j2mp79

I do enjoy working at St Francis though like anywhere some days are better than others! As far as the PCA/CCP working together goes, think of it as there is one support staff for every six patients, so not unlike where you are now. They do similar things except the PCAs handle all blood draws, ECGs, and glucose checks, among other things. Overall I think the ratios are good, but on some days depending on your specific patient mix it can seem either great or not enough. And on days when we work short it can be a bit more challenging of course. As far as Magnet goes, I can't really say how much of a difference that makes as I've not worked anywhere else. Nurses participate in councils and committees so we do get formal input into certain things. Not sure if that's the norm at non-magnet facilities.

It's been awhile since I took the pharm exam but I do remember it had questions on side effects/interactions, indications, etc for the most common drugs we see. I'd focus on hypertension meds, beta blockers, anticoagulants/anti platelet drugs, and insulin to name a few. Also review some basic calculations. If the process is still the same you get two chances to pass the exam and they provide some remediation to help you prepare for the second if you don't pass the first. Good luck!

I'm an RN on one of the med-surg/tele units at St Francis and the ratio is usually 6 patients per nurse; occasionally 7. We usually have 3 PCAs and 3 CCPs on the floor...one PCA and one CCP work together and are paired with two RNs and their 12 patients.

The password is "compression"

I believe St. Francis Hospital in Nassau County Long Island has a loan repayment program for new nurses hired for night shift.

I don't understand nurses who do this. I was never a PCT but if I walk a patient to the bathroom in the morning I make their bed then - why would I take time to find someone else to do it? I'm never going to ask someone else to do something I'm not willing to do myself.

I've not been at SFH for as long as adelphiRN, but don't think it's quite THAT bad. Yes it's busy and yes the patients we see in med-surg units are in some cases much more acute than would be likely in med-surge units in other hospitals. Maybe each SFH unit is different but I'd say more often than not I don't have 8 patients - 7 or 6 is more common. And I feel like most times I do have the help I need - either from support staff, managers, or other nurses.

I'm just finishing my second full week on my own after three weeks of classroom orientation and four weeks working with a preceptor. I definitely feel dumb at some point every day but I just keep reminding myself that it's going to take time to get to know how everything works. It's very frustrating, especially in situations where a patient is having significant issues and I'm fumbling around trying to figure out which pager number to call for which provider. In the end I know that I'm doing my best as long as my patients are safe. All that other knowledge will come with time.

My ABSN cohort that started fall 2011 was closer to 250.

Can't speak specifically about getting hired directly into an ED setting but in general new grad positions in the city are highly competitive and limited. I just graduated in December and applied to lots of jobs open to new grads in the city but never heard back on any. It seems a better shot for new grads might be in areas immediately surrounding the city (Long Island, NJ, CT). I can tell you any ED job postings I saw all required at least one year of actual ED nursing experience. I've even heard from friends with a year or two of non-ED nursing experience that hospitals weren't even interested in talking to them about ED jobs. Perhaps the outlook will improve and will be better when you start your search. If you can I'd highly recommend staying in MO and getting at least a year of experience...you'll open up a lot more opportunities that way. Good luck!

A school requiring a student who fails a class to retake it is a money grab? Seriously?

I don't know about non-hospital agencies specifically, but do know there are hospitals hiring new grads outside of the immediate NYC area. Stamford Hospital in CT has a new graduate nurse program - it's about a 45-minute train ride from Grand Central and the hospital provides a shuttle from the Stamford train station. Also St. Francis Hospital just outside Queens in Nassau County is hiring new grads. The commute there is not as easy though as the hospital isn't particularly close to an LIRR station. I know it's not the city, but if you can stick it out for a year at a place like that you will have a much greater chance of being hired by a hospital in the city. Good luck!

That's a pretty broad topic. What specifically are you confused about? How to apply? How it gets awarded?

I am sure every facility is different but my experience in New York was that most wouldn't even consider an application until I had passed NCLEX. Never hurts to apply but it might be that it sits in a pending pile until you let them know you have your license.

Yes, I believe you need to be accepted and enrolled before you can apply for any of the NYU-sponsored scholarships. The College of Nursing is very good about advertising them and sending reminders when application deadlines are approaching but it's incumbent on you to actually follow through and submit all the required materials by the deadline. Also don't forget about any outside scholarships too.