dettwiller5

I graduated in December and only have experience with hospitals on the Penninsula. There were 13 people in my graduating class. All but one is already working but that is by her choice. We graduated from RIverside's program. Two of us are at Mary Immaculate, two at Obici in SUffolk, one at Walter Reed in Gloucester, and 7 are at RIverside. In other words, all of the hospitals that I mentioned will hire new grads.

Hi- I would love to see what you use. I am a new grad and I am starting in Mother/baby on THursday. Would yoiu mind emailing it to me also?

I just started at Mary Immaculate. Base pay there for a new grad is 20.70 with 4.00 evening, 6.00 night, and .75 weekend differentials. RIverside's starting salary is 20.30. Sentara's is slightly more, so I hear.

Hi everyone I graduated in December and accepted a position in Mother/Baby at a local hospital :). I begin a week of hospital orientation tomorrow. I know the first day is Human Resources stuff. What can I expect for the next four days?

I disagree with this comment- in fact my experience has been that many employers prefer older nurses to twenty something nurses. We are more mature, know what we want, we are in it for the long haul, and we do not take more time to "catch on". That was pretty insulting. Everything is based on the individual. I was just hired as a new grad in a mother/baby unit and it was apparent that they had no problem with my age (I'm 40) All of kids are in school so there arent as many childcare issues and I am not having any more children. THis is a second career for me as I have a BS in HEalth Eduaction and was a middle school teacher. Several students in my class were at least 10 years older than me an have not had a problem finding jobs- GO FOR IT!

I agree that it would be great if you could find a hospital with a really good new grad orientation program. Have you considered home health? It works for a lot of nurses- you can focus care on one patient at a time. Many home health agencies that are attached to hospitals where I live hire new grads and have a great orientation program. GOod lUck with everything.

THere is no shortage here in Southeastern VA- I just graduated in Dec and most of the students in my class (including me) had a job lined up before graduation in the units that they desired. :)

THere are schools that have a track for people who already have a BS in another field and want to pursue a BSN or an MSN. I would research colleges near your home to see what they offer. I just graduated from a diploma RN program. I have a BS in HEalth Education and another person in my class had a BS in Biology. Now that we both have our RN liscence it opens the door for us to go straight for an MSN is we choose to do so. With the degree you already have you already have many of the credits that you would need to at BSN- for example A+P and Microbiology. It wouldnt take very long to receive your BSN.

Koi tops do run small but they go up to 3x. I would size up one size.

I would check out the VA board of Nursing website for the answers

I am also a new graduate nurse and I have made the decision to accept a position in Mother/baby- so I do not think you need to go to med/surg first! If psych is what you are interested in - go for it!!

I can totally relate!! I also graduated a couple of weeks ago and feel completely drained! I have been really tired lately- like I've been going and going for 3 years stressing about tests, work, my three kids, husband, trying to find time for everything. Now that it is over- it is surreal. I havent cracked a book yet to study for the NCLEX but am planning to do so the day the kids are back in school (JAN 5)

Oh- and did I mention that although the koi pants do not fit me- LOVE Koi tops! They are actually long enough for me!!

I wear a size 18 or so in regular clothes and I am very tall (6 ft). I prefer the cherokee workwear drawstring flares and I wear an XL tall in them. I know that they also come in petite sizes and go up to 2x. THey are very flattering and comfortable. The lindsay pants are so cute but they are a junior fit and run smaller than the cherokee workwear. I hope this helps!

I'm not sure how it is in other states, but in VA the pay isnt any different for someone with a BSN vs an associate's degree or diploma- all sit for the same test and get the same pay