ebinbrooklyn

I'm finishing my BSN next summer and I'm already a mess and losing sleep over the job situation...this just makes it all worse. I knew things would be hard, that I had timed this really poorly (I waited until I was financially ready and had savings...now I'm wishing I hadn't). I'm terrified, at least once a week I have a freak out that I've probably ruined my life and won't be able to find a job. I know that's a bit overly dramatic but...things are going to be rough. It makes me sad for everyone--nurses, patients, all the supporting staff at these hospitals, and for the hospitals nearby who have to clean up this mess. Brooklyn and Methodist have already reported getting more patients and dealing with short-staffing issues....this could get really ugly.

Has anyone on here mentioned Uncalendar? I learned about it from allnurses and I love this thing! The Uncalendar Planner Review 2013 - YouTube I have my uncalendar that I used with a series of post it notes - each class gets it's own color. One side of the book is my schedule for the week, the other side is my post it notes, which I rotate in order of which class is top prioritity(goes on top) and I erase and add things to the post it notes as the week goes on. I carry over the post it to the next week if I don't complete everything on my list. A little type A but it helps me catch things since 100% of my short term memory is school related right now.

Try a few SUNY schools? Almost same price point - unfortunately there's only one SUNY BSN program in NYC but if you're willing to go to Long Island there's more.

Lehman does have an accelerated program, but here's where it gets tricky: YOU CAN ONLY APPLY TO ONE CUNY NURSING SCHOOL AT A TIME AND YOU MUST ALREADY BE AN ADMITTED STUDENT. It's a massive pain in the... If you're going to Hunter, that means you apply to Hunter as a general student, get admitted, THEN apply to the nursing school in the spring. The same thing for Lehman. I tried to move to Lehman after not getting into Hunter's accelerated program and they took so long to admit me as a general student that the deadline for nursing school admission had past. Hunter has added prereqs as well and those classes are hard to get into when you're not a full time student. Trust me, I begged, cried and overtallied many of them every semester. If you're not a traditional student you register last, when classes are full. Hunter and Lehman have listings of exactly which courses they require, you can use the CUNY TIPPS website to see if the class you took at another school is considered an equivalent. SUNY Downstate also has a list of which CUNY classes they accept for prereqs broken down by college: Transfer Equivalencies: College of Nursing â€" Undergraduate

155...and I still didn't get into my top program pick

I got a call last week to interview, which I declined since I'm in my second semester at another school with no plans to leave. So if that's the case, they must still be accepting people or are having a hard time filling the class. It's pretty late in the game - I heard back from every other school I applied to by May, I was suprised to get a call since I figured they'd lost my application at this point.

Renting seems like it's not that much of a cost saving - so for that reason and that reason alone I would buy so I could try and recoup some of the costs. I usually try to speak to the previous class to see if there's any changes between editions and buy the previous edition if it's very similar (I've managed to get some of my books for $.99 that way). My classmates are very good at finding electronic copies of the book which means I have a new edition on my computer and a hard copy if I get tired of reading off a screen. For those I bought, I used half.com and saved a lot of money. Also check w/ your school's library - mine has a decent percentage of our books on their website. If you don't mind using eBooks it's a great cost savings to use that as a resource.

We're not allowed to wear clogs (preceptor decided she doesn't like them) so I had to find a shoe that is sneaker style with a closed top. I just bought Sketchers slip ons Amazon.com: Skechers Women's Premium-Premix Slip-On Sneaker, White, 10 M: Shoes They seem to have very very high marks, anyone else use these and like them? I have a pair of danskos - and I roll my ankle CONSTANTLY whenever I wear them. I think they're not a great option for people with high arches, or at least that's what I've read? People seem to love them or hate them. I've also read the trick is to have two pairs of shoes and switch halfway through your shift.

Want: ED, trauma, surgery, flight, infectious disease. I've worked LTC and it's not so bad--mostly boring. Might be a nice option for later in life when I'm tired of fast paced go go go. Don't want: Peds. L&D - it's beautiful, sure, but oh lordy my stomach was unhappy. Also public health nursing - least favorite class so far. I did home care in college and going into someone's home is so awkward. I picked my school because it's a level one trauma ED but it seems like the program is skewed towards the two areas I don't like

I actually have the transformer as well - what do you use in place of microsoft office? I've tried Cloud On but it's terrible and slow, and Polaris office has been really unreliable. And how can I turn off the darned mouse pad - it's driving me crazy since I keep accidentally tapping it when I type and the cursor ends up going all over the place. I can't find anything on how to get around that problem.

I have a tablet with a keyboard that attatches (a convertible tablet) and not having Word/Excel/Ppt on my tablet or home computer has been an exercise in non stop frustration. Everyone uses Word--there's some programs that are similar but not the same and I end up sharing so many files that it's a massive headache. And all of my professors use Powerpoint - I haven't managed to find anything that converts ppts to a useable, non-corrupted format (I have an Android tablet and Mac laptop). I've had some huge problems with the Windows work-around programs I've tried using - one didn't save any of my changes and I lost a whole day of work, another froze constantly, another one deleted portions of the text here and there. I'm sure there's lots more programs, some that work better than others, so your milage may vary. I hated Windows before I started school but now I want a computer with basic Microsoft office, it would make my life so much easier.

Okay, I'm' reviving this :) - my prof gave us a huge medmath worksheet to have done before the first day of class. I read the chapter in the book at it was absolutely no help. If anything it just made me more confused. Got together with a few other students and got a few done but I am confused to say the least. Just ordered a copy of calculate w/ confidence, which should arrive later this week. But in the mean time, help! A patient who has hypertension is to receive Nipride 50 mg in 250 mL D5W to infuse at 3 mcg/kg/min IV drip. Pt weighs 50 kg. How much Nipride would each mL of the IV mixture (D5W 250 mL + Nipride 50 mg) contain?____________ Using an infusion pump, a nurse should set the flow rate at how many mL/hr? _______________________

Downstate? YES. Do it if you can :) Just finished patho, it was VERY challenging (I had 3 classes and my studying was 80% patho, 10% other classes). I know they will take patho but I would double check on pharm (starting that this week so I can't tell you how it will be, but so far not looking easy), they might be a little more picky about that one.

The only thing I can say (and I'm closing out my first semester) is take advantage of every opportunity that you have in terms of your education. If you're having a hard time grasping things and your school has a learning center, USE IT. I never bothered my profs during my last degree but I find myself interacting with them a lot more now. Most of them want you to succeed (or at least they should!). Straight textbooks don't always work for me so I find myself searching old threads here for topics to supplement what I've learned and that has been a lifesaver. Good luck!

Also, look at old threads here and you'll see stats for people for previous incoming classes. I pretty much read every Downstate related thread here and it was really helpful.

This past Saturday I broke down in tears in the library when I had to decline: an awesome pig roast backyard party, a trip to the beach, a tubing trip, dinner plans, a friend who was visiting from out of town and beautiful weather outside. On one hand...I feel grateful that people still remember I'm alive. On the other, I am so, so, so, so tired and emotionally stripped. Let yourself be sad. Give yourself outlets when it gets to be too much. Make plans for when you are done so you have something to look forward to.

I'm at Downstate now finishing my first semester. Downstate only looks at your math and reading TEAS score (I have a 95% total score), and your GPA matters, I had similar stats and ended up getting in off the waitlist (there were a lot of people who were accepted off the waitlist this year). It's hard to say exactly what they're looking for since every applicant pool brings different stats - get good recommendations, write a strong essay and take pathophysiology if you can (they'll give you credit for it and it will make your first semester a lot less stressful). Their applicant pool changes from year to year--some people apply twice before getting in and some get in on the first try. Hope that helps.

My 6 years CNA/MA experience is old but was incredibly valuable and how I ended up in nursing - they were rough jobs but I really loved them. I got to work in LTC, dermatology, plastic surgery and home care and it really fueled me to go back to school. I had some wonderful , LPN, RN and MD mentors who taught me so much - things I'm using in nursing school now. My last job was in 2000 (I ended up leaving after college), is that too long ago to add to my resume now? I'm volunteering as well but it's not the same...I miss being a MA a lot but I can't work in my accelerated program, at least during this leg of it.

Hey, no judgments here! Just because I'm stuck in a big city right now (husband's job is here and someone's gotta work while I'm in school) doesn't mean I like getting gouged in rent and paying too much for pretty much everything. The only reason I know so much about this is I'm trying to convince my other half that there's life outside the city

No--not really. I know ADN new grad salaries for public hospitals in the outer boroughs of NYC is around $62K, and private hospitals can be around $70K. I'm not sure about BSN salaries but I've seen north of $40/hour posted. Midway down the page there's a graph that lists CA, MA, HI, AK and NV as the highest paying states - this doesn't give much information as to what a new grad can expect but is good for an overall picture: Registered Nurses* And here's a breakdown of hourly vs. salary by state: 2012 Salary Survey Results on ADVANCE for Nurses

From numbers I've seen thrown around on here (I have no official verification of this but I'm sure someone does somewhere - and if so, please share because I'm genuinely curious), new grad salaries in the south and rural areas seem to be almost half to three quarters of what they are where I currently live (NYC). Here is a cost of living calculator to give you a better idea if those salaries are truly a liveable wage in your given area: Cost of Living comparison calculator

Hahaha, OH BOY, I thought we were the only ones who got stuck with those awful not-quite-full-zip polyester-blend tops. They're so warm and itchy! And we have them in white so we look like orderlies. I would love just a plain scrub top or polo shirt--I will never wear that thing again after graduation, it's so awful.

Ha, thank you for saying this, I couldn't help but roll my eyes. You know, I'm "only" putting in 80-90 hours a week in nursing school with no days off, how dare I get a little tired or distracted here and there--that must mean I'm a lazy person and will be a terrible nurse , I mean OBVIOUSLY I have no commitment to this field. I really hope I never become the nurse who feels the need to lash out at people who are just doing their best and trying to be better.

I made my "sensory deprivation tank" before school started and so far it's working well (would work better if I could find a way to turn off the internet in here to prevent distraction). I keep it clean and sporifice so I don't get tempted to start cleaning and I have a lock on the door--this is the most important part! Because there will be times when your husband comes in looking bored and just wants to chat or when your kids are having a fight and that lock will save your study session Mind is just a desk, a printer and computer, a good task lamp, speakers and radio and a bookshelf. The less fancy it is, the less to distract me.

We have a small amount of choice only because we are allowed to swap with others if we don't get the facility we'd like. I'm trying to do mine so that I can end up in better facilities for the topics I'm more interested in (eg; med surg) but each preceptor has ten of us, which kind of stinks. That means having to jockey a lot to get any sort of time or attention without being a pest - I'm usually one of those "good, hard work speaks for itself" types and not super aggressive so I'm a little worried what could turn into a "me first" sort of environment.