Nolli

Things are better than they were before. I don't know everything and I still feel uncomfortable but I have kind of come to terms with the fact that I'm going to feel that way for awhile. The more I see something the more comfortable I become with it and I am not alone I have nurses and docs there if I feel out of my depth and can't find the answer on my own. I can handle 3 pts and have made the move to 4 just recently. Hang in there tsm.

Just an update. So I talked with my new perm preceptor and asked them for honest, specific feedback. They gave me pointers like grouping tasks together, taking a moment to think about whether I have everything and what I'm expecting the doc to order next, and are helping me prioritize tasks. I'm up to 2.5 pts on average (I can handle 3 stable or 2 involved and help sometimes with a 3rd). Next week I'm going to have 3 from now on (sometimes I don't know how I'll ever handle 5). In some ways this might turn out to be a blessing in disguise, but my confidence is still a little shaky. The one thing that did help me with that was the fact they told me that I'm not a hot mess; that I'm very smart and have the critical thinking skills I just need to work on a few things.

I have had a lot of evals up until this point and all were positive with a few minor things on them that they said I could improve and will improve with time and motivation. Not being so afraid of speaking up to the docs and reaching out to them (fixed :) ), working on troubleshooting my IV sticks when it isnt straightforward (flash but no advance etc), and some on time management since they upped the patient load for me. Fast forward to now. Out of the blue I get pulled aside by both management and one of the many preceptors I've had and told they feel I'm not progressing and that I don't know what I'm doing. I'll admit it was a rough day considering we had new skills and a patient with a condition I've never ever seen before so I needed help with it. However, I thought I was doing ok considering I had a glowing eval from the day prior. They said they want to see improvement and assigned me someone to help. I could use help with time management its true, so I didn't fight it. However, I can't help but feel a little betrayed. If I'm that bad at this, why has it been weeks that no one said anything? Why did no one pull me aside and say hey I see you're struggling with this, why don't you try x, y , z? My confidence has taken a nose dive and I'm worried about being fired even if nothing was hinted at. I only have about 5 days to start to show improvement or as they put it "reevaluate the situation." Anyone have any tips or tricks to help me improve my flow and time management?

The people you call on the phone are not actually at the NJ BON and do not have access to anything that the BON doesn't make specific note of in your file (this was relayed to me after I kept calling them over a paperwork issue in obtaining my license). They are at a call center and while they may be able to give advice on some things they were not very helpful in my case and I ended up going up to Newark. If you do go up to Newark be sure to ask for a status update and check that box on the form they give you (this means someone has to review your case and give you an update before you leave). I was lucky and left with my license number, but obviously everyone will have varying degrees of success.

If they are not your manager/in charge of you, but are just supposed to be precepting you then you may be able to request a different preceptor as Rose said. I know you already asked them for help, but if it comes down to it again and they are unwilling to assist you call your boss and let them know that you are unsure of what to do for x lab, you asked for help but are not receiving it and are concerned because last time the sample had to be discarded. Let them know you are having trouble and that while preceptor x seems very good at their job they are not such a great teacher(not everyone is). For extra assistance see if there is a manual. Most hospitals and labs have a policy/procedure manual; this resource will be your friend. Alternatively ask them to show you again and write it down in a notebook, keep the notebook on you until you have it down.

Hepatitis B is most commonly spread by exposure to blood or other body fluids such as through sexual contact. You can't spread it through casual contact such as touch. Kissing, hugging, and even breastfeeding are all safe (although I very much doubt you'll be kissing or breastfeeding anyone in a clinical environment). I don't know how it works in Australia, but as a US based RN I had to go through physicals for employment and for school to make sure I was immunized and that it was safe for both myself and the patients I would have contact with. You might want to talk to your doctor and whoever is responsible for compliance/health at your school about your condition and your goals so that they can give you the best guidance going forward.

A lot of the hospitals in my area consider us to be new grads until we hit the year mark. But when I was applying for jobs fresh out of school my mentor, who also happens to be a nurse, said that while her hospital would accept someone with 1 year of experience they preferred 2 and that technically until the 3 year mark while not new grads we'd be considered novice nurses.

I'm orienting in the ED on 8s and 12s on days because my preceptor is, but I will be moving to nights and every other weekend by the end of it. It depends on unit and hospital needs, but its quite common to be on nights as a new grad. Holidays we don't have to deal with while on orientation, but once off we get put in the rotation with everyone else.

Rose is right. I don't know how long you've been out of school but its been 8 months for me. It took me 6 months to get interviews anywhere and until 7 to get an offer. I widened my search area looked into non-hospital jobs, went to job fairs, and passed my resume around like candy. I also used the downtime to volunteer and my interviewers loved that. I ended up lucking out and getting my dream job out of it, but I did have to relocate. Some things to remember: It isn't necessarily you At least half of the residents going through orientation with me have had issues finding a job and we were hired. A lot of us have received over 75-100 rejections. It is tough to stomach it and you might ask yourself "Why did I bother going into nursing when no one seems to want me?" Distract yourself, volunteer, and if you are being negative take a break from applying for a few hours etc because you won't be at your best. Be Flexible Some(you'll have to check if the ones in your area do) residency programs take people who have had LTC experience and want to move to acute care so taking that job doesn't mean you'll be there forever if you don't like it. Yea it might take you an additional year to get to where you want to be, but hey at least you get paid and you may find out what you like/dislike about a certain work environment or management style. Other people have real long commutes in lieu of relocating and after their contract is up are planning to reapply with experience closer to home.

I second the others, don't give up. Some hospitals in our area will take people on as staff nurses who have done LTC, rehab, or home care for a year. One of the nurse residency programs in our area extends the residency to people who don't have acute care nursing experience and are looking to transition instead of outright refusing them. Don't give up. I just got an offer at 6 months and was starting to consider LTC myself even though my heart was elsewhere. Not everyone is so lucky to get a job before or even recently after graduation anymore. A lot of people I graduated with are still looking. Even my mentors told me to keep the faith; its not me its the market we're in. There is a glut of new grads and it takes a village to raise each one. It is also expensive. Orientation is 18 weeks for me and they have to pick up the cost of paying me during that time when I'm not really producing for them.

Wow didn't realize FAQ had all the stickies, was all "what stickies?" for a minute. Thank you.

So I passed my boards in July, but it took me a long time to find the elusive first job. I will be starting in the ED. I've been told I will mainly be doing adult, but I will possibly float peds and trauma so will be trained for both areas as well. I've worked in EMS before and I know anything can walk in the door, but I'd love to review the more common and helpful pieces of information since I've been out of school for so long. Anyone have ideas or suggestions on where to start? (I'm well aware even after reviewing that I'm going to be/feel a little out of my league for awhile as a new grad, but idle hands... I like busy and crazy hence ED.)

Ah the dreaded transfer dance. Your school records are confidential under FERPA so other schools don't have access to the fact that you failed. The only people who can really answer if you would be able to transfer would be the admissions staff at the school you would transfer to. Some nursing schools want ALL of the nursing portions completed at their campus, others will take take people who have completed part of the practicum. One thing I have noticed though is that most schools will require you to complete a minimum number of credits at their school and have a maximum number of credits that you can transfer. Your best bet is to reach out and talk to them.

My area is over saturated and I've been having issues, but at least I finally have a few interviews lined up vs just silent email rejections. My advice is start looking a year out from graduating at the min for residency programs etc find out deadlines and apply early as you can. When you are about to graduate and waiting on the ATT make sure that you schedule asap because the slots fill up fast. I had a problem with mine and I got locked out for a whole month because I got mine 2 days after my graduating class. Talk to the hospitals and either volunteer or get a job as a CNA. If you have the summer off do a nurse externship. A lot of schools don't stress networking when it comes to getting that first job, but it is a huge part of it in the current jobs market. Be prepared to move or take other jobs such as rehab etc if you can't get the hospital job in your area. Most importantly if you get rejected a lot, and you will, don't take it personally and if you find yourself becoming depressed get involved with volunteering, get out of the house, etc.

I think everyone has had some point where they were nervous and/or scared about what the future held. I myself have had cases of the what ifs regarding failure. The thing is you did get into nursing school and that was no accident; allow yourself time to revel in your success at that before jumping to conclusions. Prestigious colleges all over the world turn down or wait list applicants. Thousands of people including myself have been denied or wait listed not because they were not qualified or couldn't hack it, but because there were too many people to accommodate. Even after being denied spots in my top 2 programs I still ended up going and passed with flying colors. The only thing you can realistically do is do your best and take everything one day at a time. If you do fail something then you deal with that scenario when you come to it and not before.

I used my powerpoint notes, Saunders, and HESI comprehensive review for the NCLEX-RN for content review. I've heard others have had success with Hurst or the NCSBN review, but have not personally experienced it.

I worked as a Nursing Assistant during school with no license because I was considered as having met all the educational requirements of a CNA by the state as long as I was enrolled in nursing school and I continued to satisfactorily pass my clinical courses. I was required to regularly submit proof of progress/passing grades and maintain a 3.0 or higher (the 3.0 was a hospital specific requirement). I'm not sure how it is in your state, but you may want to look into it as here we're considered to have reached the temporary CNA status upon completion of our very first clinical rotation. Tech jobs such as patient care tech also may be open to you.

I aimed for 4.0 because I found that my personal best seems to fall within the A range. Since I was capable of doing so I didn't want to accept a lower grade thinking that it meant I half assed it. I also wanted to keep the door open to further myself later. I mellowed a bit when I realized that even though I got an A-, some of the stuff was really hard. I was giving it my all and that is all I can realistically ask of myself. I didn't get the 4.0 but managed to make top in my class and passed NCLEX on first try.

I'm with the others, follow the money. You can always volunteer at a hospital, clinic, etc. Also dealing with kids all the time makes it easier to remember developmental milestones which is always a favorite for tests in pediatrics. As far as real jobs go there is a simple test; does it pay real money? I have worked retail, waited tables, and babysat there is no shame in being a Nanny.

Update: I took my exam on Friday and I got the quick results today. I passed! It took me a few days to get over what happened but as I improved physically my mental state improved as well and I wasn't as upset. Sure the $200 sucked, but one of the people at state board helped me get a new ATT next day and I was only delayed by 2 weeks. The test itself was hard, but on par with all of the HESIs I had taken previously as part of school and I finished in 75 questions. The worst part was the anticipation and the waiting. Thank you for all your support and encouragement!

Unless it is a package that must be bought ahead of time, I've always looked elsewhere for books. My program had an ebook package that was worth it since it included all required textbooks and all online resources for my nursing coursework and I couldn't beat the pricing when looking elsewhere. Sometimes the packages are a better deal. However, I have had syllabi where the professor wasn't what they seemed to be on paper and if I had opened the shrink wrap I would've been stuck with a book that no one in the class touched the entire course because of the awesome powerpoints. If you are worried about not having books at the start of term buy it, but don't open it. Regardless of what you do keep the receipt and don't open the packages until you hear it from the professor themselves what is required. Don't be afraid to shop around, look at amazon, book rentals (non nursing courses), and used textbooks on and offline.

I feel like I went off a cliff emotionally. I spent two hours crying and rocking back and forth in a fetal position before the pain was controlled, I'm upset because I've worked so hard to get here, I feel like my body betrayed me to an extent, and then someone told me I'm really very sorry, but you needed to cancel 24 hrs in advance. I don't know why but it just made me snap. I'm not angry at them, I'm overwhelmingly sad. I've never had something like this happen before and I'm not really sure where to begin to deal with it other than putting one foot in front of the other.

So I was supposed to have NCLEX today. Unfortunately I ended up in the ER instead due to a surprise kidney stone. The staff at the testing center was very nice and suggested I might not have to pay the fee again. Unfortunately NCSBN allows no exceptions. I get why they do it and technically its correct as I signed the paper for it; they can't resell my exam seat. It still feels kind of heartless considering the profession they represent. I'm lucky enough to have $200, but I can't say it won't hurt my finances. I'm more worried about my state of mind at the moment. I'm beyond bummed as this is the 2nd time I missed my date due to illness(the first one I rescheduled). Physically and emotionally I'm drained. I need ideas for getting myself back into a positive state of mind. What do you guys do when you've had more than a few bad days in a row?

You were right about a few cancellations. I actually lucked out there was a closer test center that had 1 slot for the following week. It's not what I planned, but unfortunately I can't sleep my way though NCLEX and right now that's all I feel like doing.

So I'm scheduled for NCLEX on Tuesday afternoon and now I have strep throat. I know I have 24 hours prior to the exam to cancel, but I've worked so hard to get to this point and I don't want to give it up. The next time I'd be able to take the exam because of availability will likely be in August as when I originally booked it there were no slots until late July. Has anyone else had to deal with this before? What did you do? Did you cancel and does anyone think i should? Just to be clear; I'm not asking for medical advice, I've already sought attention for the strep, taking my antibiotics religiously, and overall taking care of myself.