KatStat

Most interviewers ask behavioral questions - in other words, "tell me about a time when..." You can answer those with scenarios from clinical experience, from volunteering somewhere, pre-nursing jobs, from school projects - it doesn't all have to be direct patient care, because they know you don't have much experience at this point. Have an answer prepared for: "tell me about yourself;" "biggest strengths and weaknesses;" and "where do you want to be in 5 years." Beyond those questions, most of the remaining questions will be situational - tell me about a time when you... had a disagreement with a coworker/peer; provided exceptional customer service; had lots of priorities and limited time; disagreed with a supervisor; made a mistake." Lastly, they'll give you the opportunity to ask questions. Your questions shouldn't all be focused on 'me, me, me.' Use that as an opportunity to show where your interests lie. In other words, instead of asking how many weekends you'll have to work or when your first raise will be, ask about opportunities for advancement within the hospital - do they promote from within? Do they support nurses getting certified in their specialty? Are there ways for you to be involved in quality improvement? Ask your interviewers what they like best about working there. Walk in the door with confidence and a smile. Keep that confidence and smile through the interview until you're back in the parking lot. And good luck!

From personal experience, and from being a clinical instructor, I would encourage her to do an accelerated BSN program. She can probably complete the program faster than she'd be able to do the MSN. It will involve less debt, and she can always go back to school later for an MSN on top of her BSN. Whether she does a direct entry MSN or an accelerated (2nd) bachelors degree, she'll end up at the same new grad hourly rate. The direct entry MSN isn't looked at as being any better than a BSN, and some managers might be hesitant to hire a new grad whose education level supersedes their own.

This is a great topic, and I love reading the answers in this thread! I've worked psych for about a year, plus I have ~6 years experience in med-surg, NICU, mother-baby, and home health. I've only been swung on / thrown things at on the med-surg unit, not on the psych unit! I was swung on by a patient going through DTs in med-surg, had poop thrown at me by a woman who was in post-op delirium, and was cornered in a room by a patient's abusive husband - all in med-surg. I've never had a psych patient attack me, though I have been the first responder when a patient attacked a coworker. I'm only willing to work on a psych unit that has good teamwork, because that's your best hope when patients get agitated.

I got in! PMHNP post grad certificate. Fingers crossed for everyone else!!

Speaking from experience as a nursing leader in a hospital, hiring nurses: for a new grad nurse, there's no need to go beyond one page. More than a page for a new grad nurse would put me off, even if you're a second-career nurse. It gives the impression that you think you belong in a higher-tier position (not new grad nursing) and you're likely to jump ship when something better comes along. Keep in mind, the only thing recruiters have to judge you by is your resume, and they're flooded with them. They'll spend no more than 15 seconds on your resume to decide if they'll move you to the next phase. For experienced nurses, 2 pages would be fine; for someone experienced and looking for jobs in leadership/teaching/etc., 3 pages can be OK, if that includes certifications, publications, awards, etc. Basically, the length statement is relative to your years in the field.

The next two weeks? The suspense is killing me!

I'm a current student in the accelerated program. It's intense, but it's well respected and the caliber of students is great. There are some organizational pitfalls, like it's hard to get information about what to expect for future semesters. I have 3 kids and my husband is military, so I always try to plan ahead for childcare, and the lack of information is frustrating. But, that's a small drawback for a great program. The classes are great, most of the instructors are fantastic, and I'm learning more than I thought I was capable of! When I go to clinicals the nurses are usually impressed with our groups of students, because we tend to be so well prepared for clinical experiences. Hope that helps. The price is right, and I've had several guest lecturers from Emory who tell us that our program is the best in Atlanta.

I'm the mom of 3, ages 4, 6, and 8. I'm in my last semester of prerequisites, and I've been accepted to an accelerated BSN program starting in January. First, let me say that this board has been really helpful to me. When I start my accelerated program in January my husband will be leaving for 3 months of military service. This is his first assignment, and it's a heck of a time to start! I'm pretty worried about how I'll make everything work while he's gone. I've been working full time while doing prereq's full time as well. I study while my kids are in school, and they have an early bedtime, so I stay up late studying too. My job is flexible, so that helps, and I'll probably stop working in January. One of the ways I've made it work so far is letting the little things go, to some extent. My floors aren't as clean as they used to be, I buy more convenience food (not fast food, but pre-marinated meat, packaged spaghetti sauces, and things like that) than I used to. My kids buy lunch at school every day, since that saves me 15-20 minutes a day of packing lunches. I lean on my friends, and for my kids that often means they can go to their friends' houses to play, but not have friends over very often. That helps too - when at least 1 of my children is out of the house it's a lot easier to get things done. Also, my kids take on more responsibility around the house, and I really think that's good for them. They help me with laundry, we have a lightweight vacuum, and every week one of my kids (even the 4 year old) vacuums, they take turns walking the dog, the oldest helps her brothers with their reading, and I drill them on math facts every time we get in the car. ChoreMonster.com is a big part of keeping them motivated, and I've never told them that they have to help out so I can study - it's all about working together as a family to take care of everybody - because that's what a family does. I don't want them to see my education as a burden on them. Last thing. I have ipods and tablets loaded with education (and non-educational) games for them. I take everyone to their after school activities, and while one is doing karate or violin or whatever, the others are playing on electronic devices and I'm studying. I don't think I could do this without redeeming those hours every week through electronic devices. :) I remind myself that this is a short-term solution to a short-term problem. Within 2 years I'll be done with school, my kids will get to see their mom graduate! And when it's time to find a job I'll be able to find a long-term solution and hopefully build my career more closely around their schedules.

I just got my acceptance letter for the Accelerated program! :) In case you were wondering, my Degree Works has not changed. Good luck to everyone who is still waiting!

I didn't get anything in today's mail either. And my Owl Express hasn't changed. I have my fingers crossed for tomorrow!

I'd planned on wearing a skirt, but there was horrible rain Tuesday morning and I had to hike across campus from chemistry. I ended up wearing high-heeled boots, wool slacks and a cap-sleeve shirt, and was very comfortable. I have to say, having comfortable clothes on made it easier for me to relax during the interview.

I just came from my interview. I think it went really well. I interviewed with 2 ladies, and both were super nice, easy to talk to. The person before me didn't show up for his interview, so that made me (selfishly) happy! It was those behavioral interview questions, tell me about a time when you... I think the only advice I have for those of you who are preparing is, come up with detailed answers - tell a story for each question. Relax, and smile! Best of luck to everyone - does anyone know when they plan on letting us know about admission?

How do you set up a mock interview?

I got my letter - and I got an interview for the accelerated program! Good luck to everyone else!

Congrats, trixjones... Mine still says the same thing as before - not selected. I'm not going to accept that as conclusive yet though. Still hoping that they just haven't changed all the stuff in the system, and the rest of us will get our good news tomorrow or Wednesday.