leanne1980

StephV....S W Florida..15-18/ hr w. shift diff in a hosp. If ur lucky. As a new grad ... Its way low!!! Psych is 16/hr. days. Get IV cert. And PALS or ACLS to make yourself more marketable and valuable. You will get a buck or two more per hour. IT IS EXPENSIVE to live.. esp if u want to buy a place of your own. HOPE this helps.

Hello everyone. I am desperately seeking your help. DOES ANYONE know of ANY places that will hire New Grad LPN's? I have years CNA experience working in a reputable hospital in Miami, and left that job to pursue school f/t. I CANNOT afford to stay unemployed any longer. drowning in bills here. I REFUSE to succumb to the negative thinking alot of my classmates have that we wasted the last year of our lives getting our LPN licenses. Nursing is my calling, my passion, and I know that I am going to be good at it, given the chance. I love people and bring my passion, compassion, and integrity to work. I have a good, solid resume, I am told I interview well. Also, I have letters from all 3 of my nursing instructors as well as Director of nursing for my school, and supervisors from former employers. Please, YOU all have been new grads...help us out....WHERE did you get your first job as an LPN??

Thank you so much for the info....quite helpful!!

Thanks for all the comments these are really helpful to new LPNs looking for a job, like me. Chins up, and we WILL find something!!

Wow...good job!!

#1 rule I have found effective is ENTHUSIASM!! Go above your normal level of enthusiasm ( unless you are naturally gregarious) at the interview. Tell them about the PASSION for COMPASSION that you have, your integrity, commitment to the highest level of quality care, etc. They like to hear people that are going to LOVE the chance to get the job, not just feel ho-hum about it.

Speak up from day one. Tell them that you want to do the best job, and provide the highest level of care possible. I am always amazed at how trying to make the facility/bosses look good goes a long way in getting what you need. It also lets them know that you are professional.

Hang in there, and don't quit. REmember how long it took you to get where you are. There are lot of just plain mean people, and there are a lot of nice people in nursing too; you just happened to meet a bad apple. ALWAYS remember this and be wary of taking advice from a nurse you do not know well. Not sure if this was a "test", or her being lazy, but you took the hit and she slid by. Not good. Never trust her again. Remember, CYA.....and that means you look out for YOU....read, research, study constantly and ask nurses that you TRUST ( even former teachers can be a great source of info and guidance). It's all getting a handle on the skills and knowledge. AS far as getting yelled at by a dr....water off a ducks back, honey!! Do the bet you can and your skill level will soon be up to snuff, so that you can call someone if they try to pull one over on you!!

I feel for you. Please, don't give up. You do the best with what you have knowledge, training and support from the facility. There were other people far more familiar with this patient and their level of acuity on duty that day, so don't let it get you down. Hang in there!!

I have been licensed for 3 months, and have STILL not found a job. I CANNOT afford to remain unemployed for another year while I finish my RN. I am willing to work private duty, home health, pretty much anything as an LPN, just to get my foot in the door. I was told that 18/hr. was what I should expect here in Miami, but the few positions I have interviewed for are offering far less. I wanted to RUN out of the interview screaming when one mentioned 13/hr. Did I go to school and accumulate all this debt to work for that? Now I would feel lucky just to get that job.

Thats what I am doing, Volunteering for a hospice, which we already had as a clinical site in school, and also volunteering at a Children's Hospital, which is where I would really like to work. I'm so broke, though, and getting desperate to find anything just to pay bills, as long as I am getting paid as an LPN.

A post from a couple months ago.........when I got home from the NCLEX PN.....Hope this helps!! "I JUST got home from taking my NCLEXPN in Ft. Lauderdale. Let me just say...I used the PVT, and according to that, I PASSED!! I am completely overjoyed!! But, about the test...they let me begin as soon as I arrived....an hour and a half before my SCHEDULED exam time. I had to use the earphones to cancel out the noise of one of the secretaries in the other room talking too loud at one point, which broke my concentration, but I just closed my eyes and took a few deep breaths. It worked. I was really anxious and found it hard to concentrate when I went past question 75, then 85, then 90, but then I stopped counting. It shut off somewhere around 110 questions. Based on what I got, I would just say that if you have a good, well rounded, BASIC knowledge, you will PASS!! There were questions I had NO IDEA about, but really those were only a few. Know how to prioritize you patient care. In case of ...WHO IS THE MOST URGENTLY IN NEED OF CARE!!?? Also, review you basic procedures, step by step!! I missed one question because I could not remember which order to put one of the steps in. Felt so silly, because I should have known that one. I really think the thing that helped me the most was to REMAIN CALM!!!! Deep breathe when I felt my heart racing and palms sweating. It would not have been the end of the world had I failed. But I would have been extremely disappointed. Be prepared for a LOT LOT LOT of select all!!! At one point I thought I was going to fail for sure because there were so many, but it's all good now. Thank God, and hang in there.....do not let nerves get the best of you. STAY CALM, and just look at it as if you were taking another test in nursing school. Good Luck , everyone!! YOU CAN DO IT!!! "

Hi PRIMARYCARES.....thank you for the lovely post and the bit of encouragement. I always find it amazing when people start telling me how I will need at least "X" amount of dollars to find a "decent" place to live. I grew up poor and have had to struggle for everything, but many have had it worse than me. I have lived in places that many could not imagine, but I am proud to say that I have worked my way up. I have also lived in very nice places...but here is the thing...I CANNOT, at this time in my life, AFFORD what many people would call a "nice" place to live. No new construction, gated communities, mcmansions, "oh dahling, simply the best neighborhood" for me. But here is the catch....you may quantify a nice place to live differently than I. I value peace, a feeling of history, community, and hard work. I love old historic homes and raw industrial spaces. I am willing to put sweat equity into a place, as long it is not a total money pit. I care nothing whatsoever for the modern granite counters, stainless steel appliances, and frame-less glass shower doors. I love old country kitchens, a front porch, maybe a basement, a house that has stairs that creak ( gives it character). I love lots of wood trim, attics with spiderwebs, and the possibility of digging up old spoons in the yard (or other strange goodies). (One of my favorite childhood memories was digging up a spoon in the yard that my dad used to play with when he was a child) I am not looking to buy a home that is perfect, just want to buy a HOME. Someplace that has been lived in, that has been a home, and that I can make MY home. I cannot AFFORD to live in major metro areas like Boston, though I would love to do so. But I am simply not hung up on what I CAN'T AFFORD. I am looking for a place with a main street, people that will talk to each other, and community events for the whole family. I don't need a shopping mall or box store on every corner. Shopping for necessities is something I have to do, not something I do for entertainment. I'd love to stock up once a month and rely on a small grocery or farmers market for staples or incidentals that run low. Call me crazy, :geek:but I am a huge fan of Normal Rockewell, and his main street scenes from the Saturday Evening Post are what I'd like to try and recreate a version of for my own child. I know it's an era long gone by, but as I said, a VERSION of that is what I am looking for. I am enthralled by the thought of living in a place where I don't have to explain myself all the time. I want to live in a place where the "F" word is NOT more common than "thank you" and "you're welcome" used to be. Please, tell me the GOOD things about western mass, not just smear it. I'm not looking at Boston and Worcester for a simple reason...I CANNOT AFFORD IT. So please, any comments on Pittsfield or nearby areas are welcome and appreciated.

I JUST got home from taking my NCLEXPN in Ft. Lauderdale. Let me just say...I used the PVT, and according to that, I PASSED!! I am completely overjoyed!! But, about the test...they let me begin as soon as I arrived....an hour and a half before my SCHEDULED exam time. I had to use the earphones to cancel out the noise of one of the secretaries in the other room talking too loud at one point, which broke my concentration, but I just closed my eyes and took a few deep breaths. It worked. I was really anxious and found it hard to concentrate when I went past question 75, then 85, then 90, but then I stopped counting. It shut off somewhere around 110 questions. Based on what I got, I would just say that if you have a good, well rounded, BASIC knowledge, you will PASS!! There were questions I had NO IDEA about, but really those were only a few. Know how to prioritize you patient care. In case of ...WHO IS THE MOST URGENTLY IN NEED OF CARE!!?? Also, review you basic procedures, step by step!! I missed one question because I could not remember which order to put one of the steps in. Felt so silly, because I should have known that one. I really think the thing that helped me the most was to REMAIN CALM!!!! Deep breathe when I felt my heart racing and palms sweating. It would not have been the end of the world had I failed. But I would have been extremely disappointed. Be prepared for a LOT LOT LOT of select all!!! At one point I thought I was going to fail for sure because there were so many, but it's all good now. Thank God, and hang in there.....do not let nerves get the best of you. STAY CALM, and just look at it as if you were taking another test in nursing school. Good Luck , everyone!! YOU CAN DO IT!!!

Don't wait too long to schedule the test....you will have limited number of days to schedule..here it is 90 days ...and if you wait too long, you will start to freak yourself out and doubt yourself...JUST DO IT!@! And wish us all luck!!

Hello, all, I am a new LPN, living in FL with my fiancee. Thinking of moving to PITTSFIELD, MA. I am planning on finishing my RN this year, and would like to find a place in MA that has a nice community vibe, safe and pleasant for raising kids. I am already 33 and will be looking for employment at a small to medium sized hospital. I have experience in ER, LTC, and Labor and Delivery already, so am versatile. I just want to find a place that I can make a decent living, raise kids and feel part of a community. I live in Miami now, and I HATE IT!! South Beach is beautiful , with great weather, but the people suck!! They are mean, rude, nasty, hateful, dangerous, homicidal on the roads, and most do not speak English. It feels like I am in a foreign country here. I am an American, and I try to be nice to everyone, but I am treated like a piece of scum by all the people who are draining and abusing the government programs here. Drugs and crime abound here. I have lived here 5 years and have seen one dead body in the ROAD on the way home each year. This is not the place to raise kids!! I am so tired of having to pick myself up and 'fight' for everything....parking, groceries, services, and common decency. I am so DONE with FL! I miss the seasons change. Do you think that I will be able to fit in, as I am originally from TN?? I really don't want to hear every single day about my accent. I try to be a good person and the best nurse I know how...I just want to be around some decent English speaking Americans again. We will be looking to buy a place outright, and our budget will be low, so if we can find a place for under 80k that is ideal. Need decent schools, too. Are there any bad neighborhoods to stay away from? Any advice for relocating to Pittsfield?? Basically, what is like to live there?? Thank you in advance!!

Hello, all, I am a new LPN, living in FL with my fiancee. Thinking of moving to PITTSFIELD, MA. I am planning on finishing my RN this year, and would like to find a place in MA that has a nice community vibe, safe and pleasant for raising kids. I am already 33 and will be looking for employment at a small to medium sized hospital. I have experience in ER, LTC, and Labor and Delivery already, so am versatile. I just want to find a place that I can make a decent living, raise kids and feel part of a community. I live in Miami now, and I HATE IT!! South Beach is beautiful , with great weather, but the people suck!! They are mean, rude, nasty, hateful, dangerous, homicidal on the roads, and most do not speak English. It feels like I am in a foreign country here. I am an American, and I try to be nice to everyone, but I am treated like a piece of scum by all the people who are draining and abusing the government programs here. Drugs and crime abound here. I have lived here 5 years and have seen one dead body in the ROAD on the way home each year. This is not the place to raise kids!! I am so tired of having to pick myself up and 'fight' for everything....parking, groceries, services, and common decency. I am so DONE with FL! I miss the seasons change. Do you think that I will be able to fit in, as I am originally from TN?? I really don't want to hear every single day about my accent. I try to be a good person and the best nurse I know how...I just want to be around some decent English speaking Americans again. We will be looking to buy a place outright, and our budget will be low, so if we can find a place for under 80k that is ideal. Need decent schools, too. Are there any bad neighborhoods to stay away from? Any advice for relocating to Pittsfield?? Basically, what is like to live there?? Thank you in advance!!

Ok, so I have been going to Broward college and when I enrolled 6 mos ago to finish pre-req's there was no wait...now they tell me its a year and a half waiting list....I am so done with the run-around. It was so hard for me to go BACK to school at 30!! I am an CNA, with 2 years exp. and a Phlebotomist. I took the HESI and got 90 or above on all but one of the sections. Let me tell everyone...IT IS NOT THAT HARD!! DO NOT FREAK OUT....the math was sooo basic, and I am not strong there....the anatomy was hardest, so brush up on that. Now I have decided to go for me LPN at Sheridan or McFatter Tech. They require the TEAS...so I took the freakin TEAS last week....didnt study before hand, just looked over the online free test prep sites. I passed everything. Once again, math was soo basic, but science was a bit more challenging. You just have to have a basic overall knowledge. The girl taking the test next to me had a study guide and was studying for a month. She was so nervous, that she couldn't even get past the login screen for like, five minutes. She totally freaked herself out. THESE TEST ARE BASIC, they are not nearly as difficult as everyone makes them out to be. My point is...GO FOR IT!! And remember, if you dont pass the first time, IT IS OKAY!! Just take it again. The goal is to get your Nursing career started!! Try, try again, and NEVER TAKE NO FOR AN ANSWER. There is a lot of competition, but there are more ways than one to accomplish the goal of becoming an RN. I am going to do the LPN program, then bridge over at Broward. Good Luck everyone!!