stoberto

I worked in LTC first. It really shouldn't be a big deal. If that is the only job available right now then take it and then keep applying for acute care jobs. You can also network and find people that work in hospitals through your LTC job and use that as an in to get your hospital job. I hated LTC but it was very good experience for me...trial by fire.

Many times if you can't thread your cath isn't actually in the vein yet. When your needle tip goes in you get flash, but you have to advance a little further before you can start threading. Some old school nurses where I work actually insert the entire needle if the vein is straight before they retract...it's crazy to me but they have done it for years.

Volunteer for every stick you can, hard or easy...and there are no concrete rules with IVs in my opinion...sometimes you see them and can't feel them, sometimes you feel them but can't see them, sometimes you aren't sure if you can feel OR see them, sometimes you should go in at an angle, sometimes right on top. One thing I see many people do wrong is they don't pin those suckers down well enough so they move too much...just keep at it.

I did zero practice questions outside of school and did fine. Our school required us to do ridiculously well on ATI and Kaplan to even graduate, so what was the point? I think it totally depends on the school and the person. Some people really don't need to do extra questions, some do...in general I would say many of my classmates stressed out way too much over NCLEX. If your school doesn't do much standardized testing, doesn't use NCLEX style questions throughout, or has a poor pass rate, then you probably need to practice. If your school adequately prepares you, then you will do fine.

I didn't really like nursing school...probably my favorite part was my classmates. I enjoy nursing. My favorite things are starting IV's or dealing with a pt that is going downhill. I know that sounds weird, but just doing simple nursing tasks for people that are the norm isn't too thrilling. Fixing problems for someone that is having acute issues is much more exciting.

Nursing is whatever you want it to be. For me, I do not think about or talk about work when I am not there. My wife knows I prefer not to talk about work at home. I get my charting done and my meds out in 12 hours...if I can't get to something else then that is why a new shift is coming...I rarely stay longer (like something big has to happen right at shift change). I work overtime if I want extra money, if not I just ignore the phone call or tell them I can't work. If you want to have your job consume your life you can...in my mind the great thing about nursing is that you only work 3 days a week and you really don't have to think about work when you are off. The one huge negative is working weekends and holidays. Someday I will probably switch to some type of position which calls for M-F hours for my family's sake...but those jobs usually just don't pay as well.

You can follow up your application with phone calls. The acute care job I accepted was at a hospital I had absolutely no connections to, had never stepped foot in...so it does happen, just pick a few jobs to be persistent about.

Lots of behavioral questions...tell me about a time when: you had conflict with someone on the job. you made a decision that made a neg impact. you went above and beyond. What would you do if: the nurse before you left something a mess. you had to deal with a really difficult family member. The usual like strengths, weaknesses, goals, etc. I think I learned that more than anything they just want you to talk. I tend to be very analytic so I think I err on the side of short answers that exactly answered what you exactly asked me, but really they just want you to take the question and talk about it from all different angles. I also think it helps to try and make opportunities for your personality to come through. Interestingly enough I was rejected for the first 2 jobs I interviewed for, and accepted for the last 2. Also, I came home from the last one and told my wife that it was the best interview I had because I "told some good jokes and didn't say anything I shouldn't have." That job offer was like lightning compared to the other one (the next morning early). I took the first job offer though. The interview process kind of peeved me. I don't like that peers weigh the heaviest on the decision basically on whether they think you're fun to work with or not, and there was one interview where I barely was even asked any questions. In my perfect world I would have an interview with a few supervisors and they would spend a good amount of time grilling me and doing background checks, and then pick an employee based on merit...but the process is what it is so I think you just have to see it for that and make your interview style fit.

For me it is my first paycheck...graduation didn't mean much to me without a job...my first paycheck is coming in 2 weeks and I plan to go to a very fancy restaurant with my wife.

I know several women from my class that have gotten jobs...some have to commute an hour but they have a job (and some in glamorous areas like CVICU). I haven't found sex to be a great advantage...maybe in the actual interview...but once you get the interview you're almost there in my opinion, so it's getting the interview that matters.

I am...how did you know to ask?

I am a new grad ADN and after a few months of searching I got a job on a med-surg floor at a good smaller hospital in the area I live, and the area I live is pretty notorious for being hard to find RN jobs (especially ADNs). I was very discouraged the first few months as I didn't hear boo back from anyone unless it was a "stop calling we don't have positions for you" call. The other unique thing is that I had absolutely no connections to this hospital or job. The jobs I did have connections to I eventually got interviewed for but wasn't selected. I was just persistent about following up, and being a smaller hospital I could actually talk to an HR rep by phone by calling. I just wanted to put this on here and hopefully encourage some of you. You might be where I was a month ago feeling like you might have to move somewhere crazy to find a job...just keep trying! Pick a few you can focus on and be persistent! I also learned how not to answer questions at my unsuccessful interviews, so try to learn and not be too disappointed...keep at it, you'll find your job eventually!

You definitely don't have to spend 100$, there are lots of cheaper ones...but if you are going to be career RN it's kind of nice to have 1 or 2 nice ones.

I know this one doesn't get alot of publicity in the Littmann series, but I love it. I feel like it is more streamline than other Littmanns and I feel like I can hear a little better. It's also very convenient to only have to apply more pressure to change between hi/low pitch (bell or diaphragm. Also...why be embarrassed about using a cheapo? I know people that went through nursing school using a disposable...not the best for learning, but they are RN's just the same. oops...here's the link http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000F4SP1W

I usually tried to let the nurse managers know that I applied through email. That has worked pretty well. Sometimes I called them, but I always applied first so that I could say I was just letting them know that I applied