Rebekulous

That kind of makes sense, if IN is quick at getting you your ATT. If that's the case, I vote for taking NCLEX as soon as you can before you start forgetting stuff. However, I don't think you can apply in CA until after you have your IN license, so depending in the timing of your trip you might still have to work on your CA while you're out of the country.

Is there a reason you're applying in Indiana first? If you know you're going to CA, it would be faster to just apply there first.

I just saw this...4.5 years later...

I just moved to CA from UT this summer. I went to the U for nursing school, and CA gave me no grief about any of my classes. (I was nervous about a couple of the requirements as well.) It took a little over 2 months from submitting my application to getting my license in the mail. I think your best bet is just to apply, and then see what they say. One thing I noticed was that no one wanted to interview me until I had my CA license, so I'd start the process ASAP. Maybe even pay for the temporary license if you need to start working soon...

Feel for your veins, don't try to just see them. I'll usually also mark the skin once I find one, with a pen/sharpie, so that even after I clean the site I know where that vein is (since you should be touching after you've scrubbed...)

The ONS Chemo Certificate and the OCN are two totally different things. The chemo course will help you get CNEs to qualify for the OCN exam, but that's really the only connection. No one here will give you answers. You need to take the course, study, and answer the questions on your own. The point of passing the exam is to show you have acquired the knowledge necessary to safely administer chemo. The book provides a lot of information about chemotherapy, and can be a useful reference. Information on content and exam outline can be found on the ONS website.

I'm loving the switch, but I'm also still in the "honeymoon" period, because it's only been a couple of months. Ask me again in a year Utah was not as bad as some of the other places I've read about here, but I can tell the difference in California for sure. Getting a full lunch break -- without having to answer a phone, and having a Resource Nurse to help me out are the top two things I've noticed since the move.

What specialty forum depends on what kind of PCU it is. Cardiac, Surgical, Oncology, Stroke, etc.

I moved to California from Utah (with no mandated ratios). So far, I'm loving how this is set up. I never have to worry about getting more than the 4 oncology/tele patients I'm supposed to have.

Intermountain and the U will probably be the highest paying in SLC. At a year's experience I think I was making $25/hr? But I think both groups have done multiple market adjustments since then, so I don't know what the going rate is now. It's OK for the cost of living, but not anything spectacular. I'm not sure about Intermountain, but at the U there is no difference in pay between specialties. Certification can help you move up on the clinical ladder.

I agree with the others. Stay a year or two in AZ, and you'll be able to come back as an experienced nurse. Less than that and people won't want to hire you because you haven't hit that "one year" mark.

I used to work there, and from what I heard the CCI is pretty competitive. You'll be competing with other new grads as well as acute care nurses who want to move to ICU. Good luck!

I agree, ONS is a good resource. Students membership is free, and there are a bunch of free CNEs for members.

I think you're right about the resume -- it's repetative, and doesn't show who "you" are in a way that would make me want to interview you. I'm a big believer in personalizing resumes to the job you're applying for, and that simpler is better. - For example, are you applying for jobs in the same specialty as your preceptorship? You could say "XXX clinical hours, including 196 hr Preceptorship in YYY specialty", rather than listing each clinical. - I don't ever put a Professional Summary on my resume, and to me it looks like almost everything there is listed somewhere else. I think Epic, and speaking Tagalog are incredibly useful skills, and should be on your resume. - I would simplify the "Clinical Skills" list. Emphasis the things that would set you apart from your peers. Are there experiences you had that most of your classmates didn't? My capstone had a project requirement, and I also had a lot of opportunities that my classmates didn't have. So I put it on my new grad resume: where the capstone was, the project I worked on/its outcomes, specific skills (especially that I managed the full load of patients by the end of the semester). If you're applying to a specific specialty, include any professional memberships that show your dedication to that area. - Include some details about your other work experience. Was there anything you did as a CNA or Med Tech that can help you adjust to an RN position? (I'm thinking things like time management, knowledge and practice of safe med administration, etc.)

I don't know about Boston specifically, but in general it can sometimes take months to hear back from HR about jobs. This year I applied for jobs out-of-state due to moving for my husband's schooling. There were a couple of jobs I applied for at the beginning of May, and I got called about them at the end of August. My recommendation: try to be patient, and keep putting out applications.