NJSassyCat

Hi fellow nurses! I'm going to be a new school nurse at a public school starting this September. The only specialty I have is in med-surg and step down unit. No peds experience! I'm going to have a day of orientation with the former school nurse, but that's it. I have visited the school and it's around >600 kids. There will be a sub nurse coming in a few times out of the week for a few hours. Are there are any tips that I need to know or any resources you may have found useful? What do you usually do on your first day? I believe there is hundreds of paperwork piled up on your desks. Also, there are a few asthmatics and type 1 diabetics in the school. Thank you so much. :)

A few were hired straight out of nursing school. A few of us decided on a residency program. Which, by the way, I highly recommend. Usually residency programs teach you up to a year(some six months) in most specialties like ICU. I suggest go on Indeed.com and search for RN Residency programs in NJ. Hackensack hospital and their affiliates like: Jersey Shore Med, Riverview, Mountainside, and Ocean have residencies. ?

Well, for me - they were offering me in the mid 30’s. Im almost positive it was 35 for nights and didn’t have much experience. ? A few were offered in med-surg, telemetry/step-down units. Hope that helped!

ADN. We started with around 80 and graduated with 53. Not counting those that were in the LPN-bridge program (which was around 3).

When I took the exam in late August, I had 47 SATA questions (I tallied it on the white board they give us) and I was internally panicking all the way through. Luckily I passed as well and so did most of my nursing class. ? but it was nerve wrecking.

I’m an old new grad and was also offered a position at another hospital for med-surg as well and while the pay is less, they do offer amazing training. It depends on the unit you’re in for Newark Beth, but I just didn’t like the atmosphere. Just my two cents. Good luck on your journey!

Hi RNCharm, I recently was hired to Newark Beth, but declined the job. You will meet with HR and nurse manager at the unit you applied for. They will ask you the typical questions like: Why do you want to work here? Why nursing? Why should we choose you? Etc. Before that, you will be asked for 5 references to input onto their SkillSurvey website. IMO I just found the whole hiring process a little unprofessional on my part, but my curiosity peeked and I went to interview anyway. I have a few classmates who work there now. Some like it... and some want to get out ASAP (hospital politics, rude seasoned nurses) , but are waiting for their 1 year of experience. The pay is great too.

I totally understand, OP. I, too, had to have 80 or better in nursing school to be able to pass onto the next nursing course. The first two semesters, I did pretty well. The last two -- Med-Surg II + Pediatrics and ICU courses were the roughest. I was barely making it above water and guess what? I passed and then I passed the NCLEX (while thinking that I totally fail. Yay pessimistic thoughts and anxiety). I was better and am still better in a hospital setting as I'm more confident and can think quickly on my feet. Like others have suggested: Go talk to your faculty. Review the correct answer and the wrong answers, but mostly importantly is to have an understanding on WHY the answer was correct and yours was wrong. Take good notes as well. If your CI emphasis something during lectures, write it down, put a star, circle it, etc. If you have tutoring provided at your school then make an appointment. You CAN do it.

Thank you so much Nursy. It's funny that you mentioned New Mexico. It's at the top of my list since I started thinking about relocation. I researched the area and it's almost exactly the type of place I would like to live in. Is the salary for RNs good? Would I also need a car to get to places or is transportation reliable?

Hi everyone! ? So, after finally graduating and passing my NCLEX and taking two months off to spend time with my family... I started applying for jobs. It's so hard here in New Jersey to get an interview! I'm thinking about relocating to anywhere in the U.S. as a new grad. Since most of you are experienced with this... Do you know any hospitals/states that are in need of nurses, especially Spanish speaking ones? I think it'll be an exciting experience to live in another part of the U.S. Any advice would be great appreciated! Thank you!

Thank you so much for your kind words. ? This honestly helped me so much!

Hi everyone! I just graduated last June from nursing school and passed by NCLEX in September and after some time off due to family emergencies, I am finally applying to some jobs in NJ. My problem is that I have no work experience and I'm a bit scared to start applying to some jobs and then get rejected. It seems all employers are looking for job experience. I did ask two of my clinical instructors to write me a letter of recommendation. Should I send it along with my resume and will these letters help? Thank you everyone.

Hi everyone! I just graduated nursing school this June and plan on taking the NCLEX this July. I have a slight issue though -- I'm not confident I will receive a job offer because I do not have any work experience whatsoever. I do have a few volunteer hours, but nothing else other than that. I had family responsibilities that took up my time when I was not class or doing clinicals. So, my questions is: What can I do to freshen up my resume? Should I volunteer? Should I have any certifications under my belt (other than my BLS) before I start applying? Any input would be appreciated! :)

It honestly depends. I'm going to my third semester at HCCC and the hours keep getting longer. For Fundamentals, I remember that it was 3 days per week -- Tuesday was lecture for 2 hours and Wednesday + Thursday were rotations from 8-12 p.m. Med Surg I was longer. Tuesday + Wednesday were lectures from 10-12 or 1 (Mondays were test days and we had the same Tuesday off that same week), Thursday and Friday were rotations from 8-2 p.m. Hope that helps!

No problem! You can ask me anything. :) The references, from what I heard, was supposed to be filled out with the accompanying application. However, you should call them and verify. Let me give you a piece of advice on the NLN book -- forget the reading portion, okay? You either know it or don't. I suggest reading an SAT book instead. The Math is dead on -- so practice, practice, practice! If you see a question on the NLN exam that doesn't pertain to the NLN book then skip it. Chances are those questions aren't counted. For the science, I had a lot of physics questions. Maybe 75% of it. I suggest you grab any highschool physics textbook and skim around it. Also, BOZEMAN SCIENCE on youtube helped A LOT for the science portion. He explains it very easily. You got this, okay? Don't sweat it. Pray, meditate, etc. I didn't have the highest GPA myself when I got in. Eh, I'm doing well, but the exams are relatively harder than last years (I was told this from a friend who graduated there.) However, there is tutoring, plenty of books, and resources at your disposal. The professors are phenomenal and the students got your back.

Hello, I submitted it a bit too late and was put on the waitlist. I suggest you do submit everything in December. I was speaking to my nursing counseler the other day (to register for nursing 120) and she said there were over 400 applications for Fall 2016. Be early. No later than February to get into the Fall 2017 program. If you're speaking about the personal essay, I did mine handwritten. :) I'm not sure what the passing score is. I did score into the mid 90 percentile in the reading, math, and science. I suggest doing well in both math and science (esp. Science) and make sure you get the red NLN book.

Hi, My friend gave me her "The Success" series (Med-Surg/Fundemental version are pretty good) by Kathryn Cadenhead and I purchased The Incredibly Easy Med-Surg + Fluids & Electrolytes. Honestly, any NCLEX based book -- La Charity, Saumders are good, too.

Hey! It seems like everyone I speak to is doing the evening division. I'm doing day myself! Don't be too nervous. The professors are extremely helpful and studying is essential. Also, my friend who graduated from the program has told me to get familiar with NCLEX style questions because those are the type of questions that will be on exams. I just bought a few books to get a head start!

Hello! I'm so proud of you! I wish you the best in whatever you decide. Definitely consider the other schools that you applied to if they get back to you. I got accepted into NYU and William Patterson for Fall 2016, but found that 1) NYU is too expensive even with scholarship and 2) Willie P. is SO far from me. For me, Carepoint is just a short bus ride/car drive away from me. Besides, I heard good things from my friends who are in the program. I'm going next week to register for classes.

Hello, Thank you! No, it does not need to be typed. I believe everything is written out by hand -- personal essay, letters of recc., etc.

Hello Lacerti, I have applied to Carepoint Health ("Christ Hospital) last year, but was put on the wait-list. I was recently offered a seat for Fall 2016, Day Division. I, too, have had a problem with submitting my application because I was given different answers every time I called Carepoint and/or HCCC. However, I decided to go in-person and they (Carepoint) gave me a list of what I needed to submit. The people there are sweet, but like you, I understand that HCCC lacked sufficient information. I wish you the best of luck! Please tell me if you get accepted or not.

Hello, I got accepted earlier last year (September 2015) to Carepoint, after being taken off the waitlist. Don't do what I did! I sent my application around early March 2015, took my test in April, and the spaces were already filled . I then got put on the waitlist, sent my $100 to reserve the seat, and will be attending the day division in Fall 2016. GOOD LUCK!

Hello! Sorry for the late reply! I am doing the day division. How about you? I have heard that it's a tough program, but not impossible. Study partners and tutoring are life savers.

Hello everyone! :) So, I recently got accepted into Carepoint Health SON (formerly known as Christ Hospital) this upcoming Fall 2016. Even though it is a while away, I am nervous and excited! Mostly due to the fact that I was wait-listed for a few months and didn't know if I was going to be accepted or not. I was wondering, who else got accepted? Also, it'd be nice to hear from former and/or current nursing students from Carepoint and hear your thoughts about your dislikes/likes about the program. Especially from the clinical part, as I have finished my pre-req. :)

There were quite a few people who are still waiting to hear back from Christ SON. You applied earlier on just like a few other people, but most apply around this time. :) I keep hearing from some of my friends that Christ is wonderful. By the way, quick question! Did you take the test for NLN?