Rockhopper

Although you worked hard to get your BS, it is not completely relevant to your work as a nurse. I have a BS in science and went back to school to get my MSN. I work as a staff nurse in a hospital and usually just sign [First initial] [Last Name], RN. On my badge, the RN & MSN is listed. I have the MSN listed because I worked hard for that degree.

I'm sorry to hear about this. Anti-gay discrimination really gets under my skin. It's not right. The guy was assaulted & I'm glad that someone called the cops on the attacker. If you don't speak up, would you regret it? However, if you do speak up, are you prepared for the consequences? It doesn't seem like you are - plus from what I'm reading about the vibe of the town, you'll probably have a steep uphill battle. Are you able to relocate? Is travel nursing an option?

CEs aren't required for new licenses for the 1st renewal. http://www.rn.ca.gov/licensees/lic-renewal.shtml (copied & pasted from above website) Continuing Education All RNs in the State of California who wish to maintain an active license are required to complete 30 hours of continuing education for license renewal. The continuing education course(s) must be taken through a Board approved Continuing Education Provider. Please refer to Continuing Education for License Renewal for additional information. NOTE: During the first two years immediately following initial licensure in California or other jurisdictions, licensees shall be exempt from completion of the continuing education requirements specified in Title 16, California Code of Regulations Section 1451.

I can clean up pts with c-diff, constant diarrhea, etc. I can do enemas, deal with impactions, etc. I have no prob with blood, stage 4 pressure ulcers, wounds, drains, etc. I can talk about it all when I'm eating too. I can't clean the cat's litterbox. It makes me gag.

Pat, LOL, I like kidding suggestion #1. Thanks for the laugh!

Aside from the VA, the only other hospital system hiring CNLs in Cal are Providence hospitals. http://www.providence.org/home/default.htm. I don't know anything about them though. The role of the CNL has been implemented in Florida & some other East Coast states. Maybe a search on their state forums would be helpful. Like others have stated, the CNL prepares you to be a generalist at the bedside. I was accepted to an ABSN program as well but choose the MSN program because of the school (it was more organized, had a better rep, was more established). I also choose MSN over community college mostly because of time - it was only 18 months. Definitely shorter than cc. Although it was a lot more $$, it was worth it - we got a good mix of classes (leadership, finance, management), a CNA certificate was required before enrolling, and it was a relatively small class (~20 students). What I liked most was the emphasis on evidence based practice & critical thinking to see the larger picture (what's wrong with the system & how can it be fixed?) I have ~1 yr experience as a staff RN on a tele/med-surg floor. I got my CNL certificate but I don't know if I'm going to apply it later in my career. Currently, I have no desire to. I don't see many hospitals hiring CNLs when there's such a shortage at the bedside.

12 hr shifts should have a minimum of two 15s (although our CNA contract says we are allowed three 15s) and one 30. Most ppl "voluntarily" take only a 15 & a 30. I try to take the 2nd 15 but it's not always feasible since the lunch/break RN can't possibly relieve everyone for all breaks.

I had something like this on my resume which showed I was not a nurse already. Hope this helps. Objective: To obtain a position in a Medical Surgical Registered Nurse New Graduate Training Program Education/Certificates: School Name, Program Name, M.S.N. (Accelerated Entry Level Master’s Program), Grad Date. Overall GPA Membership in student nursing associations/societies with dates Certificate such as CNA license, BCLS, etc with cert #s & exp dates. B.S./B.A. with Uni name, major (didn't put date because not as relevant & to avoid revealing my age). Clinical rotations: dates, location, type of unit, # of hrs In my cover letter I explained my resume (I had a section on skills (foreign language in addition to clinical skills), health related experience (both volunteer & paid positions) teaching & management experience, & research experience (to show that I know about evidence based research) - I wanted to include my non nursing work experience & show that I could apply it to the nsg world). Some employers were still confused so I just had to explain it to them right up front. Good luck

In Northern California, there's no pay difference between ADN & BSN at most hospitals, unless the hospital wants to attain Magnet status (then, they'll want to hire BSNs). However, if you're interested in management, a BSN will give you the advantage. Additionally (but not too much of a big deal), with a BSN, you don't have to take additional classes to get a Public Health Certificate (since public health classes are included in the curriculum).

That really sucks about College of Morris...however, I don't think you should give up on the College of New Rochelle. Out here in San Francisco, the community colleges are harder to get into than some of the BSN/MSN programs - only because the community colleges accept students based on a lottery system. I was accepted into a MSN program, waitlisted for a ABSN program (but was later accepted), and did not even hear anything from the community colleges. I don't know how they do it in New Jersey though - it won't hurt to call New Rochelle to confirm the acceptance letter. The worst news will be that an error was made again...but, you never know, maybe it wasn't an error & you really have been accepted. I'm extremely disappointed to hear that people have discouraged you from pursuing certain professions due to your background. As a minority & having parents who were also immigrants, I have heard ignorant comments from others but not to that extent. I have never let it influence my decisions nor have I accepted it. That being said, I hope that you don't think that all White people are the same - each individual is unique, just like every non-white person.

Depends upon your level of experience....Can't speak for Stanford but Kaiser's base pay in the Bay Area for RN I ( The most family friendly place in SF is Noe Valley - lots of strollers & dogs on 24th street. It's usually too cold for the strollers to come out at night though.

Yes, you can apply to hospitals as an RN I being a new grad. The main difference between being a new grad and an RN I is that new grads theoretically get a structured program introducing them to the hospital, such as hours with their other new grads in their cohort (learning nsg skills, discussing their experiences) and observing other depts in the hospital (ie. PT, Speech, Pharm, Lab, etc). Although this is nice, I feel that it takes time away from being on the floor with the preceptor...Other than that, the hrs of preceptorship may be the same. At Kaiser, the pay is the same for orientees & RN I. At Kaiser, you are eligible to request a transfer to a different facility after working for 6 months. Hope this helps.

I waited 2 weeks and I passed. I had to keep calling the BRN about missing paperwork though. If it makes you feel any better...when I drove up to Sac to drop off an updated transcript (my school had sent it without posting my degree on it), there a handful of people waiting to be helped...and the office seemed pretty busy. I think it also depends on who your evaluator is. Mine was so busy that she had someone else help her with her files. Your classmates/friends may have had a different evaluator from you. Good luck!

I had some great professors who really care about their students and about developing competent nurses. It is evident that they love teaching and it is a rewarding experience for them. It was very easy to develop trust with them and to learn from them. These nurses contain a wealth of knowledge and I appreciated their time and efforts. However, the bulk of the faculty was horrible. I never thought the saying "those that can, do; those that can't, teach" was valid until I started nursing school. The bottom line is that nurses have little financial incentive to be employed in an academic setting. Since it so difficult to find and retain competent educators, horrible teachers can wreak havoc for semesters before (if any) intervention by administration is taken. What is most unfortunate is that this is not just limited to my program. It seems to be a consistent problem at many schools. The only way to stop this cycle is for nurses to step up and make those changes as faculty at their alma mater. However, this is easier said than done...especially with a busy work and life schedule.

What one of my professor's did was really convenient...she emailed me the letter of rec and put her electronic signature on it (the e-signature was simply her name in a cursive font)...that way I could modify the addressee with each job that I applied to make it more personal for that recruiter. I kept my professor informed as of what jobs I was applying to - so it was no surprise when they called her for a reference.