krsmarie

1. State you work in - MN 2. Years of experience - new grad BSN 3. Specialty/unit and work setting (clinic, hospital, prison, etc) -, hospital, General medical surgical unit, straight night 8 hour shifts. 4. Hourly Pay (base rate) or salary - $32.17 w annual increases 5. Differentials (if any) - $2 night 6. Union? -yes

Nursing school was a challenge but nothing compared to what was going on outside of class.. Right before I was accepted to my program a very close friend was killed by a drunk driver. First year my mom became very Ill and stayed that way through nursing school.. To include brain surgeries, rehab hospitals and nursing homes. Senior year I had a minor surgery that didn't pan out and needed an emergency surgery that came with a 3 night impatient stay. I was told of this plan by my surgeon who came in person to find me on my clinical unit. I worked night shift through out the program with a boss who was not understanding of my school/ clinical hours. I worked between 24-40 hours per week. Failing was never an option. I'm sure there was more drama but those are the main things I remember. The point is if you want it bad enough you will just keep showing up. :) good luck

I took My Boards yesterday 27 Jun 2013. I PASSED with 75 questions in about an hour and 10 min. Last week I searched all over this page to see if people with low kaplan scores were passing.. I was so worried because my scores were low... QT 1) 43 QT 2) 63 QT 3) 52 QT 4) 55 QT 5) 49 QT 6) 58 QT 7) 57 Diag. 61 Readiness 63 I did 400 questions in Q bank. average 55 my scores improved a lot toward the end I was getting between 55-75. I had over 20 SATA questions, 2 hotspot questions, and 2 exhibit questions. The best way to know if you got a SATA right. So if you are frantically searching to see if your Kaplan scores are high enough to pass the NCLEX here is proof even if your scores are not consistently 70's you are still in the game. Hope this helps GOOD LUCK!

I am still a student. My first code was a couple weeks ago. I did compressions and like the others have said its not Hollywood, the feel of the ribs giving below my hands was not what I expected. It was very hectic and I had no clue what else I should be doing or hearing. I was concentrating so hard on compressions. Thank god my patient made it!

Micromedex is my favorite. I have the iPhone app very easy to use and just the basic info you need for each med. The hospital i have my clinical at (one of the top 5 US) also use it.

Mayo does hire ADN's especially those who go to RCTC. But looking at the website for open jobs they are starting to move toward BSN only in some areas. Mayoclinic.com job search will let you see current jobs and will list the requirements for each. Hope this helps

Ashley- Thank you for replying to this. I think you wrote in a way that shows respect for the op but explains Why the pt needs to be in a high fowlers position. I hope that you choose to be a preceptor someday to give this type of advice to the newbies like me :) I don't agree that one incident like this is an automatic fail. I think it was a great learning experience for all. Thanks for sharing

So Awesome of them to help You out! That is one of the things I hope transfers to the real world of nursing, I think is great when everyone works as a team. I'm also lucky to have amazing classmates. Last semester I had to spend a few days in the hospital, it was right before midterms. My classmates visited frequently, took notes and helped me study. One even offered to stay with me after I returned home to help with my dogs, another picked me up and took me to and from class for a couple weeks until I could drive again. They were all quick to carry things or do things like plug in my laptop charger. I honestly couldn't ask for a better group of people and I know passing nursing school without them would be close to impossible!

Great idea! Would be nice to find all of the Information in one place! 9 months left until test time ... Need to start reviewing!

I have a hp touchsmart tablet laptop bought it for nursing school because a lot of our work is online.. It's not worth the cost (800.00). It's slow and not always responsive to what you are writing. I bought a MacBook air a couple months ago and am in love with it. It's light and saves room in my bag for all the other nursing school junk. Once you get used to typing notes instead of writing them first it is sooo much easier. iPad might be a decent tablet but doesn't have the functionality of a real laptop.. I would only go that route if it's not going to be the only technology you use.

The program you are discussing seems very expensive, are you adding up the total cost of the program including living expenses? If its just the cost of school check out the accreditation of the school and see if it is a for profit school (they seem to prey on those that want to go into nursing with outrageous tuition costs). Options for paying off school: 1. SCHOLARSHIPS Most Universities have direct scholarships for BSN students. 2. Large hospitals have tuition reimbursement if you choose to work during school. 3. Some hospitals have Scholarships where they will pay a portion of your tuition in exchange for working a couple years after graduation. 4. After graduation if you work for a public service agency (public health or others) you may be eligible for loan forgiveness. 5. Military Service offeres loan repayment, I think the cutoff is 42 but depends on the state. GOOD LUCK!!!! ADN is a lot cheaper route to go but in this area (Midwest) many hospitals require a BSN within 5 years after employment begins.

Congratulations on being accepted!! You are right, the class sizes are small. Each class is 30 students in Rochester, 100 on the T.C. campus. We attend class 1 or 2 days a week on campus over ITV (the profs are in the cities and we connect to them via webcam they are able to interact with us during lectures). Also all of your clinical rotations will be at Mayo Clinic in rochester. your first year you will not have clinical, instead you will have a laboratory class to learn basic skills. It is a good program if you are able to structure your time and keep up with the online courses. The small class sizes in Rochester are great for getting to know your classmates and collaborating on projects. GOOD LUCK!

you have to really want it! I'm a full time student (12-17cr/semester) when I started the program I also worked full-time nights 10p-0630Aa. The start of junior year forced me down to 20hrs/week. My classes start at 0900 so I go to work. study before class, attend class till noon or as late as 330pm. head home sleep get up and repeat. Last year I would leave the house tuesday at noon and come home thursday around 2pm. It sucked but I plan on it all being worth it after graduation. You will be tired, and stressed out. The only night I refused to work during the week was the night before clinical rotation. It isn't safe to be up all night working and then expect to care for a patient for 8 hours the next day. and I also developed an addiction to monster sugar free energy drinks...not a great plan but I'm willing to do whatever it takes to graduate. Good Luck!

Sorry they are all like that. I thought the Med/S and the Psych ATI's were nothing like the practice exams. Do you all get the hard copy ATI books? We didn't at first but had the school get them from ATI (i'm sure there is an added cost to you or the school for them) but those seem to be more along the lines of what are on the end of semester tests. **we have also found they help a ton for cutting down on some reading during the semester also :)** Good Luck