ValerieRose2

Update: Sorry, it's been a chaotic term so far! I interviewed for three positions: Observation, Medical/Surgical, and Cardiac Progressive Care. I was offered all three positions!! I know all three would give me great experience, but I had to choose Cardiac Progressive Care since I eventually want to wind up in Cardiac ICU. Thank you all for your wonderful insight! I asked a lot of questions and for my Cardiac Progressive Care interview, I mentioned evidence based practice and the nurse manager really seemed to like that. She was wondering why Cardiac Progressive Care was my last choice and I told her that I did not know that step-down units would hire new grads and that I eventually want to be in Cardiac ICU. She understood and we talked for about an hour. That was, by far, my longest interview to date, but it was a great experience. I cannot wait to start! March 17th will come soon enough, but I need to focus on learning first and pass our ATI Comprehensive Predictor.

I'm so excited to say that I am interviewing for not one, but TWO nursing positions over at Sanford in Fargo tomorrow! Yes!!! Almost two years have passed since I have started nursing school and now everything is coming to fruition! That being said, does anyone have any pointers and/or questions that I should ask them? I graduate on March 17th (yes, St. Patrick's day).

Not sure on Sanford. I know Essentia just put out something new for new grads for spring. You could look at them as well. :) Good luck.

Wish you the best of luck at your new position. I am going to be a new grad in September 2015 and I am going to start looking into jobs at Sanford or Essentia. My goal is to be in some sort of critical care unit. I have not decided which one yet. Were you an LPN prior to this or are you seriously a new grad like you mention? I'm just wondering what to expect for when I start applying at Sanford or Essentia. I really like that they got back to you so fast. That is really awesome.

The one for critical care is about two to three miles away. Not that far. All my classes this term are all online. Normally, it would be about four to 10 hours a week for class. I have clinicals starting in the fall. But homework is a different option altogether. The other one that is overnights is a CNA position at a nursing home that is about four blocks from where I live

Born and raised in Fargo. Just don't know any actual nurses other than my fellow classmates and some friends. I have one working as a CNA and the other worked with people who are developmentally disabled at Friendship, Inc.

Hey!!! So I plan on leaving my current job working in the fraud department of a bank. I figured that this is not going to help me at all in the future. I did, however, find a super awesome job as a Nursing Assistant in a Critical Care Unit. I have not applied yet, but want to know others opinions who are from North Dakota or are currently a nurse at a hospital in ND. The schedule is::: 8hr and 12hr Days and Evenings during the week and every other weekend with rotating holidays with 32 hours. Otherwise I did find another one at a local nursing home for 20 hours/week from 10pm-630am. (Usually CNA's are able to pick up extra hours, right???) My question is this::: If I were to get this position that requires 32 hours of working (I currently am working 5-9pm and every other weekend, five days a week). I am wondering is if the 32 hours would be better or worse on a nursing student. I want to be the best that I can be once I get into the workforce and I feel that with my current predicament that I will not be able to get there. My eventual goal is becoming a CRNA and I feel with the CCU as a nursing assistant will give me an advantage for when I start applying for jobs after I receive my ASN and pass the boards. So after the background has been stated... will this help out in the long-run? Or will the 32 hours hurt me more than help me. I have a six year old son and a fiance that would help me. Please help!!! :) Last two terms, my lowest grade was an A- (in case that helps out at all).

Sorry about the delay in my reply! I have been super busy with studying as hard as I can so I can get a good job later on. :) I will definitely look into Sanford, Essential, and possibly others to see if they have any program like that. I am really hoping that I get hired in a Critical Care Unit just because it is something that I am passionate in and I really want to help out those people that have had to have something done. I guess time will tell! Cannot wait to graduate in 2015!

I've been with Rasmussen since October 7th. They are really great. I have to admit, it is a little bit rocky at the beginning, because we didn't have the right books or people were exchanging for hardcover copies. I went to my first clinical site on October 15th at a local nursing home. We followed CNAs around that day which isn't what our job would've been if I stayed with the LPN Program, but it was eventful for someone who's never been a CNA before. I know other students have been CNAs for years and they said it was like they were working for free that entire time, but they allowed us to follow anyone that we wanted to. They told us that we were in charge of our clinical learning and not the instructor. All the CNAs, LPNs and the one RN were all wonderful and they were very informative about what they were doing. The instructors and the Dean have been great. I recently was told that their RN Program has moved to the campus that I am currently at and they called me and asked me if I'd prefer to be in their RN Program. I accepted without hesitation. My current graduation date is on September 20th, 2015. I am currently enrolled in two classes soon to be three and will be fully starting my Nursing classes in January. I can keep you updated as I go through Nursing school, but I honestly think that Rasmussen was a good choice for me.

Do you know if any of the hospitals hire new grads in any of the CCUs? Telemetry sounds like a good choice though. You said that it took you a year in Telemetry to get into ICU? That would be fine... I'm hoping that telemetry is available when I start looking for a job in about two years. Thank you for your comments, they are greatly appreciated.

Would telemetry include any of the following: MICU, SICU, CCU, TICU or NICU? I'm sorry for asking such a naïve question, but I'm not quite sure exactly how everything works out yet. I've never had anyone talk to me about being a nurse before and what to expect. Basically, my end game is being a CRNA and all of those count as critical care experience. I'm trying to map out my next ten years of life just to get the idea of how everything will turn out.

When I say ICU/other, I mean something in critical care.

I just started Nursing school on October 7th. I'm very excited and learning about all things to do with nursing. I would like to be in ICU/other as a career. My question is this... Are hospitals willing to hire new grads into ICU/other in North Dakota or do I have to work my way up into ICU and if so... how long would it take?