christinacub

Hi Rizz, Thanks so much for your reply. I really appreciated your input. It was helpful. I talked them into a 4 day a week job as I truly just wanted part time. This should be interesting. It's good to know people want to stay. I wonder if I will miss a quicker pace as well. The nurse who hired me was pretty convincing. She sold me. It also seems to be a nice group of people to work with. I sort of like the predictability(except for the disasters of course). Commute won't be bad and its a rural area, small town feel, all of which I like. Plus I can walk out at days end, and even have an actual lunch where I can leave the premises and take a break, a walk etc. Yes, there is lower pay but I doubt it will be quite so hectic. Any advice for a new HD nurse?

Just got a job offer and needed some advice. I have been a nurse off and on for 10+ years with experience in the hospital(old experience) school nursing, ambulatory care, pediatrics, dermatology, jail and occupational nursing. This new job wants to pay me $12 less per hour than my last contract job. It is amazingly low. It is a "why am I taking this job?" kind of low. It would be in the disaster area of community health and possible chronic disease thrown in. The pros are normal 8.5 hour days and no holidays. It's flexible as it is contract and no benefits. It really seems to be an awful offer but with little stress. My husband says it could lead to better interesting jobs with the county in the future. Am I selling myself short here? Yes the work is interesting and probably pretty easy, but sheesh, the terrible pay??? It's in a more rural area as well.

Okay I wrote a bunch of stuff then lost it...errrr Questions: Your nursing philosophy, what is your strengths, weaknesses? Did you have a conflict with another employee and how did you resolve it?" What would fellow employees say about you/your work. If you are under stress and working alone sum up your thoughts into one word. What makes a good supervisor? What did or didnt you like about your old job. What makes you a good fit for PF? Test questions...allll about pharmacology and needle length and gages. Know your PCNs, Demerol/what can be paired with Demerol, Toradol, Lidocaine, Valium, Epinephrine, Lomotil, Meklazine ,Bactrim opthalmic gtts(allergic question)Vistaril, Vancomysin. Basic antipsychotics

Hi Kinder, Funny you should ask. I went for the 2nd interview yesterday. She spent an hour asking me similar interview questions. This PF just opened so its all very fresh and new. Then she took me through the open area(I i had dressed in scrubs and polo shirt for interview) and called back a patient and let me see how things were done. It seems very "fast." Everything is done on the computer and labels. I like how the pharmacy works...a numbered system. I'm weak in IVs and had to admit it. That may affect my getting the job. Otherwise, I seemed pretty qualified since I have experience in Pediatrics and Occupational health. I'd be part time/prn. The PF I interviewed at is apparantly one of the busiest. Well, I won't hear back from the Supervisor until Monday at least. She is making her decision. She did say that as of yesterday, I was the only nurse routed her way and they need help very soon. So it doesn't seem I have alot of competition for now but that could have changed as she had some other interviews lined up for today..though they may have been lab people etc. Good luck and let me know how the interview goes. Give me your first impressions. C

okay I will let you know what happens.

Hey KinderRN, They haven't gotten back to me yet. I know they called my old bosses for references the day of the interview. I didn't expect I would hear back from them until this coming week anyhow. Next step is for them to call me, set up either a 2nd interview at the PF site or a shadow day(not sure which) so that the employees at the PF can see if I would be compatible...see if they like me. I will let you know when I hear something. I figure I won't be able to negotiate until they are ready to offer...after they have done all the work and made their choice...then I hit it lol

Interviewer said they would ACLS certify me. Have never been certified as that. What is that training like as well? Anything I can do to prep for that?

Hi, I know there is a PF thread already but it's old and I thought I'd start a new one here. I just interviewed yesterday and all looks promising. I just wondered what others' experience have been like. The good the bad and the ugly? Thanks

Mollymae- How very odd that you posted this today as I literally just walked in from my interview with Patient First. I knew they would provide a test because of the posts here which were helpful. BTW, I tried to write down some of the ques in case anyone else wants to know them. I passed the test evidently and am moving on in the process. The fellow interviewing me said "well I can offer you $28 hr" and I am currently making 35/hr for shift differentials. I am hoping that if he offers, I will then come back and encourage at least $30 an hr. What is the deal with their low pay? Maybe they prefer new grads? Kind of disappointing. We will see what happens. It looks like a pretty good place to work...looks busy. I have never worked ER but have worked occupational health. I haven't started IVs because when I did work in the hospital, we had an IV team do all the starts. Sooooo, we will see how I do with all of that. Honestly, I may take the job anyway at $28 an hour. I am just looking for PT anyway. But of course I will probably ask. I don't think it will hurt to ask if they offer. I did not talk about it in the interview. Two other nurses were right behind me lol. I would be curious to know of more nurses' experience working for Patient First...if they enjoy it...etc

Thanks so much to all the research nurses who posted on this thread. It was incredibly helpful! I just applied to a research position and wondered what to expect. I am not sure I will be called since I do not have research experience. C

Hi, I see this post is old but I typed in Patient First and this came up. I would LOVE to know more specific questions on the test so that I can review. I have been a school nurse so I may be weak on meds. I have applied to a Patient First position and any info on meds that I need to brush up on would be great!! Did the test focus more on adult health or peds? any particular pathophys? Any help would be wonderful. Thankyou so much.

Thanks so much to all the replies. Today is day #4 for training for me. Since I am PT and work 2 days a week(3days while training), my training may take longer than normal. My supervisor spent alot of time going over "the orientation books". Anyway...my mentor nurse was put on another job in a room or so away from me and I got a little panicky not knowing what to do in different cases Eg- the nurse protocol book is diff from the forms as far as cold meds protocol, an inmate wanted to have STD test, not knowing where things were located in the chart...forgetting to put an inmates name on an incident report so an officer had to come up and let me sign the report(embarassing). There are repetitive signatures. I haven't worked alot with MARS recently having been a school nurse and just learning how to write a MAR again(pen colors, format) diff responses to inmates for various reasons. For a few moments mid day...I started to feel a panic because everyone was busy and I couldn't get inmates to come down from housing since the phone was busy. My diabetic was late to show up for his insulin and I wasn't sure when to contact his housing officer to send him down since I knew that ,at that point, they needed to finish lunch and "count." Two hours left to finish sick calls before I'd have to leave them for the next shift(big no no)..etc etc...Finally I confessed that I was having some anxiety to my mentor and she hung around and was able to answer questions and help me finish up the shift. It's not the inmates I'm bogged down with, its not the fine details of paper work and protocols. I have a notebook that Ive written things down in and I suppose it will all come together in time. It's been awhile since I've been new at the job and this is a hard position. The panic moment was blocking my sense of logic and I had to sort of snap myself out of it and just complete one job at a time. Anyhow, I had thoughts that maybe this is something I shouldnt be doing. It's hard for me to quit and it seems early yet. I think my training period will branch to mid Sept. I havent even started learning "intake" or "receiving" since most of that takes place on evening shift. I'm to be put on evening shift to train soon. Anyway, if anyone has any words of encouragement or advice, i'd appreciate it. CC

Hi there, I just started corrections last week! Have been orienting and omg...I hope I remember what to fill out and where it goes and what to sign lol. I have some anxiety myself about dealing with withdrawls and what a patient looks like that is about to go bad but I think I'll figure it out. No longer worried about inmate treatment to the nurse. I realize now that that is kind of a stigma. Remember the inmates have probably been in a Dr office or health facility at sometime in their life. The work/release inmates I work with see our nurses at McDonalds etc. They are just people. Yes you have to be careful but they are people who made some bad choices. Also the company has very good training about how to behave and prepares you I think. So give it a chance. I am...we shall see

I love the story a nurse educator likes to share. She put on a blood pressure cuff backwards and pumped and pumped and it exploded off the patient. She said something like "oops, that one's not working" then prayed..."Lord please don't let me kill anybody!" That one still makes me smile

Hi, I just started Friday with Orientation to Light Security Corrections Nurse for a holding Jail- up to 18 months. Some of these are work-release inmates and other are more max security. I was wondering what sort of medical pathophysiology I should brush up on. I was a school nurse before. Also, what kinds of things can I expect on Intake? How do must handle drug detox and under influence when trying to get a history? Whats a day like? I have quite a few anxieties about not knowing what to expect Thanks so much for your help CC