Natasha, RN, BSN

Congratulations!!! :)

In my humble opinion, and with respect to your busy schedule, my advice is to study a little bit each day. For example, do 20-30 practice questions at the beginning and end of each day (but be sure to read why an answer was correct and why the others...

Yep, I agree with the others... Dues are paid and you have the experience. Just try and apply! You are definitely an asset! Good luck:)

Sometimes it's luck of the draw, or chalk it up to heavier assignments from hiring new-grads (no offense new-grads! We love you and know you've got to start with a wee bit lighter load! :)), but you are NOT a sucky nurse. I've seen very experienced n...

Saunders NCLEX prep book, plus doing all the test prep questions on whatever topic was up for discussion, helped me through each semester in nursing school. I have it to thank for the excellent grades I received, as the endless amount of reading from...

Wow! Sounds like a dangerous situation, and with no teamwork to help, that's an awful lot of stress. Nursing is not easy, and having no teamwork makes it worse. If a switch to a different unit is possible, perhaps that may help as even though the job...

Sadly, I had many teachers in nursing school that didn't really lead or teach, just went over some ppt's that really didn't help. Oh yeah, and of course the endless reading!!!! Uggghhhhh!!!!! So I turned to Saunders NCLEX prep book and was sure to ...

You ask a very good question, because it does pose quite a challenge to care for the difficult patient. For me, I always do and say everything with a smile and use a sympathetic tone (whether a difficult pt or not). This way, the pt cannot add to the...

If you could go straight to a master's program that is great, so long as what you end up with is aligned to your end goal :)

Couldn't agree more...

It's ok to discover that bedside nursing is not for you, however, to move into other non-bedside nursing one 'typically' needs bedside experience (1-2 years) before venturing out. Many non-bedside jobs require at least that plus other qualifications....

The good thing about nursing is that there is ample opportunity to practice those socially awkward moments and you'll naturally find the right words to say, either through trial and error or listening to how others interact. The more practice you get...

Including more evidence based practice research into existing guidelines, etc. Better flow of information from dept to dept, whether it be SBAR or which dept is supposed to take care of/initiate or discontinue what orders Increase pt satisfaction sc...

Some new grad residency's only last 2 months... not nearly long enough, in my humble opinion. But there are obviously ones that last longer. Do your research as to which hospitals offer it, and what it entails. Typically it is additional education in...

Unfortunately, I have found that most jobs outside of the hospital require a year or two IN the hospital so you can get that bedside experience and a sound foundation. That doesn't mean it's not possible to start outside of a hospital, but perhaps a ...

Well said!!! And so true....

First off, congratulations! :) As for advice, perhaps learn what the hospital/unit's culture climate is. I have seen nurse managers come in and do absolutely fabulous changes, while others really rocked the boat and received staff resistance. Same wi...

I found that whatever topics that were to be tested on, I would use my resources to read up on those topics. Since you have a wide variety of ones to choose from, I would say go with the one you feel best covers the topic and has test prep questions ...

If you love law, then go for it. It's the gut feeling you need to follow :) You can return to nursing later in life if you still feel a passion for it... I did. It is my second career and so far I am loving it, but it is not for everyone. I would lik...

I totally agree!!! It's also a great way to see if this is for you, without losing your current job. A friend of mine (happens to be a new grad) got a med/surg night position and with limited orientation on the unit was left to care for 7 pt's of his...

I feel your pain as I went through nursing school where there were some clinical instructors who were downright rude, mean, and very intimidating. Whether the reason for this was their personality type, insecurity, to "toughen us up", who knows... bu...

I'm sorry you're having that added challenge... just getting through nursing school is challenging enough! If those gals are acting that way towards you, it's probably for the best to not be included in their circle. You deserve to surround yourself ...

A piece of advice that was given to me which I found intriguing was to simply not study AT ALL. And this advice came from mangers and directors of the hospital where I did my nurse residency program. They had said that either "you know it or you don'...

I was accepted the first time I applied. The school was also more on the costly side as it was a university, but with satellite campuses that could accommodate accepting a high number of applicants. The community colleges that my friends were waiting...