Melusine

Wow! I'm appreciating my Public Health class and rotation (at a large state university) so much more reading these posts! We not only spoke about these topics, but were required to do group projects in conjunction with different community organizations to assist them. There was a diverse array, from creating health presentations for refugee groups to assisting school districts with upping vaccination compliance. We also did stuff like simulated disaster scenarios. Heck, some of us even visited a needle exchange...And learned a lot. Our nursing school had relationships with groups in the community who connected underserved populations with health, food and housing resources. These groups liked to use nursing students as volunteers because we were kind and non-judgmental when we interacted with their clients. I think social justice dovetails neatly with nursing, and honestly it makes me sad that many programs don't have a public health component. My advice to you, echoing what others have said, is to seek out volunteer opportunities with organizations you admire, or with your local health department. As members and students of the "most trusted profession" we can have a great impact in teaching, sharing resources, and working with our neighbors to make our world a better place.

I really empathize with you...I've had some people tell me I should move my test date sooner, that I don't need to study any more, etc....However, I feel like I still need to study. My Kaplan scores are good but there are still some types of questions I struggle with...The dreaded SATA and "put in order" frustrate me regularly. My plan is to finish the Kaplan Qbank, and do the remaining two Qtrainers last of all. My test date is in 3 weeks. I'm doing content review on the stuff I feel like will FOR SURE help me on the test, like lab values, drug classes/side effects, precautions, and developmental stages. Things that I have good evidence have kept me from getting questions correct in the past. Also some choice diseases such as Lupus, MS, and TB which seem to come up...Constantly. (Watch them not be on my test!) Most days (if I'm off or not totally exhausted from work) I have done either a Qtrainer or 75 Qbank questions in the timed format. Then I review the answers/rationales and do some content review in Saunders before bed. I feel like it's more readable than the Kaplan review materials. I do notice that I do better on the questions if I sit up at a table, as early in the day as possible- my "alert" time. If I can I go to my school library and sit at a desk on the designated quiet study floor. If I do them after work or in the evening, or while just slouching on my sofa, I don't do as well. My scores have been getting better the more questions I complete and review...I'm now consistently in the mid 60s-low 70s. Keep you chin up! Remember, we got all the way though nursing school, we can do this:cat:

I actually DO review all the rationales, since sometimes I got the question right but the rationale they stated was slightly different from what I was thinking....Also useful for those questions you may have answered with an educated guess.

I wouldn't worry too much about it if you're not interested in acute care...Here's my experience as a fellow Denver nursing student. I too have a background as a clinic assistant in a community health setting, which I LOVE and didn't want to give up to be an ACP at UCH, Denver Health, etc. Personally, I wasn't 100% sure I wanted to go into public health, so I chose to do my senior practicum in acute care, to have that experience. I did get a little crash refresher in all of those basic nursing skills we learned in Fundamentals. The first few nights of my practicum were made slightly more stressful by having to get used to all the peri care and bed changing, but it wasn't too bad :) I also ended up being offered a job in an acute care setting, WITHOUT acute care experience, so if you want to go that route after all, it will not be closed off to you. Remember, your public health experience has value in many settings. You will probably excel in educating patients, since you are well aware of the impact of their socioeconomic circumstances upon their health. In other words you'll see a lot of connections that others may not- and being able to talk about this will always make a good impression on prospective employers. Being an ACP is valuable no doubt, especially if you want to work at that specific clinical agency, but it isn't the only way to get a job after (or before!) graduation.

I'm presently doing my senior Capstone at a large urban hospital in Med-Surg on 12 hour nights. I was initially worried about making the adjustment, since I'm not really a night owl, but it's been a really great experience. Although it is still busy (fewer nurses and techs with bigger patient loads) there is usually sufficient downtime from about 2-4 where I can sit with my preceptor and she reviews my charting and goes over our plan/goals. For me it has been very helpful, since I have still gotten a ton of opportunities to administer meds, attempt IV starts and blood draws, and assess my patients-- the big difference is that there is much less hustle and bustle involving patients going to procedures, meeting with physicians, social workers, PTs, and so forth. We see the odd doctor and a respiratory therapist and that's about it. The flip side of this is that sometimes getting a hold of the right medical service or provider can be challenging. If someone starts to go downhill late at night, their doctor is not just going to be charting or doing rounds down the hall. From a student standpoint, however, this has been a good opportunity to develop and observe concise, effective communication techniques. Also, elderly patients with dementia can have a big change in their level of orientation at night, and this has certainly been a challenge. Someone who may be following commands and conversing coherently at 1900 may not be capable of this when it's time for their 0200 IV antibiotic My sleep patterns are definitely a bit odd now...What seems to work best for me is sleeping normally the night before the date of my first night shift (usually have 3 in a row), getting up early, then trying to nap for 2-4 hours right before the shift. Then the next morning if I have another shift that night, I try to sleep 9ish to 4ish. Despite blackout material on my windows, this is sometimes a challenge. If I have a day "off" I get home and sleep until 12 or so, stay up the rest of the day, and then sleep that night. At first I thought I would try to preserve a nocturnal schedule, but that didn't work for me- the urge to sleep at night was just too strong when I wasn't at the hospital. Good luck! I hope you like it as much as I have.

Awesome! Congratulations!

Congrats! That's wonderful....Also really cool there will be four of you. On my unit I think there will only be two.

Geriatrics & General Medicine. I know some people were initially reluctant to post in this thread because they knew so many of the other applicants...I overheard this topic of discussion on my interview day, and indeed many of my fellow applicants were clearly well acquainted. Since my school is out of state, I had the luxury of privacy - I only told a few of people there that I applied, and I'll tell and even smaller group that I was offered a position. (At work it was a different story- I've known those folks for years and feel a lot more comfortable around them.) On one hand it makes me a little sad that people seem so guarded, but on the other hand, I get it.

Thanks!

I received a call with a job offer yesterday! So excited and grateful. Now, to finish my capstone and pass the NCLEX... Also happy I'll be near my family again! Good luck everyone and hopefully I'll meet some of you in a few months.

Haha....Nope.

I felt that it went well, but of course there is some fierce competition. Much like in my nursing program, a lot of very smart people who have a lot to offer. What really impressed me about the experience was how much dedication and enthusiasm those who interviewed me obviously had for their jobs. They seemed very passionate about their unit and dedicated to integrating new ideas and the latest research in their practice....Which is what I hoped I would find in a hospital with such a great reputation! So, if I am not offered a job I still feel that it was a very positive experience. I know there are still some interviews coming up, and of course I don't know if all units ask the same kinds of questions. I would definitely recommend, if you haven't already, sitting down and making notes on some of your most memorable patients and experiences for inspiration, then doing a little practicing. I think it's difficult for many of us to talk about things we've done well, because we're constantly encouraged to downplay our strengths in other areas of our lives....But this is the time to let them shine! Good luck to all, and just remember that we all have a place somewhere, and we'll find it in our own time. (This is what I tell myself anyway! )

I was told to be there Monday at 10:30. Nervous but really excited!

So, I found out I will be interviewing for General Medicine and Geriatrics, one of my top choices! My primary nursing interests are geriatrics and psych so I'm super excited. Anybody else care to share their particulars? I'm originally from Wisconsin, but I've been living in Colorado for the last several years. So I'll probably fly in a couple of days early, stay with family, and get a motel room in Madison the night before just in case there's a blizzard or something. I've always loved Madison (it was the "cool" place, so my friends and I would drive up in high school to hang out on State Street). I visited again last summer and still thought it was pretty great!

I heard today as well! The email said that the unit and other specifics would be forthcoming.