Juliwithoutane

I started directly from nursing school in a pediatric ICU. BIG MISTAKE. I think it was a mistake for a little bit of many reasons. I could have benefited from some fundamentals in a more med surg like pediatric unit. My school could have/should have provided more hands on experiences (I did not have an immersion). I had preceptors that were woefully unprepared to teach a new grad. And I really probably don't have the right personality for the ICU. I lasted 11 months in the picu and now I'm at 11 months in a level 2 nicu. I STILL feel I could benefit from some basic hands on skill training. So I don't think there's an easy answer. I don't think everyone should start in med surg across the board. I think people need to learn to properly assess their skill and comfort level, and schools need to do more to adequately prepare us for the 'real world'

Holy cow that's a long time! I'm barely sieving at less than 2 years

Thanks for sharing APN! Unfortunately I have no interest in being an NP (or really a bedside nurse much longer) so I can't make the same escape as you. What's funny is I AM a night owl. I have no issue staying up all night and sleeping during the day, but it's messing with my head

I'll attempt to figure out how to send y'all private replies :)

Brief background, I graduated in 2013 with my BSN, and it was my second career (I'm in my 30's) My first job was so awful I almost quit nursing. My second one is 100% better but I still question my career and future goals basically every day. The point of this post...I don't have a lot of RN friends to talk to and non RNs can't imagine my work/social life. I work nights and feel fairly socially isolated. There are so many great people that post and give advice on this site, I figured it wouldn't hurt to reach out. I want more people to talk to, about nursing or whatever. We don't have to meet in person, we don't have to be best friends. But I think it would be useful for all of us to have someone to share experiences with that understand where we're coming from. So....yeah. This seems desperate and I might regret it when I wake up tomorrow afternoon but oh well :). Get in touch if you want a new friend, virtual or otherwise, or just a sounding board. I give great advice though I never take my own.

I'm not sure what they're doing exactly but as far as I know my unit is the only unit that's even started interviewing internal candidates. They're really taking their time :). Good luck!

The positions for new grads for August haven't been posted to the public yet, but were up internally last week so any time now! Just keep checking. October jobs won't go up till August-ish

Congrats! It's a wonderful place to work

I don't how many they hired on any unit other than the ICUs but they interviewed around 30 and hired 22ish

Don't know about units other than mine but they interviewed around 30 and hired 22ish

Yes I know a few people that work there. I think that's the only reason I got a job. But there were a few hired that didn't have any connections!

I didn't have any prior experience, but I had connections. It all took quite awhile, I don't remember exactly how long.

I work in the CCU and I LOVE it. Where did you apply?

Sorry for the delay! I suppose there's a chance they changed it but last year we had the group 'interview' which was more of an orientation process. They then called is and set up interviews with the individual units.

The group interview for the SNA program (is that what you're talking about?) is nothing. They go over salary and hourly requirements and that's it

Good luck with your event! If you do one in the city in the future I'll be there with bells on

There is no union and the pay is lower, as you'd expect from non-union

Yeah my 30k was 11 years ago too. I should maybe have mentioned that :)

Congrats! Where will you be working?

Juliwithoutane at gmail.com

I guess it also depends on the hospital. Some don't/can't pay that much. I read a lot about how hard it is to get a job so my gut reaction would be to take the money and run :) But I think it wouldn't hurt to try for more. 54k is what I made when I left my job and my rent was around 1400. But I have no car payment or any other major bills. It's up to you how much you're comfortable spending on rent. But even if you DO make *just* $30/hr, you'll be fine. Chicago is a great place to live, welcome!

Yes you can live on that. If you have no debt or car payment etc it's even easier. When I moved to Chicago I made 30k and survived easily! Plus I feel like 56k is not what an experienced nurse makes here. Someone feel free to correct me if I'm wrong. I've still got another year of school.

There is little to no diversity or culture in either of those neighborhoods. That's actually true for most of Chicago, except like, albany park. Both neighborhoods are as safe as any place in Chicago. I wouldn't call either of them trendy though. I think for trendy you'd look in Ukrainian village...but don't quote me on that. Trendy is not something I'm knowledgeable on. :). Wrigleyville is a great place to be if you like baseball, bro-dudes, and partying. Lincoln Park is good if you like fancy shopping and brunch...and also bro-dudes. These are GROSS generalizations but I can't really think of a better way to describe it. If you want something a bit less...white bread, I'd look in bucktown/wicker park/Logan square/Ukrainian village. BUT Lincoln Park is a very good 'starter' neighborhood for Chicago. It's the first place I lived when I moved here. Really, exploring is the only way you will know what is right for you. And there are so many other factors...transportation, parking, etc. Take all of this with a grain of salt as I'm in my early 30s and have outgrown both of the neighborhoods you mention. If you have any other questions I'd be happy to answer them! I love people moving here :)

No one I know even knows about this site! It's weird. I don't think my friends googled for homework help (and ended up on this site) like I do now :)

What kind of info?