herbie06

I can understand the sentiment of those who believe this woman should not be caring for patients. It was my very first reaction as well. It is easy to find her new name, her blog, facebook page, etc. Honestly, after reading the story of the murder and the events leading up to it, I still find her act inexcusable. However, she now has a family, and I would never be tempted to "out" this person, especially for the sake of her children. They did nothing wrong, and I can't imagine how terrible it would be to be forced to continually live under the shadow of something your parent has done.

Thanks for the info, Balthazar! The per diem thing is encouraging to hear. The reason I ask is b/c I am starting the nursing program this fall and nursing faculty strongly discourage students from working more than 10 hours per week. I also have two children under the age of five, so I'm limited in my available work hours. Thanks again!

Hi Buster, Yes, I did get accepted to NHCC's evening/weekend program. It was the only program I applied to, since I can't do days and most CC's in the area are day only. Best wishes to you on your upcoming TEAS exam!!

Balthazar, Do you have your CNA certification, or do you just have previous experience as a PCA? Does Regions have a minimum number of hours they want their PCAs to work per week?

Hi all, I appreciate reading about your experiences at St. A's. I know that no one can predict the future, but for those of you who are working there right now, do you think they'll still be hiring new grads (without a bsn) in the next couple years?

The best study prep for me was the ATI manual. If there were topics that I was less familiar with, I looked them up on YouTube and usually found some helpful videos there. Khan Academy is especially useful, I think, especially for science, but I've heard the math videos are good, too. I used some of the practice tests, called 5 Teas Practice Tests by McGraw Hill. I always practiced under timed conditions and took one of the the online tests that you can buy from the ATI website. Hope that helps! Best wishes!

Has anyone heard when or if they will be switching to a DNP program? Not that I'm looking forward to it. . . the program seems great as it is.

Here's an interesting article about said robots. . . Bad Request

I also find this data interesting as well, especially when comparing the community colleges to the 4 year/private schools. . . http://mn.gov/health-licensing-boards/images/Number_and_Firsttime_Success_Rate_of_NCLEXRN_Candidates_Educated_i_021009.pdf

Here's a short article about the new Bioscience Center. . . Bioscience and Health Careers Center | Architecture MN Magazine

Chihuahua Mom, Congrats on your acceptances! I've heard great things about NHCC. What I have heard from former students is that the program is rigorous, but they prepare you well, especially for the NCLEX. I know they have very high pass rates, but of course, it varies from year to year. I am also looking forward to working in the brand new Bioscience and Health Careers Center with the new sim labs, etc. Good luck with your decision!

I only applied to NHCC, and I don't know anyone (outside of this forum) who has applied to Century. . . hopefully you will find out soon!

Laura, congrats on your acceptance to ARCC! My score was 13.53. Has everyone heard back from the MANE programs at this point?

Congrats everyone! I was accepted to NHCC's evening/weekend program.

Hey all! Has anyone heard from NHCC yet?

I took my TEAS exam on 1/29. I was a first time test taker: Adjusted Individual Score: 95.3% ATI Academic Preparedness Level: Exemplary Mean - National: 64.3% Mean - Program: 64.9% Percentile Rank - National: 99 Percentile Rank - Program: 99 Individual Reading Score: 88.1% Individual Mathematics Score: 100% Individual Science Score: 95.8% Individual English Score: 100%

My total score is 13.5. Hoping we hear back by next week!

Thank you so much for posting this! I am in a neighboring state and will be done with nursing school (hopefully) in a couple years. I've been researching good hospitals in the midwest that I may apply to in the future. I appreciate your insight and willingness to help out other new grads!

I'm in Minnesota right now. It will be interesting to see what the job market is like for new grads in this state in the next few years. We've got lots of nursing programs here. . .

iPink, I appreciate your respectful and candid response. I love science, working with patients, and teaching, so I think nursing is a good fit for my interests. Working overseas in areas that don't have access to healthcare is something I hope to do someday as well. I have many friends and family who are nurses, and I have also worked as a PCA and alongside nurses in various healthcare settings, so I am going into this profession with eyes wide open. I have close friend who is a new nurse (career changer) as of a couple years ago, and she had a rough go of it as a new grad. She ended up moving out of state for half a year in order to gain some good experience in an area of the country where nurses are desperately needed and will be hired into almost any specialty in the hospital setting. I am preparing myself for the possibility that my family and I will need to move in order to get a job as a new nurse. Best wishes to you, OP. I hope that you find an area of nursing and/or a new job in which you will feel more comfortable.

Congrats on the multiple job offers--that's great! I guess it's a good sign that you are having trouble choosing between them, too. Yes, that's the thing about North Dakotans. Overall, they are friendly and loyal. I haven't lived in Bismarck for about 19 years, so many things have changed since then I imagine. I moved out of the state my senior year of high school and have only been back to visit since. We have family in Grand Forks and Fargo. Fargo feels like more of a metro area to me. I'm currently living in a larger mid-western city. If you like diversity, I imagine Fargo would have more of it, though not as diverse as most places in FL, of course. I recently read that Fargo is set to open a new hospital in 2017, so that sounds very promising as well!

Good to hear--thanks for all your willingness to help other new grads on this board, Datmurse! Much appreciated, no doubt.

Hey there, North Dakota nurses! I've enjoyed reading the threads re: St. Alexius. I actually had a friend work there for awhile as a newer nurse. Would you say the environment is nurturing to new grads? I know they hire new grads, but for those of you who have worked here as a new nurse, did you think you received adequate orientation for the job. I was born in ND actually, and my very first job as a H.S. senior was in Bismarck. :-)

These are the types of threads that terrify me frankly. I am also a career changer and will be almost 40 when I graduate with my associate's in nursing. I haven't begun school yet, but when I read comments from intelligent people who are not complainers and are truly trying to make the best of things at a difficult work environment and yet STILL want to run for the hills, it gives me pause. Shall I turn back now before it's too late? I originally wanted to go into medicine, but with a young family, that option is not feasible right now. Honestly, our family could really use the money that working in the nursing field would bring. My current job is not enough to feed a family on. Nursing is a relatively quick and inexpensive upfront investment of time and money (community college programs), compared to PA school or medical school. I'm hoping I am not making a big mistake and will eventually find my niche. As some of you have mentioned, nursing is a very diverse field and there should be something out there for everyone. . .

Agree with all of this advice.