EasterRN

I was just thinking the other day that we have now reached the point where all those little kiddos who grew up with computers and video games had had just about enough time to get through college and med school and are out among us. I was reading an H&P the other day (from an EMR, so he typed it himself), and caught the use of …. b/c … instead of “because”. Really? You typed up that whole thing and used words like choledocholithiasis, endoscopic sphincterotomy and Klebsiella pneumoniae but couldn’t be bothered to spell out because?

Category: Peptalk My new grad job was ICU. What possessed me to apply I’ll never know, to think I could walk into a completely foreign planet like that with beeps and gizmos I’d never laid eyes on before, and the scariest of scary patients (my ICU clinicals were abysmal), but I did it, and guess what…. turned into the only bedside nursing I ever wanted to do because I loved it so much. The unit director told me they hired me with zero experience on purpose, saying they’d prefer to train me the way they wanted rather than spend time teaching me to un-learn bad habits. Go for it, but be prepared, you may just love it, totally rock at it, and never leave the thing you never even considered :) Good luck in your interview!

This may be small potatoes in the big scheme of things, and perhaps not even what you are asking for, but one of the biggest frustrations of my BSN program were the group projects. I understand the concept, I understand the premise: As a BSN, one is more likely to advance to a management position, and participating in group projects is a microcosm of management on the bigger scale. How to effectively communicate to and with those that do not pull their own weight gives one insight into the real world of managing a team of nurses. Learning how to effectively delegate and not take on too much responsibility due to one’s own controlling nature of “if you want something done right, just do it yourself”. Conflict resolution. Equitable division of tasks. Group dynamics. It’s all important. However, rather than subject students to the never-ending group projects (one in every class, in my case) that typically do not work out how they theoretically should, why not bolster the actual Leadership classes themselves? Group projects stink. Invariably there are students who submit the minimum, and typically the incorrect minimum, and with the fast pace of most programs there isn’t enough time to redirect, reeducate, provide support, and wait for a resubmission; leaving the rest of the team to pick up the slack. Teach me effective leadership skills in leadership class, and allow me earn my own grades in all other aspects of my program. IMHO, my grades (good or bad) ought to reflect my individual efforts and comprehension.

:rotfl:

I just re-read your OP and realize I may have just assumed you were seeking a floor RN position. What types of internships were you applying for? What specifically did they turn you down for? I agree with the PP, is your research in a different specialty/area? (red flag for a potential short-term employee if different, shows where your true passions lie) p.s. you just know that interviewer Googled your work as soon as you left!

Okay this is kinda different but not really… When I was in my mid-20’s I had worked my butt off with no help, no loans, no handouts. I was a college graduate (ADN), had a cool job (ICU RN), worked three 12’s so had lots of free-time, was a home-owner and had a new (paid-for) 4WD pickup. I thought I was quite a catch, but I couldn’t get a date to save my life. I think it’s human nature to see what other people have accomplished, and compare themselves. Eventually I found a rockin’ husb who realized it’s not about ego, it’s about a great partnership where everyone shares the same drive, ambition and goals. I agree with the PPs, and also wonder if your resume screams “I’m planning on bigger and better things”, and by that I mean, someone may see you as a very expensive trainee who is going to bail in a year after you get some floor experience – as so many new nurses do. I think your resume speaks for itself (as far as quality of individual), and as a “new nurse”, hirers likely already know what your skill capabilities are and are not. Perhaps discuss your intended commitment to their establishment so they don’t think they’re just your first stepping stone? Just a thought. A prospective employer that turns you down is missing out, and it’s obviously their loss. Good luck to you, and congratulations on your hard-earned accomplishments!

This is tons of great advice. One thing I haven’t seen mentioned here is the fact that (IMO), just because the bank says you’re approved for x-amount doesn’t’ mean you should be looking at houses that are that amount! Those numbers are just numbers, calculations on debt-to-income ratios, etc. Nowhere in those numbers are things other posters have mentioned like monthly health insurance premiums (mine is $450 for a family of 4), crazy-expensive house repairs, a cars breaking down, an unexpected flight for your family to go visit a sick relative (could be a couple grand right there), in other words, LIFE. Way too many times I’ve seen people get preapproved for a certain dollar amount and immediately go out shopping for exactly that amount of house. Whatever the bank tells you you can afford is (again, IMO) never ever realistic. People hear that $ and visions of granite countertops and 24” travertine tile start dancing in their heads. When I was told what I “could afford” (really? Chase would be shocked at how often I eat out, and what I can spend at Sephora on a Saturday afternoon), I said “thanks for your confidence in me, now let’s look for houses at least a hundred-grand less than that”. Yet another stellar piece of advice from good old Dad .

WOW I needed that laugh!!! Thank you! Yes, I look at job boards like q1h, hoping that something will call out to me and save me from my current Lucy & Ethel fiasco (which is spot-ON btw!). But in all seriousness, I'm one of those people that is too scared at this point to give up all the accrued vaca time, etc., and chance it on something that may likely turn out to be the same, or e-GADS even worse. At least I know my poison now, and all the poisonous people I need to avoid or figure work-arounds for. If I start over somewhere else, it's likely to not be greener, and then I'm back down to beginner vacation, worst on-call shifts, etc. (their ads probably won't say "We are awful and will treat you crappy, so come join our team!"). I actually think of this often as I cruise the AN posts of soooo many nurses who are looking to leave their current job - some after only a month and some after decades. As I read one post of someone saying "I finally got outta there!" and the next post says "I got hired!!!!", I wonder if poster #2 just took poster #1's job and she'll be "outta there" in 1 month too? Emergent, you hit the nail on the head with this video, but unless and until we (as a workforce) start CHANGING our working conditions instead of just leaving it for some other new poor sap to occupy, aren't we all just playing musical chairs?? I don't want a new job, I want this industry to wake UP and stop the madness!

Well, I was gonna offer up until I read your last line. Why would you want suggestions from nurses that don’t know “real medicine” and are part of the “ridiculousness” of anything less than ARNP? That wasn’t nice, I think I’ll keep all my fabulous suggestions to myself.