Army

Nursing is my 3rd career. I have found that those that wrap themselves in research and theory usually can't understand the nuances of practical application, regardless of the field. If they were every exposed to the practical application of bedside nursing, they probably got turned off from their exposure, hence why they chose to move on. They live in a different world. Ideally, like in the military, you had to pay your dues before you could profess your knowledge and it worked very well. Nowadays, you can bypass the whole bedside nursing thing and never appreciate what a staff nurse has to go through. It creates resentment on both sides. The best NPs and managers that I have seen, spent 15 - 20 years at the bedside and then chose to move on. They have common sense and their knowledge base is deep as well as wide. I always remember my nursing instructors' adage, (behind the backs of the A students, of course) C students made better nurses.

It depends on the amount of CNA coverage and call-offs we have. In a Rehabilitation Hospital in Illinois. 7/6:1 on days (lots of OT/PT help), 6/5:1 on PMs, and 7/8:1 on nights. The first number is the usual, the second is with lesser or more CNA help.

I am a new graduate from a BSN program in Rockford. Saint Anthony and Rockford Memorial run residency programs and both are closed now. They were open in the November timeframe and were not open long. If you didn't get into the residency program, you likely will need 1 year of experience to get into them later. Swedish American is the only hospital in town that didn't have a residency program at this time. You might have better luck getting into that hospital. Also, if you don't have a BSN, you will have trouble getting into hospitals at this time. Saint Anthony is trying to get rid of LPNs and ADNs completely.