troop949

Yes, it is. Congratulations to you!

So much of the exam is based on your ability to prioritize, so I HIGHLY recommend going through the questions in the Prioritization, Delegation, and Assessment book. This is a hard copy, and I'm not sure if the questions have been transferred to an electronic format, so my apologies. However, I did almost every single question in the book before I took NCLEX and I feel it helped me to get a better sense of how to prioritize in nursing situations. The content in some of the questions was informative, too....they dealt with situations I hadn't really come across in school or in clinical situations. Good luck! NCLEX is challenging, but it's honestly far less scary than we make it out to be. Don't psych yourself out, be confident, you CAN do this!

LOL klone, good strategy! I'm really looking forward to my role in administering immunizations - that's one of my public health passions. I'm a huge advocate for immunizations and primary prevention of diseases. The STI role will be a bit new for me, but it will be so fulfilling to be able to have an influence on the reduction of STI rates in Georgia. We kind of scrape the bottom of the barrel in that area. *sigh* *And forgive me, I really should have said "STIs" and not "STDs" in my previous post. I know better!

I've been hired on for a county PHN position, but I haven't actually started yet, scoope23. However, I am excited about the opportunity! I will be starting out as the immunization nurse for this particular clinic, then I will be cross-trained on STD treatment/management. As far as other opportunities for an RN/MPH, during my job search, I've found it to be hit-or-miss. I really think it depends on the area of the country you're living/working in, though. I'm in the metro Atlanta area, and the only RN/MPH positions I've seen are for hospital infection prevention - which would be great, but you need at least 2 years of infection control experience for the positions. Even at the state PH department or Federal (CDC) level, I haven't seen many opportunities in my geographic region; the ones I *have* seen require extensive nursing experience (which I can understand). However, I've seen more job postings for RN/MPHs in the Northeast/New England regions. Honestly, I think most employers aren't quite sure what to do with someone who is a nurse with an MPH....they either want you to JUST be a nurse, or JUST be an epidemiologist! PH nursing is, I think, the best specialty to make use of both of your skillsets.

Interviewed for a position as a county public health nurse last week, which went well. I have decided that public/community health nursing is, in fact, what I want to do. Hospital nursing is great, but it's not the best fit for me.

Original poster here...I received an email that I was not selected (for a med-surg position), but such is life. I'm more interested in public health nursing anyway. I did find it amusing that I was apparently good enough to get into grad school at Emory back in 2000, but not good enough for the nurse residency program. I wish the best to those of you still in the running, so to speak!

Thanks for the update itrust, and good luck to you!

I'm hoping to start as a PHN fresh out of school. Public health is my passion, and I just don't think I'd be as fulfilled in an acute care position. I learned to ignore those few discouraging voices, and am pushing toward my goal. Good luck!

Nothing for me, either.

Yes, I do. I hope you are able to get your GA license in time, but I would think that Emory would try to accommodate you since this type of thing probably happens frequently. Good luck!

I will be a December graduate.

I am in my final few months of nursing school (2nd degree/career changer/"oldie but goodie" here). While there are a few of my classmates who are dead-set on one of the common new grad "glamour" specialties, most of us will take whatever we can get. Making a broad statement that new grads are only seeking work in the acute care setting is painting us with quite a broad brush. And, I don't know how it works at other schools, but all of my instructors have been practically ordering us to get "one or two years of acute care/med-surg experience" right after graduation, before seeking out specialties or other work in non-acute settings. So, even those students (like myself) who would rather start their careers in a non-acute setting are being strongly discouraged from applying to positions outside of the hospital. Also, as I'm sure many of you have encountered, the pickings are slim for new grads anyway....many non-hospital jobs here in Atlanta won't even sniff at a new grad without some hospital experience under their belt. I swear, the question of how a new nurse can get a job is even more of a riddle than whether the chicken or the egg came first, LOL.

I don't have any advice, but I wish you the best! Which CHOA facility are you interested in?

I did, the first time I tried to search for it. It took me a couple of tries, but it actually does exist under that Job ID#. I apologize that I can't remember exactly what I tried to get to the posting...if it helps, though, the Job Title is " Resident Nurse, 2014 New Grad Residency Program".

Yup, I don't expect much action for awhile, but please post back here if you find out any news!