futurebsn2b

LoveNursing7 - no I am going Monday to get my physical and immunizations form done - then I should be able to register. :) anjunah - I think the minimum GPA is listed on the admissions website...I don't remember what it is but I had a 3.45 with my BSN but I have some other degrees that brought my overall GPA up higher. I would recommend going to the school of nursing and see what they say? I have two years of psych nursing experience. GOOD LUCK with your BSN! Focus on that first - the rest will come :). I was an accelerated student (different school) too and I know how hard that program is! Be proud of those B's!

No, not yet. I thought I remembered something about that all being in July. Have you finished all the Certified Profile items yet?

I still check it from time to time. :)

I was also accepted into the PMHNP program full time! Congrats to all! I hope everyone who is waiting gets their letters soon!

Thank you so much for sharing this information! Hope everyone gets good news....soon :).

Anyone hear anything yet?

Hey everyone - so the school called me Thursday with a clarifying question and told me they were making decisions next week. Not sure when that means we will be notified, but thought I would share the info :). Good luck to all!!!!

My program had this - we had to take test every semester to stay in too. 95% or above - two tries only. You will do great - just take your time. Good luck!!! :)

INN_777 - If you are a volunteer, then use someone you know at the hospital to get you in front of a recruiter. You would be amazed how many people are willing to help if you speak up. Ask a nurse manager or any manager to help you get 10 minutes of recruiter face time. Good luck!!!

TooProudToMention - See my previous reply to sMolsNurse, but also I contacted every hospital in the area. Surprisingly, I had one nurse recruiter tell me she only replies to people who contact her at least 3 times a week for a month...I think that is excessive but a call and an email once a week will certainly pay off after a few weeks. You can be professional and polite without coming across like a stalker. Like I would email every time I applied for a new position at the hospital and just say "I just applied for this position x. I know I would be an ideal candidate for this job because of x, y, z". It took a lot of work and effort, but it paid off. Good luck!!!

sMoLsNurse - started by saying (or writing - sometimes I had to email and I found email addresses by searing online for hospital x nurse recruiter) something to the effect of "I have a sincere interest of working at your hospital. I realize how competitive the market is now - especially for a new nurse - but I would really like to meet with a nurse recruiter to talk about how I can gain an interview opportunity. I have applied for many positions and have not received a call for an interview. Is there someone who can help me?" If I volunteered or precepted there, I through that in too. Or if you can find any connection to the hospital like "I recently visited a friend who had surgery there and was impressed with the nursing staff". Don't lie but use anything you can to make a connection. Good luck!!!!

As many new nurses know, the "nursing shortage" is over. It is so challenging to find a new graduate position these days in many areas of the country. I had one nurse recruiter recently tell me for every new graduate position posted, they receive 100 applications. Think about that...how do you stand out? I recently began applying to jobs and felt so discouraged when I was not even getting an interview. So I contacted HR departments via telephone, asked for nurse recruiters, made appointments to meet with them or started routine (like every 2-3 days) email correspondence with those who didn't have a chance to meet. In two weeks time, I had three offers! Professional persistence pays off. I wish everyone luck in getting new graduate positions. If the opportunities don't come to you, go out and get them for yourselves! :)

Ok everyone - I am going to make this quick. Before I took my NCLEX, I too was freaking out. I get horrible test anxiety and was terrified. I did the online Kaplan class and had scores from 55-78 on the trainers. I had a zillion practice books too - some in my car for when I was in traffic, apps on my phone, you name it. Now that it is all behind me (and I passed!!!), I have a couple of quick tips I would like to share: 1. Dedicate a certain number of hours per day to study and don't go OVER those. Spend the time doing practice questions and reading the rationales for the ones you get right and wrong. It makes all the difference. But be aware of overstudying - it can deteriorate the test taking skills you worked so hard to develop. 2. DO NOT study the day before or the day of the exam. Just put it away, get out of your house, and go do something FUN. 3. PRACTICE taking questions with earplugs in!! This is the tip I never read before but wish I had thought of it. If you get test anxiety like I do, hearing nothing except my heart pounding as I began the exam completely freaked me out. I never thought how much of a difference the earplugs was going to make in my test taking. Even if where ever you study is super quiet, I highly recommend doing this. You will immediately see what I mean when you try it. 4. Believe in yourself. I know this is written everywhere but believe me when I tell you at least 50% of the exam strategy is going in there feeling prepared and confident. You survived nursing school - you will pass the NCLEX-RN Exam. GOOD LUCK EVERYONE!

I logged in tonight to see if anyone ever felt like I do - I am in an accelerated BSN program and am just overwhelmed sometimes. Classes start back up Monday but I am already anxious and have begun studying. Your post helped me realize that many people feel like this and some of what I am feeling is probably normal for this type of program. I admire your honesty and perseverance! Thank you so much for sharing your story! Good luck to you!!

I drive just over an hour each way - some days it is closer to 2 when the weather is bad. There are pros and cons but in my opinion it's worth it. Plus it's only for a short time in the grand scheme. Good luck!