amb218

I think I would take the urgent care position. I have worked at an adult hospital that had a small pediatric unit and the ED did not see very many pediatric patients at all and often called us to come down when they did LOL. I would say that you'll get much more hands-on peds experience in urgent care!

I think it really depends on what kind of administrative role you would be looking for. I am currently enrolled in a Nursing Admin MSN program because I am really only interested in an administrative position on the nursing side of things... I have no interest in getting a more business-focused degree and managing finances. But I could definitely see how an MBA or MHA would be beneficial since you will already be an FNP.

Looked into this program as well but I had a sort of weird feeling about it after doing some research...I'm by no means an expert when it comes to accreditation but I was reading about some people saying it's not as widely recognized as many other universities. The cost is tempting but I opted to attend a more nationally recognized university that isn't solely online.

Yes, not in the NICU though. I just used to float there. Not sure about during the pandemic, but I would lean towards no because pretty much every other unit has not due to the hospital wide hiring freeze. Yeah...they do things like that there because there will always be people who want to work there no matter what, even if they have to wait for a position. I wouldn't say the turnover there is crazy high - it's a massive NICU with a lot of nurses and some of them do end up going back to school, leaving to take NP positions, etc. but a lot of them stay for years.

I do know CHOP in general has been on a hiring freeze since the start of the pandemic because the census really took a hit as surgeries were put on hold. However, coming with NICU experience, as soon as they are hiring I do not think you will have any issues. The NICU is massive with sides (east, west, northeast) split up for services - medical, surgical, and the "micro-preemie side" so they hire per side if that makes sense. So a NICU nurse might be on the team for surgical side and primarily work there but can float to other sides as well depending on census. I've heard of CHOP's NICU as being referred to as a "sick NICU"... basically the babies are quite sick and the unit has overall very high acuity...you will see CDH's on ECMO, babies in kidney failure on CRRT, etc. The chronic (trach, GT) babies stay up until a year until they go to PICU so there's some of that as well. And some feeder-growers. Most babies are too sick/unstable to bottle or breastfeed so there's not too much of that happening. CHOP is home to the SDU (special delivery unit) so a lot of really amazing surgeries take place and those babies get cared for in the NICU. It's a great place to work and you will learn/see a ton!

Congratulations! As you said the world of cardiac is very complex and a bit daunting because there's so much to know! I had been a PICU nurse for about 4 years when I started ICU floating and the CICU was a whole other world and I had to learn a lot! One thing I will say, is don't expect to show up and know everything. The best way to "stand out" is to be a great learner - prepare yourself to receive constructive criticism and feedback and make sure when you meet your preceptor (if they don't do this with you) that you discuss what kind of learner you are and how you learn best. The best way you can prepare in my opinion is to prepare yourself by starting to familiarize yourself with the defects/repairs and blood flow. That's really what is at the core of learning what these babies need and how to take care of them. When you walk into a shift and have a patient with a severe cardiac defect with a "normal" sat goal of 80%, you need to know exactly why that is and the signs that something is wrong may not be what you are used to. CICU nurses (as with all ICU nurses) pick up on changes QUICK, often times being the first ones to notice when a patient is starting to crash or something's not right. It can be very stressful at times, as CICUs have some of the highest acuity in the entire hospital. Just take one step at a time and know the learning curve is steep. There's a lot to know and no one expects you to be an expert right away!

So sorry I didn't see this sooner, I haven't been on here in a while...oops! But I am still an ICU nurse and still feel 100% stand by everything I wrote here as a nursing student and I still love my job and cannot believe how much I've grown since starting my job. And it's been 5 years...to all the naysayers who wanted a 1 year update, there ya go!! ?

Hi there!! Definitely start job searching early even if you don't start putting in applications until later. For many residency programs, you must have specific recommendations, write essays, etc. The information with everything you need to submit is usually on the website and you can always call HR for more information. It's a good idea to start looking at the websites early because sometimes these applications are only open for a few days due to the high amount of applications. For example, my residency program application was only open for 4 days in early February! Some of my friends I graduated with applied to programs as early as October/November. You really have nothing to lose by starting early! Best of luck!!

For me, nursing was really one of the few careeers I could see myself being really happy doing. I don't know if I'd necessarily consider nursing my "calling" but I'd definitely say that I was meant to be an ICU nurse. At this point in my life, there's nothing I would rather do career-wise. From my experience, there are many other jobs I could have done "for the money" that would be way easier than what I do as an ICU nurse. However, none of these careers would be as fulfilling and special as my job now. I really love what I do and I think that the challenging, learning, and supportive environment on my unit helps decrease burnout.

Hi there! I do agree that finding a job in NYC will be difficult (as NYC is one of the toughest job markets for new nurses in the country), however, it's still worth a try! I would still apply to all hospitals in the area that you're interested in; just don't limit yourself to NYC. As the PP stated, connections are everything. In addition to applying to NYC hospitals, apply where you have connections, know people who can write you recommendations, etc. As far as NYC goes, there are a ton of hospitals but not all hire new grads. I'd look into Mount Sinai, NYP, and HSS; I know quite a few people who got jobs there right out of school!

I agree with the first couple posters. Most residency programs hire internally first since they'll already know you and how well you work in high stress, fast-paced situations. ICUs tend to have high turnover rates due to burnout, nurses going back to school etc. From my experience, I wouldn't broadcast in your interview that you're planning on leaving after a year because that will just tell them you won't be a good investment for the unit. However, if they ask be honest. My residency program is 18 months long which we must complete and it's pretty frowned upon to leave before putting in 2 years. As you'll find out, orientation as a nurse in the ICU takes about a year. As for now though, I would definitely try to get as much ICU experience as you can before graduating.

I would start by just Googling "chop externship" and click on the first link that comes up. There's a ton of information there and if you still have questions feel free to pm me!

Respectfully, although this has been your experience, the OP should also know that nursing does not always involve backbreaking labor and disrespect from doctors and administration...I'm not saying it doesn't happen at all because it does. However, at the institution where I work I am respected by all of my colleagues, especially the physicians and nurse practitioners that I directly work with. Mutual respect and teamwork are so important in order to deliver safe and effective care to our patients. As for the ridiculous hours...most hospital nursing jobs require three 12 hour shifts a week, sometimes rotating days and nights, working holidays, and sometimes overtime as well. I knew this before even going to nursing school and was more than okay with it. I actually prefer it over working a 9-5 schedule 5 days a week. But again, this is just my experience. The amazing thing about nursing is that there are so many different opportunities to pursue!

Best: My Med-Surg clinical instructor told me during final evals that I was the most consistent student in my clinical group and then went on to say that my compassion and empathy for others, critical thinking skills, and "nerves of steel" were a true gift and would make me an excellent nurse. It really shocked me too, because this instructor was super tough all semester and gave no compliments until the last day! Worst: I've been really blessed to have such amazing instructors and preceptors and so I can't really come up with one...but I do remember my last year of nursing school when another nurse had to fill in for my preceptor, I asked him a question about why a patient was on a certain medication (because after looking it up I still had no idea what the indication was for this patient) and he literally stopped what he was doing, stared at me, and then shook his head and muttered something about the nursing school I attended...it was so bizarre. When I told my actual preceptor about it she told me not to worry because apparently he can't stand nursing students....figures lol

WOW!! Seriously jealous of your collection! I work at a children's hospital and we're allowed to wear any t-shirts with the hospital logo or scrubs, so I have a bunch of t-shirts and brightly colored scrub pants. I do want to buy some matching scrub sets but I love bright colors and think it would be a bit much to wear full lime green LOL. Yesterday I bought my first patterned scrub top that has the Despicable Me minions on it which I can't wait to wear! I am definitely a shoe addict though...including Danskos! Just bought a new pair which I just had to have, the ones with the electricity/lightning pattern. Love them!