emdrn74

"Teach us how to be strong and effective in a way that doesn't destroy us." AMEN! We are a unique population and there has to be a way of empowering us without killing our spirits. What a great topic and thread. Thank you all for my" food for thought" of the day:) It's nice to know I'm not alone.

I could not agree more. Beautifully stated!

Wow... I can relate to nearly all of you. The sad part is I just can't imagine doing anything else so I'm back in school for MORE NURSING!! LOL! It becomes part of you and as many have pointed out, there are several areas to try on and sadly it can take years before you find the right fit. Please don't beat yourself up cantdoit! You and the rest of us are victims of an INCREDIBLY flawed system that looks upon us nurses as a commodity, often trying to replace us with machinery (like buying more computers and hiring less nurses). I have hope. At some pint I might admit defeat and realize I'm delusional, but for now my heart is stuck in it (so are my finances!). I vowed to give it my all, move to another state (mine is rotten for nursing) and learn EVERYTHING I can so I can be efficient and safe. Too many new RNs are let loose without the proper education, training and supervision. Poor satisfaction is the result of not having the tools to be successful. WE have a huge responsibility and unfortunately it's up to us to be prepared. Our colleges are not designed for anything other than the NCLEX. Nursing is not a MC test.I doubt any of us really knew what we were headed for. Good for you for reaching out. YOU ARE NOT ALONE!

That's true!! There are many options besides this one so try and be open to them (check the DOH site). You just never know what kind of opportunities you might miss by being too focused on something else. The stipend is a big help but just remember that HRSA does not offer deferrment for returning to school (at least that's been my experience). Some of you will want to continue your education sooner than later and won't have that as an option if you're in repayment working FT somewhere. I feel for all of you and I know times are tough but you have all gotten this far so I canot imagine this being the end for anyone on here. If you don't get it just know there is something better waiting for you!!

cummings8 did u hear anything? I tried to PM you but I don't think I'm allowed yet. I'm too new here. I'll keep my fingers crossed for you.

The good news is that tele is usually begging for ppl. If you were actually good on tele and felt comfy there, kudos to you:) If you left on good terms and had a good relationship with your fellow nurses I would give them a call or even show up when you know you can chat with ur old mngr. Be humble and honest. Tele is not an easy place to work, depending on where you live in the country. If you feel that overwhelmed in ER/new hospital, listen to your gut. Nurses sometimes try to take on too much and you can ruin your confidence like that. Nothing succeeds like success. If you had success on tele, stay for a while and move up the clinical ladder (no one knows what the future holds). There are other ways to challenge yourself at your original hospital. You can ask for an opportunity to be a preceptor or practice filling in for the charge RN. NOw that you have some ER experience you have even more value. Did they give you a sufficient orientation at the ER job? All I can say is take it easy on yourself. As a new RN you are actually doing VERY well (mst new RNs run out of tele screaming).

You and I must be neighbors! I too am in your shoes and looking to move to California:) I've worked tele down here and it's SOOOOO scary! I cannot even imagine EVER having 4 pts! LOL! the last time I had 4 tele pts was my clinicals:) As soon as I finished with my preceptor here I was handed 7 and they told me I was not "allowed" to refuse once I had clocked in. I saw more seasoned nurses with 10 on tele. ABSOLUTELY disgraceful. Youa re not alone and I feel your pain. I was researching what their PCAs make in CA and guess what? Some are getting paid more than RNs here...I was considered RN2 (big whoop) and can barely pay more than my min on debt acquired getting my degree. Thank God I have decent resources and I can rob peter to pay paul right now. YOU WILL GET A JOB IN CALIFORNIA! # yrs is a decent amt of experience:) Pls keep me posted.

Are you living at home? If not, I think there might be a way for you to be considered "independent" if you really are supporting yourself 100%. Just don't lie :) Make an appt with ur fin aid officer and ask them. I got mine 6 yrs ago, and the main criteria then was EFC=0. Plain and simple. None of the other stuff was even discussed quite frankly. I just filled out the paperwork and sent it in and forgot about it. Things seem to be different now. From what I gather ur EFC is the deciding factor regardless of any volunteering. Doesnt Americorps offer scholarships? What about working as an aid or unit sec at one of the city hospitals. They often offer scholarships in return for service or they pay back part of your loans. Have you considered Navy Nurse Corps or any of the other Public Health options? Indian Health Services etc. If you're a BSN student the armed forces offer some really nice options but it's up to where you see yourself in a few yrs. These contracts can strangle you later. If you can make it while living at home and are attending a state school you should be fine with loans. Just be really careful, sell ur books back, ask for a work study campus job, use a budget etc.

Bedside nursing can be pretty bad. BUT that's where you develop your assessment skills and "nursing intuition". All your learning comes from your patients and bedside is where that learning happens. No book/class or title can prepare you for real time emergency stuff. Yes it sucks but you will be a better advanced practitioner for it. One MD I work with only hires NPs and refuses to hire PAs because NPs generally have a few yrs bedside . This particular MD (with 20+yrs exp) claims NPs are better at picking up subtle changes etc. Experience is worth it's weight in gold. It thickens your skin, helps you tune out background noise and zero in on things. You will be far more efficient and more respected by your peers. Remember, you will be working with RNs and LPNs and they will sniff your inexperience out. It's a trust thing. Imagine you need to start an IV? Or put a catheter in? People will look to you for leadership and thats something you develop over time with lots of bumps and bruises.

If you're fretting already start praying. This is a tough and competitive field and women can be brutal, especially in groups. Candimk2 is right on. A lot of people will try and be overly positive and supportive but they don't have to walk in your shoes. Sounds like your heart is telling you something. DO YOU REALLY WANT TO BE A NURSE?? If you do, then stay the course and make sure you get a VERY stong support group and keep them close to you. Remove all dramatic and negative ppl (including family!). Do not drink! It will cloud your mind and spirit and stay away from ppl who party on the weekends. Not sure what your religious affiliation is, but a spiritual advisor can help tremendously with stuff like this. There are a lot of negative and hot headed ppl in our profession. Not sure what happened to them to make them like that but they can make ur life a living nightmare and ruin your day if your not armed with a very thick skin. On the flip side, you will most likely make some very good friends. My med/surg 2 clinical instructor was the WORST!! I thought she hated me. I nearly dropped out. She literally gave me hives. Guess what? She actually loved me and was preparing me. Gave me the best letter of rec. and praised me to no end once I made it through...all outstandings on my review. The ones that are the scariest are usually the nicest. Welcome to the wonderful world of nursing.

I knew I'd get a reaction like that...I am a nurse after all and attitudes like that are rampant in this field. I am not in the least bit offended. Anyway, I was only sharing my personal experience and perhaps a little comfort to those who DO NOT get the scholarship. I noticed a bit of desperation in many of the posts and I just wanted to reach out and let you know that you just might be better off. Someone said this to me once... When we ask God for something he has three answers for us. I always have to remind myself of this when I start getting squirly. 1) YES! 2) Not now... 3) I have something better in mind:) BTW, if I was doing it for the money I'd have chosen a different profession! LOL! We do not get paid anywhere near what we're worth!

Hello everyone. I want to chime in on this and tell you about my experience. I received the scholarship and I'm currently in default. For those of you fretting over getting it, let me tell you, you might be better off without it. When you graduate you will have a much smaller pool of working options if you do get this scholarship. You need to consider this a LOAN. Where I live, there are very few work options that satisfy the terms. The options available are open for a VERY good reason. Say you want a certain specialty, chances are you might not have it as an option. You are bound to the terms and the sites available. Pay now or pay later. The market is already tough for new nurses. Adding an additional factor narrows your options even further. You will not have any freedom to come and go and it's pretty brutal out there. On the flip side, the people who work with the NSP are very nice people, but that's not going to get you a job. My advice and what I wish I had done? A)Stick with financial aid and a strict budget B)work as a tech/cna at a hospital that has a great reputation on a unit you wish to work on C)Make friends on the unit you want to be on and seize any opportunity to learn in "real time" (not nursing school time) D)Experience the reality of telemetry before you commit to it as a RN (most jobs for newbies are on this floor) Don't sell out your professional freedom for 1200/mo and tuition. Some will get lucky and land their favorite immediately but more will be trudging a long road doing something they don't want to do, only to have to retrain in the specialty they love once they satisfy the scholarship. I know I sound negative. I also know I was disillusioned in nursing school. I thought nursing was wide open and it is no longer that way. Remeber, there is never a free lunch. Good luck to you all and think about this very carefully.