COMountaineer88

Can anyone comment on the culture, pay, benefits etc. of any of the Anchorage area hospitals (Alaska Regional, Providence, and Alaska Native)? My husband and I are planning on moving there in October 2020. I will have 2.5 years experience as an ICU RN by that time. Thank you!

I passed!! I can't believe it, I was certain I failed. I can have my life back now!

Did you pass? I just took mine. Also got 75 and feel the same way.

I am almost certain I failed. There is just no way. Looked up some questions after I got home and got a lot wrong that I can think of. It ended at 75.

Congrats!!!

I take mine at 0800 this Wednesday the 27th! I am so nervous because I have my dream job lined up in the ICU! I have used hurst review, NCLEX Mastery, and Uworld. I have completed all of Uworld in the 96th percentile, have done 3 out of the 6 simulator exams on Hurst with 94, 95, 97/125, and watched al the videos. I've studied about 6-12 hours/day for the last 4 weeks besides on weekends. Ugh, this is a miserable experience.

University of Southern Maine, Portland, ME.

I have been accepted for a summer internship position in the OR at a surgical center and now find myself in a bit of a dilemma and would like some opinions. I applied for this through my school with the general assumption that I would be working 3, 12 hour shifts (my mistake for assuming). I live 45+ minutes away from the surgical center and medical campus, which I was aware of when applying. This drive would be manageable if I had received a 3, 12 hour shift schedule/week. My car has 140K miles on it and has had many repairs costing upwards of $4,000 in the past 3 years. I am worried that my car may not make it until my May 2018 graduation and receiving a 5 day/week schedule for this internship has definitely increased my concern. I do not have the means to just buy a new car if it breaks down within the next year. A month ago I emailed the internship coordinator sharing my concerns about the drive and asking if there was anything that could be done. Well it took a week for her to get back to me only after I had followed up on my initial email. She was understanding and offered to ask other students in the program if they would want to switch placements. I emailed back promptly stating that was a wonderful idea and could be very helpful. Well she never sent out an email to the group or followed up with me. I eventually found out how to email the other students in the internship and asked if anyone would want to switch. I received a reply quickly from an enthusiastic student. I then emailed my coordinator asking if this switch would be okay as we had previously discussed. She responded that it may be difficult because of paperwork but that she would run it by the hospital and get a final word the next day. Well that was over a week ago and I emailed her back asking if she had heard anything and still haven't heard from her. My gut feeling is that the switch is not going to happen. This whole process has been quite frustrating because of lack of clear communication and assumptions on my part. I feel like the placement could have been an easy switch had it been initiated when I was told my coordinator would do it. I know that my car issues are my own and not my school's problem to deal with, but I believe I brought this to the attention of my coordinator in a reasonable time frame. I am stuck between continuing on in this internship or finding a CNA job close by. Anyone have any opinions or advice they can offer me? Thank you.

Like others have said, you should consult a primary care provider and/or psychiatrist. I have taken add/adhd meds on and off for the past 10 years. I am currently in nursing school and take vyvanse everyday, although I have vacations from it whenever I can. The side effects I experience are headaches and tiredness towards the afternoon. I combat these with proper hydration and eating frequent, small meals. It has helped me a lot and I don't see any problem with taking meds for a medical condition.

Please don't give up on yourself! I was diagnosed with add/adhd around 11 and also have struggled with math since being formally introduced in early elementary school. At 28 and after many rejections, I was finally accepted into nursing school and let me tell you, the years of struggling to gain admissions was so worth it! I had some poor grades when I first started college and it took a b.s in biology with a 3.5 to offset those. Study tricks that have helped me include:notecards/online note cards, mini-white board, typing up notes, writing notes, talking about material, watching videos, and practice questions. If you do not know your learning style, take the VARK or something similar online to really tailor your studying to your learning style. Also, looking into the disability services center at your school, if you have a diagnosed condition, you can utilize accommodations such as a private study room during tests. Get ahead at every chance. Don't let anyone tell you that you are not capable of becoming a nurse (and thriving as one), including yourself. Good luck!

Hey there! I cannot answer your question but can relate to you. I will be attending USM's nursing program this fall and am also coming from Colorado and bringing a dog. From my research, Maine does not have a lot of large corporate apartment complexes like Colorado. A lot of housing is ran by landlords instead. I got lucky and found an actually apartment complex with a few dozen units. I hope you find something soon!

Hi there Kate! I look forward to meeting you as well as everyone else. I'll be heading out to Maine from Colorado with my fiancé August 17th! I cannot wait to start, congratulations on your acceptance as well.

Mountain Climber-I just noticed your private message from May 2nd. I responded back with my contact information. Ttys.

Have you had any luck in apartment searches? Coming from Denver, I am used to a plethora of medium-large apartment complexes with lots of availability, I am not finding this to be true in the Lewiston-Auburn area.

Yup as a junior, still haven't received my transfer credit report though. I'm calling tomorrow to see where they are at in that process.