TexAg09

I started out my internship in the CVICU, and as much as they would give you the "less sick" CVICU patients they just sort of threw you in there to sink or swim kind of deal. You always had someone around but at the same time there were multiple sick patients all at once. I just really, really studied up on my gtts so I didn't have to ask too many questions and learned to watch for specific s/s of patients and eventually with enough practice it got to be where people were asking me for advice. I was one of the first ones out on my own in my internship but it was pretty scary at first. I kept thinking I was going to kill someone.

Most of our patients come out and follow our Rapid Extubation Protocol unless there are complications or the surgeon wants to sleep them overnight r/t some past issues. If they don't have an IABP or something preventing them from getting up (high dose of levo, etc), we usually get them up at 0500 the day after their surgery and prepare them to go up to the tele unit. We usually have morphine ordered q2hours and norco q4hours. Most of our patients go up with at least 2 mediastinal chest tubes and a foley (depending on what the MD orders on the transfer orders--meaning we take it out before they go up, or they take it out, or they keep it in for other reasons) We keep a tight rein on blood glucose as well. It has to be below 200 by post op day 2 or we get dinged. Most of them come out on an insulin drip and is d/c'd before they go up and they are transitioned to subq sliding scale.

Lately they have been getting dinged because a patient died in restraints (which is a no-no!) and for infection control. I don't know if they solved that or not. I interviewed there in May for ER. It's definitely a good experience because it's a county hospital but I hear it has the good and the bad like most places.

I went to a satellite campus for my nursing school in Round Rock and I found that it relied heavily on who you knew in the hospitals. I didn't apply to Austin because I was moving back home to DFW, but I had a friend who had a relatively lower GPA and was hired above many others because the nurse manager had met with her during our clinicals and had gotten a feel for her. Many other classmates did not get hired in the cohorts for Seton and St. David's. What I gathered from them is that it was important to get your face out there and go to the open houses and contact people to let them know you are interested because Austin is pretty competitive. Good luck!!

Honestly, No. It was about a 3.31...I had a 3.5 but due to circumstances and certain classes/professors a lot of us took a hit our last semester.

Baylor will call you. If I remember correctly I think she sends you an e-mail asking to set up a time to interview. You will set up a time with the recruiter (mine was ******** ******) and she's really nice and the phone interview went smoothly even though she was late calling me and I thought she wasn't going to call me. I was lucky enough to get a live interview that same week and was hired for the Summer 2011 Critical Care internship for Graduate Nurses.

Good luck to you, this was my second degree. I had a 4 year degree before pursuing my BSN. Luckily, I was a science major and a lot of my classes were accepted at pre-reqs and I had managed to take psych while I was still in school because I was thinking if I wanted to be a nurse or not. I was accepted into a fast track program that was only 15 months. I agree, the financial aid this time around does suck, but you seem very determined...kudos to you!!!

I say, "peeds"

I am a new grad, and yes, financial aid isn't very good but this was my second degree. A lot of the places I applied to for work said they ruled out ADN's right off the bat because many places are looking for BSN candidates. Good luck!

There are so many applicants for these internships; it's getting really competitive. I was offered a position with Baylor CVICU yesterday and had to professionally tell the other facility I was unable to sign with them yesterday. Good luck to all of you out there! On a side note: Does anyone know of a good place to live that's not a bad commute to Baylor Dallas?

Phone interview went really well. Scheduled for an Interview in person Friday. They said they would let me know immediately...which is great because I'd have to sign with the other position in the afternoon. I'd love to work in the CVICU!!! Good luck to everyone applying and congrats to all the one's graduating!

Thank you Lovelymo79. I am still going to interview but I definitely agree that a job in hand is better than an "if".

I think salary for Seton is starting off for GN's here is around the $22 range. All I know is stuff for Graduate Nurses, so I'm sorry if this doesn't help you.

My nursing program is new to the area, but I've done some clinicals at Dell and it's an amazing facility. The only thing I know about applying is that Seton seems to have a lot of "glitches" in applications so you need to stay on top of the people working with them. Sometimes they are even hard to get in touch with. A lot of my classmates applied to St. Davids, Seton, and Scott and White. I don't think any one of them heard anything from St. David's, but S and W in Temple hired a couple of our new grads. I haven't applied here, but all of my classmates are and a couple of them had interviews because they had facetime with the managers of the floors at clinical.

Is anyone else just hearing from Baylor Critical Care? I thought they had forgotten about me so I've already verbally accepted a position for Critical Care in the DFW area; but then today I get this e-mail asking for a phone interview for Baylor. I'm so happy yet torn at the same time because I have to turn in my HR paperwork this Friday to the facility that offered me a job, but at the same time I'd love to work for Baylor. I just don't want to decline a job for an interview that doesn't guarantee me a position! I applied to Baylor at the beginning of March!! The thing is, I don't know if I'm signing a committment for a certain amount of time this Friday, but I don't want to burn any bridges for future employment. I feel very blessed to have had 5 interviews different places and I don't want to complain. Just frustrated with how things have been working out lately. Haha, guess God has a way of putting us where we are most needed right now.