avotoasted

LOL no I don't. My off days are MY days. Can't pour from an empty cup.

First, congrats on passing your NCLEX! Second, a couple things to keep in mind: - be able to quickly recognize basic TYPES of rhythms (tachy, brady, VF, VT, PEA, asystole) and which ones are shockable - is the pt stable or unstable? - know your drug dosages As for the Megacode, how it's run will depend on your instructor. My first time taking ACLS, we had a very large group and just a few of us rotated through running a code as team leader, after which the rest of us talked through and answered questions. My second time taking it, there was only four of us, so we each took turns as team leader for practice and did well enough so there was no need to do a real "skills test" after the fact.

In most cases, my progress notes are communication for the MD since I work night shift. From what I hear, our MD flowsheets look different from RN flowsheets, so if I have a point that I want to make but isn't terribly urgent, you can bet I'm putting that in a note just to cover my butt.

I don't know about BSN nurses getting paid more (where I work, you're paid by years of experience and certifications, not by your degree) but I would imagine that in CA, a BSN may basically be your bare minimum, especially if you're looking at a Magnet hospital.

Priming the tubing for an antibiotic but forgetting to reconstitute it first. Dropping narcs on my first day on orientation and spending five minutes on the floor of the patient's room trying to find it so I have something to waste

Hi! I'm a new grad who started working at Sentara last September. I will say right now that the "new grad residency program" here is kind of BS - it's a rehash of best practices, some seminars, and you start working on an evidence-based project. The residency may not even coincide with your start date. I started my residency program about a month after I finished orientation. Side note: orientation at Sentara is about 10-12 weeks (longer if you go into OR, obviously). One thing I like about the residency program is the opportunity to chat with new grads from other departments. I don't know anyone who works at Bon Secours, so I can't really give a comparison as to which is "better" but I will say that Sentara does a really good job with front-loading your hospital orientation - really basic refresher skills days in your first 2-3 weeks. The rest of course comes with time. Unit dynamics also plays a huge role. I was fortunate enough to have awesome, supportive preceptors. Even now, when I have questions, I know I can always ask the more experienced nurses and my charge without feeling dumb or belittled. Another big thing to consider is what specialty you want to get into! If you like cardiac, Sentara Heart Hospital is the best way to go. (Not that I'm biased )

Everyone else has really good tips about taking manual BPs - I definitely would recommend the two-step also, at least until you've got it down. Practice as much as you can - friends, family, the works. Super, super no-brainer suggestion I would make is to multitask your vitals. Apply the pulse ox, slip on the BP cuff, and press start. While that's going, go ahead and check temp and RR. It'll save you a lot of time when you get up to taking 4+ patients!

I was able to physically take the test in CA, but since the ATT I registered with was issued from VA, I'm licensed to practice in VA. I applied to endorse my license in CA, but it seems they lost some of my paperwork, so the endorsement hasn't been accepted yet. Endorsement vs exam does take about the same amount of time. Right now it's just a question of which board would allow you to take the exam quicker! Hopefully you can find a job in CA - new grad programs are insanely competitive over there. Definitely look into any opportunities you can even outside of acute care - LTC/SNF, medical offices, etc. I would also look into the smaller rural hospitals or even hospitals that are new grad friendly but don't offer a big formal new grad program.

Math and science classes tend to be very cut-and-dry; it's a lot of memorization and recall (at least, the math and science that are pre-reqs for nursing). Patho classes and your nursing classes can be confusing sometimes because they involve application of basic concepts to multiple different scenarios and deeper analysis. This type of thinking will actually be helpful when you start to study for NCLEX in a couple years, and like tcvnurse said, you have to have a solid understanding of patho to function as a competent nurse. That said, patho can be really really tricky. What worked for me was a combination of the following: - doing an overview of the reading before class and quickly reviewing it afterward - flowcharts/diagrams/concept maps of disease processes - multiple resources other than the textbook. Search YouTube videos and check out the Made Easy book series. - study groups and talking in circles about the disease process; often when you verbally talk through the reasoning for clinical sequelae, you'll eventually find yourself at the right conclusion (but study groups aren't for everyone - find what works for you) Good luck!

Definitely see if you can send in some of your paperwork now (application, photo, prints, fees). To my understanding, the processing time frame is more like a waitlist; they may not even look at your application until about 10-12 weeks. You'll probably have to wait until your transcripts indicate "degree conferred on x date" before you can send those in. But chances are, by the time you send in your transcripts, it'll be about that time when the board is actively processing the other components of your application. I didn't know that CA had such a long processing time when I moved back. I ended up applying by exam for CA in January as well as in VA in February. I got my ATT for VA in late March, and my ATT for CA came in April.

I'm assuming he'll be stationed at either JBPHH or MCBH on Oahu. Luckily most of the state's RN programs are on the same island! Oahu's only ADN program is at Kapiolani Community College. The other options are your BSN programs at Chaminade, Hawaii Pacific University, or UH Manoa - but the first two are private, so they'll be a little more expensive. I graduated from UHM, so I can share a little about that. Program itself is 6 semesters, and you have to take a few nursing electives, but your academic advisors are really good about breaking down each semester and when it would be easiest to take those electives. Each semester you choose or are placed in one clinical site for the entire 16 wks - not like some other schools where you can rotate every 8 wks or so. Senior preceptorship placements tend to be a bit limited - lots of med surg, lots of rehab/snf/LTC, lots of outpatient, but not a whole lot of critical care areas. I think only 2 or 3 of the people in my cohort (of 60+ students) got into ICU for their final semester, while maybe another 4 got into ED, as the placement depends on grades, tech/aide experience, volunteer, and unit/facility preference. Overall it was a good experience and we had some great faculty, but the lack of critical care rotations really hurt some of us in the job search, I think - even when we branched out and searched for jobs on the mainland. Like the posters above noted, I think your biggest problem might be the potential of PCSing in the middle of your program. I knew a few military spouses who had to stay in Hawaii to finish school and then meet back up with their family after graduation.

Congrats, everyone! This is actually my first post in this thread, but I've been lurking a while. Unfortunately I was a non-select as well, but all of you who made it will be amazing!