Raquel.Perez

I recommend bold.org to find scholarships even post graduation

Love my Gales!

What types of courses did you take?

I currently have a leas on in apartment in RI until June. So right now, I'm willing to travel, but not yet move. Maybe in the future.

I'm finding that most peds/mother baby units want at least 1 year of nurse experience before they hire you. Do you know of any that don't?

Thanks for the input! Any advice on what I can do in the meantime to beef up my resume for the NICU?

Hello there! I am hoping someone can give me some advice because I am feeling pretty discouraged as of late. I graduated in May from my BSN program and had a job lined up at the NICU at my local hospital. My DREAM job is to work as a NICU nurse...it is actually why I am in this career in the first place. I took my boards in August and unfortunately did not pass so the position that was being saved for me was filled. I am taking my boards again soon and have been job hunting as well. I realize that I was really luck with the opportunity I had because the same hospital is not hiring for NICU nurses now. ***My question is this*** I keep running into the problem of most hospitals wanting 1-2 years of NICU experience before they hire you. As a new grad with no experience, I am discouraged because I want to get into the specialty right away (like I was going to) but it seems I need med-surg experience first. I am interviewing for med-surg positions now, but do I take them? Or hold out for what I really want? I am afraid that if I wait, that it will take to long to get hired. But I am also afraid that if I work, let's say in a renal unit, NICU managers won't want to hire me. Any advice??? What can help make me look desirable to work in the NICU? Any certifications, etc? I am not sure how to navigate this to get to where I eventually want to be.

Thanks for the info! I am looking to become a neo natal NP...is there a specific type of experience that I would need for that after graduating?

Hello all! I am going to be graduating in May with my BSN degree. I'm really excited and also anxious about building my career. My goal is to become an NP but I am a little confused on how the process will work. Do I need to work as an RN for a couple years before going back to school? Or are there graduate nursing schools that will allow me to enter right after graduating with my BSN?

Hello! Yes I know the test taking strategies and try to use them as much as possible. I do check out the HESI hints but definitely soudl focus on them more. In studying this time I plan on reviewing the developmental stages but I'm not sure if there is another resource I should use.

I am completely devastated. Today I took my first attempt at the pediatrics HESI exam and got a 668. I have NEVER scored that low in any of the HESI exams I have taken...the lowest I have gotten before was an 816 with an 850 needed to pass. So you can say I'm pretty upset about today's result. I have a second attempt in a week and need advice on how to study for this. I used the green HESI review book, did the case studies, and the practice exam on evolve. That was it. I am thinking of getting a membership to yourbestgrade.com but don't know if it's helpful for the pediatrics specfic HESI. I really need some advice. I'm in my senior year and don't want to freak out for the second attempt...that will almost guarantee failure

Thank you! This is very good advice and congrats on the NICU position. Why would you say to become a technician rather than a CNA?

How do you think new grads are able to get these jobs?

Thank you for the response! I had a clinical rotation at the NICU and am doing a senior honors project on it. I have not been able to find any open CNA positions though. It makes me a little worried!

Hello, I am currently a senior nursing student in Rhode Island. I graduate in May but am looking ahead now to the future. I do not have any family members in the health care field or have anyone that I know who works in a hospital, so what I know is from trial and error. What I would like to do after graduation is work in the NICU so that I can go back to graduate school for a Masters degree to become a NICU NP. How do I go about working in a local NICU? I would like to stay in RI and work at Women and Infant's Hospital, but am not sure if I should be looking into getting an internship/CNA job or anything else in the meantime. I'm just really nervous that by the time I am licensed, I won't have the qualifications to work in a NICU setting, and will have to start my career by settle for a specialty that I'm not super excited about in the mean time.