atrex

man, wait till you start working. it's waaayyy crazier. the little cliques at work make the classroom seem like a fond memory.

so i finally finished my first year of nursing. what a ride. small urban hospital in NJ on the telemetry floor. i love and hate it at the same time. loves, +the not working in an office anymore. career change for me. i'm still a little geeked it worked out as it has. +saving someones life. (2 code blues both successful, what a rush i tell ya) +learning so much in such a short time. and so much more to learn. dreams of NP one day. +actually making a difference in someone's life. +having someone see me on the street around the hospital and have them thank me in front of their family +getting to wear pajamas to work. after 10 years of business casual, scrubs are awesome. i don't think about what i wear, either blue, black or red... +3 days on....4 days OFF!!! more time with the fam is awesome! saves $ on daycare!!! +the doc's who take time with no sarcasm to teach you something. maybe it's where i'm at but unfortunately they are few and far between. it's a non-teaching hospital, so no residents. the hates -i have seen things done, i can't repeat, but now know that people are capable of things i once didn't think possible. -having to be a whistle blower....seriously...glad that was\is confidential. -my manager, a paper tiger who hides in their office. how can you manage from your office on another floor? you're clueless and i know you're leaving once you're done with school. i only see you when you need something from me. i hope you leave soon. or grant me my transfer request to the ICU. which ever comes first. -the negativity, people LOVE to hear themselves complain complain complain....WAAAGHHHH MEEEE. get the heck over yourselves. we all have problems, try to leave most of them at home and focus on what you're collecting a check for. people depend upon you to be professional, act like it. -MD's with no care what-so-ever to involve you in patient care. i feel like an errand boy... -telemetry is so fast i really just move more people in and out, i would prefer a lower patient ratio to better understand the diagnosis and treatment plans and interventions. but hell at this point i'm happy to just have a job. \\====// what is weird is opening up the obit section and seeing a patient's name/picture i have taken care of....i'm accused by friends now of being 'morbid' when suggesting they have a living will and talking about our inevitable enfeeblement, but it's the cycle of life. what can i say, it's my reality now. ok enough rambling. thanks everyone here for support, and help from Susan's plan to help pass the NCLEX. seems like a lifetime ago. new grads out there don't give up. it took me 6 months of *** kissing and networking to land a job, but eventually it worked out. have faith.

if you're young and unattached, move to FL or Arz they pay reimbursement fee's haha. i went to the teeneck one this year and last year. man i don't understand why they show up. you could staff a whole hospital with all of these graduates!!! i have 1 year exp and got a call back from one hosp today. crossing my fingers for monday's interview.

1. area of nursing: telemetry 2. orientation 8 weeks 4 on med surg 4 on tele 3. ratio 1 to 6 (put only 3 nursing assistants for a census of 30 to 38...***) i can't believe i have a job on a tele floor as a new grad, it is at a small "urban" hospital...so crazy. i know the experience will make me better but there are so many things i just don't know. and people really seem to just not give a $4#t about so much i'm a little flabbergasted at all the apathy... i think after a year i'm going to apply to atlantic health so i actually work at a hospital where more than 50% of the things you expect to work (ie beds/glucometers/computers/phones/people) will actually function like they are supposed to... eyes on the prize eyes on the prize. right :0 :-) love the patient care...but hate the paperwork(literally we use kardex's blech) and the attitude on some of my colleagues...

I was told that the program looks for in-county students first. do you live in morris county? what's your GPA like? Let me know if you want the name and contact info for the head of the dept. PM me

1. Know your hospital/facility your going to apply to, do some research on the internet. know how many beds they have, what their specialty unit is. you don't want to sound foolish for saying you really want to work in pediatrics if the facility doesn't even have this type of unit. 2. brush up on your medication and math. you will most likely be given an 20 to 30 question exam with basic questions. i.e. what is the drop factor if this is the amount of ML left to give this dose. or what is the primary consideration when admistering digoxin etc. 3. do you know the person you are having the interview with? if so do a google search on them and know what they are all about. 4. practice what you're going to say, but don't act like you're reading from a script. meaning anticipate the common interview quetsions i.e. why did you become a nurse? what is your nursing philosphy? where do you see yourself in 3 or 5 or 10 years? what is your goal in nursing? tell me/us a story of how you went above and beyond your call of duty? what is your strength or weakness? why should i hire you? good luck, stay focused and have confidence in yourself!

hello, i just gradated from CCM's AA-RN program. Took and passed the boards in February, and am now looking for work. I took A&P I and II at CCM. Who is your professor? i heard great things about crabe. *(you can go to ratemyprofessor.com to read reveiws) For A&P I i had a guy name Robert Gulay *(not the lounge singer lol) he was extremly challenging. the exams were brutal. i think 1/3 of the class flunked out. I had Bruce Khan for A&P II, he was really funny but honestly not as challenging. i learned a lot more from Gulay because i had to study so hard for his exams. Also what i didn't like was the 'lab' portion was taught by adjunct professors. Both of whom english was their second language. Now usually i don't mind this but in A&P lab is similar to lecture, you have to really listen and pay attention, when a professor says sacomere, no i mean sarcoma, no i mean striae... it can get frustrating. If Jerry Amend is still teaching any class TAKE IT! He's very challening, but fair. Sit in the front and ask questions. He's a PHD in Chem/Bio and a brilliant man with a strange sense of humor that puts some people off. I had him for Chemistry. i applied to and didn't get into the ABN program at UMDNJ. they have 30 seats and about 400 applicants according to the recuiter i spoke with. My 2.9 gpa was not good enough. i stuck with CCM RN program at night and am happy for the education for dollars spent. and was able to work and go to school full time. i payed for it all myself and do not owe any more money. they have a good reputation and high passing ratio for the NCLEX. best of luck in your quest.\.

hello, don't be too freaked out, just know that you'll have to be patient and may have to work in a place outside of your comfort level for the first year or six months. i agree with the recomendations to get an externship. they are competitive, most require a 3.0 minimum plus two letters of recomendation from your preceptors/instrutors. apply to several. i graduated in December. Passed the baords in February and am still jobless. i have an interview next week and have been to one in a nursing home. I hope to hear from them soon. what you can also do is get any job you can inside the hospital so you can find out about positions opening up within the system before they go public. if you have been in any work force you know that most places hire from within due to the ability to trust the proven track record. hospitals are no different. out of a ccm class of 60 graduates i have heard of just 15 so far getting work. of the people who are working all either moved out of state to PA and FL, or worked as nursing aides, had externships or had 'connections' through networking. another thing i can't stress enough is the networking with your current professors. i am only going on this interview this week as i was recomened through one of my professors for the job. it gets me in the door. no guaranty of the position, but it's a start. Atlantic health also has a learning program for new graduates. again it's a very competative program for new grads. http://www.atlantichealth.org/en/atlantic/professionals/nursing+programs/post+graduate+programs/hire+learning+program.html Robert Wood Johnosn(maybe a little far from you) has externships aswell http://www.rwjuh.edu/careers/externship/ also keep in mind that if you live in NJ and work in NYC the state of NJ will tax your out of state pay a lot more than if you work in NYC. however it is easy to get NY state reciprocity. just pass the NJ NCLEX, take two online classes and pay the registration fee's for NY state. best of luck.

i went to this job fair. it was depressing. there are no jobs for new grads. it's been 3 months since i graduated. 1 month since i passed the boards and i'm starting to get panicy. I have applied to so many jobs. i recomend roboform to keep applying. anyone know why UMDNJ took over 'correctional' facilities? yes i would be willing to work in a jail as my first gig. i don't care. i've applied to nursing homes, hospitals(public, private, VA), agencies and doctors offices. All with the same response. We're not hiring new grads right now...minimum of 1 year of experience. how am i supposed to get experience if no one will give me a shot.?. of the graduating class of 60 or so people, i know of five people who have gotten work. one was an lpn doing home care who just got an increase in pay/more challenging clients. two moved out of state to PA two were nurse externs at hospitals and are now RN's.... i too am kicking myself for not getting an externship.

I too went to a job fair, the one in Teaneck. Was so depressing. The Hospitals from Texas and Florida were the only ones hiring new grads. ;-(

http://www.newsday.com/news/local/wire/newjersey/ny-bc-nj--hospital-bankrupt0310mar10,0,5865039.story Will another NJ Hospital close? Why are banks getting bailouts and not hospitals?

i went to a job fair. the atlantic health (the own MMH and Overlook in Summit) recruiter told me they're not hiring new grads, but they'll gladly take my resume and call me when they are. my class mate had an externship in the OR there and was kept on at her position, so an externship is the best way to get into the program. good luck. i hear it's a great place to learn.

Hi, i took and passed teh nclex the 24th of february still nothing yet. i have sent emails to the board, here is the contact page. http://www.state.nj.us/lps/ca/nursing/know.htm their response is be patient, they say an average of four weeks turn around time. i feel like for 400.00 you could have processed it faster, but what can you do? also, i have been searching the below link every day to see if my name pops up, just change to registered nurse and keep looking. http://www.state.nj.us/cgi-bin/consumeraffairs/search/search.pl

i'm in north new jersey. my OB hospital rotation was at Morristown Memorial Hospital. large area hospital with many speciatly high risk pregnancies. it was an 8 week rotation two nights a week from 5.30 to 10.30, mosltly it was quiet as new moms and dads want to sleep. i saw 2 C sections. i was ready for it as my wife had a C-section. my buddy saw a woman traditional delivery have an episiotomy and turned white left the delivery room and he passed out. :chuckle i was able to palpate a womans fundus, take vitals and do translation for a mom who's family was not there and only spoke spanish, monitor a woman who was being induced with pitocin. watch and IV hung for a woman with mild preeclampsia i was refused to be in the room by more husbands than wifes. which i totally respect. the nurses were some of the most freindly i've found at all 6 of the hospitals i did rotations in...with a few exceptions. good luck, and eat something if you've never seen a live birth, don't pass out lol.

inititial diagnositc 48% q-bank average 50's and 60's ending diagnostic 68% passed in 75 questions the format was almost exactly like the kaplan tests. i had no calculations and no pictures. but a LOT of med questions.

hi, i am in the same boat as original poster. passed the nclex, now what? i am in New Jersey. Before i contact the B.o.N. i was wondering how long it would take to get my license? any info would be much apreciated! thanks

hello everyone, just wanted to pass along somethings i found helpful. http://www.thepsychfiles.com/2008/08/22/episode-67-mnemonic-device-for-eriksons-eight-stages-of-development/ here is a mnemonic device to memorize teh erikson stages of development. sounds silly, but it really worked for me. i passed with 75 questions. i used suzannes plan(you rock!) and did kaplan, downloaded kaplan lectures and converted them to .mp4 to watch on my ipod at work. PM me for details on how to do this if you're interested. my kaplan scores were 50's and 60's. exit exam 68%. i really read the rational. also one thing that was suggested to me that i really found helpful. i'm a visual learner. if something like kyphosis is a term you can not remember, google image search this word. the image you will associate with this is word is a better mental trigger. good luck out there

Just took it this monday and passed in 75. the tutorial is retarted. in my humble opinion you should either have the option to skip it, or it should not count agianst your overall time. it took me 1hr 20 min i feel weird writing about it after reading the disclosure notice about how they'll procecute you and take your lic. if you say anything. i did kaplan in person. the in person is a waste of time. the online Q bank was really helpful in identifiying my weakpoints. and oddly enough only had a few questions from that part.

Congrats on geting your job!! Belle Uniforms 266 Main St Paterson, NJ 07505 (973) 977-9733 This is a store that has a ton of uniforms. Sucha huge selection. But it's in Paterson that may not be close to where you live. Parking can be a pain in the neck, but they have great deals. Oh, and you can just plain single colored scrubs you can go to Walmart and get out teh door for under 20 bucks if you don't mind the plain solid colors. Belle has pretty much everything you could think of

hello ness, welcome to the site. people here have a lot of info. i'm very new as well. so use the search function and read up as much as you can. know that if you decide to do this it's a long trip, but from where i'm standing it is worth the sacrifice. Tech/Aid/CNA every hospital has a different name some with different types levels of skill sets. Basically some one who has BLSC (basic life support certification) systems training. Think CPR training but more extensive, and AED training. Lots of acrnyms i know haha. if you're going to nursing school, get used to it ;-) So if you have a Highschool diploma, and a BLCS trainging(can usually get at any hospital) you can apply for the position. http://www.evh.org/dyn/detailedopp.aspx?id=41 however, looking at a few open positions like the above, they ask for experience too. never understood how you can you're supposed to start if you need to have experience?! ha-ha. http://education-portal.com/emergency_room_technician.html just off of a google search. the tech's at the hospital i did my Emergency Room rotation attached EKG leads, took vitals, and assisted in the care with the RN/MD/Phys Assitant who were on that night. the nursing assistants or cna's or how ever they were called, on the floors took Glucose readings, changed linen, took vital signs, performed some pm care, and did some ADL feedings as needed. Good luck in your quest.!.

i am actually in teh Kaplan class. in hindsight i wish i had opted for the 'online only' course. in person is a complete waste of time. the woman leading the class is nice, however she directs you to 'look that one up' when asked for further explanations. also a side rant. you have to go at the pace of your classmates. a lot of whom will agonize over the answer/rational and how impossible it is when it relates to the realworld. it's like OK :angryfire i want to tell these people get over yourself you're wasting time focusing on problems rather than solutions!!! gah /endrant sorry i'm just stressing right now. good luck to all those going to take the exam! my buddy who i went to nursing school with who took Rutgers said the 5 hours of review was draining and didn't have the energy to do questions afterword. also two last comments on kaplan. 1) they have out dated questions. i have had two questions asking for Grains to Mg's. 2)the diagnostic exams they make you take on entrance and completion of the coures are pencil and paper...like what the...??? why do this? it's almost a regression. Why not offer the diagnostic/exit tests on computer at the center to mimic the NCLEX as much as possible. bak to doing questions. -a

Hello I'm 33 just changed careers, and finished nursing school. Take the boards last week of February/First week of march. I can not speak to much from experience as I have yet to work an hour as a professional, but hope to offer a little insight, and leave better answers to the forum. 1. Is there really the nurse shortage that everyone says there is? I was told there was a teacher shortage 13 years ago when I was looking into college majors and after I graduated, I spent 5 years banging my head against a wall searching for it. Please, tell it like it is. There have been several hospitals that have closed in Northern New Jersey which have flooded the job market with people with a lot of experience. If you go to school now, by the time you graduate the economy will turn around and there will be opportunities for you. Personally I have put my resume on Monster.com and other healthcare recruiting sites and have found that once they find out that I have no experience or have yet to take the boards it’s the same story, sorry we'll keep your resume on file. call us once you pass the boards and when you have experience. But I'm a firm believer in that you're only as stuck in the situation as your limited by your own actions. You make a lot of your own destiny and with the ability to search further outside of your living area i.e. New York City or comfort yourself in the interim with work at a hospice, long term care, or nursing home facility, there has to be options out here. Because of your past background, in the future I would focus on pediatrics and possible post rn work as legal consultant. Yes this is far in the future, but it's something to consider. From all that I've read there is more to nursing than hospital med surg work, however without a good base and years of experience as an RN in a hospital other roles may be harder to find. Again this is all from what I read and what teachers at my school have related to me. 2. How important is academic pedigree for nurses? Is it worth it to go into debt for a more prestigious private school education or not? I've already got a bachelor's degree, so going for a second bachelors in nursing would be the road I choose. Right or wrong, I know from speaking with the attorneys I work with that those who graduate from Ivy League law schools almost always earn more than equally qualified attorneys who graduate from less prestigious schools. Does the same hold true for nursing? I went to a county school, CCM, and paid for it myself 3years, 1 year prereqs 2 years nursing classes. All said and done, in county tuition rate under 18k maybe 2400 a semester. I don't owe a single cent. Would a hospital hire you over me, yes it's possible. But is the debt worth it? Is the time you will spend there worth it? If your grades are good enough, I would look into a UMDNJ's ABSN program. It's a degree program for people who have a degree already, it's 18 months full time. 8a to 5pm. They get about 500 applicants for 30 seats. This according to the recruiter who I spoke to. I did not get in. Too low GPA. 3.0 minimum. I believe that Seaton Hall has a program as well for ABSN, and maybe Rutgers too. But Google is a much better reliable source than I am. http://www.nj.gov/oag/ca/medical/nursing.htm poke around on the State's webiste of the board. It has a lot of good info. 3. To work or not to work? This time, education is on my dime, so I've got to consider the very practical end of things. On the upside, I'm a little older, more mature than I was at 22 and have nearly 10 years of professional life experience. However, I've also got a mortgage to pay, so quitting my job and not working at all is just not realistic for me. Right now I'm very attracted to FDU's program because they offer evening classes, allowing me to keep my current job while I learn, even if it takes 2+ years. However, the prospect of biting the bullet and going to school full time to be finished sooner (and presumably able to begin working as a nurse sooner) is also equally attractive. Has anyone out there successfully gone to school full time and worked part time? Nursing school is the hardest thing I've ever had to learn in my life. It will suck your free time far away. I'm married and my wife really missed me as I missed out on a lot of 'fun' things to sacrifice time to pass these exams. I work a 7.am to 4.30pm job Monday through Friday to pay bills. In hind sight, I almost wish I had quit to be come a certified nursing assistant or a tech at a local hospital for two reasons. 1. the people who are techs now are having easier times/networking and finding job leads. 2 They learned so much more on the job, they had already seen the things in text books, that I would see for the first time in my clinical rotations, they also were more comfortable speaking with patients than most of our other classmates as they had been in the environment already. It's possible, just be prepared to sacrifice. There is no easy way of learning this material. Our class started with 150, and just graduated 48. A lot of people just can dedicate the time commitment that's necessary to pass. Oh and if you do get in, start practicing NCLEX questions immmmmeediatellyyyy. Again another hindsight is 20/20. I wish I had bought my Saunders book long ago and had been doing this long before now. 4. Gotta love NJ and it's financial dramas. I know there have been a number of hospital closings in recent years here. Does anyone here live in Jersey and commute to NY to work? What's the job scene like there? Pay differential? Do you feel it's worth it for the extra commuting time? I'm unable to comment with personal experience, just what I hear. Pay in NYC is a little better. I've commuted there before. Train rides are awesome, but can wear on you if you don't distract yourself with something to read. Good luck in your change. I know I've done the right thing, as the first patient I ever cared for was the most fulfilling experience I've had. If you're wondering if it's right, you can always volunteer at a local hospital. What county do you live in>? -atrex

AH-ha, thanks i should have guessed as much. have sent them letters and calls. all say either call me when you pass nclex so we can update your file, or in AHS case they're not hiring. Thanks! i am having slight kaplan regret as the woman leading the course in person is less than stellar in her knowledge or the field. i can read the books explanations. it takes a nurse to really help explain. however i didn't want a reveiw. i wanted to pay for the qbank and the analysis of my test taking. that's what i payed for. well off to the qbank. thanks -a

congradulations!!! i am taking my nclex soon, and am currently in the KAPLAN course. i like the course. my only two complaints are: 1)you have to go at the pace of the class when in person. if you want to move faster, you're stuck with the person who is cofused. if you want further clarification, sometimes they've already moved on. 2)the teacher is not an RN. she explains the answer from the book, not an answer from the perspective of an RN. this can be a little frustrating. however the ease of use of the website is great. qbank customization and how it breaks down your results is very helpful. however their use of RealAudio player is laughable from a computer nerd like me.

Thank you for the response. Glad to know that i won't see that. The kaplan book is from 2007. So not sure. Im not going to stress too much over it. All other math questions are much easier. As they're almost identical to the ones we did in nursing school exams. Thanks again suzanne. ps not to hijack, but i sent you a pm, and await first email of instruction. .!. T-minus 8 weeks and countin!!! yehaaa!!!