whatsmyusername_RN

Look outside of hospital nursing and into LTC, rehab, or clinic, per diem work, etc. Or maybe consider moving to a different state? You can try your luck at my hospital, St. Alexius, in ND which is always actively hiring new grads, including ASN.

1. ND 2. 22.79 3. Started out as a new grad 4. Medical/oncology

I hope it will get better...because I'm feeling pretty incompetent today

I feel pretty ***** when I make mistakes, so it's good to know that even the more experienced nurses also make mistakes.

Better pay and adequate staffing are two major factors in nurse retention, imho

Like a lot of posters have said, you may benefit from working on a med/surg floor first before going into oncology, as you'll learn to manage time efficiently and hone on your critical thinking skills. A lot of cancer patients have multiple comorbidities and having a strong foundation in med/surg can help a lot. However, if your dream is to be an oncology nurse, then just skip the med/surg unit and go ahead and do oncology since you'll learn the med/surg stuff as you are working on oncology. If there are no openings for oncology, then doing med/surg for a while and getting some experience under your belt and transfer to oncology when there are openings is a good option. Right now I'm on medical/oncology where I'm mostly on the medical side doing medical stuff. Occasionally I get to be on the oncology side and get to take care of cancer patients without hanging chemo. I enjoy medical a lot and am learning new things everyday, but I eventually would like to specialize in oncology. On my unit, nurses who are interested in doing oncology could hang chemo after 9 months of working (according to what my clinical coordinator told me during my interview) but one of my coworkers started hanging chemo after 6 or 7 months of working. I'm hoping to get my chemo/biotherapy provider card within the next couple of months, and then hopefully get to hang chemo before my year is up. I already talked to one of my clinical coordinators about my interest in doing oncology and she is happy about it.

I'm feeling pretty comfortable with working a lot of hours now. In fact, I'm working 56 hours this and next week. Yes, 2200 is my take home pay (after taxes) if I pick up 1 shift per week.

Congrats on your job offer! Which unit will you be working on? Med/onc I hope lol I picked up right after I got off of orientation. In retrospect, I should have waited at least a month or so before picking up. I was still learning the ropes and should have allowed all that I've learned to sink in before picking up. I was too greedy lol. I picked up 2 or 3 shifts per week when I first got off of orientation but now am only picking up 1 shift per week. I feel much better now that I'm not working like crazy. So on an average, I do about 48 hours per week. Take home check averages about 2200 now. I usually do grocery shopping at Sam's Club. I used to go to Dan's because it was near where I lived, but it was too expensive at Dan's so I got membership at Sam's for 45 and have been going there since. They have better produce and fish than Dan's and Cashwise. A lot of their stuff is in bulk but they do have better quality for their prices. As far as farmer's markets, I do not know, having to come here during the fall. There might be some but you probably have to search around for them.

Not really. My hospital in Bismarck, ND is still hiring and it does hire ADNs

It is rare for me to have many days off in a row so I thought I would follow my friend DatMurse's footstep and write a little bit about my experience as a new grad at St. Alexius and my new life in Bismarck, ND. I graduated back in May 2014, took and passed my Nclex in July, started to apply to multiple places in CT (I applied many months prior to graduation to many residency programs both in and out of states), and got couple of offers at SNF but turned them down. I then discovered the threads on allnurses started by seungk and DatMurse and got interested in St. Alexius hospital. I applied to the new grad position and got a call for an interview within couple of days of applying. I had the interview on that Thursday and got the job offer the following week. I also applied to Sanford in Fargo and got the job offer there before I got the job offer from St. As. I turned it down because I thought the unit at St. As sounded more interesting, even though Sanford offered a dollar more and Fargo is a more lively city than Bismarck. Anyway, off I went to Bismarck to start my life as a nurse at St. As in September 2014. I had a 6-week orientation on medical/oncology and it went by pretty fast and uneventful. During orientation I felt a sense of safety that didn't last once I got off of orientation. I had mixed feelings regarding being off of orientation: There was a sense of independence because there was no one watching over my shoulder to check on me, yet there was a sense that I didn't do things correctly and there was no safety net that the preceptors provided. But most of the experienced nurses on the unit were always willing to help when needed. It took a while for me to get my footing regarding my role as a nurse, time management, dealing with physicians and patients' families, and getting used to the charting system. I am now in my 5th month (it'll be 6 in a week and half) and, for the most part, am feeling so much more confident than I first started. I am stilling learning a lot though sadly I still make mistakes but nothing that I couln't fix myself. So far, I am doing pretty good and am learning a lot. Our unit has patients with many different medical diagnoses that I get to see different stuff all the time, from cancer diagnoses to pneumonia, COPD, infection and sepsis, stroke, SBO, and even MS exascerbation. People here in Bismarck are very nice and friendly and the town feels pretty safe. Most of my coworkers are helpful and there are some that I'm friends with. I've also made friends with nurses on different units, although most of them are transplants from other states. My patients were awesome and I was able to build rapport with them. I haven't had any problems with their families either. However, there are a few things that I'm not too crazy about and wish they were different: 1. First and foremost, the pay is too low for the cost of living. At first, I thought the pay was decent but comparing to national average, it's way too low. We get 22.79 an hour but national average is 26. The food here is expensive and if you want to eat healthy, you can expect to pay a lot for it. Housing in Bismarck is higher too, but if you're willing to commute a little, you can get something nice in Mandan for a decent rent. I was living in Bismarck and was paying 800 for a 1 bedroom, but I move to Mandan with a roommate and we are paying 900 for a 2-bedroom 2-bath. I have a friend that also lives in Mandan who is paying 775 for the same space as I was when I was living in Bismarck. There are many new apartment buildings in Mandan that are really new and modern that are available if you are willing to look around. While pay is low, our unit always has extra shifts to be picked up and you can make a nice paycheck if you're willing to work. My biggest take home pay was 2600 (I picked up like crazy though). 2. High turnover rate on medical/oncology. I think this may relate to the low pay, although I'm not positive. Since I've started, many people have moved on to different units, hospitals, or out of state. Granted most people who left (and are or will be leaving) were from out of state so they were only returning to their home states. Some of these people are my friends, so that makes it even harder, although it is inevitable. But this means the unit is currently hiring more new nurses and if you're willing to move, you're more likely to be able to work in a hospital and learn a lot, as opposed to staying where you are right now, not having a job, or working in a SNF or LTC (which is ok if you like it and not planning on working in the acute care). 3. The charting system, McKesson, is minimal. It took me a while to get used to it. It is fairly easy to use but not as good as Epic. The good news is that we are switching to Epic in September. 4. Bismarck is a nice town to raise a family but can be pretty stale for young single people. There are, however, couple of nice bars that we often frequent to kill time. I do wish we have more things to do and that there would be more variety in food here. 5. The cold weather. It was pretty cold from December to February. There were times when it went into the negatives and the wind chill made going out a huge pain in the you-know-what. Lucky it is a short walk from the car to the hospital. But the weather has been warmer, to the point that some of my patients joked that we are having a heat wave lol. Who knows how long this heat wave will last…though I hope till the end of the year. 6. Medical side of medical/oncology. Medical diagnoses are not that bad because I'm learning a lot, but it made me realize I want to specialize in something. It is just that medical is too broad. I prefer to be really good at something rather than to do ok at everything. I am thinking of specializing in oncology since I'm already on medical/oncology. I told one of my clinical coordinators about my interest in oncology and she was happy that I told her. Despite all of these things that I'm not too fond of, I still have no regrets about moving here and working at St. Alexius, which is a very good hospital and one that actually hires new grads, both BSN and ADN. I am learning new things everyday and am getting better at caring for my patients and coordinating their care with the interdisciplinary team. Having an acute care experience for my first nursing job is very valuable and will allow me to go to different hospitals later on.

Go for it DatMurse! Pursue what you want to do and live in a city that you like. I'll come visit you lol

Are there anyone moving to Bismarck to work at St. Alexius that need a one bedroom apartment? I have to move out of my apartment by the end of this month for some personal reasons and need someone to take over my lease. If interested, please PM me for more details. Btw, I'm on med/onc at St. A as well, and am thoroughly enjoying what I've been doing. The only thing I dislike about the job is rotating night and day schedule every couple of weeks. It's hard to switch my sleeping schedule around and I tend to get extremely tired when I'm on nights. Also, I like days better because I learn more when I'm on days. Anyway, I have no regrets moving here because I'm learning a lot, getting the experience I need, and meeting some very fun and interesting people.

I doubt you have to wait long for them to contact you. Our unit is in need of nurses. The good thing about our unit is that we have a lot of new grads, including myself, so you won't be alone.

That is the standard post St. Alexius kept on their employment website; it was the one that I applied to. I was later interviewed for the medical/oncology unit. Which unit you are interviewed for depends on which clinical coordinator grabs your application first (this is what I've heard from other new grads- not sure if it's true). A new grad was interviewed for more than 1 unit, so you might have a choice in where you want to work. Btw, there is no "med/surg" at this hospital. There is a medical/oncology where you will care for patients with different medical problems like stroke, pneumonia, infections, etc. There is a surgical unit that divides into 2 areas: surgical ortho or surgical neuro. Surgical neuro includes other types of surgeries (bariatric, general, etc.) Surgical units care for patients post-operatively, not the actual OR.

You could have come too DatMurse. It would have been more fun with you there. Then we would have a Texan in the mix lol.

OP, you are definitely not the only feeling that way. I'm a new grad too and definitely have few moments where I feel inadequate and downright stupid. I'm still in my orientation so I'm trying to cut myself some slack and not be so hard on myself. I'm telling myself that it'll get better and that all new nurses have moments of self-doubt and feeling if inadequacy. A lot of nurses keep telling me things will get better and I will improve, just like they did. So I'm definitely keeping the positive attitude.

no kidding? I can't wait to get off orientation so that I could pick up extra shift.

Congrats to your offer at st. A. Are you on medical/oncology? I don't think they have a med surg department, which is why I'm asking. They have a separate surgical unit. Regardless, congrats. In my search for apts, there were many nice places but they didn't have 1 bedroom, and only had 2 bedroom apts which I didn't want because they were more $. but i finally found a place for about 800 in Bismarck and it is a 1 bed 1 bath apartment with a garage. But I have to say that is hard to find a decent place less than 800-900 around here. I believe it's a little less pricey in Mandan which is about 15-20 min away from Bismarck and st. A. I searched mostly using google, trulia, apartment guide, ndaa websites. I even resort to using craigslist to look for a place lol. Bismarck is a nice city but it can be kind of "dry" as it doesn't have much fun activities. No nightclubs. But people here are nice, friendly, and helpful. I've met a few nurses from CA and who are also working on the med/onc unit so you won't be the only Cali nurse lol. About the offer letter, you don't have to worry. When you get here and meet with HR for paperwork, you'll get an official letter inside the new hired packet.

I'm a brand new nurse, haven't started working on the unit yet. This Friday night will be my first night working. But I could tell you my experience at the hospital has been a positive one. St. Alexius is a small hospital compared to many of the hospitals I've been to for clinical rotations but I don't think it has less high-tech equipments or care less about their patients. In fact, it seemed very well-respected the Bismarck community and has a good reputation among the tri-state area (which I believe is ND, SD, and Montana; not sure on this one). St. A is all about patient care and patient satisfaction and strives to meet staff needs. Bismarck is a nice small city and is relatively peaceful. There aren't night clubs (that I know of) or much of a social scene, but I never cared much for them. Mandan is the closest city to Bismarck but there are some other cities near here, like Wilton, Minot, Washburn, but Bismarck is the largest of them all. About 250 miles east (or about 2.5 hours drive), there is Fargo, but other than these cities, I don't know much else. the people here have been pretty nice, friendly, and helpful to me. I found a decent place to live and I pay very cheap rent (400 including utility) as I have a roommate. I think I will move out though, just because I like to live on my own and having privacy and comfort. But housing here is pricey; 1 bedroom 1 bath is in the 700-800 range. The pay at St. A isn't the greatest compared to national average, but it's competitive in ND. If you know how to budget, you could totally afford to pay higher rent (up to 1000) and still live comfortably. I know someone who pays over 1200 for her apartment (2 beds/1 bath) and still lives comfortably. I believe apartments in Mandan tend to be cheaper and the drive isn't so far. It's about 15-20 minutes from St. A. I'd rather be in Bismarck just because my car is small and I'm worried it wouldn't last the long drive during winter. I hope I answered your inquiries. Let me know if you need more info. If I don't know the answer, I'm sure I can find it from someone else.

North Dakota is a pretty new grad-friendly place. I got hired at St. Alexius Medical Center in Bismarck recently through their graduate nurse program, which I believe is all year long. The pay isn't great compared to national average but it's still pretty competitive within the state. You can use me as a referral if you'd like. I'm new there but i don't think it's a problem if I want to spread the good words about St. Alexius. Just PM me.

Hi OP, Are you willing to travel? How about to ND? St. Alexius has a graduate nurse program all year long. I've been hired there recently and had a good experience with them. I'm from CT and had to drive over 1700 miles to get there but I didn't regretted it. I'm new there but you can use me as a referral if you'd like. Just PM me.

Hi OP, Are you willing to travel? If you are, how about hospitals in ND? I got offers from two hospitals there, St. Alexius and Sanford, both in Bismarck. Job market is booming there. I think you'll have an easier time of looking for a hospital job. If needed, you can use me as a referral. I'm a little new at St. A but i don't think that will be a huge problem. PM me if you're interested.

You're a dedicated nurse, DatMurse. I've been here a week and am regretting many things (not about taking the job at st. A though; they're mostly personal things). I think you made the right choice staying here for a while to get some oncology experience, esp. it's your specialty. Any idea where you'll be moving on to after st. A? like I told you, I'm more into critical care and ER, so even if I stay at st. A for 2 or 3 years, I might not stay on med/onc the whole time. I think after a year or 2 I might switch to those units.

Congrats tenjuna, did you decide on St. A? If so, what unit will you be on?

Hey, I think you and I are starting on the same unit on the same day! The HR person told me there will be another person with me on Monday for the general orientation. She probably was talking about you. It would be nice to have another person; it feels less threatening to a new nurse to know someone. It's hard to look for an apartment when you don't live there; I feel the same. I don't have the money to fly in before the start date so I'll be looking once I get there. Hmm, I've seen online some apartments for less than $1000, but most require a deposit of some unknown amount and a 12-month lease, which I don't want to be stuck with in the case of terrifying neighbors or bad management. I used apartmentguide.com to look for apartments, btw. I'm looking for a roommate so that I could just pay month to month, rather than being stuck with a lease. Anyway, good luck with your search for a good apartment. Hope to meet you soon!