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Hi Nurse Beth, I am 4 months into a 9 month internship. At the end of the 9 months the plan is for me to work on my own without a preceptor. It was supposed to be a 12 month internship but corporate is looking to "save money" and shortened the length of the program. I enjoy it and intend to finish. However, I am afraid of being cut from the program. Corporate is really cracking down to "save money" and constantly looking at all of the interns performance evaluations. If they feel that an intern is not progressing quickly enough they will be dismissed. My preceptor is very knowledgeable but very strict as well. For everything I do right she puts the focus on what I do wrong. She said I am doing well and that as I achieve more she will push harder and harder. I am fine with this and am not afraid of hard work, but am terrified by what corporate will do if my eval is less than perfect. Maybe I am just being too hard on myself but I am trying to mentally develop a backup plan in the event this doesn't work out. I am the type of person who would like to do one thing at a time rather than juggling multiple tasks, but I don't think this is possible in nursing ? I am a perfectionist have have been told that this slows down my efficiency at times. Working in ICU was actually going to be my back up plan if I wasn't accepted into the internship, but understaffing is a HUGE problem at all of our local hospitals. I looked into work from home nursing jobs at insurance companies but had no idea where to begin or how to get my foot in the door. Then the OR internship came up and I was one of the few people selected from a pool of applicants. I really do enjoy the OR but am not sure how secure my position is, although I intend to stay as long as they are willing to keep me! Thank you for your reply!

What is the best nursing career for somebody who is book smart? I have been told that I am intelligent but am more book smart than practical. I have my MSN in nursing leadership and management (4.0 GPA) but was miserable in management positions. I currently am interning in the OR and love learning about pathophysiology and various types of surgery, although I have been told that I am intellectual but have trouble seeing and coordinating the entire picture. I am detail oriented and very task oriented, but have been told that this is hurting me because I need to act more quickly and think outside of the box. I am trying to figure out where in nursing I would excel and am feeling very frustrated. Please advise! Thank you!

Thank you!

Hi Everybody, I already have my MSN degree in nursing leadership and management that I earned in 2012 (with a 4.0 GPA) but am interested in earning a post-master's certificate to become a nurse practitioner. I am still paying off loans from my current MSN degree, which has prevented me from going back to school at this time. I am currently an OR nurse and would LOVE to become an NP that specializes in OR and that also assists in surgery. Can anybody give me tips on the most affordable post-Master's NP programs/schools? I live in Florida but would prefer an online program (or mostly online) so I can continue to work and go to school at the same time. I want this so badly but am afraid that I will be unable to because the programs I researched seemed to range between $25,000-$60,000+. Ideally I would like something under $10,000 but am not sure if this is available. Any feedback/advice is very appreciated!

Hi Everybody! I originally wanted to be a Nurse Practitioner several years ago but at the time the programs that I was interested in had waiting lists. I had spoken with a recruiter from Chamberlain University who told me that a Nurse Practitioner program would open up soon at the time. She said that I could complete my core classes and then slide into their NP program. I believed her and that is one of my biggest regrets. They did not have an NP program when I finished my core classes and I was forced to major in nursing leadership and management to complete my MSN degree. I spoke with Chamberlain once they had a NP program that was up and running (2 years after I graduated) but they said they couldn't help me. I tried management for some time but I was miserable, overworked, and underpaid. I did not get paid much more than I did as a floor nurse and had no life since I was working overtime and always on call. I looked into post Master's NP programs but I could not find anything under $25,000, which is not feasible at this time since I am paying $70,000 worth of loans off for my useless MSN degree. I would like to know if there are any advanced practice nursing programs that are more affordable, or if there are scholarships available at the Graduate Level. I earned a 4.0 GPA in my MSN program but could not find anything merit based. The only NP scholarships I could find paid $1000 which is not much compared to the cost of tuition. My husband said I am cut off for now from going back to school because between both of us the student loan debt is outrageous. I am open to any advice on how I can become a NP without having to pay another outrageous amount of money. Even the post Master's programs cost almost as much as a full MSN degree. I live in Florida if this helps if anyone knows of any scholarships, grants, or programs. I would love advice and am open to your input ? Thanks!

Hi! I have 10 years of experience as an RN in various settings, including med-surg, cardiac, critical care, education, and management. I also have a BSN and MSN degree, in which I had a 4.0 GPA. My hospital has a paid perioperative RN internship and I am very interested, as I am interested in doing something more specialized. I am curious to how much a perioperative RN intern will get paid. I live in Florida and I know that every company is different,but would love to hear a ballpark figure since I am in good standing and have 10 years of floor nursing experience. Thanks!

I have been a nurse for 10 years and have done med-surg, telemetry, critical care step down, education, and management. I am looking to make as close to $100,000 as possible, and am looking for stability in my schedule. I hope this information helps, as I appreciate your response.

I have a Nurse Executive Master's in Leadership and Management but have found that most management and floor jobs in my area are not family friendly. A few people have told me about working for an insurance company. From what I have heard, it is a 9-5 job, no weekends or holidays, and the pay is amazing. I looked on several websites and it seems that most positions for insurance companies require previous experience. I called the customer service number and they told me to just apply, although I don't even know what type of position to apply for. I would love to get my foot in the door and need assistance. Any advice is much appreciated. Thanks!

I am an RN with a Master's in nursing leadership and management. A few people have recommended working for an insurance company but I am not sure how to get my foot in the door. When I tried to call a few companies they told me to just go online and apply, but I don't know what I am looking for and it seems that all of the positions require previous experience. Can you give me some advice? Feel free to PM me. Thanks!

Hi everybody! I am relatively new to my position as Clinical Educator/Infection Control at a LTC facility and we are in our window for state survey. I was told that the last survey at my facility was September 2016. How long is the window for state survey? Everybody says they will be here any day now but it is October 2017 and we are overdue for our annual. When is the deadline for survey to show up? I am nervous because this is my first survey where I am in an administrative position and want to get it over with. We had a G tag on infection control before I started my position and am afraid that the surveyors will target me. I value my job and am wondering if surveyors will be kind since I am new or if they will hang me out to dry. Please advise. Thank you!

Thanks! I have been thinking of looking into home health opportunities in my area for this reason.

I have been out of work for three years taking care of my child. My son starts preschool soon and I am looking for a predictable job with fixed hours and minimal overtime. I am open to anything with 8 hour shifts or flexible hours. I am an RN with a Master's degree with some experience in management, but am okay with entry level positions and am looking for something with hours that are family-friendly. I need advice! Thanks!

Hello! I am a registered nurse with a Master's degree. I had a baby and was a stay at home mom for a few years and will soon be ready to go back to work. I am interested in obtaining a work at home position for an insurance company, which is quite competitive and requires reference checks. However, I am concerned because I do not have any current job references and need advice on what to do. I am also not sure which adjustments I need to make on my resume because I have not worked for 2 years. Your advice is appreciated. Thanks in advance!

I am interested in becoming a clinical research nurse. I went on a job search engine and found 2 facilities that are hiring research nurses, are both are roughly an hour away from home. Although I am currently staying home on maternity leave, I plan to go back to work when my baby is around 18 months to 2 years old. Since I need to arrange for child care before and after work, I am trying to avoid jobs that have odd hours or that require a lot of overtime, especially if I have a long commute. I am wondering what types of hours research nurses work and if overtime is required. Also, I would like to know what qualifications are required to become a clinical research nurse. I have always found the field of research to be very interesting and currently have a BSN and MSN degree, with a 4.0 GPA in both programs. I have been a registered nurse for 6 years with experience in med-surg/oncology, cardiac, critical care, and management. Is there anything specific that I should do to become eligible for a position?

How much money did each postmaster's certificate cost? I would love to go back to school but may not be able to if it costs too much.

I currently have an MSN degree with nursing management/administration as my focus. However, I worked as an ADON for awhile and decided that management is not for me. I wish I would have entered an ARNP program instead. Can somebody please tell me approximately how long it takes to become an ARNP for somebody that already has their MSN?

I started working in the ICU when I was in my mid-twenties and felt the same way that you did. Many of the older and more experienced nurses were extremely critical and very unwelcoming. They made me feel like a complete idiot. I was terrified during our yearly performance reviews and figured that my boss would rate me as mediocre. But guess what...I received an excellent review and was told to keep up the good work! I don't think there is a good excuse for ICU nurses to treat their newcomers like garbage. The focus should be on treating critically ill patients and not trying to belittle younger nurses to make themselves feel important. Nursing is a team effort. So on your next elevator ride keep your head up and remember all of the positive things you have done for your patients. Try to be the best nurse you can be but don't beat yourself up if you don't know everything. Experience will come over time. I'm sure that in a few years you will look back and realize all of the wonderful things you have accomplished. Then you can become a positive role model for other new nurses and hopefully boost morale on your unit.

RN- 24 BSN- 25 MSN- 27 I doubled up on classes for the BSN and MSN programs to finish sooner.

When I worked in the hospital my badge just said my name and RN. I have a Master's degree and wish that it would have said MSN. I agree that we are not being elitist, but that if we put in extra effort to advance our careers and education and it would be nice to have our badges reflect this.

Are there any nursing jobs that require a Master's degree that do not include ARNP, CRNA, or nursing management? I have been a registered nurse for 6 years and currently have an MSN degree. When I was completing my Master's I had the option to choose between two possible career tracks: Nurse Educator or Nurse Executive. I chose the Nurse Executive program (which had an emphasis on management and leadership) and graduated with a 4.0 GPA. I worked as an assistant director of nursing at a rehab facility and absolutely hated the long hours and continuously being on call. I just had a baby and am planning on staying home for a few years, but I am using this time to plan my next career move for when I do return to work. I need a job that has family-friendly hours, but one that also pays well since I have accrued several thousand dollars of student loans. Can somebody please give me some advice?