JMart83

I've had two jobs offers in the last month from two different health care systems and neither required fingerprinting just standard background checks. Sorry if this is nosey but were marijuana charges really a felony in the early 90's?! My how times have changed. Good luck!

I also made myself a small, laminated, easy to read reference "book" of the hospital's standardized procedures for ED clinical conditions that I can check (and double and triple check) in case things get muddy that fits right in my pocket. It's basically the hospital's algorithms for clinical conditions in note form so I can get in the groove of knowing what to anticipate in terms of diagnostics, labs, complaint-specific interventions, etc.

This is a good list! I have a couple RN badge cards so I can quickly reference conversions, lab values, peds VS for various ages, etc. that have been very helpful to me as a new grad in the ED. They're $1.99 or so on ebay or amazon.

We use a mix of books specifically for NPs and medical textbooks. They're definitely more in depth than any sort of text I used at the same university in undergrad.

I may not use the information I learned in my pre-reqs on a daily basis, but they were invaluable in that they taught me how to learn, think critically, and develop my study skills. As someone who really struggled with their pre-reqs, crashing, burning, and picking myself up again to finish those pre-reqs successfully helped me become a hard-worn study warrior by the time I got to nursing school. Good luck!

BSN, 30, 3.67

Hello everyone! Great thread thank you for all the resources. I am a new grad starting in the ED next week. I look forward to learning from everyone else experiences and I take comfort in knowing that the extreme bouts of anxiety I've been feeling since being offered the position are completely normal. I hope everything is going well for the rest of you!

If worse comes to worse can you go back to school and extend your visa that way?

So sorry to hear this. Did they tell you why? Poor thing

Several of us have applied at our preceptorship hospitals and floors but only one of us has been lucky enough to get hired. Some floors just aren't hiring and others are hard to get into if they have a new grad program you have to get into first as opposed to being hired straight on. To be honest a lot of it is just luck and being in the right place at the right time. Good luck!

I've been using the Micromedex Drug Information app since my undergrad days and I find it user friendly and informative. I want to say they have a drug interactions app as well, but I have yet to try it.

I got a IPad mini 32 gb wi-fi only. The regular iPad was too bulky, I figured the mini would fit better in my lab coat. I don't use it for e-books because I like to highlight and write in the book as I study, but I did get a little keyboard so that I can use it to take notes in class. I have glasses/contacts and I don't feel like the mini is too small that I'm straining my eyes. So far the only app I've used is the Micromedex Drug Info app, but I am very early on in my schooling. Would love to hear what other apps everyone else finds helpful!

Thanks susunhmt! It depends on the facility. Some places want only CNAs with certs, others will consider a nursing student who has passed their first semester equivalent to a CNA, some places have specific positions open for Student Nursing Assistants that are designed for those who are going thru NS concurrently to work in the CNA role. I would apply to all of them and see what pans out. Good luck in all your future nursing endeavors!

May 2013 Southern Ca BSN prepared both New Grad positions OC Hospital Base: $30.50 for first 8 hrs; $45.00 last 4 hrs Night: +$3.50 BSN: +.50 cents LA Hospital Base: $32. 80 Night: +$7.00 Both offer benefits, no weekend diff, holiday pay time and a half

I like the Incredibly Easy! Series. They aren't as dry as my old nursing texts and they make for more enjoyable "leisure" reading. I know these books aren't specifically about transition, but I found that it helped to clear up things that were still muddy to me in nursing school and better prepared me for my transition. Amazon.com: Incredibly Easy! series

Great thread! I hope everyone sees this!

Money is money! Take it but keep on applying to other positions. Best of luck to you!

I was able to get an ED new grad RN position with only volunteer experience in the ED. Granted I was a volunteer in the ED for over 3.5 years but I know this gave me an edge over others whose only ED exposure came from clinicals. It sounds like you have some time before you are on the job hunt for real (kudos for being proactive this early in the game). I would take this time and become a CNA and volunteer in the dept. you are interested in. Even if it doesn't exactly land you a job later down the road, any exposure is good exposure!

1. How many places have you applied so far? 15+ hospitals, clinics, offices, etc. for 30+ positions 2. How many new grad postings vs. regular postings? Mostly all new grad openings, maybe 3 or 4 regular positions 3. How many have you heard from one way or the other? 2 rejections and 2 offers to interview 4. Any job offers yet? 2 job offers

Even if volunteer work is not an entrance requirement at your school do it anyway. I am a firm believer that my volunteer experience helped me get my job as an RN once I was finished with school in the department I wanted. The experience, while unpaid, really sets you apart from other applicants.

Check if your school has a sister school you can take them at. I had to repeat a couple classes because my pre-reqs expired. Going to a brand new school to take them wasn't an option because as a new student there was no way I would even have had the chance to enroll because those classes fill up so fast. I was unable to take them at my old CC because I had already gotten As and Bs in those classes but luckily they had a sister school offering the same classes. I was able to enroll for them there right away because my units from the first school qualified me as a continuing student giving me registration date priority at the sister school. And I was eligible to "re-take" the classes since I did not take them at that campus the first time around. Hope that helps!

Sorry I don't follow this thread on the regular I hope I can still be of help. Off the top of my head: No need to buy all the books. I started out buying the bundle (didn't use most of the books) and eventually by the last semester was only buying the books associated with clinical courses (med/surg, crit care, etc.) and was fine. I was able to learn things quickly (the program is really sink or swim) because I have strong study skills. Does this mean I was able to apply it? Sometimes. This is really based on the individual. Learning to be a nurse in the educational setting versus the work setting is very different. I feel lost at times, but I think that is the nature of starting out in a new field. The week varied but for the most part I was in class once or twice a week all day and had a third day with maybe 1 class. Clinicals were one 12 hr day or one 12 hr and one 6 hr. It just depends on what rotation you're in. I was able to interview for and receive 2 jobs right away. This is something of an anomaly. There are only 2 other people in my cohort that have secured RN jobs thus far (we finished in March and it is now the middle of May). It is very competitive, if I could suggest anything it is start looking for a CNA job after first semester and get your foot in the door. You won't have your MSN when you first pass your NCLEX, just your BSN. I think if you tell future employers that you are in school to work on your NP it would work against you. Why would they hire someone who is going to leave in a year? I'm not sure if having your ADN or BSN makes a difference in non-magnet hospitals. My pay increase for my BSN is only 50 cents more an hour. That's not a huge pay differential. Lastly, know its ok to feel overwhelmed in an accelerated program and that it is completely normal to have fleeting moments where you are convinced that you won't succeed. Everyone feels this way! It is a very hard adjustment, more so if you have children. But you can do it! Just keep at it, find support in your classmates (they're the only who will be able to relate to you), and take any chances you can to relax, enjoy your family, and go on a well-deserved vacation during your break. It is well worth it in the end!

Love this thread! I have a few stories, none nursing related so far, but I can't resist sharing. I'll post them intermittently. This one isn't mine, but its my favorite. My best friend's family is very devout Catholic. Her mother "Pat" is a very level-headed woman, has no flair for the dramatic, is just an all around straight shooter so I don't think she would make this up. In the summer of 1980 she had given birth to her fourth son. Although she had three other children, this baby was the first child of her second husband's. Her new husband was very excited to take on the father role of his newly blended family, but the birth of his own blood heir brought him some sadness. His mother, who he had been extremely close to, had recently passed away after a long battle with the after effects of a stroke, before she had a chance to meet her daughter-in-law or new grandchildren. At the time, it was something that he really struggled with and Pat said her new husband's sadness was often palpable. One night, long after everyone else in the home had gone to bed, Pat heard the baby making a fuss and got up to nurse him in his room. After she was done feeding him and he had drifted off to sleep, Pat laid him in the crib and sat back down in the rocker instead of going back to bed. Pat was just sitting there rocking and looking at the crib when all of a sudden the entire right side of her body went numb and then became paralyzed. She sat in the chair for several minutes, unable to call out, trying to will the right side of body to move to no avail, panicked. Then, for reasons unknownst to her, Pat felt this overwhelming sense of calm and then a strong urge to grab the baby. So she struggled out of the rocker and dragged herself across the floor to the crib using only her left side. Pat was eventually able to grab the baby out of the crib and lay with him on the floor, holding him in her arms, rocking him while he slept. This went on for the next couple of hours. Pat says during this time she was completely lucid and calm but had no control over her voice or body, so she just stayed in her own head at peace and prayed. Eventually Pat drifted off to sleep and woke up the next morning able to move and speak again, on the floor with the baby. Once she gathered herself, Pat woke her husband to tell him what had just happened and he was moved to tears. He explained to Pat that it must have been his mother visiting them, wanting to spend time with his first biological son, her grandchild. Prior to this, Pat had heard many stories about the woman who would have been her mother-in-law and knew she had passed because of a stroke, but she hadn't known until that morning that her mother-in-law had been paralyzed on her right side while she was alive. To this day, Pat just glows when she shares this story. She feels blessed that she got to "meet" her mother-in-law and could be the vessel that allowed her mother-in-law to "meet" her first grandchild as well.

I received a call yesterday with an offer for a position early evening. I was told at the interview last week they would be making a decision at the end of this week, so perhaps some calls are going out early. Good luck!

I did my preceptorship at White and on my floor there was a mix of BSN and ADN new grads mostly from APU or Rio Hondo. Everyone was super supportive of the new grads and even me (even though I was just a random nursing student @ the time ). The new grads mostly worked nights and the expectations of them were very reasonable. They were all very bright and the vast majority of them I interacted with would not have stuck out to me as "new nurses" because they were confident. All in all White is an amazing place to start out at because they are really invested in helping their new grads build a solid footing. Good luck to everyone hope we hear something soon!