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You worked hard for your license. Protect it. If you feel a place is unsafe, leave. *Hopefully you'll last last at least 2yrs at your first job* but when you start noticing the red flags, do not ignore them.

ISTJ-A working in the ED. "The Logistician." I'm a functional introvert :)

I don't know what COTA is. I started in the ED making $27.50/hr. After residency was over and about a year in, it was raised to just under $30/hr. Depends on the area, hospital, unit, etc.

I take a trip every so often. Could be 3 days, could be 10 days. Could be local or further away but when I begin to feel run down and I feel the burn out coming on best believe I'm on Southwest.com booking a flight. I'm single without kids, I have no interest in dating or having kids in the future so my situation may be different than some but I'm thankful my nursing schedule and salary allows me to get away without much financial strain or having to take much time off (if any). Nevertheless, it is imperative we take time for ourselves. Can't heal others if we don't heal ourselves first. I believe everyone should have an interest or a hobby unrelated to work to release stress and decompress. Find your outlet.

I'm reading this now btw, https://allnurses.com/general-nursing-discussion/be-healthy-10-1151342.html

-#1 talk to your residency program director and ask for guidance on what you should do -Take one shift at a time -Find what your like about this new journey (you're now saving lives and helping to heal the sick, it's a big girl job, you beat out other new grads for the position, is your unit welcoming? there's at least ONE thing you must like about this job) -If there are other new grads in your co-hort, try befriending them. I came out with a handful of buddies form my new grad residency and occasionally we go out for food/drinks -Take suggestions and criticism with grace. You're new and are starting from scratch. Experienced staff are full of knowledge and they're only helping to better you as a nurse. You can take at least one thing away from every interaction/experience -Stick the year out in med surg (if you're allowed to switch units after a year, try applying for the ED if positions are open). Consistency and commitment looks good on a resume and benefits your future job seeking. -Find your support system (mom? sibling? friend? You'll need someone who you can rant to without them rolling their eyes or putting you down during year 1) -Find ME TIME. Hang with friends, take a mini vaca, travel. This job is very stressful and without an outlet you will get burned out quick I worked in the ED as a tech and was hired as an RN when I graduated. Did a year long residency program. I'm a year into nursing. It's been full of very hard work, learning, growth, and achievements. The beginning is rough because you're learning to sail but with time, you'll get and feel better. I love the ED- can't see myself working in any other unit but let me tell you I am feeling the first year burn out. Or maybe it's just the ED? Or just nursing? I started my RN-BSN full time right after orientation and working FT night shift...it'll take a toll on you. BUT I took about 3 trips during that year to decompress and found that was the key for me. Traveling is my outlet and gave me a chance to refresh before going back to work. I also love hanging with my pets. Find something unrelated to work/nursing and you'll find that will help immensely- explore your new city! My ED is not built for the volume we see and some shifts are horrible but I know the next shift is a new day and I'll get through it like I got through the other nights where I wanted to pull my hair out. I love my team. My unit has been amazing at teaching and embracing the new grads/new staff. The beginning did not come without hardships- there will be people who test you- but remember why you started nursing. You survived nursing school. Hold on to that. Good luck. Hang in there.

THIS.

Recurring nursing nightmare where I'm dealing with angry, abusive pts, helicopter visitors with ridiculous requests, people with unrealistic expectations of how an ED works. I pinch myself to make sure I'm not dreaming. Oh, wait. This is real life! *been rough out there lately* But really, it's going home forgetting to document something or document something appropriately, especially on super chaotic days

Congrats on finishing! 1. My hobbies/favorite topics to search are completely non-nursing related so I'm not much help there. Whilst in school, I did search this site for tips on how to be a good ED RN, tips for difficult sticks, etc. 2. Not sure about the product review question? My stethoscope is Littmann and I love it. Best scrubs for me are Grey's Anatomy and Purple Heart 3. I'm almost 1yr in the ED, graduated 12/16. Passed NCLEX 2/17 and started my residency later that month as well. I too worked in an ED during school and it helped so much. The ER so far has been fun and challenging but I can't see myself working in another department, though I know I'll have to do ICU for my end goal. End goal is flight (any mentors out there? *wink* ) Here's what helped me: -30-day sub from World (main NCLEX resource and what helped me MOST. I did the entire bank and then redid the ones I got wrong before taking their "readiness assessment") -NCLEX-RN app, I memorized the critical values on their app and their questions were good as well -Reviewed OB/Peds basics (my least favorite/weaker subjects in school) -Scheduled my exam for 11am (I am NOT a morning person and the center was 1.5hrs away. Consider that when scheduling your test date.) Also, I took mine on a Friday meaning I wouldn't get my results until Monday. Longest weekend of my life, but I caved and did the pop-up trick and saw that I'd passed :) -I went to dinner with a friend the day before the exam A lot of people say to relax and not do anything the day before but I got sick whilst studying and slacked off a couple of days so it gave me comfort to skim over some things before bed. My mom drove me there (always good to have someone drive you) and I did a few questions on NCLEX-RN app on the drive there to get my mind into testing mode. It's different for everyone but that's what worked for me and what I felt comfortable with. I felt prepared for the test but of course, nervous. That went away by question 2 and I got more confident at the test went on. I still had many challenging questions and told myself if it didn't cut off at 75, I'd get up to take a break. It shut off at 75 and BOOM! A new world opened. I attribute my success to a disciplined study schedule, TONS of practice questions, and UWORLD. Good luck

-Many people think you'll end up rich once you become a nurse. That is a lie -I appreciate how well my parents raised me. SO MANY people lack class, respect, education. -I don't get paid nearly enough for all the sh*t I have to endure some days. -Interesting to witness how some people channel their frustrations and inner issues. -I can't think of another job where you have to endure verbal and sometimes physical assault, while not being able to "protect yourself" -Nursing is thankless most days, but every now and then you meet a thankful sick person that makes you glad of what you do. -I'm thankful for the wealth of knowledge I've acquired and how I'm able to use it to care for my family, pets and self in times of illness.

I strictly used UWORLD and passed in 75 (1st attempt). I made the mistake of getting the 30-day NCSBN review along with UWORLD and I stopped using it after I glanced through Peds/OB (my struggle throughout school)- It wasn't helpful and their questions were terrible. I thought the NCLEX was much easier than the UWORLD questions and it definitely prepared me for the big day. If you have enough time before test day, I'd go back to do your missed questions. That helped me a lot. I ended up 89th percentile and got a very high chance of passing on the assessment, but others on this site have scored in the 60s percentile and have passed. Good luck!

If you become a PA, you have to take an exam every 10yrs, for NP you only take the exam once. As a PA, you specialize in one area, nursing you can try different specialties. It's really up to you what you want to do the rest of your career. Make a list of pros/cons for each. For me, nursing has its good and bad days but if I really want out one day, I'm making the switch to working in an unrelated field!

Patient satisfaction scores and throughput times killed nursing.

3peas, BSN, RN who hurt you, girl?

If you're willing to work hard through nursing school and pay dues as a new grad, go for it! Not sure how much EMS/medics get paid but I know RNs get paid more. How satisfied you'll be is subjective. Many of our ER techs have previous EMS experience (EMTs) and we have 1 or 2 RNs that were paramedics before crossing over. One stayed in the ER full time, the other does ER PRN and rides the ambo the rest of the time- she says she likes the variety and is happiest this way. I personally can't imagine myself as a floor nurse. I don't have the patience for it and from stories my friends tell me, even a busy day is nothing compared to the ER flow. Even as a new grad in our ED, you quickly build a rapport with MDs and have so much autonomy compared to other units, it quickly builds your critical thinking and keeps you on your toes. You play the detective role because you get a pt and have to figure out what's wrong with them vs already knowing the diagnosis on the floor. I have medic/firefighter friends and do ride alongs with them. I've been there during a slow day when you don't get a call until noon and days when you get a call a minute before arriving. It's definitely a different pace than the hospital. Both jobs have pros and cons: EMS: -Gotta deal with the weather of the day -Sometimes have to go to unsafe areas/dirty houses -Protocols allow you to medicate and carry out procedures without an MD -Drop the pt off, write your report and you're off -Tons of downtime between calls -Exciting going on calls, at least in the beginning RN: -Higher pay -Secure environment -More responsibility -Have to wait for orders to carry out most things -You get a****** patients, every once in a while you get an awesome pt who thanks you in the end. I too want to be a flight nurse eventually but I'll need years of experience before I can do that...that being said, not looking to those Critical Care/ICU years. Its crucial to gain exposure/experience to vents and hemodynamically unstable pts but it's still the floor! LOL. Whether your previous experience gives you an edge depends on the hospital and area. Our ED Manager appreciates experience of any sort- especially Military/EMS so you wouldn't have a problem getting hired out of school there. Good luck whatever you choose.

ER was my dream job in nursing school. I started in ER as a new grad but now Flight Nursing would send me happy to my grave Non-nursing: working with animals. Vet tech, sanctuary caretaker, anything animal-related

First of all, congrats! I posted a similar question earlier this year and MeanMaryJean along with other users here actually referred me to WGU. I'm set to start the RN-BSN program later in summer and so far, looks legit. The program mentor assigned to me is so kind and has answered all my questions. It is a 100% online program and has a "set rate" for tuition, instead of dollar per credit/course. Basically, you pay a little over $3500 for 6mo (1 Term). In those 6mo you have to complete at least 12 credit hours (about 3-4 courses), you can add more courses if you'd like as long as you can complete them before the term is over. PM if you have questions and I'll be happy to answer them. I looked into Aspen Univ at first because my whole goal is finding a program that's cheap and be able to complete in a year or less but they're not regionally accredited which is what made me look into WGU- they're fully accredited. Good luck searching.

From my research, I've gathered you do have modules, pre/post assessments, projects to complete for each course and papers to write (amount varying on course). This program is Pass/Fail for every course, thus the highest GPA earned is a 3.0 (a PASS= a B grade). I don't plan on becoming a CRNP or going into admin/management and am content just getting my BSN so it works for me. I can see this being a problem if you plan on going further than a BSN. I peeked at the RN-BSN FB group and seems like the program is still rigorous despite the grading system. "They don't just hand out BSNs", as one poster said.

Thank you everyone for your answers! I've contacted them directly and am in the process of applying.

Do you have experience with this program? I guess I'm just concerned about online programs being a scam/legit before handing them my money and I'm just lost since there are SO MANY options out there. I only know about CCNE accreditation so I don't know what other qualifications to look for in a program. My facility has partnerships with several programs but they are WAYYY out of budget and I might as well have gone straight through a BSN program for what they charge. Any information about WGU is helpful. I've searched posts but they're a bit outdated. I went on the WGU site and the information is a bit overwhelming and confusing in some parts. Thank you in advance.

I know your post is over a year old but were you content with program? I believe I can get up to $2,000/year from my job for reimbursement and have been doing research for RN-BSN online programs. I really need to make a decision quickly but don't want to pay for something that isn't legit. Other posts regarding this RN-BSN option are outdated and the most recent posts haven't given me the info I need. I keep reading about the biochem course, which makes me nervous. Also, how are you recognized as a BSN, RN after graduating from the program other than showing them your diploma? (I'm asking because I'm an ADN and on my BON, it shows the college you graduated from in your license profile, and I'm listed as an ADN, RN for now.) Thank you!

Does anyone know about this online bridge program? I learned about it today and wanted some insight. I'm a new grad hired at a Magnet Hospital and per my job, I need to start my RN-BSN bridge either this summer/fall or next January and need something that won't cost a fortune. $10K seems very reasonable and they are CCNE (but not regionally?) accredited. Thanks for your input!

RickyRescueRN, Thank you so much for the amazing advice! I'll definitely bookmark this for reference and will message you. Your response is the perfect starting roadmap. Thanks again!

Nice. Thank you for your responses. I worked as an ER Tech during nursing school and some patients were surprised I could lift them sometimes:yes: The program I was looking at in TX had a swimming and hike/running component, which I'm excited about since I do all these as a hobby and love fitness in general. Does anyone mind sharing how they became a FN? How many years did you work in the ED/ICU? I've read that many were EMTs/Paramedics before so i don't know if that would be a hold up for me.

Anyone know if 4'10", 110lbs is too small for the job? I've seen a few posts saying it varies by program but I've done internet, FlightWeb and AN searches and all I've seen are posts discussing too tall/too heavy candidates. Thanks for your input. A little background- new grad starting in a busy ED and would very much like to pursue flight nursing. I realize it takes many many years and tons of hard work :)