acmsn1012

My mom has worked at MSKCC for over 30 years, and I think the only reason I would ever be able to get a job there would be by name-dropping. I hear that they really do value the experience. They're all so great and professional there, though, and it seems that everybody knows everybody in a really tight network of cancer nurses. I'm not applying any time soon, so I won't steal any spots from you hahah, but certainly state your case, and explain your experience with cancer patients, I bet it could help!! If you happen to know anybody who could vouch for you that could also help, too. Sorry I don't have much accurate knowledge on what's the deal with MSKCC. I hear that the experience is really crucial and all, but I'm not an expert at all. All I know is what I've heard from my mom and her co-workers. Best of luck!! :)

I am also tempted to go to Albany, too. I want to ask them if it would be worth the drive to take care of it once and for all. If they think that might help I'll go up ASAP! I'll let you know what I find out!

I am dealing with the same thing!! I took my NCLEX just a week after you did, but still is a LONG time to wait fora License number! I have gotten through to someone before, and she said to call at like 8:30 on a Monday, when they're not too busy to call. I also hear that because NYS is SOOO backed up, they close the phone lines on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 1-5!! Crazy, right?! I am going to call tomorrow at like 8:00 and ask them what is taking so long! Also, I had to call them and ask for my ATT a while back. I waited on the line for a FULL HOUR, and when I finally got through to someone, either they hung up on me or I got cut off, before I could even say my name. SO frustrating! But after that I called again, and got through after only 15 minutes of being on hold. Weird... I guess all it takes is patience. It's shocking how backed up they are, it's terrible!!! I really thought that all I would have to do was pass the NCLEX and I would be good to go. It's so unfair that we have to wait so long when we have taken care of everything!

Hahahaha I'm always so proud to be from NY but this is just embarrassing! I'll be the last person I know to get a job!

I can't believe how backed up New York is! I had to call and *ask* for my ATT, and they told me that they're so behind on processing forms, they don't take calls on Tuesdays and Thursdays so they can take care of older requests... Killin meee!!!

Ughhh takes forever, right!?! I'm so stupid, I kind of just assumed that passing the NCLEX meant I was licensed, so I put it on my resume and sent it out right away after getting my test results... Now I'm worried I look like a liar to all these employers. Crap.... I hope this doesn't take too long.

Does anyone have an idea of how long the process takes if I submitted my application for licensure *before* taking the NCLEX?? I got all my papers into the NYS BON in May, and took the NCLEX just last week. Does that improve my chances of getting my license any sooner? Gaaaah I just want a job!!! hahaha

This makes no sense.

Thanks everyone!! Midwifery does sound interesting, but I am more interested in participating in the birthing process in a hospital-setting, with use of medicine and in all situations (low-risk, high-risk, etc.). I don't mean to offend anybody -- birth is the most personal of experiences and it is truly wonderful that there is such a wide variety of methods and resources that allow women to experience birthing to their preference and comfort. Nonetheless, I will look into Midwifery and consider other options as well. I am still open to suggestions, please let me know if you have any other ideas! Thank you :) -ACMSN1012

Hi Everyone! Well, to start off, I am a nursing student about to enter my senior year in a very rigorous BSN program. I absolutely hated nursing and still had intentions of going to med school in the future (that idea is still in the back of my head), but when I had my "Women's Health" Clinical, I completely fell in love with Labor and Delivery! I never thought I was the "maternal" type, I was (and still am) kind of grossed out by the idea of lady partsl exams, and thought I wouldn't be able to handle caring for both mommies and babies, but I saw how great the labor and delivery RNs are, and truly enjoyed the whole experience!! I did some research (found some great info here on allnurses) and learned that L&D is not just happy times playing with babies. Before wanting to do L&D I was interested in ER nursing, so now I am even more drawn to OB knowing that the element of urgency is very common. On top of all of that, my professor for my Women's Health course who has her CNS Masters degree in women's health, was by far the most inspiring teacher I have ever had in my academic career. I certainly plan on going to graduate school after gaining some nursing experience, and am seriously considering getting a Masters Degree related to OB/GYN/L&D. Unfortunately, I did not really get a full grasp on what an advanced practice nurse would do on the Labor and Delivery floor. In my clinicals, the RNs did pretty much everything, and the OB MD's would come in just for the final delivery. I never saw any Masters prepared nurses on the floor. I heard some pretty amazing stories from my professor, but she mainly works in nursing education, which is not what I am interested in. I was wondering if anyone can give me a better idea of what a nurse would do in L&D with a Masters Degree?? Thank you very much!! :heartbeat -ACMSN1012 :heartbeat

Hey there Thanks so much for your kind response -- just the reason why I joined allnurses.com -- I knew it would be a good place to reach out to a community of people who understand each other. After seeing that patient today, I did some thinking and recalled that during that patient's stay, I was working under some rough conditions - my charge nurse had requested me to stay for doubles and extra shifts all that week, and my last interaction with that patient was my 9th consecutive day at my 14th hour of a double! Whew! I am thankful for my experience as a nurse extern, because not only did I learn a lot of great nursing skills and science, but I learned how to work with other nurses. One important lesson I learned was that I need to say "no" when I am burnt out! I stand my ground in saying that the patient acted extremely inappropriately throughout her stay, but I understand how I may have let my unrelated stress interfere with my focus in treating a demanding patient. Anyway, I think that seeing the ex-patient today brought back a whole ton of those feelings of stress, and it was the last thing I expected. I have never seen a patient outside of their stay in the hospital, but always planned to remain professional in the occasion that it occurs. I think I was just in pure shock to see the one patient that I had such a hard time with. I'm kind of embarrassed by how aggressive I came off in my original post -- thankfully, I know how to keep my cool around patients and when in stressful situations (as opposed to many people I know--including my BSN program classmates--yikes!) and I would absolutely never confront a patient, or approach them in this kind of situation. I'm glad that the whole event blew over, and I can relax now and move on. I plan on taking a positive approach by focusing on the positive: Fortunately, the patient seemed healthy and was riding her bike on a beautiful summer day. Hopefully, she will stay happy and healthy, and OUT of the hospital with silly demands! Thanks again for putting things back into perspective! - ACM SN :)

Hi there I was wondering what some of you do when you see a patient you once had on the street? I have read plenty of articles (including this one: http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/11/10/seeing-a-patient-outside-the-hospital/) about nurses seeing former patients outside the hospital or care facility, but none that really relate to my recent experience. I am a nursing student and recently finished a 6-month externship at a hospital in the city where I study. Today I was walking home from my last class for the day and saw a former patient of mine riding her bike. This patient almost brought me to my knees with the hell she put me through. I dealt with her every night, usually for 12 hours for 9 nights straight until I finally got the weekend I needed. Every night she had a new nurse who would complain about the way she abused our presence and care, and then become shocked to learn I had worked with her every day for several days beforehand. I know that my story doesn't even compare to the horror stories of bad patients that other nurses have had, but in my 6 months of working as an extern, this girl really defined my bad-patient experience. So when I saw her today, I couldn't help but stop, shocked, in my tracks, and use every ounce of power within me to hold back from running up to her and establishing some off-the-clock justice. Nothing physical--I'm not that bad!! I just kind of wish I was wearing scrubs, so she might recognize that I am, in fact, a real human being, and exist outside the hospital. I wish that if she saw me, she would apologize for the impossible behavior she displayed a few months ago, and perhaps show that she really is a decent girl. Anyway, I was just wondering what you (more professional) nurses do when you encounter a bad patient outside of the hospital? Any suggestions for me? I worry now that she lives in my neighborhood and I'm scared my brain might explode if I ever see her again! Looking forward to your responses -ACM, SN

Hey OverlyStressed, I am in nursing school, and I, too, have my serious doubts about the career. I understand the feeling of being trapped in nursing, it's very hard to cope with! Fortunately, although I am unsure of nursing, I have met some great role models in the past year who have shown just how wide the range of nursing really is. If you are able to go back to school, try taking part-time (or full-time, if you can manage) classes to get an advanced degree like Clinical Nurse Specialist or Practicioner. My mom is an Oncologist CNS and has a cubicle office job from 9-5 and has absolutely LOVED working there for the past 20 years. She works for a Physician Referral Service at a top-ranked hospital, and provides tons of patient education and care management over the phone, e-mail and fax. She gets all the satisfaction of making a direct, positive impact on patient's lives, and interacts with patients and other health professionals from 9-5 just from her desk. I give her a lot of crap about it, I say she's more of a secretary than a nurse, but hey--she gets to use her degree, loves her job, and has no direct patient contact! She doesn't even work in a hospital! I know that's just one example, but maybe it's something you can enjoy! I have to admit, there really is a great deal of options with a nursing degree. Not all hope is lost! Good luck!! -AcmSN