bsartor

Carpdiem1012 also I read that when stating your weakness describe a weakness of yours that is also a strength in disguise. Just like vintagemother did!

Thanks for the response! I love seeing the different opinions. Which is so important because this is a complex, sometimes difficult new area for me. There are so many "shoulds" and "should nots" that I was never aware of or taught. As a first generation college grad, and from a family where no one has a professional career, I struggle with these things.

Thanks for the response! Because I am new to professional job seeking, I am very likely to make mistakes. #3 is based on the recommendation of what other nurses have told me. In 2 different cases I was graciously given a letter of recommendation and told that I may edit if needed. And by edit I mean in addressing the specific organization or position sought. I would definitely prefer not to edit them as is as I am applying to several different hospitals, and that would be time consuming. Valid arguments, good advice. Thanks :)

jadelpn! Yessss! Thank you Those tough interview questions can cause your interview to spiral downward!!! I learned the hard way to practice my answers and I cannot tell you how it made me appear so much more confident and competent! Just this week during recruitment for a fantastic hospital, the recruiter asked us if we knew the mission statement for the hospital. Be prepared. Do your research.

This is what I have learned about professional job hunting so far. There is an expected skill or etiquette to various situations that you will encounter on your hunt for a job. PLEASE, add to the list if you have something to share! 1. Reference letters are a must! Yes, you may be new to reference letters but all professionals use them. It gives employers a sense of your character and how well you were received by others in your profession. A great recommendation from an esteemed individual in the community could be your "golden ticket" 2. Certain individuals hardly ever write a recommendation letter themselves. Doctors, Directors, those with a PhD in a busy academic position rarely have the time to write one but are usually more than willing to sign a template you provide!!! 3. Even if someone does draft a letter of recommendation for you, make sure to ask if you may edit it for EACH SPECIFIC JOB that you apply for. Yes. that sounds like a lot of work but it is important. 4. These people are taking time out of their day to provide recommendations. Please have the courtesy to in the very least send a hand written thank you note. 5. Always. Always. Always have several recommendation letters ready to go. As well as a well edited resume, list of references and contact info, and cover letter. You NEVER know what may come up last minute and in this tough market you have to act fast! 6. Speaking of acting fast. I recently found out about a recruitment hospital opportunity very, very last minute. Thank heavens I had several conservative dresses that were clean, pressed and ready to go. I grabbed one and my resume portfolio, and was done. Always have at least 1 formal career outfit ready to go! 7. No way around applications. Fill them out completely. Don't be lazy. 8. Don't list people as references and NOT notify them. That is inconsiderate. Always ask permission first. 9. Go online, search for common interview questions and really think about how "you" would answer them. 10. Keep a file or portfolio of your resumes, business cards, HR contacts etc. Organization is key. One door may close but other doors may open in the future. Keep those business cards. 11. If you are pulled for an interview, it is courteous to send a thank you note. That's all I can think of now. Again, please add more tips and advice.

Love this! I only have this one so far but it was a game changer for me. If you have to clamp the foley tubing to obtain a urine culture, you can fold the tubing, the easily slide a vacutainer adapter over the kinked tubing. It was always a battle to properly clamp the thick tubing with hemostats.

Thank you kdonna! I'm so happy to hear that you ended up having a few job options. But like you said I don't want to jeopardize my license by not being careful who I work for. Good for you for taking the time to do your job right. I hope your situation improves! It's definitely super difficult for new nurses out there. Hopefully you have coworkers or mentors who can guide you and give you support. Keep me updated! I just have to stay positive and keep applying! :) Good luck!

This is it! I put in the work. Graduated. Passed boards. I have my license number. I'm all ready to go. I'm applying for every job that I can, but after I submit my resumes and applications, it's all out of my hands! Will I find a job? How long will it take? Of course no one can answer these questions. But this is the part I have dreaded! I am so anxious to think I could spend hours, weeks applying for jobs and not hear anything from potential employers. I feel like I could control my grades, and it was up to me to pass NCLEX. But as far as getting a job, it's almost the luck of the draw. Anyone else felt like this? I just feel like this is out of my hands, and my family is counting on me. (Unrelated note: when my mom graduated nsg school, she got to CHOOSE her job and it was waiting for her after boards! Ahh the good ole days! LOL ) Thanks guys. I just needed to vent.

This was actually a good question! My first health care job was as a mental health tech in a inpatient psychiatric facility. Their way of doing report was via an old school tape recorder. This was in 2009. The off going Charge Nurse would record report on all 16 patients in the milieu for that unit and the oncoming shift which included the Charge RN, Med Nurse, and the 2 MHTs would go into a private meeting room and listen to report. This was done from while the off going staff maintained an eye on the unit. So your question was very reasonable. However, this wasn't a personal phone and was approved by the facility.

This post is on point times 10! You hit like 5 topics that people just don't get. Everyone, including myself, needs this friendly reminder. Thanks

#1. Yes nursing involves a lot of science. It is the foundation to everything nurses do. #2. In order to think like a medical professional, you always go back to fundamental sciences to understand the disease processes (i.e. chemistry, anatomy, physiology, microbiology, biology...they all come into play) #3.You can't really get those courses out of the way because they always come back up, one way or another. #4. For the body to function properly it depends on all they sciences (microbes for healthy gut, physics and chemistry because water flows via osmosis and salt and potassium are gate keepers to the cells, anatomy and physiology to know where and how organs function, its all important. Many of my friends, including me, became nurses because they LOVE science. We also want to do good and help people. Good luck :)

THANK YOU!!! I did not know the percentage of people who pass on their first attempt. 85% is so reassuring to hear. I will breathe a little bit easier tonight

A couple of times I got really sick before an exam and literally could not sit at a desk and read. So I used his free videos on Youtube and they were a lifesaver! I could lay in bed, watch and learn despite feeling miserable. I personally wouldn't purchase the program. Everything I needed was on Youtube and money was way too tight when I was in school. Another word of caution: It's ok to use extra sources to study now and then, but keep your textbook or class notes as your MAIN source. Several of my classmates overwhelmed themselves because they were studying way too many extra sources.

I just completed my last clinical rotation in the biggest Trauma ICU in a large city. So even though I am not a registered nurse yet I thought I could share some things about a TICU. I haven't done Trauma ER or resuscitation (here we call the unit Resus) so I cannot speak to that. So TICU in a nutshell: Patient demographics: 16 and up, every race, every socioeconomic background. Criminals, victims etc.... Usually it is younger and healthy patients that end up in the TICU. Types of Trauma: Mult GSW, MVA, Head Trauma, SCI, surgical trauma, Burns, lots of ribs Fx with pneumo or hemothorax. Lots of chest tubes, JP drains, open abdominal incisions from abdominal HTN, compartment syndrome and fasciotomies due to fluid overload from resuscitation efforts. Pros: Medications are straight forward. All the meds to maintain the ventilated patient (Fentanyl gtts, vecoronium, propophol.) Generally patients are young and healthy so usually you don't have a lot of meds to give like you would in a Coronary or Surgical ICU (Tons of meds in the surgical ICU to prevent organ rejection) You see patients survive massive trauma and heal! I am amazed at how fast skin and bones can heal. The brain takes it's time. CONS: It can be pretty gnarly (but I like blood and guts). Sometimes they even open up an abdomen at bedside and you see the intestines swell out of the abdominal cavity. You WILL be nursing and caring for murderers, violent, and otherwise less than angelic patients. You will care for hardened individuals that belong to some seriously violent gangs. And you MUST care for them as you would any patient. Sometimes it is super sad when you have a teenage female that is awaiting trial for murder. Good luck

Thanks everyone! Another milestone reached, and now I'm ready for the next challenge!