Don2014

I had a similar situation only 2 weeks ago. I had my first day of a 5pt load with admits and discharges. I knew it could have gone better, but when I asked my preceptor what I could have done better, there was no response. The next day I was asked to resign. I ask myself the same question as you do every day since this happened.

Where did you decide to go? Any other recommendations?

45 year old new grad here too. After being downsized from NPR, I went into night weekend program at a local community college. I found that the night students were highly educated, focused and had little time for drama. I have a couple words of advice. Find a good group to study with; don't go through it yourself. BTW, I was not the oldest student; a couple were over 60 and both found jobs within a month of graduation. You have a lot to offer the profession. But as others pointed out, it is a physically and psychologically demanding job. Get in shape and loose any extra pounds. Nurse salaries in my area start at 45,000 a year. You're not going to get rich being an RN, but if you keep going to school (for an MSN) and are willing to move around that will probably go up. Teachers have great pensions and I hope you are not loosing any significant amounts of financial security by doing this move. I just wanted to add that nurses inspire me. They are without a doubt the most intelligent, educated and caring group of professionals I've had the pleasure of working with.

Apparently the oil from your skin can degrade the tubing. Maybe the cover will aslo extend the life of the scope? I just got a Littmann Cardiology III ( good sounding scope BTW) and want it to last a while.

Two masks with toothpaste in between. Works wonders!

To answer your original question - Yes, I have a friend who worked construction for 20+ years and is now a fantastic ICU nurse. He frequently flies to Haiti to help build houses and nursing duties! In other words, a great guy. There's good advice here. Either become a CNA and get your feet wet along with some financial assistance, or stay at your job until you are admitted to a program. My story: (if it helps) I was downsized from NPR at the age of 42 and just finished my RN. Now I work in a Thoracic cardiovascular unit of a major university hospital. You can do it! It just may take longer than you think. If you're like me with a previous degree that had no math or science courses, it will take 3 years for a 2 year degree.

In my experience, 3-4 patients is low and explains why no was running around. The unit I worked on (as a CNA) was 6 or 7, and some days were crazy!

From what my friends are telling me, the "non profit" hospitals they are working for are treating them just as Wal-Mart would!

I just started and can add a few things. It's location specific. My "home" is in a state of change with a new FA and almost all new nurses and techs. So, I'm training in a nearby location that is smoothly run from the top down. The company has many programs to assist employees in any endeavor including adopting a child, continuing education, and even a bonus for nurses coming out of school. The pay was 25% higher than either of the 2 hospitals in town. Yes, it will be redundant and stressful some days, but what job isn't? Plus, no overnight shifts and I have off Sundays which is great for family time.

Thank you Medic2 and Commuter! It sounds like I should ditch the jacket since this interview is for a staff nurse position. Now I have to work on the questions that are going to be thrown at me! BTW- This site has been an excellent resource for me. Now that I have passed NCLEX and will hopefully start working soon, I plan on contributing more often. Thanks guys!

I have been taking nursing interviews for a first job out of school and need some advice. I am older (45yrs) and am concerned that I looked too "corporate" in previous interviews by wearing both a jacket and tie. While I'm sure that dress alone was not the only reason I was not offered a position, I'm thinking that for the next one (on Thursday) I should loose either the jacket or tie. Do you think it matters? I do like to dress well, but I think it might be not a helpful thing during a nursing interview.

I would not have made it through school alone. I stuck with a small group of 5 friends (who were all smarter than myself) who studied together and graduated with honors. The negative people will find people with similar attitudes.

There are going to be difficult people everywhere you go, even more if you work in a large hospital. Try to think of it as not just "school" but an opportunity to develop a professional attitude that you will use every day when confronted by unfriendly people.

I am just out of school as an RN and joined DaVita. I was surprised as well to see that they would hire without any experience. I will be happy to relay my experiences in this situation.

Hi guys! They offered a position with chronic patients in one of their out-patient clinics. I liked being there for a 10 hour shift and got see how the staff supports each other and observed a smooth work flow. I signed and start on Monday!

My advice: Remember that NCLEX is more about how to pass a test than nursing skills. I had to learn a completely different set of skills (in addition to nursing) in order to study and pass NCLEX. This is where Kaplan excels. I was not the candidate who had the computer shut off at 75 questions. Instead, it shut off after 175! It found my weak spot and drilled away for over 3 hours and every other question was SATA! Which is a skill we never learned in college. Actually it was the opposite. In classes, we had time limits on questions and had only seconds to think about the answer. If this was your experience, it may be difficult, but - SLOW DOWN. Use the whole time that the Kaplan clock gives, and try not to race it. Shoot for 65% on the Qbank. There is on this site a great "check list" of topics. I recommend it highly. I felt beat up, literally, after 3+ hours of NCLEX and passed. It's more of a mental challenge than a question of your nursing abilities. But you CAN do it!!

I'm in the same situation, having a Bachelors degree in another field and an ADN. Looking at the BSN programs for colleges in my area, it appears that other than 3 or 4 courses that they are repeats of what I already have taken. Which leads to believe that it is simply a cash cow for local institutions to require this. In the case of my small town, the one requiring the BSN is same one that is selling the product. I'm hoping that the education industry will change with demand, even though it's more profitable not to.

Hi! I'm in the same situation. I'm a new grad (passed NCLEX last week!) and a local DaVita clinic offered me an attractive hourly rate, but I only have experience working in hospitals. My solution was to shadow a nurse for a 12 hour shift to see what a typical day would look like and to see if I would be a good fit. I recommend that you do the same, since the likes and dislikes on this site seem to be facility specific. Find out: how well it is staffed (and if they plan on changing in the near future), what the patient loads and responsibilities are, how supportive the staff is to each other. I had good experience and plan on accepting the position. It may be worth a day to check it out. The orientation is about 3 months and pretty intense from what I was told by other nurses. Best of luck!

Thank you for advice! I requested to shadow a nurse for a shift to see first hand what the details of the job look like. Plus it seems like many of the opinions on this site differ based on the way specific facilities are run, along the attitude of the staff. It looks like a good place to start and learn, but I'll know better after tomorrow. I'm 45 years old and want to specialize in an area of nursing.

I want to thank everyone for making site a valuable tool. I visited many times before taking NCLEX! Anyway, I'm a new grad RN with 3 years experience in an ICU as a CNA, so I have good idea of what it's like to work in a hospital. But I haven't been able to get a position in my hospital, which equates to unemployment. DaVita offered a good starting salary, even though my passion is cardiac, I can't help but think that learning all about renal can never be wasted experience. Any opinions on starting in dialysis? I have to give an answer by tomorrow!

Don't fret! I got 175 questions and thought that was exhausting. I can only imagine how you feel. If you get all 265, then it's an average of the final 100 or so questions. So that may take longer to calculate?

There is no substitute for the hard work that you're already doing. Understanding patho is paramount. But I can say from doing both that the Saunders questions were easier than Kaplan. The scores I got confirmed it. 58-65 in Kalplan and 70-80 with Saunders. I recommend Kaplan! And yes, it did suck for me too. I got 175 questions, and don't yet know if I passed.

Just took it today with 175 questions. I was in the test for over 3 hours! I took a (third!) break at 170 and was exhausted. Luckily it stopped at 175. It seemed like every other question was a SATA and a priority. I went with a friend who was done in a hour with 75, and he had to wait 2 hours. I felt horrible. The only silver lining is that both of us are getting the "good" popup from Pearson, but we will know definitely tomorrow. Thanks for all of your suggestions and help. Visiting this site every couple days in the months spent studying, really helped.

I talked with an oncology nurse yesterday who did all 265 and passed. I've heard of the folks who have gotten a cut off at 75 and failed!

What they are saying is - Don't go too far into debt for this (or any profession). I went to a community college and got an ADN for about $2,000 with some support from my hospital and a scholarship. I know what you're thinking, but I can get one, anyone can! I'm hoping to get hired by a local university hospital to help pay for a BSN. BTW, student IS the next credit bubble. It's more dangerous than other debt, since it has no consumer protection and banks get paid quicker if you default.