Sarahe23

Hello! I have also been a new RN for a short time-- I graduated 5/19 and couldn't wait to get started out of school. Now at times I wish I could go back-- but for the most part love what I do. I have also been faced with the need to change jobs, push back on seemingly lazy co-workers, fight for better preceptors, and at the end of the day sometimes I just want to cry. But... I am changing jobs, going back to a hospital environment (I worked in one as an LPN while in school) and determined to make this job in OB in a small community hospital better for myself. My best advice: do consider changing jobs, shifts, preceptors-- something to make things better for yourself. Do your homework-- ask about staffing ratios, number of beds, nurse turn over rates, etc. before you change facilities or fields... sometimes in my expereince the grass looks greener but is just as brown underneath. Good luck-- I hope that you don't give up on nursing!

Northern Vermont: GN's start at $23.53 and go up within one year of hire to about $1 more an hour.

Hello! I completed my ADN in May and had been working in a residential treatment program for pregnant and parenting teens since January as an LPN. There were great expectations of my new RN degree: I would be the nursing coordinator (I work with an LPN with 35 years of experience!) and would take on all of the duties that the LPN could not due to her licensure. Well, to make a long story short, the pay is much less than working in a hopsital in this area (around $10,000 less than my classmates are making, and with no overtime) and two weeks after I began working full-time, my co-worker left for spinal surgery, and will be out until October. The agency says they do not have enough money to hire someone to help me this summer while my co-worker is out. I feel very stuck and very isolated-- I am the only nurse, I am a new RN, and I am trying to do the work of two people. As much as I would like to quit, I feel this would be horrible as then there would be no nursing staff while my co-worker is out. I feel very "stucK"! Any advice? Thanks so much, Sarah

I work as an RN in a residential treatment program for pregnant and parenting teens with drug/alcohol addiciton issues who are trying to get back on their feet. The pay isn't nearly as good as hospital nursing... but the hours and the co-workers are great! Sarah

Arrggg! I can't believe that this summer has flown by so quickly-- and now I am getting ready to begin my LPN program in two weeks. I am so scared! What if I fail, what if I forget something important when I am in clinical, what if I say the wrong thing to a patient? EEK! I know I am also at a disadvantage as I couldn't afford to buy my books in advance as many of my future classmates did. Any last minute words of advice out there?? Hope you all are well! Sarah

Hi! I can't tell you about SVC but UVM is very expensive. I took several undergrad courses there, and the tuition for an out-of-state student is VERY high. I have also heard that it can be competitive for out-of-state admissions. I might try our local community college to take pre-reqs and then matriculating.... did you look at Norwich University's program as well? Good luck~ Sarah :flowersfo

Hi! I am a native Vermonter about to enter an LPN program... I could tell you that in terms of looking for jobs, each hospital on our area, and especially Fletcher Allen Health Care in Burlington, has a website and on-line job postings. There are also organizations like the Visiting Nurses Association, Professional Nursing Service, and other Home Health Care Agencies. The BUrlington Free Press, the local paper, is also on-line and has a great classified section so you could look to see the price and availability of rental or other real estate. The alternative newpaper in our area is called "Seven Days" and is also on-line-- I think at seven days vt. com, or something like that. It will give you entertainment and cultural listings as well as quirky articles. I hope that this helps.... and what other kind of information are you looking for? I will be glad to send along whatever I can dig up. I personally really love living here... the cost of living is high, but the safety and the quality of schools for my child are a large factor in my wanting to be here. :) Take care, Sarah

No, I am attending VTC in Vermont starting in late August. I would be interested in knowing if Southern Vermont hospitals are doing the same thing-- I can only speak for Northern Vermont (FAHC, etc). Sarah

Although I am just starting my program in August, members of my family who are working in hospitals (RN's included) tell me that the large hospitals in our area have a hiring freeze on LPN's... from what I understand this is something that they do once about every 7-10 years, they will 'weed out' their LPN's and not hire them for a while... very depressing. I hope that by the time I graduate I will get a job in something other than LTC....

Hello, all... Sounds like VT is more on the expensive end. Cost for three semesters in LPN program at local voc tech school is about $10,000 plus uniforms and around $700 for books. It has a great reputation-- only 28 or so admitted (I think) and will graduate in June '06. RN program is much more expensive if I choose to go on...

Me too! I am so happy to hear there are others out there like me. I studied art history and religious studies at Smith college... graduated as an "older" student and haven't been able to find a job in anything remotely 'art-y' for over a year. I also always wanted to be a nurse, and decided to just go for it-- fortunately I have a supportive partner and lovely daughter who think I can do it... even on the days when I am afraid that I can't. :) I start my LPN program in August, and then hopefully on to RN... :flowersfo

Hi, everybody! My name is Sarah. I live in Vermont with my partner and ten y.o. daughter-- I am also starting an LPN program at our local technical college in August. It's so hard right now to figure out all of the details! Work, not work, where to work? ... I just wish it were started so I could get going! Good luck to you all! Keep in touch-- I'm going to ned your help with memorizing A& P !!! LOL

Hello, everyone! I am also starting my LPN program full-time in the fall-- August 22nd to be exact. I am also very nervous about the math-- in our first orientation meeting on 5/25, the director of the program made it very clear that if you are not a strong math student, that you should get a tutor now... and so I am going to do my best to work on math for meds all summer too... my ten y.o. daughter can't believe I am going to be studying during her "days off", but I think she also understands how important this is to me, and how much I want to do it successfully! Good luck everyone!

Hello! I am curious as to what nurses in the field would recommend-- I am looking at either matriculating into an LPN to ADN program or an LPN to BSN program. What would your advice be? Are there differences in pay, advancement, job responsibilities, etc? Please let me know! Thanks! Sarah

I just had my physical too--unfortunately it took me some time to find my childhood immunization records to prove I had vaccines for things like Polio, etc... if this is the case for anyone else, start digging for those records now! My school also highly recommended having a Hep B series, which takes a year to complete... otherwise it was fairly straightforward. I was, however, shocked by how much time my Dr took in askin me questions about my financial status (was I going to have enough money to live during school? was I going to work?) etc and her advise to be careful not to burn out... yikes. As if I wasn't nervous enough already! Anyway. Hope this helps. :) Sarah