MLSTTS2015

Hello Everyone! I recently had an interview for a PICU at a very large teaching hospital. It went very well and the manager said she just has to look over my references and pending they are all good I will get an offer. I am trying not to get my hopes up until I actually hear from HR though. She also said that she wants me to stay where I am for a full year which will be the end of June so that I can come in as a clinician 2 into the hospital system. My dream has always been to work in a picu; especially this PICU, as it is where my baby brother passed away. I know that sounds morbid but his nurses were phenomenal and since then I have wanted to provide for children and families just as those nurses did. I currently work on a very bust intermediate care unit. We take most drips except pressers. We currently can not titrate however that's changing next month. we take continuous bipap and high flow oxygen, no vents. We do get trached patients. our ratio is three to five depending on acuity. I am wondering how difficult my transition will be from where I am now to this level 1 trauma center PICU that sees everything from cardiac surgeries to transplants hem/onc and burns. anyone with advice for me would be much appreciated!!

In virgina you have to be an RN to be an NP and maintain you RN license. Most NP programs whether they are MSN or DNP want you to have at least a year of floor nursing experience first. so I know here you have to go through nursing school first. but it may be different in other states?

where I live (Va) there are no LVN or LPN to RN bridge programs you have to start over but it may be different where you are

I graduated in may and I too went through school without a backup plan. Being a nurse was what I always wanted I really have no idea what else I would do outside the realm of nursing. I never went through school saying what if I fail what if I fail because that just wasn't an option for me. I wish you the best of luck!!

I am a new nurse and I look younger than I am. I just turned 25 but look barely 20. It did not hurt me in my interview process because most of the managers already knew me threw clinicals and me working at that hospital as a tech. However sometimes I think it throws some of the patients off. I get comments such as "your an RN you cant be much older than 18 if that!" but in situations like that I just reassure them and carry myself with confidence but not cockiness. and remember never freak out where the patients can see you and always ask coworkers for help

BSN-24

I work in Richmond. I Graduated in may and they started me at a little over 24 an hour. I work nights so I also get shift diff. The pay in Virginia varies quite a bit depending on where you are and what kind of Nurse you are.

I dont think she used a trick taking it its a trick that people use to try and find out if they passed it sooner but t no longer works.

do you mean the trick where you try to register for the nclex again and if it lets you you supposedly failed if it doesnt you passed......if so pearson fixed their sytem so everyone can reregister regardless of if you passed or failed. That "trick" no longer works. However chances are if it cut off at 75 you passed. Mine cut of at 75 and I did, and everyone else that I know that cut off at 75 passed. Good luck to you I wish you the best.

you are absolutely not too old. If this is what you want go for it! I had women in my graduating class that were in ther 30s all the way to one that was 52

busgirl at 15 babysitting cashier waitress assistant teacher in two different daycare's patient care tech in two different hospitals while in nursing school and now an RN at 24

look into Bon secours it is a great school and it is BSN. it is very challenging but worth it in the end

i couldnt find the poll....i think my company is better than some but it is still a no

hey yall, just wondering if yall were applying to others in the area as well, they are all getting so hard to get into even with high grades and teas scores because so many people are applying. I would recommend applying to at least two different schools. I had a 3.8 and high teas scores dont remember exact score and was put on the waiting list at john tyler; but got into bon secours because they looked at other things such as reference letters and an essay you have to write.

honestly it is all gonna depend on you and what works best for you. you have to find it and stick with it. I worked alot through school so I was always a crammer I had to be. however I never missed a class and always payed attention. study groups worked for me and the Saunders nclex comprehensive book is amazing I used it all the way through nursing school and still look at it from time to time. Dont let students in the semesters above you scare you because what has been difficult for them may not be difficult for you. Nursing school is Hard very hard but it is what you make it. Dont let yourself get overly stressed take one week at a time and roll with the punches.

study for the Nclex. you have graduated form nursing school so dont give up. Becoming a CNA I feel would just be a distraction. but don't study all day all the time, what are you struggling with, start from there. what are you using to study with? do you have the Saunders comprehensive NCLEX book its a really good one. and I don't know what review courses they offer in your area; but I did the HURST review and it was amazing.

awesome! I'm glad I could help. good luck on your nclex. I dont know if they offer it in your area but I did the hurst review it is amazing.

I did mine on a step down floor/telemetry floor, and ended up getting a job on an intermediate care unit very similar to it but with a higher acuity level. I learned so much and really enjoyed it which was why I decided to apply to step down units. eventually I want to work in a PICU but I want to get a good foundation first. Don't necessarily choose what you are most interested in but where you think you will learn the most and get the most skills. a big reason I say that is because some girls I went to school with did the preceptorship on L&D or mother infant and then couldn't get a job there.

because both a patient awaiting discharge and a patient awaiting surgery regardless of it being elective need teaching. Teaching is priority to a RN. at least in VA only RNs can teach LPNs can go back and reinforce the teaching only the the RN can do the initial teaching. Discharging a patient involves a lot of teaching and a patient awaiting surgery will require teaching along with preop checklist that will need to be completed. Ambulating a patient while important is something that can be handed off to a CNA or tech on the floor if available, and if not it is put on the back burner to the other two tasks.

I went to Bon secours college of Nursing and work in one of their hospitals now it is catholic based; we never said that pledge at our graduation. I have seen that pledge but none of the nursing schools in this area say it. I think they are beginning to phase it out.

ok so eventually you may be able to find a job where you dont have to deal with people as much but right out of school that is very unlikely.....The simple fact is, Nursing is a very social profession that requires you to have communication skills preferably very good ones. It doesnt sound like Nursing is the profession for you, I honestly feel that you would be very unhappy which would make you hate people even more. As nurses we encounter people when they are at their worst and weakest moments, they do not need nurses that "hate them" or that really don't want to talk to them or their families. Have you thought about doing something in a lab or something like that?

I was one of those that said would have treated in that original post. I will admit that I skimmed the post and did not read that the patient was not taking any insulin or other hypoglycemics; So at 85 I probably would have asked the patient if she usually dropped at night and would have left it up to the pt. as far as my hospital protocol they are very very strict, for those that are diabetics treat under 80 non diabetics treat under 70. we also must recheck 15min after we treat. our glucometers record everything and if we do not follow this it is investigated and we are usually written up.

I would imagine that Americans choose to become Nurses for very similar reasons that nurses from other countries chose to go into that profession; are you thinking about becoming an RN?

You must not live in the south;). As a new grad were making around 30,000-40,000 if your lucky. 40,000 is for those doing nights; and thats for Richmond Va, its much much lower in other areas. granted their is a lower cost of living; I think nurses make decent money and there is room to grow and advance in this career; but big bucks defiantly not especially after you add on all the expenses of the real world. Nurses work very very hard and have a stressful jo. In comparison to other careers and the work that they do no its not an equal compensation but the same goes for firefighters and policemen.

I completely agree, If they really had a shortage they would hire ASN nurses. My hospital system has also gotten rid of any LPNs working in the hospital. But that could very easily change if they really needed the staff. I don't see the ASN going anywhere anytime soon. They were also talking about making the NP minimum education a doctorate degree but neither of these changes will probably ever happen in my life time.