theradiantforce

I have noticed that a lot of people who had previous careers, particularly outside of healthcare, are shocked once they hit the nitty gritty of nursing. While there is a level of professionalism that should be upheld, it certainly isn´t unheard of for some nurses to be a bit harsh. Depends on the culture of your place of employment. You will definitely grow a think skin nursing. For the record, LTC isn´t always the best representation of what nursing is like on the grand scale. Mostly because some of these places are pretty terrible. Maybe a different job would suit you better. I would say look for something in a unit that interests you, or if you like LTC, try another facility. Iḿ not sure what options there are for LPNś where you are. Would you be interested in hospitals at all? They usually pay higher.

Yes, all the time. It comes with the territory depending on what type of nursing you are doing. It´s really important to know whether or not you can deal with this type of schedule, and it´s okay if it takes awhile for you to learn that about yourself. Honestly, the great thing about nursing is the many options and specialties out there. I know nurses who work straight day shift hours, with no OT required, and no call, weekends, or holidays. Then I know the ones like myself who work crazy hours, weekends, holidays, OT. I don´t mind my schedule because it works for me. However, I do know that eventually, I´ll change from being in this crazy busy mode and desire something a bit more predictable. If you know that your current job is too demanding, I would say maybe it´s time to start sticking your foot out the door and looking for something with less demanding time requirements. In the meantime, try to establish that you don´t prefer OT or on call. If your job is anything like mine, then you have coworkers who are more than happy to pick up extra shifts.

If there is a part of the community you can assimilate to or feel comfortable in, I may try it for a while. However, if you are in the back woods, and your safety is at risk simply due to racial ignorance, I say NO job is worth it. Period. The fact that you are in a professional setting and getting racial subliminal messages makes me worried for you. What happens on the streets?

In a nutshell, yes. Some schools are certainly pumping out ill prepared students, with little to no hope of critically thinking their way through NCLEX. Is the test harder? I don´t believe so. There are also a percentage of students taking the exam who have English as their second language or have some difficulty in reading. This can make the test amazingly more difficult, because I found that you have to have a pretty solid grasp on proper English for NCLEX. In fact, my best friend failed her first time and she said flat out that the questions were difficult for her to understand because of how they are written. She knows the material but, the question confused her. It is common. Now, when I see the posts like ¨I failed NCLEX 3, 4, 5....times¨ THAT is scary. There should be a limit, otherwise, you have to wonder who is out here practicing....

WOW! I have zero to offer on this. I literally just LOL'd though.....People do the darndest things.

^^^ This. It is ignorant behavior. It is not a cultural norm. Unfortunate...

I plan everything and LOVE a fresh, new planner! My family says it is due to control issues. Meh, I think I just really like lists. LOL

20 years, no venipuncture?! Where is that? Wish it were the case everywhere. Also, the whole point of noting that my sister learned in her phlebotomy program is to point out that programs could teach us, as nurses, if they wanted to. My program talked about it as if blood draws/venipuntures were prohibited to teach.

Get the books. Study up on your STABLE, NRP, and basic complications for neonates. GET Neofax on your phone, you will need it. Also be aware that it is not all cute and cuddly (although there is plenty of it).....BUT, sometimes NICU is a rough place. Try to think about how you will cope with death and interacting with parents during difficult times. Now put on your grown-nurse undies and go in with your best go-getter attitude. You will be fine. None of us knew what to expect as new grads. If you start at a good facility with the proper support in place, you will be fine. Trust me, they will teach you everything you need to know. BUT, you also have to do your part and go into work prepared. If you know what your assignment for the next day will be, find out what the baby's main diagnosis is and go home and read up on it. Find out how to be an asset to your unit. Don't wait to be told to do obvious things (stocking, helping out coworkers, making beds during downtime). Your coworkers will appreciate it and it's so much nicer (and easier) when you go in with a team player mindset. Enjoy! ***Oh, and watch out, NICU is a serious addiction. Once you're in, it's hard to leave the tiny patients!

Very normal and completely backwards. I still don't understand why this is not taught in school. My sister is a phlebotomist and her program taught her so, it seems completely ridiculous nursing programs don't teach us. I understand that perhaps practicing on each other may be a bit of a no no today, but why don't we learn during clinicals? I had to start my first job with NO IV experience....kinda sucks. They taught me how to start them but, why do we need to rely on our jobs to teach us what we should know going in the door???

Wow! That is cut throat and simply terrible. I don't understand how these places expect their workers to bend backwards then repay dedication with situations like this. Sad. This is why people no longer stay in one place for too long. Jobs simply don't appreciate longevity anymore.

Honestly, I would find a hospital I really wanted to work at and apply for several of the med-surg jobs and some peds, NICU, L&D positions. A lot of places are hiring new grads in these special areas because they want to "mold" them. However, if you must work med-surg at least you will be in place you ultimately plan to end up AND gaining valuable acute experience. Find out their policy and transfer to a more desired position within the facility once you qualify. Hospitals usually hire within first. The clinic is fine if you need a job, but realize it may not help you in the big picture. Acute care hospitals usually want acute experience which means they often don't consider long term/clinic experience to be very relevant. Some managers will which is great but, some will not. Where I am at, several of my friends from school are finding it difficult to get into a hospital after working in long term care but, the LTC facilities were the only places that really wanted to hire them. It's a terrible catch 22.

Unfortunately, salary remains a sticky topic. It is not proper to bring it up unless the interviewer does, even then, err on the side of caution. I wish salary was a more open topic because it's pretty much the most important factor for taking a job (unless we really REALLY love said job). Plus, I personally believe that the pay scale should be open knowledge when applying for a job. Here in Chicago, only union jobs post the pay scales, and new hires always start at grade 1 so, there's not much confusion. I wish more jobs did so, we could know what salary is fair based on our own experience, skills, etc.

"More stature"....*sigh* Must we belittle ourselves?

Since when is 50 old? I went to school with people in their 50's and late 40's going into nursing as a second career, and I never thought once, "they're too old for this". It is all in the mind in my opinion. HOwever, I do think that bedside nursing can get a bit rough for anyone long term, depending on the unit. Perhaps look into case management jobs. Those jobs usually require and desire experience. Insurance companies hire nurses for these positions (BCBS). THere are consulting jobs, education opportunities, travel (if that's your cup of tea).....so many options. Don't settle for less. If you see nothing that interests you, think outside the box and perhaps you can develop something new. Sky is the limit....