chibiRN

Thanks for your input guys! Had I known it would per diem I probably would not have accepted the offer because I know how rare it is for benefits to be offered to per diem staff. The thing is though- they don't hire "part time" employees and they only offer full time status to office staff and case managers. NONE of our visit nurses are getting benefits! So here's my question now...Do you think it will look bad on a resume leaving my first job in nursing after only 4 or 5 months? And how do I address this in an interview without it seeming like I'm bad-mouthing my employer?

When I was in nursing school my dad's side of the family kept asking if med school were next. The finally got it now that I WANT to be a nurse! LOL but now that I'm thinking of going back for my MSN or PhD in nursing we're back to the drawing board. My Japanese grandma asked the other day "Doctor of Nursing? Why not doctor of doctor? Your cousin is doctor you know?" I totally get your pain!

NCLEX is not the end goal here people! You need to understand how the questions work (I would strongly suggest Mark Klimek!) but it's just a test to see if you will survive as a new nurse without killing all of your patients! I focused way too hard on passing that stupid test in nursing school. My best advice is to go to every class unless you are deathly ill, pay attention, ask questions even if they seem dumb (I bet someone else in the class has the same question but is afraid to ask!), but most of all try to apply what's being covered in lecture to your clinical work. After NCLEX, THAT'S what matters!

I can no longer watch medical dramas. I start yelling at the TV "A doc would NEVER do that! MD drawing his own labs?! And the nurse is just sitting there holding a clip board waiting for orders?!?"

I started in HH shortly after being licensed in Feb, so I'm still pretty darn new to this field. I feel like I'm being taken advantage of but maybe this is the norm in HH? When I was hired, my manager told me I would be working full time. Apparently what she meant was 30-40 hrs/week but technically per diem. I found out after hire that they only offer full time to office staff and case managers (who work 60hrs/week for a 40 hr salary!). I have no PTO, no option for health insurance and no holiday pay. They don't offer a company cell phone or any kind of reimbursement for the crazy number of minutes I blow through calling docs, pharmacies and other nurses. I'm an RN making $20/visit ($30 for the elusive oasis visit) after my first raise. Average starting rate for hospitals in my area is around $24. After finding out that I worked 10 hours on the 4th of July and will not be receiving holiday pay I'm so ready to throw in the towel. Honestly, I love my patients and most of my coworkers but I made almost as much and was treated better when I was waiting tables in college! Someone please tell me that it's just this company that treats its nurses like this and there is still hope for me out there!

I've recently obtained my CCW. Like you, some of the neighborhoods I have to go into are pretty sketchy and I work 2nd shift, which makes me a little nervous too. My HH company has a no weapons on company property policy, and I would never take it into a pts home, but I have been considering keeping my .38sp in the car. In my state, your vehicle is your property (just like your home) regardless of where it is, so for me at least this would be perfectly legal. You might want to really check out the laws in your area though, because it would be a shame to lose your job or license d/t not knowing the laws! Most of the girls I work with cary pepper spray and a few carry tazers. Just another thing to consider =)

I accepted the job. They are a national company and I will be with another RN for the first few weeks. I will also have an on call RN I can contact if I need help so I think I will be ok as far as training goes.

Odd but if you must wear scrubs, I would probably go with solid navy blue with white shoes. I use either peri cleaner or acetone and some cotton balls to clean mine and they come out very clean =) hope that helps

I felt the same way until my grandfather passed away. He had lung cancer and I spent a month or so caring for him and my grandmother before he passed. It was incredibly difficult for our family, but our hospice nurse was so sensitive and understanding. She really helped us through such a difficult time. I had always been afraid that I was too emotionally "soft" for nursing. I thought that I would panic in an emergency situation or that I wouldn't be able to handle it if one of my patients died, or that I would puke if I watched a surgery. But the experience with my grandfather made me realize that if I can handle all of that with my own family, then surely I can help someone that I don't even know! I decided to go for it, finished up a couple prereqs and applied to nursing school.They rejected me and I applied again. I got in the second time, made it though the program, graduated, passed boards, and guess what? I'm so glad I decided to pursue this career! It's difficult at times, but oh so rewarding. The more you experience, the thicker your skin gets. I lost my first patient during a clinical rotation. It was a bummer, and sad to deal with his family, but I made it and I feel good knowing that I did everything that I could to make him comfortable in his last few hours. You'll never know unless you try. I say go for it. If you hate it, at least you wont live the rest of your life wondering "what if".

I agree with the above posters. I wish I would have known all this before choosing a school too! I graduated in December and too boards at the beginning of the month. I passed with the min # of questions, but looking back in retrospect, I wish I would have been a bit more judicious in choosing a better nursing school. I saw that the school's NCLEX pass rate was 99% and thought that was great...My class started at about 75. the LPN to RN transition students joined us about half way through (probably 20-25 students) and 50something of us made it to graduation. So out of my class of 75 only 30ish of us made it. The program was entirely test score based with a curved grading scale (94%=A, 75%=failing). If you didn't make the grade, you had one more change to retake the class but if you fail again, you're out for good. We were graded for completion in the clinical setting. As long as you showed up on time, did all of your paper work and managed not to kill anyone, you were in the clear. I suppose what I'm saying here is that while book smarts is great, it not all that there is to know in this field. I felt that all my school wanted to do was prep us for NCLEX and send us on our way. I do not feel at all like I'm as prepared as I should be to enter the ground running as a staff nurse. Talk to the current students. Hang around campus and approach the people wearing their ugly clinical scrubs. Most of them will probably be happy to give you an opinion on the education they're getting.

Hey all! I'm a new grad RN. I have about a year's experience in home health as an STNA but no other healthcare experience (aside from clinical rotations, obviously). I have an interview this week for a home health RN job. Starting pay is $19/hour plus milage reimbursement, and I'm not sure that they even offer medical benefits for part time employees. I'm in central Ohio & I know starting pay for a staff RN in area hospitals is around $23-25, depending on the facility. With such a saturated job market, being a new grad and having pretty limited healthcare experience I know I cannot afford to be too picky, but I don't want to sell myself short either. Is $19/hr too low? Should I ask for more, and if so how? Thanks!

Whoops- just saw the Magna Cum Laude at the bottom! Great job by the way- not an easy accomplishment! Maybe move that up to the top under the education section to make it more noticeable?

I agree. I want to know less about your clinical rotations and more about your supervisor duties at the dry cleaners and your duties in the military. It sounds like you have a lot of experience managing people and this is important! How many people were you in charge of? What were you responsible for? How did you manage your time/resources? Expand on that military service- employers love military service! It means discipline and loyalty in their eyes. Also, any school achievements you can include?

The only posting available at the LTC facility I want to work at is for a Charge RN. I wasn't going to even apply because I'm a new grad but your post has inspired me to give it a shot. Thanks! And good job by the way- you sound like a nurse I would trust caring for my own family

Just got my acceptance letter to OSU's RN to BSN! Pretty excited, but still no job offers or even interviews Maybe I'll have better luck in the OSU med center now.

Got the acceptance letter yesterday! Woo hoo!

So jealous! We had 2 cadavers that had been preserved in formaldehyde and were starting to fall apart. The muscles reminded me a lot of beef jerky (yuck). It would be pretty cool to see one with all the fluids still intact!

True, however if it is mentioned as a possible answer on NCLEX it is safe to assume that you do have an order.

I have a couple of really great recorded lectures on these topics that helped me quite a bit with NCLEX. They are by no means the end all be all but helpful in recognizing signs/symptoms. PM me with your email address if you want them =)

Safety is a major concern for children in this age group. They are mobile but lack the experience and judgement skills to stay safe and rely almost 100% on their parents for safety, nutrition, etc. What are her parents like? Is there anything you can educate them on? What is their home life like? Any safety concerns at home (electrical outlets, chemicals, pets)? How is their economic status and how might this affect the child?

I see what you're saying here, however it sounds like this patient is actively dying, and is comfort care only. Review pathophys in the dying client- generally the need/desire for food and fluids decrease or disappear completely because the person simply doesn't need these things any more. Body systems are shutting down and no longer require energy to build new tissue. Plus peristalsis is decreased so it takes things considerably longer to exit the body as well. IV therapy, even fluids would be inappropriate for a comfort care client too. The only medications that should be given are things to promote comfort and are generally given PO or SL, usually painkillers (morphine especially because it decreases anxiety). IV, IM and SQ are all UNcomfortable procedures and are typically not used in comfort care clients. (insulin is often withheld in the last few days of life too because of the pain associated with fingersticks and injections) Turining Q2H is important as you do not want pressure ulcers to form, however is a patient that is actively dying going to develop contractures before they pass? Probably not. I think the OP is correct in her original dx of comfort measures, family support and grieving.

I've been a server for 7 years. It's hard at first and I felt pretty akward and struggled quite a bit in the first few months. Servers, like nurses tend to "eat their young". I remember leaving in tears after a shift a few times because my coworkers had been so mean to me. Just stick with it, stick up for yourself, try your best & I promise thing at work will get better. I too, have realized that I don't have the best memory, so I've learned to write things down (i.e. EVERY drink order, even if it's just for a table of 3) and repeating things back when you hear it the first time helps too. "More napkins? Sure thing!" The customer service aspect of serving absolutely translates to the nursing field! If you can make a picky old woman happy about the way her eggs are cooked and chat with her about her grandchildren, then you'll be able to relate to your patients too. It takes some serious time management and communication skills to do well serving and the same goes for nursing. Get in your groove and ask for help when you need it! As a new grad still searching for a job though, I would encourage you to look for a job in a hospital as a PCA. You will get some skills there that you just cant get in a serving job. You'll also have a foot in the door when you start your job search later on. Most of my classmates that have found RN jobs so far either had a friend in HR or a PCA job during school, so I think that says something. Either way, good luck! You can do it =)

I will admit that cover letter writing is not my strongest area but they are so dang important! I would GREATLY appreciate any help I can get. Please be honest- I really want to get better at this, so don't sugar coat your critique to spare my feelings like my instructors have done in the past. Thanks in advance for your help! #### Address Street City, State, ##### (###) ###-#### [email protected] Human Resources Department LTC Village of Place #### Address Street Town, State, ##### Dear Name of Recruiter, I am writing to express my interest in joining your team as a Registered Nurse. In December 2012 I graduated from School Name Technical College with an Associate of Applied Science Degree in Nursing Technology. I have recently earned licensure in the state of Ohio and am eager to begin my career in nursing. My coursework and clinical rotations have given me not only the theoretical knowledge of nursing care, but also practice in the clinical setting. I have worked extensively to build and improve upon my assessment and nursing skills, while providing safe and effective care to every patient. My clinical sites have included long term and palliative care, several medical/surgical units, as well as neuromuscular and cardiac step-down units. In this wide variety of settings I have learned to tailor assessments and care plans in order to best serve my clients. I have also gained valuable experience with paper charting and several EMR systems. As you will notice in my resume, I gained additional experience in direct patient care during my employment with Home Health Company X. I was able to develop meaningful, long-term relationships with each of my clients, while providing them with daily care, emotional and behavioral support. Beginning prerequisite coursework towards my B.S.N. and obtaining additional training in stroke assessment and pressure ulcer treatment demonstrates that I am a self-motivated learner. I believe that this training would be a positive contribution to a stroke rehabilitation and long-term care facility such as yours. I have become a member of the American Nurses Association and the State Nurses Association in order to improve my care by keeping up-to-date on evidence-based practice. In my 7 years as a server, I have developed excellent customer service and time management skills as well as a fine attention to detail. I have frequently been commended for my gracious manner in dealing with the public and troubleshooting difficult situations in order to consistently meet or exceed sales and customer satisfaction goals. These qualities, in conjunction with my compassionate nature, attention to detail and enthusiasm for learning will make me an excellent asset to your team. I look forward to meeting with you in person to discuss how my versatile skill set and background may help Name of Facility continue it's tradition of quality and service. Please contact me at your earliest convenience at the e-mail address or phone number listed above. Thank you for you attention and consideration. Sincerely, First M. Last, RN

New admits/transfers/12 hr or less post op/new diagnosis patients should be considered to be "unstable" regardless of diagnosis or condition. For example, a patient 2 hours post-op hernia repair (even though it's a minor procedure) takes priority over COPD patient reporting SOB. Also look a change in condition (any change!) needs to be seen ASAP. Hope that helps. Good luck!

Even if they don't ask for it in your application packet, include 1 or 2 letters of recommendation. I had 1 from my boss and another from a client of mine that also happened to be a nurse practitioner. The first time I applied (without the letters) I was denied, and with the letters, and no other changes I got in! Best of luck!