RNBean

My school paid for our class to take the Kaplan course; I personally thought the class was a waste of time, but the kaplan test bank was worth its weight in gold. And since my access to the test bank ended before I was taking the NCLEX a friend told me you could call and extend your access for no additional cost and she was right. The text bank mirrored the exam in my opinion, I passed on the first try in 75 questions and the test took me maybe an hour... Good luck!!

not in a hospital which is where I want to be. I too am an associate level nurse; starting SUNY Delhi BSN online program next month and already have a B.S. degree (in textile chemistry and engineering from FIT). I am working with an agency full time doing 1:1 peds care in a school setting and per diem work for 1:1 peds care in the nyc foster care system. the money is pretty good (42/hr for the full time place, health/dental benefits and 401K) but i really want to be in an acute care setting.

Hey, I went to BMCC for nursing and I would NOT recommend it. If you do be prepared to teach yourself everything and many lazy professors. There are a few good ones during the day, but i heard the evening professors are beyond horrible and there's only one section of each class so there's no choice. When I went into the program a few years ago I was told the competing gpa was a 39.8 i had a 4.0. your best bet is to go for a BSN because with an associates in NYC and the surrounding counties associate's degrees aren't cutting it. Medgar Evers might have an evening program, but I'm not sure. Best of luck whatever you choose!

Sounds like you're off to a great start, not many your age are so determined and looking into the future. Yes, the job market is tough here; I've been a RN for a little over a year (associates degree in nursing, BS in textile chem) and this fall I will start an online rn-bsn program. I haven't been able to get into a hospital thus far despite many, many applications. That being said you still have a few years to go and a lot can change by then. I would recommend staying where you are and completing your BSN and depending on the job market getting some acute care experience there before coming to NY. When the time comes you will be able to judge the job markets both at home and in NYC and make the best decision for yourself. I would recommend volunteering at hospitals, maintaining good relationships with professors and clinical preceptors and doing your best to attract the attention of nurse managers in your clinical sites as these will all help you to find a job later on. best of luck!!

Hospital jobs are very tough to come by these days for both experienced and new nurses. If the job market is good where you are I would recommend getting a couple years experience and if you haven't completed a BSN already you will need it here. Average hospital salary for a new nurse is in the mid 70s. Good luck.

I am a BMCC student and would not recommend the program at all. Some of the clinical professors are great (although a few of the good ones have left recently) but I found that at most clinical sites we never had any patients and the nurses treated us like we were in the way; I think this was more because of their disposition to our preceptors than us. You must be prepared to teach yourself everything. I already had bachelors (textile chemistry and engineering) and associates degrees before pursuing Nursing and was able to teach myself the material and do well in all my classes, but many classmates struggled. The nursing dept. itself is a mess; trying to get in touch with most professors is difficult and the administrative staff never had a clue what was going on. I was told the competing GPA to get in when I applied was a 3.85 and yet many of the students still struggled because the Nursing professors were mediocre. When I was a post-op patient at Mt. Sinai I had NYU nursing students taking care of me and two told me they couldn't get into the program after doing their pre-reqs at BMCC and applied to NYU's program. That being said I really enjoyed my professors for my pre/co-reqs. I had Mantazaris for A&P I; she was tougher than the other A&P professors, but I learned so much from her. Dr. Raynor for A&P II he is old school, but amazing, he also teaches patho and pharmacology which I would have liked to take with him and Salm for Micro; not only is she incredibly smart and makes the course interesting, but she's super funny as well. Givent the job market/requirements for RNs in NYC and the surrounding area you're far better off with a BSN. Good luck whatever you chose!

The area isn't terrible; immediately surrounding the hospital is mostly Jewish, private houses or 2 family homes and a few apartment buildings; parking is probably pretty tough over there and the closest train station is about a mile away. the bus lines that stop at the hospital do travel through some fairly rough areas. I would try to find a place in the Marine Park area, but it's mostly private homes for sale, not a ton of renting options.

I spoke to a current employee a couple weeks ago and she said they're not hiring now because they're 'restructuring'.

No idea what it's like to work there, but I live close by and it's a pretty crappy hospital as far as patient care goes.

Congrats on the new job! Which hospital will you be working at?

Do you have your pre-reqs done yet? At BMCC it was your pre-req GPA that was most important for entrance into the program; and although the school has criteria for acceptable GPA the bar is really set by those you're competing against. I was told that for my class the competing GPA was like a 3.98 so I wouldn't assume that you'll have better luck with Associate level programs. I would take pre reqs and other science courses you'll need like patho, pharm wand try to boost up your GPA and re-apply all over. Good luck!!!

I would highly recommend doing some kind of certification course (i.e. CNA, patient care tech etc.) and trying to get a job in a hospital now, hopefully by the time you finish and pass the NCLEX the market will be better, but regardless I think it will be easier to start working in a hospital now, and hopefully they will take you on as RN once you're licensed. I really regret not doing this myself. I had actually been in a CNA program, but left it because they kept changing the dates of the classes and it was interfering with my nursing school hours and job. Since I was working and my boss was flexible with my schedule to accommodate for school I just figured it wasn't worth it. I had no idea how tough the job market was for nurses. Best of luck!! -Christine

I know this thread is a bit old, but I was wondering if you had the contact info for a nurse recruiter or manager I could contact directly as opposed to going though CHP? I would really appreciate any help. Thanks, christine

I know this is an old thread, but I was just wondering if anyone had an actual contact for a nurse recruiter at Winthrop, I have applied through the website, but would like to reach out to someone directly. I would greatly appreciate any assistance. thanks, christine

Hi Cloud, apparently I can not send messages on here because I haven't been a member long enough; not sure if I can receive either. Would you mind emailing me the info @ [email protected] I would really appreciate it. thanks, christine

Thanks for the advice. I just applied recently so I guess I'll wait a while to send anything else. Good luck on the interview- wondering what would make you turn it down? Also mind if I ask what type of experience you have?

Is anyone doing this program? I was just accepted for the fall- I planned to go to Hunter but the online program just seemed easier if i wanted to work full time as far as scheduling goes. Was wondering if anyone had any opinions and how easy it was to set up clinical rotations... I would appreciate any feedback. thanks Christine

yea I applied to positions listed on the site within the past week or so; havent heard anything yet. ugh

I would never recommend staying at a job you hate... I was miserable before and that's why I went back to school for nursing, then again, especially in this job market, I wouldn't recommend leaving a position where you're making good money for the unknown. Are you planning to become a veterinarian, or remain a vet tech? I'd suggest remaining a RN until you complete your education and secure a job... best of luck whatever you decide.

Hey everyone! I'm Christine; new to the boards! Like many of you I am having quite a bit of trouble finding work in an acute care setting in NYC (or LI or Westchester) and have been considering relocating to another state. Has anyone applied for a license outside of NY and if so what was the process like? Also, are there any states you know of where jobs are plentiful and worth pursuing? I have an associate's in nursing, bachelor of science in another field and will be starting a RN-BSN program in the fall, (SUNY Delhi online). Any advice would be greatly appreciated! -Christine

I know this post is a bit old, but I figured I'd still chime in. I highly recommend going with a BSN program. I have an ADN and a bachelor's in another field and am finding it impossible to get into a hospital even though I have been a RN for about a year now. In the fall I will begin SUNY Delhi's RN-BSN program which is completely online. Since you hold a bachelors the accelerated program is the way to go, but yes getting in is competitive. I had actually applied to Downstate for their accelerated program after my first semester in nursing school and was wait listed even though my pre-requisite gpa was a 4.0. They actually did call me for the program but I had scheduled major surgery thinking I wouldn't get in, I didn't feel I'd be well enough to start the intensive program and turned it down and returned to the community college the following semester to complete my ADN. I really regret it now. Best of luck whatever you decide, hope the job market is a bit better by the time you finish up!

Thanks for the info, yes I have applied there as well. It seems with out a few years acute care experience and a BSN (I have a Bachelor's in another field, but only an Associates in nursing) it's nearly impossible to get into a hospital, I've started applying in Westchester and LI as well. I'll be starting a RN-BSN program in the fall. thanks again for the info and all the best!!

I just applied for a position on Winthrop's website, but was wondering if you had a recruiter's name/email address that I could send my resume to directly? Winthrop sounds like an amazing hospital, specialization in what seems like every area of medicine and very innovative. Best of luck!!

I was just wondering what the nursing panel interview was like? How many people were there? What kind of questions did they ask etc. sorry it didn't go well, but at least it was experience interviewing and you'll know more what to expect next time around. best of luck!

Do you mind if I ask how you first contacted them for the interview? I've been a nurse for about a year now, but no acute care experience- I would really love to get into a hospital, any hospital at this point. Good luck at your interview!!