also ended up taking a few classes that didn't go towards the pre-reqs as well.) I couldn't really work full time. I mainly worked part time, and sometimes I wasn't working at all. I've moved around quite a bit...and the economy took it's toll at certain points. lol I also had to pay for some of my classes out of pocket, therefore I could only take so many at a time. It may take longer than you would like, but do what you can based on your circumstance. Everything happens in time.

I can understand this thought process. I have been there myself. I just keep in mind that you never know where life will take you. Give 100% to the choices you make...this way if you decide to take another turn later, there will be no regrets. I once spoke with a nurse whose husband was a gynecologist. She gave me some insight into the profession of nursing. She says it's not for everyone and many don't realize it until they are working as a nurse. So she suggested that I work as a nurse first and then decide if it is truly for me, or if I want to be a physician (as I will get to see what their job entails as well). If so, then great! lol I will be on my way to getting an MSN. If not, then I will evaluate if I have really exhausted all of the s nursing career options that might be a better fit. If I come to the conclusion that it's not for me...I MAY begin to think about Med school. But to be honest I highly doubt med school is in my future (as logic tells me now). But you never know, change is one thing you can bet on in life. And there is going to have to be a HUGE calling deep down inside for me to go that route. The prestige isn't enough for me to more or less give up my life for 8+ years...then based on the specialty, give up much of my life for my career as a physician. It is commendable for those that do it, but everyone's priorities and goals in life are different. Nursing has it's own rewards and prestige. So I always ask myself...do I want to be a physician and do the work it takes to become one...or do I just want the MD after my name? It's natural to question why you want to do something and if you are making the right choice. Every person's motivation is different. I'm 26 as well, and I have a lot of other things in life that I want to accomplish within the next X number of years. Be a doctor because you want to be, not because society tells you that's the pinnacle that you should attain. So, unless life is going to show me that I should do something different, I'm going to be the best nurse I can be. :-)

Hey iridium54...I'm posting my response to your private message here because I do not have permission to send private messages. I don't have the required number of posts yet. I have been a lurker for a few years now, and have just recently started posting. So why did I decide to reapply after being denied admission? Well, I must say that my being placed on the wait list the first time around was a factor. Instead of being out right denied, I figured that there must be some things that they liked about my application and credentials in order to at least be wait-listed. So I thought, why not try again. I may stand a better chance the second time around. This is why I used the time leading up to my second application, to strengthen my application and show my persistence. Also, UPenn was the only school I applied to that year. I applied for the September start date, and not the June start date. I had less pre-requisites completed. I also would not have had enough time to complete all of the pre-requisites that were needed for the other schools I had been considering. So the second time around, I also applied to Drexel ACE (accepted), and was set to apply to Jefferson, GWU, and Georgetown. I had more classes completed, and also wanted to make sure I had other options in case I didn't get into Penn again. I found out that I was admitted to PENN prior to the due dates for these, so I never ended up submitting the applications....and saved myself some money too! I think that in my heart, I really wanted to go to UPENN over the other schools. I was sold on Penn's program. It just seemed like the best fit. I was very attracted to the learning and research opportunities, and I hope to be able to obtain my masters from Penn later on down the road. Now I will say that had I not gotten in, I think that I still would have excelled and benefited from any of the other programs. I would have been just as happy. But I also had to consider the financial aid aspect. I have reached my max on Stafford loans (via my first undergrad degree and for some of my pre-reqs). I have also been out of school a few years and have been hit pretty hard by the economy (as I'm sure is the case for many on here). I have had to pay for 6 of the pre-req classes out of pocket. So it has been a long, and sometimes stressful road to get into Nursing school. Had I gone to any of the other schools, I would have had to worry more about how I was going to be able to afford the tuition, living costs, etc, as their financial aid is not as generous. I would have applied for scholarships, grants, etc, but of course, there are no guarantees. So Penn's financial aid was also a major factor as well. It all ultimately worked out the way I wanted. I am originally from Philly, so it is also a good thing to be going back "home" and getting reacquainted with a city that I haven't lived in since I was 18 years old. As far as what I think may be in your best interest...I would just wait to see about your acceptances, and also to take a look at the financial aid, if that is of a major concern to you. I don't think there are any wrong choices. Now if my situation were different, and I had applied to, and gotten into another school with a financial aid package that met my need, I probably would not have applied again. I would have sucked up the disappointment and made the most out of where I would have ended up. And I'm sure I would have been happy with my choice. But, based on my situation the first time around, I didn't have any other schools to choose from. So the timing worked in my favor. I could apply a second time with more confidence, and without worrying about passing over other opportunities. But your situation is somewhat different. If you do want to try for Penn again, can you comfortably wait a year? I'm not sure what your situation is with work and finances. It may give you time to consider applying for the MSN as well (if you know you have a strong interest in a specific field), which could also help you the second time around. Even if you get into the other programs, you can always apply to them again as well....and I'm assuming that you would probably be easily accepted again. But again, this is an assumption, maybe someone else knows more about this than I do...if you are accepted the first time, but cannot attend (assuming you cannot defer), are you basically a shoe in the second time? I ended up having to pass on my first choice for undergrad due to financial reasons, even though I was accepted, and going to another school that was lower on my list. (I got accepted to U of Miami for undergrad BTW, but they weren't too generous with their financial aid either...so I passed on them lol) But I had a great experience and would not go back and change a thing! So I think life has a weird way of steering you in certain directions, even if it's not what you want or expect. It's what you make of the experience and opportunities while you are there that counts. I know this is a tough decision, especially with a school that you know you really want to attend. I say go with what makes sense. If you go with another school, then make the best of it. If you decide to wait and apply for Penn again, it doesn't make you elitist, it just says that you think that their program is a better fit for you than the others, and you are determined to put out 100% to see if it is meant to be. If you decide not to reapply to Penn and go somewhere else, keep in mind that you can always apply again later for your MSN and attend for graduate school, if that is something you have planned in the future. You are the one that has to do the work and pay for the education, so I wouldn't worry so much about what others think about your motives. Wait to see if these other schools fit your situation first, and then decide if it is worth it to wait and reapply to Penn. ...If you don't get accepted off the wait list first, of course. You never know! Good Luck. :)

Sent...subject will say "Allnurses"...and it's from an aol address.

Ladubya87... I was going to send you a pm, but I don't have permission, as I don't have over 15 posts. If you don't mind, what's your email address?...this way I can answer your question...

Accepted! :) I applied for the BSN only (originally planned on applying for the BSN/MSN this year, but was not able to take the GRE before the due date). I was wait-listed last year, but applied again this year... with success! Here are my stats: BFA from Howard University - 2006 3.45 Undergrad GPA 4.0 Pre-Requisite GPA RAINN Online Hotline Volunteer Planned Parenthood Clinic / Advocacy Volunteer Nurse shadowing experience Lifeguard, CPR & First Aid Certifications (7 years) - including swim instruction 3 Recommendations During the time period between last year and this year, I added on the RAINN volunteering, more pre-requisites (in hopes for making the June start date instead of the fall), the shadowing, and a third recommendation from a professor. My essay this time around just updated them on what I have been doing since I last applied. I'm originally from Philly (born and raised). So last May, while I was visiting my parents, I was able to set up a meeting with Filomena regarding my application. I think meeting with her was a HUGE help bc/ she gave me feedback on my application and what I should consider adding to it. She was great, and gave me a lot of information about the program (including the MSN and PhD programs). I also think it was a good chance to put a face to a name. I left even more determined to get in the second time around! lol Looking at some of the other stats, mine seems to pale in comparison to others' experience. But I do think that everyone has something to offer and that they are open to a variety of backgrounds. Good luck to those that will be applying again...it can happen!