Montessori Mommy

Talk to others who have taken the class. Ask for their advice. Talk to the professor. You'll be amazed how often they'll share bits of test insight with students who take the initiative to talk to them. Attend all classes, and pay attention. (Soun...

If you could have an open, honest conversation with your instructors - classroom or clinical - what would you tell them? Here are some of my thoughts: (1) Please make sure that everyone follows the rules & meets the requirements. Don't let some...

I've worked for a magnet hospital and for two that are not magnet. The magnet hospital has an outstanding nurse education program, but pays much less than the non-magnet facilities and has a much higher patient to nurse ratio. Of course, this may j...

I make $27/hour per diem in upstate NY. Other hospitals in the area pay $32 - $35/hour per diem. Believe it or not, we make LESS than the nurses on other floors because so many nurses want to work in OB. Experienced nurses from other floors take a...

I've never had a scenario question in an interview, although I always run through possible answers before I've interviewed. Be sure to ask about the length of orientation, what classes you will attend, etc. Make sure the manager understands your des...

With only two weeks left of my last semester of nursing school, I made my first med error. My patient was off the floor most of the day for procedures. He returned one hour before clinical ended. I had an IV push med to give and a mini to hang, to...

I was wondering if any of your hospitals have a policy in place to use when your L & D unit is full. Do you have a protocol in place postpone non-emergent, scheduled inductions and/or c-sections? The hospital where I work has been very busy la...

I was on the fast track to midwifery until recently.... I found an online program that a well-respected coworker is attending and began the one prereq I needed to apply. I got my husband and children on board, and was working out all the logistics....

Melissa, I highly recommend Samaritan Hospital School of Nursing in Troy. It's a small, hospital based program with amazing instructors. You receive a lot of individual attention because of the small size. They also have a wonderful NCLEX passing ...

First of all, I just want to say how thrilled I am to join the "graduate nurse" forum. Thank God nursing school is over!! Has anyone used the ATI NCLEX review? We used it during school, and now we are using it to prepare for the NCLEX. I was just ...

Thank you for your insightful post. I'm doing some soul searching now about whether I should apply to a CNM program or not. While my heart knows it is the right career for me, I'm concerned about the effects on my family. I'm also worried that aft...

Follow your heart! Don't be afraid to go after what you really want! I knew the only two units I wanted were L & D and NICU, and had been told by instructors and nurses that I would need at least a year of med/surg before. I sent out resumes t...

I'm taking statistics, too. It's a pre-req for a master's program in midwifery. Last night I slept 8 hours! Thanks to horrible allergies and a bedtime dose of benedryl, I slept soundly all night

When I started school, I bought all of the required and suggested books. I never opened the suggested books at all - including the dictionary. Since I did all of my work on the computer, it was faster to look up terms online. There is an awesome w...

I just bought AWHONN's Perinatal Nursing (3rd edition) by Simpson and Creehan. The nurse educator on our unit said it covers everything we should know. The fetal assessment chapter is amazing! (Gosh - I'm really a geek!) http://www.amazon.com/AWHO...

I work per diem at two hospitals. At both, the RN assigns Apagar scores. Even when an RT is called to the delivery, it is the nurse's responsibility to do Apgars. The MDs and midwives always ask me for the Apgars so they can include them in their ...

I graduated from nursing school just before my 40th bithday. (A second career for me.) I found that my family commitments gave me very defined times to study, so I didn't need to stay up all night. (It's like asking the busiest person you know to ...

I had a patient one day who told me the FOB wasn't going to be with her because his new girlfriend was in labor at a local hospital. His mother was with my patient and her two year old grandson. It was so very sad....

I didn't like ATI at all. Honestly, I thought it was a huge waste of money. I used Saunders and Mosby's Prioritization & Delegation. They were the most helpful of all the review books I owned.

I'm seriously considering the Philadelphia U CNM program. What can you tell me about it? Any insight into their admissions process, their program, the classes, etc. would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

I used this when I graduated, before I took NCLEX. I didn't think it helped prepare me for NCLEX. I got more out of the Saunders book and the Mosby's Prioritization & Delegation book. That said, my school has a 100% pass rate on NCLEX for the ...

I worked night shift for 6 months, and I was miserable. Although the children were at school when I got home in the AM, I couldn't sleep during the day. My depression, that had been well controlled with meds for 6 years, became awful again. I cried...

Per diem is when you don't get benefits, so you make more hourly - at most hositals. I can do this because my husband has benefits. My goal is to average 20 hours a week, and to pick up a few shifts each month at the hospital where I used to work f...

The last hospital I worked for gave us six weeks paid leave a year. It was very clear to me early on that I was never going to get to use the time when I needed or wanted to use it, because it went in order of seniority. If I can't take time when m...

Just wanted to share my story: I graduated in May and started working in my dream job on a busy L & D floor (2800 deliveries/year). I oriented on days and then went to nights. I received amazing education, training and worked with supportive nu...