miami1981

Wow. Seems like forever since I first started this post. Hope all the info has been helpful. Wishing the best to you all.

Yes Seton only offers up to $2000 per year for student reimbursement but thats only if you work full time (which is pretty difficulty to do even if you're going to school part-time). And I saw a question about pay raises. The only way to get a pay raise is through the yearly inflation raise and climbing clinical ladder. And its not that much of a raise.

Wow! Its been a long time since I've been on here but I am still here to answer any of your questions.

So like i said in the last post, I have a problem with my current preceptor. She is very hovery and speaks to me like an idiot in front of parents and other staff members. So i decided to bring it up to the educators on the unit and my manager in order to get a new preceptor. And guess what? I got a new preceptor thank god! So I say that to say if any of you ever have any problems with any of your preceptors, please do not hesitate to speak to someone about it. My time on the unit is MUCH more enjoyable now that I have switched. Not that my preceptor was bad before, her teaching style was just different from my learning style.I dont want to be treated like a student when I have worked hard and earned my license. Its very important that even though we are new, we are treated like professionals. I wish I would have said something earlier. Its not worth being miserable every day at work. Speak up for yourself guys. Please comment if any of you have had any similar experiences. Till next time.

Hey mday, Just wanted to let you know that they do give relocation assistance once you are hired. Just call and ask HR about it and they will give you all the details.

I wish the best for you guys who are still looking for jobs.

Hi rnegr, To answer your question: no Seton does not require you to sign a contract, which is definitely a plus. And for everyone else, keep applying and keep your options open. Don't settle on just one hospital. If you keep your options open, someone HAS to hire you, right? Lol. I've been enjoying the Versant program so far but I am having trouble with my preceptor. She is becoming too hovery and too controlling. The worst part is that she feels its totally ok to call me out or highlight a mistake I made in front of patient's family members, doctors, or anybody else who happens to be in the unit. And that is something I CANNOT deal with. So at first I was going to just tough it out until the orientation was over but once she started doing that I realized that I need to get a new preceptor. So I will be requesting one today and I will let you guys know how it turns out. Bad thing is I have to work with her again on Sunday so hopefully I can get a new one before then. We'll see. I'll keep you posted. Thanks to everyone for posting to this thread.

Congrats mday! And welcome to the team.

For all you guys wondering if your chances are getting slimmer because you haven't received a call yet, I didn't receive a call until a month before orientation started so sometimes they reply back kind of late. Don't get discouraged.

Sorry guys. Been busy but here's an update on what's going on with me. Hopefully this answers some of your questions. So basically I am still on orientation which consists of 12 hour days on the unit and class days. You also get put in groups where you and your peers can speak with nurses who have been through the Versant program and they can give you advice and tips on time management and other stuff. Many of you have been asking about pay so let me speak on that for a moment. All Versant nurses get a base pay. If you work nights or weekends you get paid a differential. If you work on a weekend night you get paid both differentials. However, during the Versant program, most of your work hours will be during the day. Once you finish the program, you will most likely work nights unless a day shift is open in your unit. I'm not going to post on this site the exact pay for obvious reasons but it is competitive for the area. You get raises based on what Seton calls clinical ladder. When you first start in the Versant program you are a RN I. In order to climb the clinical ladder you must gain points by going to conferences, joining committees, completing competencies, years of experience, gaining higher certifications, etc. Every year you bring your portfolio with all your activities for the year to your manager and if you reach a certain number of points then you can move up the ladder. Each time you move up the ladder you get a raise. Its Seton's way of rewarding you not for just years of experiences but for actually advancing yourself professionally. I must say that so far Versant has been great. I have really learned a lot by being in the program. Some people may feel that it moves too slow but I like it. Especially because some people have not had the chance to get as much experience after nursing school as others. So it kind of equalizes everything. It kind of seems like being back in nursing school but we get paid for it so can you really complain? As far as the application process goes, I really hope many of you were able to go to the open house. I feel that is the single most important thing you can do to get yourself in the door. The second most important is to create a resume that will attract their attention. Do not forget that each unit is literally looking at hundreds of resumes. How do you get them to remember you? Go to the open house and put your resume in the hands of the manager of the unit to want to work at. After that what else can you do? Calling HR 50 million times wont help because they are not the one's that hire you. Managers do. However, if you do get an interview, do not miss out on that opportunity. I promise you, once you get to the interview stage you are on the same level as all other candidates. GPA, HESI, volunteer hours, and all that other pretty stuff will not get you the job. Trust me because there will always be 50 people with a more impressive background than your own. The interview is where you get the job. Trust me. My GPA wasn't impressive, I didn't volunteer at all, I had no hospital job experience, and my HESI wasn't all that great. But I went all out for the interview. You have to understand this if you want to increase your chance. This is how things are now. Who cares about a 3.5 GPA if 90% of applicants have it? Impress on the interview and put your resume in the manager's hands at open house. If you do that you've got a good chance. And sometimes they do take a while to call you but thats out of your control so dont worry about that. Just do what YOU can control. You know? And everything will work out fine. Dont stress guys. It will work out. You WILL find a job. Just be patient and handle your business on your end. Any other questions let me know. Peace out.

So sorry I been hit and miss. I have been busy!! But I am determined to keep this post going because I know there are so many questions out there (I had plenty myself). So, my schedule is basically 36 hrs a week. All nurses work 36 hr weeks. 3 12 hour shifts a week. However, for new grads in Versant, your 36 hrs is split b/w class time and time actually working in your unit. So, some weeks I work 1 12 and the rest class and some weeks I work 2 12's and the rest class. It varies. It is A LOT of info to take in but they are really patient with you and really work with you to make sure you get the skills you need. i actually work in the NICU so they basically assume you know nothing and start from there (I dont know if they start so basic with other units). They know that most schools dont have much of a NICU rotation so they start from very basic which I'm cool with. I find myself feeling tired at the end of the week because everything is so new. It is really a huge transition to move from student to nurse. Especially these days as you not only have hospital policy but now you have HIPAA and Joint Commission, etc. That seems to be the hardest part. Not really the skills but the policies because we all learned different things from different schools. What can the parents do or not do on your unit? what rules can you bend? who to call for this? where is this supply located? whose job is it to make sure this is done? which tasks do i do first? why are my hands shaking so much? these are the questions i find myself asking more than how do i do this skill. any idiot can read a skill in a book. Its many other things that you cannot go to a book for that can kind of make it hard being new. Especially knowing the hospital's policy. the policies and procedures book is millions of pages long. You dont have time to read that crap! but I must say the nurses in my unit are very helpful and the versant program moves at a slow enough pace to where many of those questions get answered. I am so relieved I got into this program. I couldnt imagine going to a hospital and them just throwing me in there. So...yeah thats about it. Plus NICU is completely different from adult units or even pedi. I almost feel like I'm in school again. When i get more time, i will relate some of my experiences on the unit. Very soon. I promise. PS: all nurses at Seton must wear navy blue scrubs and I'm not exactly sure how much night differential is as I have not worked nights yet. Any other questions feel free to ask. Till next time.

So to answer your questions, its up to you if you want to wear a suit. When i went there were people wearing suits but then again there were people that didnt. i didnt wear one to the open house, but thats up to you. but definitely no jeans. i think you know that already. But at open house hand them everything you have. hesi scores, grades, everything. Let them tell you they dont want it. make sure you put your papers in the manager's hands because you will not have this opportunity again. I'll update tomorrow on what i did this week as i dont have much time today. Peace.

So sorry for taking so long to post. Been extremely busy in the Versant Program So...good news. I passed NCLEX!! So I guess I'm in! As far as how competitive certain departments are, all of them are extremely competitive. I don't think there is one where you can say it is a cakewalk to get into. However, of course ICU, ED, etc. are going to be your most competitive ones. So this past week was my first week and it was basically just orientation. Monday was an intro to the hospital, Tues we spent 12 hrs shadowing on our unit, Wed was an orientation to hospital policies, and Thurs was basically spent on the computer modules learning the hospital charting system and the Pyxis medication dispenser system. Fortunately, I'm off the next 4 days due to the holiday and the holiday is paid for. 8 free hours! After this week I feel very tired because it is alot to take in. I got about 36 hours last week and that is the usual as the hospital is based on 12 hour shifts. Very few ppl work 8 hr shifts. So yeah thats that. If you have any more questions please feel free to ask. Later.

Hey guys, Today I'm going to kinda outline the process for registering to take NCLEX. I registered for the board of nursing back in March and paid $139. Then, I had to wait about a week before I could schedule my appt to get my fingerprints taken. After fingerprints were done, $200 had to be paid to Pearson Vue to register to take the test. Then, the jurisprudence exam must be taken. You cannot get your license without taking the jurisprudence exam. But its not hard. However, if you don't pass, you have to wait a week before you can take it again. So, I just got my authorization to test (ATT) today. The ATT is basically what the board needs from the school as proof that you graduated from the program. The dean must sign it and then it is mailed to both the board and you. Once I received my ATT, I scheduled my NCLEX. I'm glad I registered immediately because their were only 3 days left in month of June to test. The Versant Program starts June 27th so a July test date would be too late. So thats that. I plan on studying well until then so I can pass the first time. I cannot afford to fail, you know? Yeah so thats all for today. Laterz

I dont know if you are familiar with HCA owned hospitals but St. Davids is one of them. They usually are not known for treating nurses well. But you never know, you might like them. If I were you, I would apply there, too.

Hey kcasualidad, Thanks for posting on my thread. I don't think you are at a disadvantage because you do not live in the area. I do not currently live there either. However, I do think you are at a disadvantage by not attending the open house. It would have given you the opportunity to place your resume in one of the manager's hands. Thats my best tip. Find a way to speak to one of the managers. If you want the job you gotta do what you gotta do, you know? I had to as well. But anyway I wish you the best and if you have any other questions ask away.

Just came back from doing my drug screening at Seton. I took the picture for my badge (which didnt turn out too well) first. The administrative building is very nice and looks brand new. However, the actual building that I will be working in (the main building) looks kinda old. After I took my picture I was told how I would pay for parking. Parking is taken out of your check every pay period but is no more than $10 each pay period (we are paid biweekly) which is not bad. I then took my urine test and got any immunizations I needed to catch up on (they were all free). Next, I got fitted for my respirator mask. This part was really weird. We first put on those blue hairnets that they wear in surgery. Next we put on those big white hoods with a clear front that you see in the movies or on ppl that work in the CDC. The lady then sprayed some type of chemical into the hood that is very bitter. Eventually you can taste it in the back of your throat. The purpose of that procedure is to make sure your taste buds are working properly because the chemical is used to test whether your respirator has a tight seal. After she confirms that you can indeed taste the chemical, she takes the hood off and you put on a standard size respirator mask (N-95). The hood is then placed back on you and you are again sprayed with the chemical. However, the chemical is 10 times stronger this time. If you can taste the bitter chemical in the back of your throat as you move around, you do not have a tight seal with that respirator size and you need to try another size. Once you are fitted, your size is reported to your unit manager and she will make sure that your size is regularly supplied in your unit. Make sure after you get through with that chemical that you gargle afterward b/c it can stick to the back of your throat for a little while. Thats it for today. Till tmrw.

The patho class is harder but health assessment has a focused assessment at the end where you have to pick an area of the body and memorize each area to assess. You might not want to have to worry about that while you are taking your finals next semester. Your choice.

Lol ok blackberrie. anyway yeah sem 5 is community and leadership. community consists of nursing practice in the community setting. some go to schools, others just go to clinics in the community. leadership is where you go to the hospital and your preceptor will "try" to put you in the area you want to work at. It doesnt always happen that way though. sometimes you just go where she puts you. yeah and summer courses is just to make the load a little easier on you. the curriculum is organized to where you can't jump ahead a semester by taking summer courses. so whether you take summer courses or not you still will be finishing at the same time as everyone else. yeah and thats good advice blackberrie to remember you have withdrawals. dont try to pull a miracle if you dont have to. If you're at the point where you're failing miserably, just drop. falling back a semester is much better than failing out the program. always check ahead of time when the last day to drop the class is. to rumwynnie: no there is no final checkoff where they make sure you know how to do everything. just pass the classes and you're done. health assessment is the only time they do that.

Thanks for posting! Anyone else who is in the program feel free to chime in because I'm sure many people are wondering what being in the program is like. If anyone has any questions feel free to ask and I will try to get the answer for you.

Just a piece of advice: If the hospital you are applying at has an open house or any other activity where you can meet some of the hiring coordinators or nurse managers....GO!!!! I went to the open house at Seton and just by chance the hiring coordinator and her assistant was THRILLED to have a student from my nursing school. It totally blew my mind. I kept asking myself, "why the heck do they want someone from my school so bad?" I mean her eyes just lit up when I told her the school I was from. I promise you, you never know what can happen. At that open house I met some of the nurse managers on the unit I wanted to be on and had the opportunity to put my resume in their hands. That was invaluable as the nurse managers, not the hiring coordinators are really the ones that hire you. Remember that, the managers hire you not the hr people. Do whatever you can to meet with the manager on the unit you want b/c hr just sees you as a number. Dont be shy, DO IT! Its too competitive to be shy. The only ppl that called me for an interview were the ppl that I put the resume in their hands. If you really want the job, dont let that opportunity pass by. Look on their website and see if they have an open house or job fair or something. Or simply call the hospital and ask to speak to the nurse recruiter. YOU WANT TO MEET THE MANAGER (!), not just give your social to HR. The managers in my case remembered my face and gave me a call. Be a punk if you want, but the ppl who are serious are taking all the jobs. Its up to you.

So I went apartment searching in Austin. Well anyway this is what I think of Austin: First, is much smaller than where I live now which is not a bad thing. No matter where you stay in the city, you are usually ony 20 minutes or less from downtown. If you've ever been to California and seen those big houses on a hill that can only be accessed by winding roads, guess what? Thats exactly what some areas of Austin is like. It is really a beautiful city. Very hilly. Housing is a little more expensive than where I'm from. To get a decent 1 bedroom apartment you will have to pay at least $700-750. Where I'm at now, my 1 bedroom is $550 and its not bad. That caught me off guard. I was thinking since its smaller, rent would be cheaper. Oh well. They have many nonchain restaurants which was a plus for me. The best I tasted so far was Hoover's Cooking. Simply the best downhome southern cooking you could ask for. Cheap and they give you huge servings. But only go to the one on the eastside b/c the one on the north doesnt taste the same. In scouting the area, I was told to stay away from the south and east sides of town. Those are considered the "bad" or "rough" or "poor" areas. So my apartment locator found me some apartments on the north side of town. Its really nice out there and I'm very excited (just not so excited about paying more for rent). Took a drive down 6th street and of course it looks like there are a billion clubs and bars to go to. I'm told there always something to do. Plus I heard a few live bands playing (I love live music). If there is anyone else relocating to Austin or beginning the internship at Seton in June 2011 give me a holler. Well thats that. I may post later this evening. Peace!

So just got a call from Seton HR. I have to do my health screening and drug test on may 18th. I'm also going to take my picture for my badge. Till tmrw. Peace!

Another thing: For my male nurse brothas. Do you really want to impress on an interview? Wear a suit. I know it sounds like going over the top but trust me it works. Ask any nurse recruiter out there about it and they will tell you a suit always impresses. Be conservative but still show you have a sense of style. A nice clean, dark pentstripe will really stand out. Pair it with the right tie and you cant go wrong. Remember: You want them to REMEMBER you. Nothing says I WANT THIS JOB more than a suit. Show them you are serious. I'm may make another post this evening before I call it a day. Look out for it.

Hey guys! Tips: The nursing field has changed guys. I have just finished nursing school and I have already seen drastic changes from when I started all the way up till now. Everyone is not going to be able to get the "dream job" in acute care in some CVICU. The field is moving away from that. In fact, some of the highest paying nursing fields are outside of the hospital. Dont be afraid to explore other areas. In fact, you will find that many nurses are trying to get away from working at the bedside. The biggest thing when you first get out of school is to GET A JOB. Anywhere. Then, with experience under your belt (at least a year or 2) you can go anywhere you want. But sitting around the house waiting for your dream job is a mistake and looks bad to potential nurse recruiters. You need to get in where you can and practice your skills. Look into case management, home health, etc. and apply to other areas outside your home town. However, if you dont find anything after all your hard work its not the end of the world. If you look hard enough, you WILL find something, trust me there is a shortage. Just dont go after that dream job and then quit. You could potentially set yourself back a few years.