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My interview was mainly behavioral questions since it was a new grad interview! I was asked: Why did you want to become a nurse? Why do you want to work in NICU? If you see a coworker doing something unsafe/breaking policy what do you do? Describe your process for assessing an ICU patient. (My answer was how I assessed an adult since I hadn’t worked with babies obviously ? ) Tell us about a time you made a mistake. What are 3 strengths? What is your weakness? Tell us about a time you advocated for your patient. What do you think is the most challenging aspect of being a NICU nurse? What are some qualities you think are important for a NICU nurse to have? To prepare you should start thinking about your experiences from clinical (I’m just assuming this is your first nursing job since you said residency). New grad interviews will want you to give answers from your clinical or previous work experience so try to think of interesting/important things from your experiences to use as an answer! Anyway, I also had a panel when I interviewed for my NICU as a new grad. They said it was because they wanted to make sure we could handle the pressure because you will feel even more stressed during a code situation. So the most important thing is to appear calm and confident. Good luck!!!

I think you're okay, no need to say anything. One nurse I followed never swabbed the skin before insulin injections because she said diabetics never do that when they're at home. I don't know if that's true or not, but the risk of harm from not cleaning the skin with alcohol before injection is pretty low. On the bright side, mistakes like these are learning experiences and you'll remember it every time you give an injection- so it probably won't happen again :)

It's for OR which doesn't have a specific location. Apparently we rotate around until we get hired to a specific hospital, which is interesting! I think it's a good sign for those of you who haven't been rejected yet- I have a feeling the other specialties will start sending out interview times soon. I heard they're behind on the hiring process this year so that's why it's been taking so long.

I got an email today to schedule an interview! Has anyone else heard anything?

If it makes you feel better, I am in my last semester of school and pretty confident in my skills, and I still get nervous for simulations. I always feel so awkward and I really dread them. I'm totally fine talking to real patients, but simulations just feel unnatural and it's hard to pretend the dummys are real patients. In my program, sometimes you have your whole clinical group watching you do the simulation by yourself and it's the worst! I agree with the first commenter that you just need to keep practicing. I type up a script of everything I need to say and memorize it. I have a friend/family member pretend to be the patient, then I practice walking into the room and saying everything I need to say. Then during the simulation, you have a better chance of remembering all the steps even when you feel yourself getting nervous because you've practiced it before. Also, I think a big part of confidence is just pretending you feel that way. Even when you're feeling anxious about it, try to control your thoughts and turn it into positive self-talk. Try visualizing yourself absolutely rocking the scenario instead of thinking about how awkward it is or messing up. Don't be so hard on yourself, keep practicing and I promise it will get easier!

I go to nursing school at UTA! One of my good friends was accepted with a 3.0 science GPA. I don't know what her overall GPA was but she had 2 considerations. So yes, it is possible to still be accepted here. The spring semester isn't as competitive as the fall, so you may have better luck applying then. She was denied when she applied for Fall entry (and I was waitlisted), but we were both accepted in the Spring. I wouldn't worry about retaking classes until you've received acceptance/rejection. Even then, you may still be accepted in the Spring semester with the same GPA.

My advice is "fake it 'til you make it!" Why do you feel like it must be "extremely awkward" for your female patients? I don't think it is. Especially for just a quick 5-min assessment. The patients are used to being asked questions and having their vitals/assessments done. Be friendly and act confident, even if you don't feel it on the inside. Maybe you could practice your assessments on family/friends? I assess my siblings all the time to practice. Eventually, you'll get so used to assessing people that the confidence will come naturally and you won't think about the fact that your patient is a woman (which shouldn't matter anyway). About injections- Unless your nurse specifically says that she'll do the injection, I recommend you do it anyway. Maybe she was watching you a bit closer since she knew it was your first one. Other than accidentally sticking yourself there's a really low chance of "messing up" so just go for it when you get the chance. Needles go in super easily through the skin and they're super quick. Another opportunity will come for you to try again, so don't worry! Oh yeah, I also look a lot younger than I am and I'm 21. I found that standing up tall and wearing makeup makes me seem older. Since you're a guy that last part might not help you too much though lol. Just remind yourself that you worked hard to get into nursing school, you earned your spot, and you're paying to be at clinical so you can learn. That helps me feel more confident.

It's normal to be nervous! I was super anxious when I started clinicals, and I still get nervous when I'm going to a new rotation (I'm finishing up my first year in my BSN program). I didn't have any bedside experience when I started and most people in my program didn't either. Having CNA experience definitely helps, but it's not necessary to be successful. By the end of the first semester you'll have learned everything a CNA does and you'll feel much more confident. I still feel like I don't know what I'm doing sometimes, but don't psych yourself out too much. You have the nursing staff, your instructor, and your classmates at the site with you and they will help you out. Ask your nurse as many questions as you can and don't be afraid to volunteer to do things. You'll learn more about the patho and A&P stuff as you go through the program and research your patient's diagnosis. Basically, don't let yourself get overwhelmed. You're just starting out so no one expects you to know everything. Just give it your best effort, don't procrastinate, and be a sponge- absorb all the knowledge that you can. You will do great!

When I took the HESI last year we were not allowed to leave between sections. And yes you get to use the calculator on the screen for the math portion, you just can't bring your own calculator from home

No, I can't figure it out at all:down: I emailed both the assistant and my advisor but I doubt I'll get a response today. Hopefully someone else will chime in and tell us how to do it.

Congratulations everyone, I was accepted today as well! I'm also confused by the response form. It won't let me continue unless i check that I failed patho/pharm or that I am an international student, and neither apply to me...