ladybugsea

Thank you all for your input, it is helpful and I appreciate your time!

My district is in the planning stages of a new 7-12 building (we currently have separate 7-8 and 9-12 buildings). I have been invited to meet with the architects tomorrow to discuss health services. I would love any feedback that you can share. Do you work in a new building? What do you like/dislike? Are you able to share a photo of your workspace? Do you work in a combined middle/high building? If so, what are your thoughts on the nurses being located together versus separate? Is it better for the 7-8 nurse to be located near the 7-8 office/counselors, rather than located with the 9-12 nurse? If you have a traditional building, what would you want to keep or change? Thank you for any input!

I was told to expect to spend 20 hours per week per course.

Thanks for the info, xobritney! Glad to hear they are interesting. I already took stats previously and have a BA/MS so I should be going right into the nursing courses. Trying to figure out if two at a time would be too much. Should I expect 1 paper/test per week per course? Will the advisor suggest which two courses to take simultaneously? Enjoy your week off!! :)

Froggybelly - how was it taking two nursing courses in one term? Were they both similar in workload?

I am having a hard time deciding on an online RN to BSN program... I think I am over thinking this, does the school really even matter? So far I have narrowed it down to URI, SNHU, and UMass Boston. They are all similar in price, but vary in semester length, time to complete, curriculum, etc. URI - Pros: Next start date March 1; large nursing school that has been around a long time; terms are 7 weeks; no clinical. Cons: Program is brand new this past fall; program only has 18 nursing credits, which seems odd (others all seem to have 30+) - but you still need to take 30 credits at URI to graduate, even if you have previous degrees and don't need them - the extra courses would be gen ed classes, which can include stats and pharm. SHNU - Pros: They have well seasoned online programs and have clear assignment deadlines and syllabi across classes; next start dates are Feb 8 or April 11; terms are 10 weeks; no clinical. Cons: Will require a 'diversity' class unrelated to nursing; may not accept my Grad level statistics course; curriculum is heavy on healthcare/finance/technology which is not something I plan to pursue; brick and mortar school has been around for a long time, but school now has bigger reputation locally for online, accelerated degrees. UMass Boston - Pros: curriculum looks the most rigorous, may have the best reputation/connotation locally of the 3 (I could be wrong!); only have to take nursing courses; I like that the courses are 6 credits instead of 3 credits. Cons: Next start time is not until the fall; clinical component required; traditional semesters means it will take 2.5 years to take five 6 credit classes; I would need to study for and pay for 2 NLN exams (Pharm and Nutrition). I have focused on schools that are in my area (URI is a stretch!) - if I am going to spend all this time and money on it, I don't want to be treated like it is just a paper degree that I 'bought' (because clearly anyone thinking that about ANY of these accredited programs would be wrong). My gut feels like UMass Boston is the best program; but it will take the longest and I wouldn't be able to start until the fall, plus I would prefer not to have to do a clinical. Any thoughts? I know there are many other programs out there (one good example is Texas at Arlington) - should I not worry if a school is local to me or not? Thank you for reading, I just need someone to bounce ideas off of to help me figure this out! :)

I am also a new school nurse. I subbed over the past school year and wore business casual with a lab coat on top (to be recognized as the sub nurse). Like you, I don't have a lot of work clothes and have no scrubs. I started as a full-time school nurse last week wearing business casual, and by the end of the week I decided to buy scrubs (or wear a mix). Several reasons - pockets (walkie talkie, keys, pen, etc), ease of getting ready in the morning, and finally because sometimes it can be messy (I cath a student 2x/day, kids are sick, etc), it seems to make sense. I went back and forth a lot. I don't want to feel weird being the only person in the whole school dressed 'different'. I also didn't think it was necessary since the job is not that 'messy'; but it can be, with kids throwing up on occasion, having to crouch down in the bathroom to cath a student, etc. I chose some simple Koi scrubs that don't scream 'scrub', plus I plan to also sometimes wear the pants with regular shirts. I asked my teacher friends in the district what they have seen over the years and in general the older nurses tend to wear business casual and the younger tend to wear scrubs.

I have been thinking about sitting for the IBCLC exam this summer (I'm a LLL Leader and new RN, so all I need is the 45hrs lactation specific education). I need to decide ASAP because deadlines are looming and I need to complete the education hours first. Will having this certification help me get a job? My goal is to work in LDRP, not as a LC (but I would). I know it can't hurt, but it's a lot of time and money, and I'm not sure it's going to help me get the job I want. I also don't think there are a lot of LC jobs around here right now, and not sure a hospital would hire me as an LC with no experience working as a nurse. I should also mention that I'm a new grad in an area where there are no jobs in acute care this year. I will probably take a job in LTC soon (I was waiting to see what January would bring, but there are hiring freezes and lay-offs instead of new grad orientations, unfortunately). I graduated first in my class, did an externship in a SCN, and have great references and none of that is helping me (plus a MS in another field). But I figure I have a lot of time to study right now, and I am so fresh from the mindset of all those nursing school exams that now may be a good time to do this, if I am ever going to do it. Thanks!

You are not alone. I passed seven months ago today, and still nothing. I did find some LTC options back in Sept, but I was holding out for med-surg orientations in January. But it seems most hospitals aren't running them this winter. It stinks, but in the long run it will work out. I hope you find something soon.

Binkie - I don't want to work as a CNA! MA hospitals are pretty much only hiring internal candidates to their new grad programs. Many of these hospitals weren't even able to hire all their CNAs that graduated this year (one particular hospital in my area had 14 CNAs graduate this May and only had 7 slots in their new grad program). So that leaves no chance at all for the rest of us to get hired as a new RN. I guess this happened in 1993 also, there were tons of new grads and no positions for them. The reason I was interested in the CNA opportunity is because I heard one place is hiring new grad RNs as CNAs now and will put them through their RN orientation early next year when the preceptors and budget are available. I'm worried that if I'm not an internal candidate when the next round of opportunities come up this winter, I will be in the same position I am in right now, along with loads of other unemployed new grads in MA.

Thanks. I just don't see how I'm going to get a job in this market unless I'm already working for a hospital that will hire new grads again this winter. I have heard a rumor about one hospital in MA that is hiring RNs as CNAs right now. So it is not technically illegal or jeopardizing my license, it is up to the hospital??

Is this allowed? I know I've seen threads on this topic in the past, but I'm not having luck using the search and google and checking the BORN. I thought I had read here that it was not allowed in certain states, I'm wondering about MA. Thanks!

Wow, thanks, that's good to know. I was hoping to get something in Jan/Feb when preceptors are free again and some hospitals claim they 'may' run orientations again. But with so many new grads still unemployed, that may be grim, too. I never in a million years thought I would have this much trouble getting a job.

Austin - I agree with Octoberbride 100%. Unless you have an amazing connection, it would be a much better bet not to come to MA. Octoberbride - where did you learn about the 2-year job forecast? Yikes, this is getting worse and worse.

jbeau - that's funny, I just heard from a Children's nurse the other day that they are on a hiring freeze. Have you been able to get some interviews?