vega

Wow, bitter much? It sounds to me like you're second guessing your own path to becoming a nurse. Or maybe you're one of those nurses who eats their young. Yes, that's a lot of speculation based on a paragraph of text, but that's about how many words you used to judge the original poster. I don't think that contemplating one's age in relation to furthering one's education is silly. I asked myself the same question when I considered becoming an ADN in my late 30's. And again when I pursued my BSN in my 40's. And one more time when I applied for an FNP program at 50. It's a pretty good question to ask as one ages and contemplates additional education. The reality is, at some point, we all reach a point of diminishing returns as we make these large commitments of time, energy and finances. Nursing school is not a cakewalk, to be certain. That said, we need to step away from the nurse martyr role if we want to be considered professional. Many professionals make life and death decisions as a matter of routine. Many professionals don't, and yet they still sacrificed and struggled to reach their professional and educational goals (yes, even through horrible spouses, horrific situations, multiple jobs, tragedies, etc.). This nurse martyr attitude hurts our profession -- we shouldn't require sympathy or special acknowledgement from others because we chose this career.

I was 42 when I graduated from nursing school. Best decision I ever made. Now I'm 50, and headed to grad school. I probably *am* too old for that, but I'm doing it anyway.

Good luck!

I didn't include a cover letter, but my resume has a "profile" section at the top that I customize based on the job I'm applying for. Personally, I almost never look at cover letters when I'm reviewing resumes. A particularly eye catching cover letter might entice me to read it, but I don't give it a second thought when a resume comes without one.

I agree with this, but also wanted to add that you should make sure that you look at sample questions/level specific to the kind of job you're applying for. Sample PBI Questions - Performance Based Interviewing (PBI)

I have a tentative offer. Now I need to churn out the 9 dimensions paper for the salary board.

My references have been called post-interview, and the HR specialist has just asked me for a few forms/signature. There's no change in status to my online application, but I'm going to take this as a sign that I'm at least a strong contender. I don't see how this can be after what felt like an awful interview, but I'll remain hopeful. :)

Just wanted to say thank you to all of the people who contributed to this thread... it's very informative. I had a panel interview today but unlike every other interview I've had in my adult life, I have absolutely no sense of how well (or poorly) I did. The panel was extremely difficult to read. Patience is not my strongest virtue, but it looks like I'm going to get quite a bit of practice.

I didn't have much time to prepare something elaborate prior to my interview, so I brought along a couple issues of my education newsletter... I figured it was enough to provide a look at my style. It was well-received and provided a few talking points as well. I think I'll probably put together something a little more formal with a wider variety of material for future interviews. Thanks for the input!

Fellow clinical educators... do you typically bring a portfolio to job interviews? I moved into an educator role with my current employer (acute care setting), so I've never interviewed for a comparable position. As someone who interviews a lot of nurses, I admit that I don't pay a lot of attention to portfolios, but for an educator, I'm thinking it might be a good idea to showcase/highlight different projects and materials.

On my unit, it just happens to be the "youngins," as you say, who are doing homework, facebooking, and using the internet to plan their next round of binge drinking. It's all about work ethic, not age... some people have it, and some people dont. The solution is a manager who holds his/her employees accountable for their behavior... some units have it, and some units dont.

I need some nursing interventions for interview butterflies! :) I'm currently looking for a new nursing job and it's become clear to me that I am my worst enemy in this process. Resume: excellent response rate. Qualifications for the jobs I'm applying for: either spot-on or much better. Interview skills: truly cringe-worthy. My IQ drops by half (at a minimum!) when I'm in an interview. When there's a job on the line, I loose the ability to articulate professionally and meaningfully. I've taken an interviewing class, I've role-played, and I've prepared answers to frequent questions... it just doesn't help when the moment comes. My co-workers laugh at me when I tell them that I'm shy. While it might not show in my professional interactions at the hospital, for some reason, the combination of nerves and shyness take over in an interview. In this mode, I couldn't sell myself to my own mother. Any one have a similar issue? Any tips for conquering it? Hiring managers, give me some hope -- can you see the nurse through the nerves in these interviews? This post brought to you by an awful, terrible, no-good phone interview for a job that I *really* wanted.

First, I'm sorry that this is happening to you. Four days is such an arbitrary and insufficient amount of time to show marked progress, especially considering the stress and pressure that their ultimatum puts on you. I don't say this to be discouraging, but with no specific improvement plan in place, it seems like an unrealistic goal. On our unit, for example, new and experienced nurses go through a formal improvement process whenever there is a performance issue. Typically, the initial improvement plan is 6 weeks, at which time a reevaluation takes place; in the meanwhile, there is often some kind of education/coaching that occurs off-unit as well. Considering hospital and unit politics, it is possible that you aren't a good personality fit for the unit, and you're being targeting as a result. It's not fair, but let's face it, it happens. If that's the case, nothing you do will likely satisfy them. Please don't let it discourage you from staying in your speciality - just find a greener pasture and move on. If you are truly behind your peers in the learning process, then in your shoes, I would seek out feedback from experienced nurses who seem to be doing the job well and enjoy offering advice and their list of lessons learned the hard way. Ask them how they manage their shift, deliver safe care, and prioritize when things get crazy. If you have a good relationship with the colleague that's being pressured to end her orientation early, ask similar questions. During your orientation, did you shadow anyone on your unit? Would the unit manager allow you to come in on your own time and shadow the "top performer" for a half a shift? Are you thinking about what might happen before you go into each room so that you can anticipate and make less trips in and out? This sounds so simple, but I wasted so much time as a new nurse running to get things that I forgot. In the hospitals that I've experienced to date (I'm going on year 4 as a nurse, so I'm still a little green around the edges), understaffing and high turnover rates are more common than not. Three months isn't a very long time for a new grad to learn the ropes. I definitely felt more comfortable in my role as a new nurse after a few months, but it took a lot longer to get rid of the butterflies in my stomach before my shift started, or that feeling that I would never be good at nursing. Sooner or later, those feelings faded and I was able to recognize that I had become a resource to my unit. It takes time to become efficient, but it also takes time to develop professional confidence in an environment where learning occurs each and every day on the job. Good luck, no matter what the outcome!

In my 20's, I was a Hospital Advocate and hotline volunteer for a Rape Crisis Center. I loved it then, and now in my 40's and after my first year as a nurse, I feel that it could be a perfect fit for me once I've accumulated the prerequisite two years of experience. I've just reached my one year anniversary as a night shift, med-surg/tele nurse. I'm active in shared governance, I'm happy with my employer, AND they have a Sexual Assault Treatment Center - even better. I love how much I am learning in med-surg, but the nurse-patient ratio seems to deprive me of one of the things I enjoy most about nursing: getting to know my patients. I have an opportunity to move to either the ICU or ER, but I'm really conflicted as to what my next step should be. My senior internship was spent in the ICU, and I liked the analytical nature of that particular nursing role. I also worked as a nursing assistance in the ER (as well as my Hospital Advocate experience), so that's unfamiliar territory to me either. Keeping in mind that my ultimate goal is to be a SANE nurse, what should my next move be? Should I wait it out in med-surg, or would having another year or two in ICU or ER be more beneficial? I'd appreciate any input on the subject!

Yes, I'm currently working in Wisconsin. I'll PM you as to where.

here is the website that will get you started: http://drl.wi.gov/prof/rn/cred.htm if you know that you want to work in wisconsin instead of illinois, then you should initially apply for your wisconsin license when you register to take the nclex (clc will only review the process for the illinois application, but the nursing office can help you with wisconsin). this would allow you to work as a graduate nurse in wisconsin while waiting to take the exam or pending your results. illinois does not allow this. i applied for license by endorsement (in other words, i already had my illinois license), so i am unsure of the exact steps required to apply by examination. regardless of which route you take, you'll need clc to send verification of graduation to wisconsin in order to get a license.

I'm answering my own question, in case it will help someone else: it took exactly four weeks from the date that I mailed my application.

I graduated in December. I was just shy of a 4.0 GPA, I have solid clinical skills, experience as a patient care tech, and I have a very sharp resume. I've applied to every hospital within a 40 mile radius, and I haven't received a single phone call yet. Most HR departments say that they simply aren't in the market for new grads right now. I guess I'll have to resort to long-term care, which I fear will hurt my chances of moving to an acute setting later. I feel like I wasted the past 3 years of my life in nursing school at this point. It's very demoralizing.

I was wondering if anyone who has recently applied for and received a Wisconsin temporary license could tell me how long it took to receive? I did a quick search of the forum, and it doesn't look like this has been discussed before. Thanks!

That was three semesters ago for me, so my memory is a little hazy. I think most of those questions pertained to the Illinois Nursing Practice Act? If so, you can find the document online: http://www.idfpr.com/dpr/WHO/nurs.asp

To be a bona fide school nurse in Illinois, my understanding is that you have to have a Type 73 certification. This requires a BSN and some masters level courses. You can work in a school health office as an ADN/R.N, but you will not be able to function in the same capacity as a certified school nurse, which probably translates to lower salary. I've worked as a "Health Technician" in an Illinois school district with nothing more than advanced first aid and CPR certification (I also have a bachelor's degree in a non-medical field, but I don't think that was required). The certified school nurse came in once or twice a week to review cases, handle meetings with parents, and complete paperworks, and I dealt with the students on an everyday basis. The pay was approximately $13 an hour. Maybe others will offer clarification. Also, you're a second semester CLC student, right? You'll have clinicals at Sedol this semester, which will give you a perfect opportunity to get this information first hand.

i second this. digital recorders are useful for some students, especially students who speak english as a second language, but my advice would be to sit through class for several weeks before spending money on all kinds of gadgets and tools. you're not going to be inundated with lectures and note taking. in two semesters, i think i've only taken notes twice (i filled up two notebooks in a&p, for comparison's sake). i received a very nice digital recorder as a gift before i started nursing school, but it was stolen mid-semester. i was disappointed, but i haven't felt the slightest inclination to replace it. if you have electronic gadgets and have used them for other classes with success, then you'll probably find them useful. if not, i doubt that you'll find yourself lost or somehow lacking without them. also, keep in mind that in 171, it's almost a month before there is a consistent, "normal" routine in class. the class format is really quite different from the traditional college class, so it's difficult to know what you'll need or what will be useful to you until you actually get a feel for how the program works. different things work for different people. on a more general note, it seems as though clc nursing students at all levels, myself included, are constantly soliciting advice or information from more advanced students. it's important to recognize that not all of this advice and information will be accurate, encouraging or helpful. take everything that you hear with a grain of salt.

This will not happen to you. The textbook list that you receive during your first semester will not change during the course of the program, assuming that you pass each semester. The nursing department staff should make this clear to you during orientation, and they will also identify which books are used during the first semester and which books can be purchased down the road. The bookstore list is typically not accurate in this respect.

Historically speaking, the bookstore list will be completely inaccurate, so even once you can see it, you should use the list in the handbook instead. I was a spring start and purchased almost all of my books prior to January.

a plain white shirt can be worn under the blue uniform top. at some point this semester, one of my instructors commented that the white shirt had to be short-sleeved, but i saw plenty of students wearing long-sleeved turtlenecks. i'd check with staff about sleeve length.