OneHappyRN

I agree w/ LM NY. A lot of nurses get their start in med-surg for a good foundation from which to build. It's great to get your time in and gain experience. Northwell Health is a great system if you can get your foot in the door!

I believe there are stages a new grad goes through and one stage is definitely, "what have I gotten myself into!!" I have to say, I've been doing it for just over a year and it DOES get better. Is it stressful? Yes. You will have good days and bad days, but I find that the good days far out-weigh the bad days. It will take time to get used to the job. I can't tell you how many times I just wanted to quit during the first 6 months. I'm glad I stuck it out though because I feel much more comfortable and confident. Do I still have questions and need to ask for help? Of course, but that's what my co-workers and managers are for. We're a team and are there for each other. What you are experiencing is normal. Hang in there!

Definitely helped. I used Kaplan and passed in 75Q. I felt very prepared for the NCLEX.

This is the latest information as of July 2014: City/State: NYC/Queens/Long Island Position: RN 12.5hr shift - Med Surg (although it doesn't matter which floor all RNs start at the same salary) Pay: Days: $40/hr and Nights: $42.50/hr Benefits: FT (3 days/week) 100% Medical as well as dental and eye discounts Housing/Rent in area: Varies greatly by area. Nice area studio or 1 bedroom $1000-$1500 but it probably would not be anything fancy and would be small and plain.

I have a sheet of paper that I carry around with me. On that paper I have columns for each pt. I have a column for vital signs, meds due throughout the shift, updates/things to do. I even jot down little things like "get pt water" b/c it's SOO easy to get distracted and forget things! I also find that being organized w/ my meds is huge! I write down (on the above paper) what medications are due and what time they are do. So I can easily refer to my "chart" to see when I need to do something, then I cross it out once I've administered it. Also, at the beginning of the shift, I make sure that I have all of my medications that I will need for each patient throughout the shift. It's VERY frustrating when it's 6PM (or AM) and you're almost ready to go home, then you realize you don't have a medication and have to order it from Pharmacy!

I could have written your post...except, I'm older. lol I was a SAHM for 20 yrs, went to nursing school, graduated having not worked in 20+ yrs and was hired right out of nursing school. :) How did I do it? I made sure I got to know the managers on the floors where I did my clinicals and then my Preceptorship. I was hired where I did my Preceptorship (Capstone). My floor hires students who stick out. That would be my advice to you. Some people can handle working and doing nursing school - I was not one of those people. I wanted to focus on my studies - not for everyone, but it worked for me. :)

I agree w/ BloomNurseRN, most med-surg floors will hire new RNs and the fact that you have at least some experience will probably actually help you. I don't think you will have a problem, just start applying. :)

I can SO relate!! I let it stop me for quite some time. Then when I decided to pursue my dream, I had a couple of people say, "Nursing?? Are you sure you can handle it?!" b/c they knew how squeamish I was. I talked to other nurses for input and they all said that you do get used to it. I had to take their word for it. I have to say...it really is TRUE! Sometimes I shock myself w/ the stuff that I'm doing and able to w/o gagging. I won't lie - the first bedpan in nursing school was pretty bad and I gagged my way through it - but it's just second nature now. I went to nursing school realizing that there are so many different avenues that I could take w/ a nursing degree. If I absolutely hated and couldn't handle the bedside, I knew I would have other options. Don't let your sensitive gag reflex and squeamishness scare you away - you may surprise yourself w/ what you can handle.

I agree w/ the above poster 100%. Depending on where you live, it can be hard to get a job. I applied to nearly 50 places. I got ONE interview...and that was from a nurse manager that I had met and made an impression w/ while in nursing school. I went on that one interview and got the job. :) I've been working for almost a year now. I've interacted w/ students. One student last spring stood out to me and others. She showed up on the floor a few weeks ago and is now a volunteer. The manager is already interested in her when she graduates this May. My advice is to do a good job, don't be afraid to step in and help...AND get to know the nurses and manager. It will definitely help you.

I don't think it would hurt, but I also don't think it's necessary. I was hired in Sept and I'm just now taking an ACLS course - and the hospital is paying for it.

I'm sorry I can't be of help as far as the track to take - I just went to a 4 year college and got my BSN. I didn't have previous experience and was never a CNA. That can definitely help and many people say you should...I just didn't b/c I wanted to focus on school. As far as the job? You will get varying opinions. It is a stressful job, but I truly feel fortunate that I am a nurse. I love working w/ and helping patients (most of them lol) and you just can't beat the hours. If you get a hospital job, you really can't beat the pay for working 3 days a week. Yes, they are long hours, but it goes by so fast and then you get 4 days off a week. That being said, just know that there will be good days and bad days. There are times that I go in to work and all of my patients can care for themselves, so I just need to do assessments and give medications... Other days I'm running around from start to finish w/ a patient or two crashing, or some that are bed-ridden. So, some days, I go home and say, "This is a great job!!" and other days I say, "What have I gotten myself into?!?!" lol But it balances out. Yes, you will have both kinds of days. The good days do out-weigh the bad.

If you're asking for advice/suggestions, I have one for you. I actually think you're doing too many different programs. I heard a lot of people say to focus on one or two programs. I did that. I chose Kaplan and LaCharity. I did 50 questions 3 times a day for about 2 weeks using Kaplan. When I was in the 60-65% range in my scores, I thought I was ready. I took it and passed in 75Qs. When I sat for the test, I took a deep breath and told myself that to just think of it as another test that I was taking in the comfort of my living room. lol For some reason that calmed me down some. The time that I really started to panic was at question 74. lol I was so nervous wondering if it was going to shut off or not at the next question. It did - but it was good news. :)

I agree w/ the majority. You have the best of both worlds - part time work and enough time to be with your baby. Sounds like a great plan. :)

I think anything is possible. I don't know the details, but my friend's brother did this. He purchased a large home and only has 8 patients. Mostly his elderly grandmother and aunts because it's a recent endeavor. I don't know him personally, but just the info I got from my friend is that it is a LOT of work (insurance, codes, regulations, etc) but it can be done. It's costly, too... but if you have it in your heart to do it, I say do your research and make it happen. I would add, though...that even though you don't want to be a floor nurse in a hospital, it will make your job a little harder. With an endeavor such as this, Med-Surg experience would be invaluable. In my opinion, you would really need that experience unless you are going to take more of the business aspect of the facility rather than caring for the patients. In that case you would just need nurses with experience. Good luck w/ whatever you decide. :)

I totally agree w/ crossfit nurse. In your last semester if you're shadowing a nurse, STAND OUT and be willing to work, learn, and be part of the team. See yourself as part of the team rather than a "nursing student". That's how I got my job. I was offered a position at the end of the semester. Many of my friends did, as well. Good luck!!

I wouldn't worry about it. I didn't have any experience except my clinicals. I learned a LOT during my preceptorship in my last semester of nursing school. It really started to come together - then when I got a job on the med-surg floor it just came together even more. It will start to make sense when you start working and you will see that you know much more than you even realized. I didn't work during school at all b/c I focused on my grades. Everyone is different, but it's worked out just fine for me and I don't feel like I'm lacking any knowledge b/c I wasn't a NA. I learned that stuff in school and was pretty comfortable w/ it. I was also one of those students who got involved and wasn't afraid to work. I knew that I wasn't going to be a NA or PCA so I had to get all the experience I could in clinicals.

I just wanted to say don't be upset that you got that score on Test A. That's pretty good!! I did worse on Test A. I got 65. I got 73% on the 2nd. After that, I got a study plan from an ATI instructor. She told me to study for 2 weeks then take my exam. I did and passed in 75Qs. I think you're on the right path and doing something right. Just continue to do what you're doing and you'll be fine. :)

You could look for an NCLEX style book like Saunders for the different topics. They are NCLEX style questions which you will need to know during nursing school. They are tough questions, but they become a little easier once you know how to eliminate "distractors" in the question. Just remember that content is so important and you really need to know it and retain it for more than just passing a test. Don't be too hard on yourself - nursing is a difficult path, but you can do it, it just takes work.

It's very hard in NYC to get a job in a hospital w/ an associates unless you worked within the healthcare system to begin with. Do you have experience as a PCA or anything? I worked w/ a couple of nurses who had their associates, but they are currently going for their BSN and must have it completed w/in 5 yrs...but they were PCAs or NAs before being hired as RNs. I'm sure there are places that hire RNs w/ associate - but it may be difficult in the hospital setting. Also...I would call people that you know or have worked w/ throughout nursing school - that's the way I got my job after filling out over 100 applications - it was the ONE call that I got and it was b/c I had worked w/ this manager during my student rotation and she remembered me. Good luck and I hope you find something!

I brought my purse which had my usual stuff (keys, ID, cell phone, wallet, etc) but I did that knowing that I would have to put it all in a locker when I got there. I called the place ahead of time and they said it was fine to bring those things, but that they would be locked up. They gave me a bag to put my cell phone in and it went in the locker. I brought orange juice, greek yogurt and a granola bar. I ate them in the lobby area just before I went in. I didn't need a break, but even if I did, I wouldn't have opened the locker during my break. I wouldn't want to do ANYTHING that would risk there being a problem or look suspicious. I took nothing but myself into the testing room. They provided the dry erase board, marker, etc. so I just went in completely empty-handed.

I was in the same boat. I had already booked our vacation, but went on the interview anyway. I was offered the job, but told them of my previous plans - I told her that I would cancel my vacation if it meant me losing the job offer. The Mgr told me that she totally understands that people have lives outside of their work and that I would still only be on orientation - since it was previously planned, she told me to enjoy my vacation. :) I would sit down and explain the situation again and tell her of your willingness (if you are willing) to cancel your vacation, if you need to, but that it's already been booked....

Wow...just wow...

I did my preceptorship on a floor and got to know the Mgr and my preceptor fairly well. After I graduated they wanted to hire me, but there were no positions open. The Mgr told me to give her my resume so she could pass it on to another nurse manager. Long story short, I got the job and have been working there for a month. I'm so thankful for this job and I know that if it were not for these two people I wouldn't have this job. I wanted to just say "Thank you" to them by giving them a gift card to the coffee shop in the hospital. Do you think that is ok? Or inappropriate?? Also, what about the nurse on the floor that is training me in orientation for 6 weeks? Is it ok to do the same for her? I just really want to show my appreciation and know how much they all love coffee lol so I know they would like a gift card...but I didn't want to do it if it's not acceptable.

I don't know about CA - and I don't know about other hospitals in my area...but my salary does cover my COL...although, I've always lived way below my means out of choice. So it's possible that some people spend more on housing, cars, etc. which can cause them to have to have to live paycheck to paycheck...it's all a matter of choice, I guess.

New York....