liatard

Hi all, hoping for some insight and help negotiating salary for an ANM offer I'll be receiving. I have 7 years RN experience, 3 years charge experience, and some other leadership activities that I included on my resume. Another nurse onboarded to that position recently and shared his salary with me, so I have that advantage. I know that I have more experience both on the floor and in a leadership position, I just don't know how that translates per hour! I have no experience negotiating salary so trying to do my research! Thank you!

I entered the ER as a new grad by seeking out nurse residencies. I literally googled the heck out of it, found two that looked great, and applied & got into both. The one I chose in the PNW was a fantastic 6 month program. With your experience you're a great candidate. Work on shaping your resume toward ED - I volunteered in an ED and managed to complete my practicum in the ED, so it was obvious that's where my passion was. It's definitely possible!

I went straight from nursing school into the ED and I have loved it. It's tough and you have to hit the ground running though. I would look for residencies (I think this is essential) and carefully consider them to make sure that they are supportive and lengthy. I had a 6 month internship and I think that anything less than 3 months might set you up for failure (depending on the hospital and acuity of patients that is). The ED can be a great learning environment and I continue to learn something new every day. Just know yourself and know what you need to succeed. Don't listen to the naysayers and go for what you want. Good luck!

My biggest pet peeve is rude patients. I had a pt. last week who made me so mad I was shaking. First she yanked the call button out of the wall because she had been waiting 20 minutes! When we get in there she insists that she needs IV Fentanyl for and I&D of 3 small (I'm talking less than a dime width) abscesses in her armpit. I'm sure they were incredibly painful... but she was so rude I didn't even want to help her. I did my best to smile and be kind, said I was stepping out to get her some pain medications, she said "well do it quickly!" When I get back to her room she mimed clapping and said "good job!" Just rudeness from start to finish. She ended up leaving happy, with 2mg IM Dilaudid on board. I finished the day wondering what I could have done to make the entire encounter less painful for me. Which made me think of another pet peeve... people who take no responsibility for their health or care. Had a parent take her kid in BY AMBULANCE for mild abdominal pain x 1 day... kid was running around the room bouncing off the walls. When I go to discharge them, she says she needs medical transport back home...? And I give her the number for the cab company that takes her insurance. Does she know her number? No, of course not. Did she bring her purse/wallet with ID and insurance info? Nope. So here I am with pt. reg digging through old files of hers to find her *$^* insurance card info. Mind you this is a healthy, able bodied, young woman with her more than healthy 8 yr old child. Blew my mind.

As others have said, you'll need to look for positions that will train you. I used Indeed.com. Search for 'new grad,' 'internship,' etc. I would also recommend looking in smaller hospital systems, where internship programs won't be as impacted. I found an internship in a Level II trauma center right out of school this way. It's a hard specialty to get into as a new nurse, but if you're passionate enough about it you can do it! Good luck.

You could consider getting your ACLS / PALS certifications during your last semester / year of school. TNCC is an option but you have to have your RN license to be certified I believe; I wouldn't worry about CEN they recommend a year of practice before you attempt it. A tech position would be your best bet, as you've already mentioned. I volunteered in an ED during nursing school and I'm sure that helped me. I just got hired in to a 6 month ED internship as a new grad, so it is possible! I had volunteer hours in the ED, a preceptorship in a trauma ED, ACLS and PALS, a good GPA, and strong recommendations, and I was a very desirable candidate. If you show initiative and passion you can make it work. You'll hear a lot of people tell you to do a year of med-surg first- it's always an option, but you don't need it. Good luck!

Update: I finally actually got through to the BRN and got my question answered. Provided that you have completed all of your endorsement application paperwork, completed the Live Scan procedure, and registered on Nursys, you can get a same day endorsement. Also, you can submit the application before all of your materials are in order, and it is valid for 2 years. Hope that helps someone. If I get any more information when I actually go through with the process, I will let you know.

Hello- I'm graduating from nursing school in a month, and just starting my paperwork for the BRN. I have a choice to make in the next few weeks, and I need input from anyone who has some information about same day endorsement in CA. I'm looking at new grad programs right now, and I think I have a much better chance of finding work in Oregon than California. The start dates for some of the programs are July/August, so I want to make sure that I have all my paperwork in order ASAP. My plan is to register for Licensure by Examination with the Oregon BRN. From the research I have done it looks like you can endorse an out of state license with the CA BRN same day in Sacramento, and walk out with an interim license while your paperwork goes through. The Oregon BRN does not issue temporary licenses. Does anyone have any experience walking into the BRN in Sacramento and getting an interim license? I've tried to get through to them on the phone, but it's pretty much impossible. Any advice would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

Who did you guys address your cover letter to? I found the page with the nurse recruiter's name, but it would be embarrassing if it were the wrong person... http://hr.uclahealth.org/body.cfm?id=88 Any advice?

I'm still waiting on 1 letter of recommendation before my application is complete! I've been anxiously checking my inbox every hour... I applied for ED, Neuro ICU, and CICU. Can't wait to finish uploading, I'm getting really nervous about how much time has lapsed.

Does anyone know specific requirements for the letters of recommendation? I'm wondering if they need to be on school letterhead or not (sorry if this is an obvious question- this is my first new grad app!). I'm having a few recc's emailed to me since the deadline is quickly approaching, and I'm worried that this will be an issue. Thanks!