tropicbound

There are good and bad facilities in any nursing specialty. It's sad to hear about the negative feelings some you have, but if you enjoy rehab nursing and the victories you get to share with patients and their families, look for another facility that has a better approach towards the "team" and everyone's success. I work at a VA hospital in spinal cord rehab, another wing is TBI and the last wing of the building is polytrauma; the team approach, adequate staffing, and patient wins are common throughout. I saw the same thing in a county hospital TBI rehab I rotated through in school. Maybe it's government facilities, I don't know, but rehab nursing is rewarding, and I hope you all find a "home" to work in where everyone wins. In terms of patients that "won't" control bowel and bladder when they "can", it seems that oftentimes it is an issue of this being something they can still have control over, even negatively, in the face of the "losses" they have had. Things are often not what they appear to be with all the emotional/loss issues being dealt with along with new physical challenges. Best of luck to all, and remember that it is our consistent, caring touch that helps our patients and their families deal with their loss of wellness.

My orientation included a pharm-calc exam, general pharm exam, IV calcs and procedures, cultural awareness in healthcare, infection control, sharps safety, body mechanics, ... plus all the HR stuff. About 2/3 was online. You do use most of it every single day. So as others have said, reflect on prior success, study the material they give you (or your class notes if they don't) and get through it all so you can care for your patients. Good Luck!!

I'm a new LVN grad, licensed late last summer, and work at the VA in Spinal Cord Rehab. If you're an RN, the VA has a new grad program called "Versant", I think. They do hire new grads. I had been working for a month when I got the interview and job offer. Keep in mind that it does take them awhile to complete a hire (Federal beaurocracy). I applied in August, interviewed in October, and finally started the end of December. By the way, the VA Palo Alto is an awesome facility to work for. The pay rate is at the lower end of competitive, health insurance is OK, but their approach to patient care, technology, continuing education of staff, and vacation/holiday/comp time pay, etc. are great. The Federal retirement plan is a winner as well. Good luck.

I keep a small bible in my backpack, for help on the tough days ; and a snack bar (Odwalla Super Protein, yeah) in my pocket, because your break doesn't always happen (on time.)

I received by LVN license about three weeks ago, and have no prior healthcare experience, but plenty of real world experience (I'm 45.) I have two on-call job offers, but am still looking for something FT. There seem to be plenty out there, but it definitely takes diligence to get applications out and follow up. I had a DON tell me today that she has interviewed 42 new grads this week, and it's only Wednesday. Good luck to all the new grads out there, the work is there, you just have to find it.

I'm a newly licensed LVN in California and have a real calling to work in hospice. I was "hired" last week to work for a hospice organization and started Tuesday with an initial orientation and ride-alongs. Wednesday morning, more patient calls with another nurse. Everything seemed to be going great, but in the afternoon, the DON informed me that HR told her that there was a California state requirement that LVNs in hospice are required to have 12 months prior experience. As a result, they could not hire me. I've searched the internet and cannot find anything on this requirement, can anyone shed some light on it?

Congratulations, Scallywags!!! I found out I passed yesterday, also 3 wks and 3 days. I know how relieved you are, best of luck in your job search, and YES, YOU ARE A NURSE! :balloons:

I'm in the same situation (California) where I took my boards Aug 7. I'm just keeping my eye on jobs out there so I can hit the job search running. To get through the 3-4 weeks, realize that there really is nothing you can do, except wait. Maybe make sure you have your resume polished up and a nice outfit to wear to interviews. Good luck!

My experience is that hospitals often reimburse your ongoing education, also if you're in a specialty that's in demand you may be able to negotiate a sign on bonus that could be used towards the loan. There are a couple of Federal programs that pay off part of your loans. Here's a link to the Nursing Education Loan Repayment Program, http://bhpr.hrsa.gov/nursing/loanrepay.htm I believe there are others. The catch with these is you have to be agree to work in an underserved area for two years, I doubt the Bay Area qualifies (I'm in San Jose) but maybe something on the North Coast that'll at least get you closer to the ocean. Good luck!

I graduated last May and also had resume writing as part of last semester class. In terms of "work experience" list your clinical rotations as a separate section above your other work experience. Be sure to list the tasks that you actually did. Good luck!

I'm studying right now for a test date of Aug 7. My goal is 100 NCLEX style questions per day, minimum. Plus, studying drugs and labs off of flash cards (I made). I'll also be signing up for the Kaplan online questions, a lot of good feedback from my school. I'm not studying class notes or textbooks, strictly NCLEX questions, drugs, and labs. Good luck! :pumpiron: Work hard.

Indiana State University has an online program with clinicals run through Sonoma State (I think), but having just finished nursing school, I can't imagine trying to get it all done solo, the teamwork and moral support of your classmates, and the relationships you build with your instructors can't be replaced by any amount of online chats. If you're in CA, there are a ton of programs, the ones outside major city areas are not as impacted.

youknowwho is absolutely right. I just graduated from the LVN program at Mission College in Santa Clara. I did my RN prereqs at DeAnza, and applied to all the RN and LVN programs in the area. The first one I got into was Mission, and even though it's an LVN program, I'm moving right into a 30 unit RN bridge and BSN after that. There are so few spaces in each school, you really do need to apply to everything that is within an acceptable commute for you. Good Luck!

You can also look into the VA Medical Center in Palo Alto, pay is at the lower end for RN's in the Bay Area, but the benefits (Federal employee) are terrific and the hospital is one of the best in the VA system. From Campbell, you'd be looking at 25-30 minutes commute.

I live in the San Jose area, but was in SoCal for almost 15 years as well. The areas are very different, like comparing NC to the Florida Panhandle or NYC (about the same distance from NC.) That being said, California is California. I would suggest a visit (or two or three) before planning a move to check out different areas. There is such a HUGE diversity of geography, people, and culture, you really need to be clear on what you are looking for. Good luck!