Darkstar1485

I've noticed that places are dying to hire new grads for psych. I know it my not be majority favorite, but it will get your foot in the door and your bills paid. Who knows, you might like it. L

Hello everyone!!! I moved from NYC to FL 6 years ago and now im ready to go back. I have an interview coming up for a psych RN and I don't want to low ball myself. I've been in FL for a while and $30/hr is considered great. What does the pay look likeI also wanted to know the shift diff for nights and weekends, if there is in and increase in pay if you have a certification. Any perks worth mentioning? I have been a psych RN for 2.5 years and I have My BSN. Thanks in advance.

I agree with the above post. Having exceptional communication skills is KEY. Having the ability to keep your cool when a patient begins to escalate can be the difference between life and death. You need to pay attention to behavioral changes as well as general health changes. Don't be the nurse who automatically thinks a psych patient is seeking attention when they c/o pain. Yes, they May be faking it, but you must always assess and document to cover your butt and keep the patient safe. I knew a nurse who ignored a patient who c/o frequent headaches. When I arrived on the unit, I noticed she wasn't Acting like herself. Turns out, she had a brain tumor. TRUE STORY.

Don't let age stop you. Nursing isn't easy, but if you put your kind to it, you will succeed. I'm not good at math and science either, and I graduated with a 3.6. Nursing school is not: What is the definition of bipolar disorder? It's more like: During an admission, your patient states that he has not slept in 3 nights and has not had anything to eat or drink in 24 hours. His wife states he has cheated on her repeatedly and spent all their savings. As the RN, what would you do first A) ask the patient about his HIV status B) take his vital signs C) offer him fluids and snacks D) stop the assessment so the patient can sleep If you have a mind that can apply knowledge rather than memorize facts, you will do well. Go for your LPN first and see how it goes. You can always keep going!! Nursing is one of those careers where you don't have to retire. You can find a job less stressful and do that until you don't want to anymore. My school nurse was 70 years old easy. She was not planning on retiring. Lol

you reach for your keys whenever you approach a door You look at homeless people and try to diagnose them You can de-escalate a situation in the snap of a finger You memorized the best now orders You can give an IM injection with your eyes closed

We encourage patients to to to group but we don't force them. We don't have to force them simply because during group time bedroom doors are locked and the TV is turned off. I would go to group as well if I didn't have anything else to do.

Happy New Year!!!! Let's start 2017 with some brand spankin new Salary stats!!! Thank you in advance!!! Location: Northeast Florida Experience: BSN RN 07/2015, LPN 12/2014 and CNA 08/2011 Specialty: Psychiatric Nurse Facility: large urban hospital Pay: 26-28 base +10.50/hr to work 7p-7a SAT and SUN

Consider yourself lucky. I didn't find out I was lied to until I was 3 months in. My job manipulates pay periods and days off so they don't have to pay OT. I have worked 10 8 HR shifts with ONE day off in the middle. Then add 16 hrs when someone calls off. It's awful. I'm a psych nurse and my job is dangerous and emotionally draining. On day 8 I find myself exhausted and apathetic. It's not fair to my patients. I would stay until you have another job. I'm 5 months in and I just got a job offer. I work 36 hours a week 3 12s in a row with a set schedule. It was well worth it because I know what it's like to work in hell and I have a thicker skin because of it. Good luck! I know how you feel!

The pay is terrible. $15 per hour for an "RN Intern" and a few bucks more when the internship is complete. The benefits are really good though.... that's why nurses stay. I believe they have a pension.

I just found out this morning that I passed on the BON site. So, The PVT worked for me I'm really sorry that you didn't pass.

I know your pain. I took the NCLEX-PN yesterday. I decided to challenge it. Maybe its because I'm a BSN student, but i found the test to be difficult, but that could be relative. I have SOOOO many Alternate format questions. If yo have a saunders book or NCLEX 3000, do a BUNCH of alternate format questions. I also got MANY priority questions. Good LUCK!!!! P.S I decided to stop studying at about 3pm the day before the test to give my brain a rest. I went out and had fun!!!!! I got the "good" pop up "Our records indicate that you have recently scheduled this exam. Another registration cannot be made at this time."

You should check again in 24 hours. I feel your pain. I took the NCLEX-PN yesterday, and I was a nervous wreck when it was over. I sat in my car for an hour. Good luck!

Thanks so much for the info!!!

I'm looking for LPN jobs in the state of Florida. I just challenged the NCLEX-PN. I'm tired of being a CNA. The pay is awful and I'm struggling. The problem is that I'm going to school for my BSN and I'll be done in May. I'm not sure if divulging this info to prospective employers will help or hurt me. Telling employers about school while looking for CNA job posed problems before. Jealousy and insecurity reared its ugly head in ways that I still find hard to believe. Any advice?? Any comments would be appreciated Thank you!!!

I just got my ATT letter this morning. I had the choice of taking the test 12/20 or 1/5. I chose 12/20 bc I want to get it over with... Now I'm scared to death. I'm a BSN student in Florida PNEQ challenging the LPN bc I really need to make money and this CNA stuff isn't cutting it anymore. A part of me wants to switch the date to 1/05/15 so I can have the max study time possible. On the other hand, I think my anxiety is raising doubt in my competency and i should just get it over with. AHHHH! lol I graduate in May 2015. I'm just looking for anyone who felt/feels the same and how they decided to proceed. Thanks In advance!!!!

I do plan to work while in in NP school.

Hello everyone! I am a Senior BSN student researching Grad programs. I would like to get into a Women's Health NP program, or a Midwifery program. I see the deadlines for Fall 2015 are before I graduate (May 2015). Has anyone applied to a grad program before taking the NCLEX and was admitted as along as they passed the test before classes began? I'm new to this process. I have called schools and been given the run around. I will be 30 when a graduate and I would like to keep going with my education. I want to go straight through. RN exp is important and I will work while in school. I don't have any kids and I'm single. I am a second degree student with a BA in Business. Right now I have a 4.0 nursing GPA and a cum 3.77 GPA. Hopefully I can get that up to a 3.8-3.9 by graduation. If there are any topic on this subject already, lease post the link bc I can't seem to find any. Thanks for your help!!!

First of all, RELAX. I was the same way before I started, and Now I'm about to start my senior year. So much info will be thrown at you, but take it all in stride. I will be scary and nerve racking at first, but you will get used to the craziness. Don't buy books from the bookstore unless you are required to. www.alibris.com saved me so much money!!! I'd buy old editions of books for 0.99 cents when my classmates paid 100+ for was the latest edition. it basically the same book. no thanks. Invest in a goo stethoscope. trust me, it will hurt to pay 60+ bucks for one, but it will be worth it during assessments. I f you can hear anything, how will you be able to learn anything? I have a littmann cardiology one that I got off ebay. BEST BUY EVER!! Good Luck!!!

moved to ARNP

I am really proud of myself. I just passed the Hesi Peds exam with a 950 on the first try. I took the practice and got a 1002. The first one was WAY easier. Let me tell you.. THAT V2 TEST WAS HAAAAARDDD! IMO of course. I kinda feel like you can't really study for the test. What I mean by that is you can learn the content, but so many of the questions require you to apply that knowledge to a scenario. Many of my classmates just read the hesi book to study and they did NOT do well. Some questions are absolutely asinine, and will make you want to punch the computer. You have to learn "hesi language" so you can pick apart the questions. I did the adaptive quizzing like crazy and made sure to get to level 3 on all Peds topics. The more questions I did, the better I got at sifting through all the extraneous info. I hope this was helpful to anyone who my be taking the exam in the near future.

I never read textbooks. I can't. I get bored easily. I do practice question ALL THE TIME. I read the rationales, ans whatever I don't know, I look up. I has worked for me, and I have done well on my HESI specialty exams so far. Everyone learns differently.

i was scared and unsure when i first started nursing school. its so overwhelming and stressful, but i promise you, it will get better. It's about repetition. meds, assessment.. etc. of course, you cant anticipate EVERYTHING, but once you start doing skills over and over and give meds over and over you remember what type of patient gets that med, what reactions to look for... you get the idea. Many hospitals have externships for new grads so they can be shown the ropes. you will be fine!

Maybe you are more of a visual/hands on learner. I know many people in my class who don't understand crap until they get on the floor or are in skills lab. When you fall, you need to pick yourself back up. Don't worry about what others think. At the end of the day, EVERYONE takes the NCLEX and even 4.0 nursing students who never failed anything fail the first attempt. Chin up! You can do it!!!!

I heard good things about Bert Fish (New Smyrna). Good Pick. I have no idea what you look like I wouldve approached you! Anyway, there is always tmrw! You will know what i'll be wearing so if you see me, we can chat.

I do it all the time. I don't really care what people think about it. I refuse to be silent about something I worked SUPER hard for. There have been times when I didnt do so well and my friends did. I didn't cry foul when they told me what they got. that's life. do better next time. its sad that people would rather questions the actions of others than focus on bettering themselves....