Terra Fermata

I am a few weeks away from graduating with my BSN and have started applying to jobs. There were originally 10 hospitals on my list but most said I should apply only when I have my RN. I applied to two hospitals that didn't because about half the other students in my class have jobs already lined up and I got an offer from a very good, very well known hospital! It was a bit weird because I one day and then the following day got a call with the offer (seemed very fast to me). The hospital has all that I want with salary, benefits, location, unit choice, and residency but I just have this odd tense feeling. It was my top pick for hospitals but it feels weird taking the first offer I get. It also feels weird because I am a loyal person and did my senior capstone clinical on a different unit than the one I applied for and feel like I may not like it as much. I loved the staff on the unit I had clinical on as well as the specialty but it was a little too fast paced for me (but maybe I could have grown into it; I don't know). Don't know what to do. I want to accept and am highly leaning towards accepting but feel this unknown unease.

I was looking into NCLEX Qbanks because I take my nclex in a few months and found a few others besides Kaplan that you may be interested in: UWorld https://www.uworld.com/purchase.aspx?cid=7 1400 Questions 1 month for $49 12 months for $199 Kaplan How do you prefer to prep for the NCLEX-RN®? 1300 questions 1 month for $49 12 months for $199 NCSBN NCSBN's Review for the NCLEX-RN® Examination - Students - NCSBN Learning Extension 1300 questions 3 weeks for $50 15 weeks for $160 Elsevier (People who make Saunders) https://evolve.elsevier.com/cs/product/9780323244954?role=student 10,000 questions (and adaptive quizzing) 36 months for $99

Looking into Online Question Banks for the NCLEX. Online because the NCLEX will be on the computer and I want to prepare in a similar environment. The problem is, there are many options for online question banks but they are all pretty costly. Something I have not found much of are question bank CD's (if you know of any recent ones let me know!). Which have you had experience with or think would be the best option? I listed out the most common ones I found. Elsevier seems to be the best deal and is adaptive but just want to make sure before jumping in! UWorld https://www.uworld.com/purchase.aspx?cid=7 1400 Questions 1 month for $49 12 months for $199 Kaplan How do you prefer to prep for the NCLEX-RN®? 1300 questions 1 month for $49 12 months for $199 NCSBN NCSBN's Review for the NCLEX-RN® Examination - Students - NCSBN Learning Extension 1300 questions 3 weeks for $50 15 weeks for $160 Elsevier (People who make Saunders) https://evolve.elsevier.com/cs/product/9780323244954?role=student 10,000 questions (and adaptive quizzing) 36 months for $99 Could not find computer based ones for: ATI, Hurst, or Pearson. Other resources I found but am not sure if they are useful: Pearson book with CD that has 1000 questions Pearson - NCLEX-RN Exam Prep, 3/E - Wilda Rinehart, Diann Sloan & Clara Hurd Prioritization, Delegation, and Assignment: Practice Exercises for the NCLEX Examination, 3e http://www.amazon.com/Prioritization-Delegation-Assignment-Exercises-Examination/dp/0323113435/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1436304259&sr=1-1 Clinical Nursing Judgment Study Guide for Medical-Surgical Nursing: Patient-Centered Collaborative Care, 8e http://www.amazon.com/Clinical-Nursing-Judgment-Study-Medical-Surgical/dp/0323222315/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1436304259&sr=1-2

I am just about to finish my BSN (one semester left and I'm PUMPED!) but I have not considered grad school. Some people say you should go right into after your bachelors but it is my understanding that once you start grad school you have to specialize (like NP, CRNA, etc.). I have a whole list of interesting specialties that I find equally enticing and while I have a few picked for my top 5 I do not think I could dedicate myself to one, especially when I haven't even worked in it. What is your alls view? I would eventually like to get my masters, and either DNS/DNP/PhD (not sure which to do/what each allows you to do).

Hi! I am a student studying nursing at a university in Virginia and am halfway through my second semester of the four semester nursing program (It's a BSN with two years of general education and two years of nursing). The other day I had my first clinical on a medical-surgical floor (previous clinical sites have included: rehabilitation/elderly care, psychiatric care, and women's health) and it completely terrified me. I spent the day working on a plan of care for a specific patient, performing interventions I had done previously in lab, class, and clinical, and shadowing a nurse. The part that throws me for a loop is that the nurse was given six patients and was able to juggle all of them perfectly, page the doctor frequently for updates and to request certain medications, prioritize care, deal with new prescriptions being added after 9:00 medications had been administered, and keep a level head about it all. I have had two patients at most at a time and the program I am in theoretically prepares you in the last semester for four patients at a time but six seems like a large jump. The sort of fast decision making, complicated balance of tasks and duties, and synchronization with other members of the care team all intimidate the heck out of me. Does it still feel this way once I graduate? What sorts of things can help prepare me for these key factors of being a successful nurse? As of now I am leaning more toward specialties that are not necessarily direct care or fast paced so that I would have time to think things through and would have less of a chance of making a mistake that could cause a sentinel event (such as psychiatrics, informatics, allergy, or legal nursing). Any advice on what to do? Also on another note, how much of what you learn in nursing school do you apply to the field? I constantly feel inundated with information that I perfect for the tests and because it's interesting but wonder if I'll ever use again.