otilika

Not sure if you are still reading these responses, but I completed my BSN at Aspen University, after having gotten my RN with an ADN at a community college. At the moment I have been a nurse for five years and have worked everywhere from med-surg, trauma, to the ICU. Where you went to school matters only for your first job. Once you get the first job and have a good record and experience in it, that's what will move you forward more than anything else. I am financially conservative and I think it's insane to take $50k in loans to get a BSN anywhere. I chose Aspen because I had to continue working full-time during school and because it was affordable. To this day, I think I made the right decision. Sometimes I wish I could brag that I went to a more renowned school, but instead, I take pride in not having accrued loans. When I graduated from Aspen I had been working as an RN for two years, and so employment was not an issue for me. The only issue I had is that when I recently tried to apply to an MSN program at another university, that specific university wanted me to have a BSN from a school that's both CCNE accredited AND regionally accredited. Apparently, Aspen U. is not regionally accredited. I got accepted into another MSN at a school who only was looking for CCNE accreditation (as most schools are).

1. Just did (3): At the end of shift forgot to unclamp the piggy back IV bag, so patient continued to received only the fluids (which were ordered anyway), until next shift noticed antibiotics weren't running. 2. This one was really bad: walked into a room; a person of an ethnicity different than the patient's dressed in Isolation gear was helping the patient to the bathroom. I asked "are you her nursing assistant?". Turns out it was patient's adopted daughter. Big oops. Not doing that one again 3. Called pharmacy to tell I couldn't scan a med, when in fact I dropped the label with the actual scan code (now I know all infusions in my facility come with a separate label, and I should look for it) 4. Always staying late at work because I always get busy doing stuff and don't finish charting. Still haven't figured out how to resolve this problem.

As a newbie I had a recent experience that made me feel that I suck at my job, and that I need to improve my ability to focus on the job, rather than get manipulated by controlling family members. Sorry, but I feel the need to vent. Just had a patient with a poor prognosis whose family member is extremely involved in pt's care at home. The family member has the reputation of being very peculiar, expecting perfection and nothing else, and being very vocal when things weren't done up to their expectations. they state that if we did our jobs well (they mean perfectly), we'd be able to keep their loved one around for a long time (difficulty coping). For a while I was trying to be compassionate and also trying to preserve some service satisfaction. I tried to be as good as I could with my care and spent A LOT of time addressing this patient's needs, even the not-urgent ones. Knowing that I was under the microscope created great stress for me, which made me lose confidence and focus when performing certain interventions for this patient. My other patients got less of my attention, even if they needed it more. How can i learn to be compassionate, but also not get manipulated by extra involved family members? At all times during the interaction with the family I had the feeling that if I didn't do things by their requests, they would look for ways to get in trouble (being a new RN I know I am not 100% perfect, and if they wanted to, they'd find ways to get anyone in trouble). Any suggestions?

It is hard to guarantee anything, but I personally think your chances are pretty good. Many students apply simultaneously to several schools, and if they get into Uconn or WestConn or some private university, they prefer to go where they can get a BSN right away. When I was in school, I know several people who got accepted to NCC but then decided to go somewhere else, allowing people in the waiting list to get in. So sit tight and fingers crossed. And if you don't get it the first time, definitely apply again, or go to Naugatuck CC, if it's not too far from your house. Good luck!

Hi, I am a nursing student and also work at a hospital. Recently I took care for a patient and on her last day there she told me that is a nurse, that she was very impressed with my care and would like to endorse me and refer me for anything that could help in my future career as a nurse. She told me to find her on Facebook and keep in touch. I said sorry, but I don't Facebook patients; if you want to stay in touch, how about LinkedIn? She said yes, find me on LinkedIn. On my LinkedIn profile I mentioned who my employer is and I am connected with a couple of coworkers. If I add this lady/former patient, could I get in trouble for HIPAA? I think I shouldn't, since the patient is the one who told me to get in touch, but do you think my work place will do anything about that? What would you do? I definitely could use this lady's recommendations and suggestions when I need to find a job.

Hi everybody! If any of you has experiences similar to mine, please share! I started a job as a CNA in a hospital 1.5 years ago. While working there, I also started Nursing school. After half a year of working per diem on a unit, I decided that I could benefit more from a part-time position, and so, when an opening came up, I transferred to a part-time position, on a different floor. After nine months of working part-time, my manager changed the way she does scheduling/staffing. Up until now she would let us schedule ourselves, and I would work on days and at times when i don't have school. This month though, I saw that she put me down for days that I clearly submitted as the days when I can't work. I contacted her about that and she emailed me back and said that she needs to staff according to the unit's need, not the employee's preference. We made an appointment to meet and talk next week. Now I am getting ready for quitting this position if we can't make changes. Although I love working on this unit and I love the team, the school-work conflict is significant for me, and I have to continue with school. My first idea is to start applying to other per diem positions that are available in the hospital. I have a good reputation as an employee and I think I would be wanted by specific units, per diem. However, my concern is whether HR or future employers may frown upon me being "advanced" to part-time and then me wanting to go back per-diem and not appreciate the opportunity that they gave me. Will they think that I shouldn't have switched to part-time in the first place, knowing that school is so demanding? The honest truth is that at the time when I took part-time, my work schedule was made around my classes; now the manager changed that approach so it doesn't work for me anymore. Any thoughts/suggestions would be much appreciated. My goals at this point are: 1. To not burn my bridges with the hospital (I would like to use them as a reference eventually). I would like to work there in any way possible, as long as it doesn't interfere with my studies. 2. To not create bad reputation for when I graduate and start looking for jobs as an RN. Please advise! and thanks much in advance

Hi, I am in Nursing school and recently we learned about lupus. I have a friend who has lupus but only now I know how serious this condition is. She hasn't seen a doctor in almost two years because she has no insurance. She is a permanent resident of the US, works at Olive Garden and is paid by the hour, and therefore doesn't get insurance from her job. She makes around $350-$400/ week, and lives by herself, in a rented room in someone's house, for which she pays $500 + utilities (yes, for $500 in Connecticut you can only get a room). Although she has been stable these two years, I know that it's vital for her to go to doctor's appointments regularly and stay on medications, for which she doesn't have money. I wish I could help her, but have no idea where to start. Does anyone know where someone like her could get treatment an very low or no cost, or any sort of cheap insurance, based on her income? If this was your friend, what would you do? Thank you very much for any suggestions!

I hear you! Right now I am about to end my first job as a CNA, in home care. I realized I am not very fond of home care especially because you have to deal also with the client's family, and that's a daily thing. So I ended up also dusting, taking the garbage to the dump, filling up the bird feeder, sweeping the floors and other things that weren't on my job description. Did I think that was right? No. But I wanted a job to start with, and I was trying to get good references after my first job, so I kind of put up with it and did the work, knowing that I won't be doing this forever. Once you get some experience on your resume, it will be much easier to move on and do something you actually like. (I worked for an agency and made $11/hour.) PS: I forgot to mention that the client's wife also used me as a therapist, when she would get overwhelmed and needed to vent (she'd start blaming me for everything that's bad). Also, I was expected to come up with games and activities to entertain her husband; so here we are- me put in the position of an occupational therapist.

Thanks everyone. You are both right. I just got the offer yesterday and was told that they will start my background check soon. They only wanted my SSN and date of birth.

I got the job! And I am so happy to see that it can be done without anyone referring you or putting a word in for you. 10 days after the interview, I wrote an e-mail to the HR person who interviewed me to ask if a decision has been made and if not, whether there is anything else I can do to increase my chances. Ten minutes later she called me and made me an offer, which I, of course, accepted. I guess the real networking will start at work.

Guys, did you get the job offer before or after they did a background check on you? Thanks!

Just as an update.. I haven't heard from the hospital yet, and it's been a week since the interview. I had the feeling that I did well, but maybe they had better candidates, or maybe it's too early to have an answer yet. Or maybe they are doing a background check first, and then they'll call. In the meantime, I ask around to find out if any of my friends has any friends who are nurses. I found two so far, and asked my friends to speak with their nurse friends and find out if it's OK for me to contact them. So I contacted two so far, via facebook and asked if they could give me some practical tips... :) I hope I don't appear like a stalker to them :) let's see.... I sent my volunteer application to two hospitals, and haven't heard back from any yet. Wondering how soon they are willing to take new volunteers... Please let me know if you guys have additional tips.

Got into the program, to start in January 2012. GPA: 4.00, TEAS: 84% (I was also disappointed, BUT I have not even cracked the book for the TEAS, so I accepted this result, given that I didn't study at all)

Guys, I am happy to say that I was invited for an interview at a hospital without anyone recommending me!!!! I don't know if I am getting the job, but I am so relieved to see that you can get interviews even by taking the traditional route; apply online then wait :)

I am a US permanent resident with the right to work in the US, but I have lived for 21 years in my home country, which is my country of citizenship. In the US I lived in three states so far. When I got hired for my first job in the US (at an assisted living) I had to wait for a month before I could start working, because, I was told, my background check report came in very late. Does anyone have a similar experience? If you've lived abroad for a long time, and lived in several states in the US, do hospitals want reports from all the places where you've lived, including the foreign country? What kind of background checks do hospitals run on employees who are foreign citizens? Do they contact the government of that country or just the US Immigration Service ? Right now I am waiting for a response from a hospital, with which I had an interview. If the background check comes later than they expect, could that make them eliminate me as a candidate? Thanks

Hi, I was wondering if anyone here is involved in making hiring decisions for hospitals. I was at an interview at a hospital a few days ago, for a CNA position, and I believe that the interview went really well. After talking to the HR person and the nurse who I would report to, I was told by the HR person that I would hear from them by the end of the week, or the latest- by the beginning of the next week. It's been a while and I still didn't hear from them. At the interview I signed a release form for a background check. I was wondering whether the hospital is waiting for the results of the background check before they make a decision, or if they would make an offer first and then proceed to the background check. What do you guys know about that? Thanks a bunch!

I am a CNA in an assisted living and home care (combining the two). I like the assisted living better, because there is more interaction with coworkers and there are more learning opportunities. The only thing that I don't like about the assisted living is that they host people who would technically qualify for nursing homes (eg. some of the resident's don't walk or move), but they don't have the equipment that a nursing home has. Sometimes I have to deal with 300 pound residents who can't walk or stand up, and are also confused, and I have to get them from a wheelchair to the toilet , to the shower, without any lift machines; i get someone to help me, but even so, we are more like improvising on our transfer techniques, and each such experience is an adventure, and my back hurts already. Home care is easier, but if you plan to be an RN, you want something more active. I like my client, but I don't learn much on that job; every day I do the same thing, and there isn't anyone who I could learn from.

I am in Connecticut, and as soon as I became a CNA I started with $11/hour in an assisted living, per diem, no benefits. I also got an offer from a home care agency, for $12/hour, but the job involved a lot of driving, and one assignment was only one hour, so it just didn't work out, considering the price of gas, and how few hours I would get a week (if any).

If you find out, please tell us too. :) I am not trying to be pessimistic, but it looks like there is so much competition among CNAs that nobody is just going to come and give you a job, just like that.

Wow! You are just one lucky person. First, people rarely get hired in a hospital without experience, and to make $20/hour as a CNA without experience is just fantastic! I live in Connecticut and started with $11/hour, and six months later I haven't gotten a raise, but I no one I know did. Good luck! and tell us how the interview went

From the research that I've done so far, it looks like PCTs are CNAs with a few more skills. For example, to be a Patient Care Technician you need to be a CNA (have the certificate and know how to do CNA job), but also know something besides that, like phlebotomy, or doing an EKG or something like that. Often hospitals will give you the job of a PCT even when you only have the CNA certificate, and will train you in how to do the extra tasks. Some schools will give you a PCT title, after you've completed their CNA class, phlebotomy class and EKG class, but in order to do all three you need more time and more money. In conclusion , a CNA certificate is a must, but besides that, the more skills you know, the better.

Hi Sammie, I never took a math class at NCC because I took a placement test at the very beginning, and it placed me above the requirements. With the placement test results I was able to register for all the other classes that have math as a pre-requisite. I loved chemistry, and what I liked about it especially was that it made you very serious about doing homework and studying. You need to be very persistent in order to succeed in the other classes, such as A&P, and chemistry teaches you to be that. I personally found chemistry to be pretty easy, but of course that is because I took chemistry in high school and had very good teachers. In any case, I think that everybody who wants to be a nurse should be able to get a good grade in chemistry, since that's just the beginning of everything. The book is great and even when I didn't understand something, I would go home and read the chapter, and focus, and re-read if necessary, to make sure I understood everything. You want to make it a goal to understand everything, because you will need this skill later, in other classes. The tutoring center at NCC has great tutors who can help with both math, and chemistry, if necessary. About the Teas... when I registered for the test I decided to take it once, just to see what it's like, and I didn't study AT ALL! I thought I would take it again, for the score. But I ended up getting 84% from the first time, and was advised that it's a great score and I didn't need higher, so I didn't bother to take it again. I don't think TEAS is a difficult test. Math is based on fractions, percentages, knowing how to work with decimal places (which is also taught in chemistry), simple equations and things like that. There are some A&P questions, some chemistry questions and there were also physics questions. Now I totally guessed on the physics questions, cause I only took physics in High school and never liked it. Anyway, my suggestion is that you can take the TEAS whenever you want to see just what it's like, and then, if necessary, take it again when you finish at least A&P I. There are questions that you won't know unless you took A&P. Good luck with math and chemistry and let me know if you have any questions! PS: For A&P and microbiology , ******* is the best professor. She is tough, but very nice and very helpful and fair.

I recently became a CNA and got admitted into the nursing program of a local community college. I am also an immigrant to the US (I have been here for two years now). I found out that when you look for a good job, it is very important to know people who could recommend you, or serve as references. Right now I am trying to make contact with nurses and other healthcare professionals who work in Connecticut (this is where I am), but I don't know anyone! My classmates seem to not be willing to help; there is a lot of competition. Help, how do I meet people? I can't just write emails to people on facebook and ask them to meet with me. That would be just creepy! How do I start networking in this field? Thanks

I was told by several people that hospital jobs are not easy to get, even when you are qualified and meet the requirements. More than that, I heard that very often people who get hired as CNAs/PCTs in hospitals get those jobs because they know someone who works there and who recommended them. This situation upsets me quite a lot, cause I don't know anyone who works in a hospital.... so if anyone knows a different was of getting a job in the hospital, please share

I didn't think that A&P II was much easier, but I can say that I was more relaxed about it, as I was already familiar with the structure of the course. I got the same grade in both A&P I and II, but in A&PI I had higher scores on exams, because I was so anxious and I tried really really really hard to study everything.