bap9090

Hey guys, not sure if this will be helpful to anyone but they ended up contacting me a while back for an interview (I had applied for a critical care position), and they basically told me that I didn't qualify because I did not have any experience in critical care outside of my rotation in nursing school. They offered a chance to interview for med surg but I had already accepted a job in the area I wanted before they reached out!

Sorry I just now saw your reply. I went ahead and applied to the jobs I wanted even though they said "no" under new grad :)

Dreams do come true! I was hired into the ICU at Banner University Med Center!!! Apparently they doing the most new grad hiring in Phoenix. Thanks everyone for the responses!

Hey guys, did anyone else get an email from HR stating that your application will be sent to the hiring manager for review? I just got that today, I submitted the app on the 19th! Good luck!

Thanks for the heads up!!

Thanks for the tip!

Thanks for the honest feedback, I may be executing my backup plan sooner rather than later!

Hello! I am a new grad hoping to land a job in an ICU. Are certain hospitals in Phoenix more/less likely to hire new grads into this setting? Are there any tips to help a new grad secure a position in critical care? I have my mind made up to work in that setting, and will only be applying to these units so any insight to the valley would be awesome!!

Thank you! I came across Vanderbilt University and will be considering their program, they offer programs similar to University of Tennessee, I will look there as well!

Thanks so much for the feedback! I look forward to continuing my education and moving into the NP role. I am not sure if I'd rather do acute care or primary care, but I am sure I will enjoy it!

Thank you for your response! When I saw the "glorified RN' comment I was very taken aback, which is why I've been looking to hear from people in the profession. It can be hard to understand until you've really been immersed in the situation. Your day to day job sounds great. I think the style of physician supervision you experience is ideal, because it allows you to use your knowledge nursing focus to care for your patients, without medical intervention. That is the vision of the healthcare team that made me want to become an NP. Do you and your attending share the patient load so that he/she is solely responsible for a portion of the patients, or do you collaborate among the whole unit. If referrals are needed can you provide that, or does the attending have to make those recommendations?

Thank you for your response, that definitely makes sense and clears things up a bit. I did not know that the MS-RN and MSN were looked at so similarly. The way it has been explained to me is that MSNs are advanced practice, focused in a particular field or area of nursing and the MS in nursing is simply a RN pre licensure masters of science. I will look into post masters programs I may be eligible for as well!

Hello everyone, I really do hope that this topic is not redundant although I cannot seem to find a thread here that really answers my questions. [COLOR=#3f4549]As an NP in the hospital setting, can you help me understand where the physician intervenes in the care of your patients? I am current in nursing school (RN) and I am specifically in becoming an AG-ACNP or an FNP. I am struggling with understanding the day to day experience as a provider in this role in acute care as I haven't really seen it yet. In my experiences, nurses have followed physician orders and collaborated care with them. I have not seen any NP's acting as the direct provider. I know that the details of this topic differ from state to state, but I would like to hear from anyone with relevant input. [/COLOR] [COLOR=#3f4549]I understand that as the NP you can typically order diagnostics, medications, and create the plan of care for your patients. It is my understanding that anything that can show in the patient chart as an order can be entered by an NP or MD. How does the 'physician supervision' impact this? Do the bedside RN's provide patient status updates to the NP or the supervising MD? Do they request treatment/med orders from the providing NP or from the supervising MD? Does the MD review your plan or care and provide approval before implementation, do they make changes as they see fit? What procedures are within the NP scope of practice to order and complete independently? As I understand it, the NP can do most procedures that are not considered surgical. Does the NP make referrals to specialists, home care, OT, PT, RT, etc.? I get confused in understanding where the NP autonomy ends in the hospital/acute care settings. Some people make it seem like the physicians are in the background and patient care belongs to the providing NP. Others make it seem as though the ACNP is a 'glorified RN', an actual term I've seen used, simply performing procedures in between the RN and MD scope of practice, being involved in the admission assessment and initial care planning, and leaving the rest to the attending. I know that NP's are quite autonomous in outpatient/primary care settings from my personal experience. If you guys could help answer these questions and correct me where I'm wrong I really would appreciate it![/COLOR]

Hi everyone, I am entering nursing through a master's entry to nursing program at the University of Arizona. My bachelor's degree was in another field. When I am licensed I will be an MS-RN, NOT a MSN. From there I hope to become an NP, most likely through a DNP program. I am curious to hear if anyone else has taken a path similar to this, or any non-traditional route? As I've begun looking at DNP programs, they seem to be 'marketed' towards nurses who either have a BSN, MSN, or integrate one of those into a longer program. I am wondering how something somewhat in-between the two will transition to the next level. Thanks for the input!

Hello! I will be graduating next august with my entry level master's RN, and I am planning on pursuing my DNP shortly after. I am currently in Phoenix, AZ, and have not decided yet if I will be staying and working here, or where I want to go to complete my DNP. A major factor in where I decide to go is the likelihood that I will not be paying out of pocket or using loans to fund any more education! Can someone help me understand what hospitals offer tuition reimbursement in CA? I know of schools in the midwest where they will pay close to 100% for you graduate education if you work at the university affiliated hospital. Is there anything like that out here? Do any of the hospitals here offer significant reimbursement for RN's continuing education. If it helps, I will most likely do adult-gerontology, FNP, or women's health. Thank you!!

Hello! I will be graduating next august with my entry level master's RN, and I am planning on pursuing my DNP shortly after. I am not from AZ, and have not decided yet if I will be staying and working here, or where I want to go to complete my DNP. A major factor in where I decide to go is the likelihood that I will not be paying out of pocket or using loans to fund any more education! Can someone help me understand what hospitals offer tuition reimbursement in AZ? I am in the Phoenix area right now. I know of schools in the midwest where they will pay close to 100% for you graduate education if you work at the university affiliated hospital. Is there anything like that out here? Do any of the hospitals here offer significant reimbursement for RN's continuing education. If it helps, I will most likely do adult-gerontology, FNP, or women's health. Thank you!!

gathered*

Also @bruins1990, I don't think you should be worried. Are you still planning to do the 2015 MEPN? I am, and I have done a good deal of research, I applied to four different programs and was accepted at all and I am choosing UA. Most of the negative comments in this thread are old and I sense that the program has changed for the better over the years, and thsoe issues may not really apply to us. Although I am curious about what jobs look like for new grads, I am not too worried about it, I imagine we would hear much more feedback if it were really terrible. I am planning to continue my nursing career and get my DNP, which I've also done a great deal of research into and it a very smooth transition from the MS-RN. Hopefully I will see you in Phoenix!

What I have gatehered is that the difference with the MS-RN and an MSN is that an MSN implies some sort of specialty focus or advanced practice training. The curriculum required for a CNL which you should be able to see in the program you are referencing should be in some part focused on specializing in that area. My understanding is that with the MS-RN (which I will be beginning that program this summer) is not an MSN because it lacks that focus/specialization. It is broadly preparing you to practice as an RN, however your coursework is graduate level in terms of expectations and intensity. RN's who become MSN go back to school and are gaining the next level of training (beyond entry level) or are specializing in a subfield of nursing. Hope that helps!

See you in Phoenix!

Thanks, that does help!

Hello, I will be moving in a few months to Phoenix from Michigan. I am relocating to attend the University of Arizona MEPN program, but I will be based in Phoenix. Is there any advice on what areas to consider when looking to move? My budget is $600-900 monthly rent, preferably a house or townhouse 2 bedroom ideally. It is difficult to do an internet search when I have never been to AZ and have no idea what areas are safe, affordable, and easy commuting distance from central Phoenix. It is also important to me to avoid any stereotypical 'college towns' as I would like something pretty peaceful and quiet. Geographically what areas should I look for housing? How much can I expect the avg. energy bill to be, I know it is extremely hot and will not be cheap to keep my place cool? Is my budget reasonable for decent and safe living arrangements? Should I anticipate very congested rush hours? My boyfriend will be joining me in August, any suggestions for workplaces in the clinical development/scientific areas? Any other concerns I should consider when searching? Any input from alumni from this program or students recently admitted to the summer 2015 MEPN cohort are welcome as well! Thank you all!

The BSN and MSN options I am looking at all provide the same opportunity upon graduation which is preparation and eligibility to take the NCLEX and work as an RN. The MSN is not specialized in any particular field of nursing (excluding the CNL option)!

Thank you all for the feedback. After considering your opinions and a doing bit more research, I am leaning towards the MSN without the CNL components. It seems to be a better choice in terms of cost, time, and contribution to my overall goal which is to learn and grow as an RN and eventually move into the role of NP. I am not interested in the style of work outlined in a CNL. Although I understand the importance and necessity of leadership and actively improving outcomes, the experiences with patients and diagnostic tools utilized in nursing are what attracts me and what I will find exciting. It seems that the CNL would be less useful for me. In one scenario I wouldn't directly use those skills too much on the job; in the other scenario my role would reflect the CNL as it was designed but as a new nurse I would likely be dissatisfied with that. I still have a lingering option of the accelerated BSN that is closer to home, but my mind is much more intrigued by the opportunities available with this masters program. In addition, I the schools which I am choosing between all have fantastic reputations in their surrounding nursing communities and are known to really invest time in students to produce competent RN's as well as prepare students for more advanced education so I am sure I will do well in whichever direction the wind blows :)

Thank you, I stated that because I keep seeing and hearing "By 2015, all university NP programs must be converted to DNP" or similar statements. It has been referred to by people I have spoken with in the medical community, and a few colleges I have considered have mentioned it as well. I assumed this was the direction in which education in the field would be moving. Are you saying that in your experience the CNL certified RNs don't actively utilize those credentials and practice direct patient care roles the same as other nurses? I have come across other sources suggesting that the daily tasks of a CNL are much different than staff RN's in the respect that they focus on the leadership and improvement aspects of nursing, often overseeing or collaborating with staff RNs. That is how I began questioning the necessity of the CNL for my purposes.