NICUismylife

Focus on whatever your weak points are. Did you struggle with pharm? Study that. Peds? Hit that hard. Critical care? Spend your time there. It really is individual.

Days: discharges, scheduled procedures, OT/PT/lactation consults, MD rounds Nights: daily weights/measurements; baths; change lines/hang new fluids; lab draws (we do our own); daily calculations of calorie counts, feeding rates, etc. I feel like days have to deal with more people, while nights are assigned more tasks. We are open 24/7 to visitors, and often have parents present 'round the clock, so both shifts are pretty equal as far as dealing with family, but I'm in a NICU setting.

There is a reason I work night shift! Potty mouth RN, reporting for duty!

Everyone in my graduating class had job offers about a month prior to graduation. I was living in an underserved area though. It really just depends on the job market in your location. Your school should be able to give you a good idea of when to start applying and how long the job search takes on average for students in your area.

My kids were 13, 11, & 8 when I was working on my RN-BSN through WGU, so they were quite independent and not as needy as younger kids would be. I spent most of my free time on school work, and would take my laptop with me to my kids extracurriculars and study or work on homework while I was there. It really wasn't so bad. I probably spend 15-20 hrs per week on school, while working 36 hours per week.

I interviewed in April for a job that I couldn't start until June. I was hired without any issues.

This is exactly what I was going to say. If you are getting financial aid of any kind, you'll need to wait on making any bachelors degree "official"

Yes, you will get there. This semester you are learning the basics, how to do CNA care, normal values, a standard head-to-toe assessment, medication admin rights, etc. You have to start somewhere. Each semester will build on the previous one, building new skills, expanded knowledge, critical thinking, etc. And once you graduate, you will continue to grow and learn, improve your time management, think critically, learn your specialty, etc. Becoming a competent RN does not happen overnight, it will take several years. Concentrate on mastering your head-to-toe, doing hands-on care (do not plan to rely on your CNA to do all that stuff, some specialties don't have CNAs--ICU mostly--and sometimes you'll be short-staffed and just not have one), and work on "connecting the dots" as far as disease processes, meds, labs, interventions, etc. You'll get there.

Your rationale for not working out of the area is that you can't afford rent and your mortgage, but you can survive on a Target salary? You'd probably make at least an extra $20/hr as an RN, which comes out to an extra $2800ish/mo. That would more than cover the rent you state you can't afford, especially if you got a roommate. I really think you need to re-consider relocating if it's coming down to working at Target vs. relocating and working as an RN. The further you get from graduation without a job, the harder it will be to find that initial nursing job. Good luck.

As others have mentioned, many of the community colleges throughout the state have a lottery system. As long as you meet the minimum requirements, your name goes in the hat along with everyone else.

NoCal and SoCal are both saturated markets. I'm from the Central Valley and we often had people from other areas of CA have to come work in my city to get experience for a couple years before they could find a job back home. You may want to get experience where you are first, or move to a less desirable area of CA, such as Stockton, Fresno, Bakersfield, etc.

Many schools offer grade forgiveness (it was called something more official than this, but it's been so long that I can't remember the technical name anymore) after a certain period of time, my college was after 5 years. You petition the school, write an essay about why you did poorly back then, and why you won't now, and then if it is approved, they remove those courses from your GPA. This also means that you have to re-take those courses if they are required for your degree, but it will give you a fighting chance of admission at least. Contact your counseling office.

^^^ This. If this is in fact a reputable program, you need to consider how much $ you will miss out on by delaying obtaining your RN license. For example, just to use round numbers, if you are making $30k a year now, and you will be making $60k as a new-grad RN, and you choose to attend school part-time over 4 years vs. full-time over 2 years, you will lose $60k in income over those two years. Depending on your actual numbers, it could be a substantial financial loss if you choose the part-time route.

I am not allowed to wear a watch or rings to work, not even a plain metal wedding band. No nail polish, artificial nails, or nails longer than 1/4". I'm also not allowed to wear long-sleeves. However, I do believe that we are stricter in NICU than other departments.

You started out mentioning money, but then say you don't want the responsibility of an RN. That responsibility is what pays more, so you need to weigh which is more important. As a new grad RN, I started out making over $70k a year. After 2 years, $86k/year (this does include minimal OT). And some of the RNs that I work with who have many years of experience are clearing well over $100k/year without OT. But if you don't want the responsibility of an RN, then it's not worth the money. Choose what makes you happy.