calebsmom0822

I have to agree with Jules. At my previous employer, I only worked weekends, and we still had to rotate holidays that fell during the week. Again, if everyone is rotating correctly, it should be done in a fair manner. Also, there were plenty of people wanting the holiday pay rate :)

Hi momx4 I'm also an RN,BSN pursuing my IBCLC. I "plan" to sit for the exam in July. I can most certainly help you out, give you some pointers. Especially with documenting your breastfeeding contact hours. :) PM me or email me at my email address on my profile. I look forward to hearing from you. If you want a quicker reply, email me...I don't often check this site as much as I would like. take care nicole

I actually was hired right out of nursing school into L&D. And this was with a regional hospital in SC. Though I only worked in L&D for 6 months before going into the NICU at another hospital, I know many hospitals will hire new grads into these areas. So many hospitals have like a 3 month to 6 month "internship" where you are basically working with your preceptor while also doing learning modules. I really don't think you'll have a problem getting hired on after nursing school. I think it really depends on the area in which you live, maybe. It certainly wouldn't hurt if you volunteered in those areas because you'll become a familiar face, they'll see how you are interested and your desire, therefore possibly getting your foot in the door. :) Good luck!!

I've worked only night shifts, mostly 7pm to 7am my entire nursing career, including when I was a CNA/PCA for 6 yrs. I LOVE IT!! I'll have to agree with UK, that you'll find your own way of getting the desired amount of sleep after your day off, then going back to work. I"ll admit, it's gonna be quite an adjustment for you at first. I know when I first started working nights, I would come home and sleep, and wake up about a couple hours before going to work. But after a few weeks, I was up after 6 hours of sleep. What I would do on my first day off after working a shift, I would take just a 2 hr nap when I got home..and stay up for the rest of the day so that I could have a normal sleep schedule with my husband. (this is when I was off more than one day) Then after my days off, on my first night back, I'd just sleep in late. Normally I would not have time to take a nap before going to work. I would just fill up on coffee. :) You can get through it like that. I know I always slept well coming off my first shift back!! :) Good luck!! You'll love nights, once you get your sleep schedule fine tuned to how YOU like.

I'm so glad that you decided to start this month!! Just keep your head up and if you need anything, just send me an email!! my last two classes that i started Monday are Economics and Capstone...I think these two will be my most challenging. We'll see. Take care and keep in touch.

I'm so sorry for your grief and will be keeping you and your family in my prayers. I went through something very similar with my 84 yr old grandmother 3 yrs ago. She lived a full life and was such a joy, as most grandmother's are. :) But out of the blue, she got sick, e.coli in her system, and in 3 wks she had passed due to organ shut down. It was so hard for all of us, but she didn't suffer. Hospice was wonderful and though the Morphine kept her comfortable and asleep for the majority of the time, she knew we were there with her. I had several moments with her by myself, reading the Bible to her, listening to her favorite hymns, bathing her (it was something I wanted to do for HER) and just sitting next to her holding her hand. Those moments I'll always cherish. She too had said for a couple of years that she was "ready to be with the Lord". When she passed, she looked so at peace. To this day, I get tears in my eyes because I miss her so much, along with my grandfather (her husband). They were my biggest fans, my biggest support while going through nursing school. We are so blessed with grandparents and great-grandparents. You're in my prayers.

Hello!! And welcome! I'm an American nurse living in Germany (my husband is with the US Army) We plan on making a trip to your beautiful country sometime!!!

I'm not sure if you're misunderstanding my point. I do not speak German fluently, therefore I DO NOT work in a German hospital. I was speaking in terms of living in this country (GERMANY) Why should I expect THEM to speak ENGLISH to me? Of course when I'm with my husband/son I speak english. When we have any type of communication with germans, we do our best to speak as much German as we know. Why is it such an issue regarding if I got a call at work from my husband and whether or not I spoke to him in english or another language? The initial post was regarding CO-WORKERS speaking their native tongue and the poster felt uncomfortable because she didn't understand anything. I speak fluent spanish, therefore, if I was living in Spain, Mexico etc.. then YES, if I'm at work surrounded by spanish speaking nurses and staff, I would speak Spanish (spanish is my second language). If my husband/son would call me at work, I would speak Spanish or english, because my husband/son also speak spanish. But, with my co-workers, even those who speak english, I would say that I would only speak spanish because I'm at work, working for a spanish hospital, I speak fluent spanish..therefore why speak english and make other feels left out if they dont' understand? Even if they're not listening. To me, its just respect. That's all.

Zonnie pretty much listed the nursing schools in STL area. I graduated from Cox College of Nursing in Springfield, MO. I graduated 8 yrs ago, back then, I loved it and loved the instructors, and my class was the first class to have a 100% passing on the NCLEX. I know there have been faculty changes occur in the last few years, so I'm not sure if things are as good as they were when I attended. Springfield is about 3 hrs (give or take) from STL. The cost of living is lower in Springfield, its a college town, and continues to grow rapidly it seems. Good luck in your pursuit. :)

Bright eyes, I'm living this right now. I'm currently living in Germany, been here for over a year now, and am learning the german language. Even though German's are taught english in school, i don't expect the germans to HAVE to speak ENGLISH to me. Why should I make them speak MY language? It's ridiculous. Yes, sometimes its very difficult to communicate in their language, but believe me, I'm always walking with my german/english dictionary in my purse!! I think it is rude to "expect" them to speak english. Germans seem to really like it when we TRY to communicate with them in their language, they are more apt to speak english to us once they see we respect them and their culture and not automatically expect them to cater to us. So thanks for your post Bright eyes, I completely agree. :wink2:

I completey understand your point :) I guess this is where I am on the fence. I'm hoping to get a job with WIC (I could get my hours through working there) while I'm going to school. OR, like you said, I can order the distance learning (home study) modules and do this while working...and maybe decided AFTER I get my IBCLC whether or not I want to return to school to get my Master's degree. I just figure that maybe while I'm in the frame of mind of doing online academics might as well stay in it. But....i don't know WHAT to do now. :) I know for a fact that I'll eventually want my Master's degree. It's just a matter of, do I do it NOW or LATER?? :) HELLLLLPPPP lol

wow, thank you so much for your insight. :) yes, i've researched the IBCLC website and am aware about how rigorous it is, thus my reasoning behind going for the Master's degree in Lactation. It completely covers everything in the IBCLC exam. I have 8 yrs experience in the NICU, and my last supervisor was an RN, IBCLC so she's guided me along the way as well. I know I don't NEED the Master's degree I'm just thinking maybe it would give me some more leverage when applying for jobs. Plus, I'm one of those people who always wants to keep learning, so I want to learn everything there is to learn about mother/child and lactation. :) I'm also considering starting my own LC business eventually when the time is right. I'm so glad that you've had such wonderful experiences with LC's. That's what I miss about working with moms and babies..I enjoyed comforting and easing mom's frustrations with breastfeeding and feeling so good at the end when mom and baby were breastfeeding problem free. :) thanks again soooooo much!!

Yes, I've acquired breastfeeding counseling hours from my 8 yrs NICU experience but since i"ve been here in germany, its been difficult finding a job. I'm hoping to work for WIC in the next month or so :) So that will help also get my hours in. Since i"m here in germany, there are no Lactation councelor courses (in english) available. Thank you so much for your advice. I greatly appreciate it. :)

Thank you so much for you advice. Yes, I'm overseas, since I'm a military wife, I'm able to work on US Military posts. :) Teach....ick...I'm not sure I have the patience. LOL Who knows, you could be right. Funny, how I have the patience to work with mother's and breastfeeding, but I feel I can't do the college level teaching thing. LOL funny. :) Thanks again!!!

OK, here's the deal. I am an RN with 8 yrs experience in the NICU. I will have my BSN this October. I have always been interested in becoming a IBCLC (International Board of Certified Lactation Consultants). There's a Master's of Arts degree in Maternal/Child health with concentration in Lactation. This is not a MSN degree. To become an IBCLC, I do not NEED to get my master's degree, however I'm sure it's always beneficial. I could do a distance learning course to prepare to sit for the IBCLC exam. I guess my question is if I was to do a Master's degree program which would be better to do, the MA with concentration in Lactation (NOT a MSN degree) or get my MSN in public health? I hope this all makes sense. A couple months ago I was prepared to apply to a Women's Health NP Program after graduation, however I've recently found that this specialty would not be what I'd expect. I'm not interested in doing Pap's all day. LOL Any advice would be greatly appreciated ?