StJohnRiver

The hospice I work at does hire new graduate nurses, but most of them leave after a couple of years. They say they want to learn more, and I can see why they make that choice. I think hospice is wonderful, but you will be much better prepared for it ...

I will be retiring this week as a hospice nurse. I expected the Covid patients would all die in the ICU, but they are spilling over into hospice. I considered sticking around until the economy gets better, but I turn 65 on Tuesday, and the chances of...

Hospice. Two years. Love it. Prior to that, Neuro/Tele. Hated being a floor nurse. So much better helping people die than aiding their suffering by trying to keep them alive via drugs and machines. Hospice can be hard, but it is very rewarding and mo...

Definitely helps. We do bedside report, but a quick "heads up" outside the room is much appreciated. In fact, that is usually the most important info I can get on a patient. I need to know what I am getting into. Many times I get a patient because I ...

As an atheist, I was a bit concerned about going into hospice since I expected religious beliefs to be in the forefront. I figured most of my patients (and their families) would be hoping they were headed for heaven, and I would be drawn into that wo...

I work in an inpatient hospice unit in a hospital. We often get patients who come from ED or ICU and are there to be evaluated before a decision is made on where to place them. Saying the right things at the right times, and being consistent, is crit...

I get the admissions, and I have quickly learned who I can trust to bring in appropriate and, more importantly, appropriately educated patients/families. You don't want the RNs who take report from you cringing when they hear your name because you ha...

I have heard this tale of woe before. The thing with being a hospice nurse is that when you visit a home, you have no on-site backup, no fellow RN you can pull aside and ask for guidance when you encounter something new. And as a new hospice nurse, e...

I work nights and invariably patients develops runs of A-Fib, A-Tach, PVCs, etc at 2 a.m. I know anything ventricular is not good, but does a 10-beat run of V-tach that comes out of the blue and is not repeated require an immediate call to the attend...

The market in Florida is strong. I am a male nurse who graduated last May and got my license in June. Things were a bit slow at first, but then I had four interviews and three offers in the span of two weeks and started my job in August. I ended up a...

I see the influx of second-career RNs as very positive for the profession, and not just because I am one of them. My nursing school class was filled with people who had quit decent jobs to pursue nursing. They had not "failed" at their other professi...

There is no way any nursing program can prepare a graduate for what awaits them when they hit the floor. The best thing for hospitals to do is have a solid residency program. I was lucky enough to get into a hospital using Versant and am so glad I di...

Being a minority (male) helped me get into nursing school and also gave me an edge when it came to getting a job. That's the reality I experienced (and I am not about to complain). Fair? Well, life ain't fair, but what goes around comes around.

1. South Florida 2. Novice nurse (no experience), with BSN 3. Tele 4. $25.72 5. $2 evening (5 to 11), $3.50 nights (11 p to 7 a), $2 weekends 6. Union in name only (no fees paid, no impact at all -- Florida a right-to-work state)

All depends on the facility and HR requirements. I interviewed at one place on a Tuesday, and thought I nailed it. Got a call Friday that I didn't get the job. Interviewed on a Thursday at another place, got a job offer the following Monday. Another ...

I followed this debate while in nursing school. I graduated in May, got my license in early June, and for six weeks was in the "There Is No Freakin' Nursing Shortage" camp. Then over the next two weeks I had four interviews and ended up with three jo...

SugarNSass: I am a former journalist who decided there was no good end for newspapers and decided to go to nursing school. I graduated in May and after four interviews had three job offers. Given that I went to work each day as a journalist wonderin...

After a career change, I graduated from nursing school in May and start my new job as an RN in two weeks. At age 58. So no worries. You are doing the right thing.

I am a student, and after being in clinical for two months, I developed two warnings that I pass on: Don't fall when you are over the age of 70, and don't become obese at any age. That is because most of the bad scenarios I came across were directly...

The industry I am in was dying, so I wanted to be proactive and have a plan B. I love my job, but I also had to be realistic. It so happens this was just at the time my father was dying of lung cancer and he ended up in hospice care. The hospice nu...

I was in a similar spot -- what you need to do is get your pre-reqs done and ace them. The accelerated BSN program I got into calculates only the relevant pre-reqs (A&P, micro, etc.) for the GPA, so you could have a 4.0 and get in with that. The ...

Check your FAU e-mail account. That is where they e-mailed a confirmation about the April 6 orientation with directions to the parking lot. It also had a link to where you can sign up for the required CPR class at FAU ($25). It did not contain any ...

56 now. 57 when i start the accelerated BSN program in may, 58 when i graduate on may 2013. i have become used to being the oldest and one of few, it not only, male in my pre-req classes. looking forward to a new career at an advanced age, but goi...

I started the two-year program at Palm Beach State in January, so I am getting a taste of what we are in for. First, for those thinking they can work full time during this year, I say good luck with that. If you can pull it off, it will be a pretty...

We should have time, but be prepared for initial expenses in addition to tuition -- drug and background test, uniforms, books, skills bag, etc. Not cheap. So plan accordingly...