dreams91

Hello everyone, I am currently a working RPN, bridging in the BScN program, and I'm near the finish line. I'm in my mid 20s, and while I love the idea of acuity and the excitement of working in critical nursing areas, I would like to have a family of my own one day. The nurses I have worked with have missed holidays, family events, etc., by working 12 hour shifts in hospitals. I have no kids/obligations, so I don't mind any of the shifts I get, however, in the long run, I do wonder if shift work will be worth it regarding family. Am I right for thinking like this now? My mind has been wandering to Public Health ever since I got the opportunity to have a community placement last semester, and it seems more "family friendly", for a lack of better terms. Or even working in an area of nursing that doesn't require 12 hour shift work (OR, for example). If anyone has had any experience in Public Health, or any other comments regarding my statements, I'd love to hear your perspectives. Thank you!

Hello all, I'm a RPN located in the GTA of Ontario currently looking for a job. I've been applying to local hospitals since January with no luck. I am also a RPN-BScN student, currently in level II, and it would be in my best interest to gain employment before I enter level III. Here's the thing. I've heard conflicting information about LTC nurses from multiple nurses. Some advise me to apply seeing as how I have not had a call back from a hospital, yet others advise against it. Those who advise against it have told me "it's very difficult for a hospital to hire you if they see you working in LTC." They state that working in LTC will not only be a loss of skills I have learned, but I will also most likely be alone on the floor. For instance, I have heard many LTC facilities having one or two RPNs responsible for medication administration for 30+ residents...this was told to me by nurses already working in LTC facilities. I do not want to give up all because hospitals are not giving me feedback, however, how long am I supposed to wait in the shadows before I hear something. In my opinion, it would be best to at least apply to LTC, however, the responses I get from others are very discouraging. Any friendly opinions/advice would be appreciated. Thanks in advance.

I technically finished all my educational courses in April of this year and took the first offered opportunity to write the CPNRE, which was in May. Like Caffeine said, the knowledge acquired is fresh in your mind. Also, in terms of jobs, many of my classmates wanted to start working right away. With that being said, life happens with certain circumstances, and you might find that you are not optimally at your best to take the CPNRE right away. That's totally fine as well. We are given three chances to take the exam - January, May, and October are the months that students write.

2 hour class before the exam? I've never heard of that at all. I took it back in April, and it wasn't that difficult, in my opinion. I just read through all of the required documents and took the exam.

Passed in Hamilton as well! The wait was unbearable. Good luck to those of you still waiting.

Congratulations! Toronto has received their results as well. Hopefully those of us in Hamilton will get ours by Monday at the latest.

Well, using the CPNRE as an example, it just seems to be a matter of province...depending on where you live will determine the speed of getting the results.

Congratulations! If only Ontario could receive results that quickly.

The CPNRE was written on May 21st. I have heard that certain provinces have received their results in about 3 weeks afterwards.

Hey:) I also took the CPNRE last week, and honestly found it to be a little bit more challenging than the predictor tests. The level of difficulty was higher than the prep book, so with that being said, the prep book did not help at all, imo. What really annoyed me was seeing two or three questions that were not spoken of in my program whatsoever. I can't believe it's almost been a full week since the exam....time is literally crawling by. This is going to be the longest 5 weeks of my life.

Hello everyone, I have been accepted into the RPN to BScN bridging stream at Mcmaster ? super excited, yet nervous about entering at level II in September. A little history about me...I have already been through the mo/mac BScN program at McMaster in 2011. I didn't do so great (failed anatomy) and was kicked out of the program. I entered the Practical Nursing program at Mohawk in January of 2013, and I am now studying for my CPNRE. It's safe to say that I am determined to obtain a degree after all the obstacles that I have been through. Seeing as how the bridging stream is slightly different from the "regular" mo/mac stream, is there anyone that could give advice as to what to expect from the program? Study tips (seeing as how this is not going to be the same as the RPN program). And any general information on how to basically survive the next three years would be helpful. I honestly plan on working part time while I'm in the program (hopefully a shift per week), I have worked hard for my RPN diploma and plan on utilizing the skills that I have learned into the workforce. Any advice would be greatly appreciated ?