stevejer

Here is the whole (long and not very interesting) story: I was going into my seventh week of orientation, and my leader was talking about starting me on nights. I asked if there was any independent work I could do to practice more skills, because there was some care (particularly catheters) that I had not had a lot of practice with yet. She asked if I wanted to spend time in skills lab, and I said yes. While in skills lab, I did two things that apparently spelled my doom: I made a mistake in irrigating a bladder (a skill I had told the two in charge of the lab I had not had any experience with since clinicals, that was why I had asked to practice). The two in charge did not in any way instruct me while I was practicing; they just watched me do it (incorrectly, it seems, I still don't know exactly what I did wrong). I also asked a bad question: I asked if there was ever a time, when priming IV tubing with an antibiotic, if there was a way of restoring the antibiotic to the IV. The nurse asked me what I thought. I said that there would be no way of maintaining sterility. The reason I asked this question, however was I had SEEN nurses doing that. I didn't tell them that part. So, next day I was called into the service leader's office and told she was blown away that I had asked such a question and she was terminating my employment. She also made a brief reference to the catheter procedure, but I was sort of stunned and did not ask what my exact mistake was. That is the whole story, as I was told it.

I was let go from my first RN job after six weeks of orientation -- not because of an error in patient care, but because of a mistake/ question in skills lab. My question is: HOW do I address my "experience" on a resume in future job searches? Everything I have read -- plus the advice from a couple former instructors -- says not to mention being fired on a resume because that is the time when you want to make yourself look as good as possible, but I have to address it sometime, because it will show up in a background check, right? Should I just be upfront on my resume and hope I get a chance to explain the circumstances? Do I wait until someone brings it up in the interview? Obviously when there is a question on an application such as, "Have you ever been fired from a position?" I say yes -- I'm not going to lie! I just don't know how to address it when I am not asked. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Dear Lauren: Thanks for your insight -- I'm thinking I'm not going to work during the year. Less than two weeks! Good luck with graduation.

I did not apply until May (I had to have certain prerequisites in order before being considered), got accepted to the January class, then there was a cancellation in the August class and, because I lived in the area already, I was able to move in very quickly and accept it. So I got very lucky. I think your chances are excellent; to use me as an example: I am in my 40s, my bachelor's degree (in communications) was in the dark ages (80s!!!), and my original GPA was only 3.0 (although my GPA on my science prerequisites was much higher; don't know if that made a difference or not). I also put a lot into my essay; I figured it was my one chance where I might have an advantage, since I work in journalism and basically write for a living. Best of luck; let me know if I can help. Orientation in less than three weeks!

Thanks for the insight! My boss was incredible about it -- said to take the first month or two and see how my schedule worked out, and maybe I could work during breaks or something.

Hi all: So, I got a late acceptance to Creighton University's accelerated nursing program for August 2011. Yay! Question is: Is it really that impossible to work part-time while going through the program? I know you are strongly urged not to, but you also are strongly urged not work your first year in college, and I did that and did fine. My part-time hours would be Friday night and Saturday night, so they would not interfere with any late-night clinicals, or most Saturday ones. Any insights? I'd be willing to jettison the part-time hours, but it would be nice to have a little cash if possible. Give me the benefit of your experience/insight/wisdom!

Council Bluffs, IA, just across the river, has many nice, affordable apartments and the commute to Creighton would be 15 minutes max. CB is a very safe residential area. I live in southwest Iowa (a little farther north than most people probably want to live, relative to Creighton), so let me know if I can help.

Lauren 4268! Thanks muchly for the info on Creighton. I was very excited to learn I can apply right now (I thought I had to wait until I passed my second chemistry), so keeping my fingers crossed for August or January!

I have heard negative things about ------ that he's incredibly smart on the subject but incredibly difficult to learn from. I would recommend taking it in-class, but that's just my learning style. And remember: The people at the Math Center are there to help. I can't speak highly enough of the tutoring available. They really want you to succeed. Don't know if this is acceptable recommendation, but if you haven't, and you can, check out ratemyprofessors.com. It can help you avoid a bad teacher, which can really help or hurt you in a math class, IMHO.

I am feverishly collecting science pre-reqs in hopes of gaining admission to Creighton's accelerated nursing program in August. I'll be taking microbiology right down to the wire! I would love to read more about people's experiences with the accelerated program -- I've heard it's really intense.

Hello all: I read some interesting advice re the cost of Creighton University's accelerated nursing program. I have another question: Is it really that intense? Right now I'm at a two-year college getting my science credits in hopes of qualifying for Creighton's accelerated nursing program. My anatomy professor said he knew someone who tried Creighton's program and "it almost killed her." Seriously? I really don't want to opt for a slower-paced and more traditional route; I don't have the time (I'm in my 40s) and I don't have the resources. Any opinions on this?