Questions for all you nurses

GrnHonu99, RN · Jul 27, 2006

I'm working for my associates and have a lot of unanswered questions! If you can answer any of them I'll be happy to read your responses and learn a little of what to expect.
How many hours per day do you work?
How many days per week?
What is the starting salary per year?
What is the capped salary and how long til you get it?
Do BSNs do different work than ASNs in hospital settings?
Do BSNs get paid more than ASNs?
What kind of things do you do in the hospital?
What's a typical day like?
Do ER nurses get paid more than, say OR nurses?
Do you rotate between ER and OR?
Is there special training to work in OR?
How many years did you spend in college for your Associate Degree in Nursing?
Anything else you wouldn't have thought of asking until you worked there! I'd appreciate all information.

I can answer some of these generally that I think are similar to any nursing program. I am not in an ADN program.

How many hours per day do you work? None, if you mean an outside job. If you mean for school, it depends.

How many days per week?

What is the starting salary per year? For nurses here in Cincinnati? New grads are starting at anywhere between 19-21/hr base pay

What is the capped salary and how long til you get it? I dont know that there is one.

Do BSNs do different work than ASNs in hospital settings? I know that the VA here in Cincinnati does not hire ADNs. I know that in floor nursing, no they are virtually the same related to duties. BSNs may move into management positions.

Do BSNs get paid more than ASNs? Possibly but I dont think it is very much starting out, and only at a few hospitals.

What kind of things do you do in the hospital? When? At clinical? At clinical I do everything the nurse can besides start IVs.

What's a typical day like? A typical day as a nurse or in nursing school? Im in preceptorship right now so basically i'm doing the same thing as a nurse and my typical day consists of: getting to work, reviewing my patient data, getting report, assessing my patients, charting, critically putting together my past information with my new assessment data, working with the families (i work at childrens), more assessments and vitals, watching labs, working with the MDs and other staff to coordinate care and much more.....at school (although im done) was...studying, clinical, studying for NCLEX constantly, nursing school is not a piece of cake

Do ER nurses get paid more than, say OR nurses? depends on where you are, how much experience you have, what shift you work. As a new grad you are offered x amount whereever you work. Not many hospitals here take new grads into the ER, CCHMC will into the OR but I dont think any of the adult hospitals will but im not 100% on that. I know Good Sam wont.

Do you rotate between ER and OR? Nope. I know some schools go to ER but we dont. I observed in the OR and had the opportunity to observe in the ER but I chose something else instead. We aren't allowed to do a whole lot there as NS cant start IVs etc.

Is there special training to work in OR? Yes.

How many years did you spend in college for your Associate Degree in Nursing? not taking ADN

Anything else you wouldn't have thought of asking until you worked there! I'd appreciate all information worked where?

feel free to ask me any other questions. I am starting my career in the neuro ICU. I have completed 192 hours in pediatrics and rotations in: Peds/ICU/Med Surg/Observed in the OR/outpatient/home care/cardiac CCU...and other alternative experiences.

jennn · Jul 27, 2006

" worked where?"

at the hospital as a nurse. :confused:

GrnHonu99, RN · Jul 27, 2006

" worked where?"
at the hospital as a nurse.

Sorry I was re reading my earlier post and that must have been an error. I didnt mean to type that, possibly when i copied and pasted your questions. However, the only thing I was confused on was the following. I wasnt sure if you were referring to what it was like being a nurse or what it was like being in a nursing program. We often get questions like, where do you work while you are in school, how many hours do you work while you are in school, what is your typical day like in nursing school, i wasnt sure:) Here is an answer I think you were looking for that I didnt give you before.

My schedule as a nurse at my new job is this: open scheduling. 3 12' hour shifts. 7p-7a, I chose to work nights becuase its better for traffic where ill be working and I will receive a decent shift differential. Scheduling at my hospital is open which means (from what was explained to me) everyone on that floor comes in one day and you make your own schedule, that is you work it out wiht everyone else and you schedule yourselves. The rule is everyone has to work one weekend a month, unless they are all covered by the weekend ppl (the ppl who are in this program who just work weekends and get paid differently to do it). Other hospitals schedule different ways though. Where I am now doing my preceptorship, my preceptor has a set schedule but not set days. She works 2 8hr shifts and 2 12 hour shifts per week although they vary week to week. Then after all the sched. is done the nurse manager puts out a binder called the need book with blanks next to the times and dates that shifts are needed to work (usually there is a lot) and nurses sign up for time they want even if it means overtime. Most have no problem getting overtime. I know I worked 72 hours in one week. Crazy.

WSU_Ally_RN, BSN, RN · Jul 27, 2006

i'll attempt to answer some of your questions! i am a brand new nurse, and don't start orientation until aug. 7, but i think i can answer some from experiences i've had....

how many hours per day do you work? i will be working 2-12 hour shifts and 2-8 hour shifts per week

how many days per week? i will be working 4 days a week

what is the starting salary per year? starting salary depends on where you are looking... it is right around $20/hour anywhere i have seen. i will be making $23/hour in cleveland. i have friends in dayton making $20.37/hour, and others making about $19/hour.

what is the capped salary and how long til you get it?????

do bsns do different work than asns in hospital settings? from what i have seen in clinicals and in my externship, it does not matter what education you have. an rn is an rn is an rn, no matter what type of alphabet soup you have after your name, and they all do the same job in the hospital. when you apply for a job yo apply for an rn position, not an rn-bsn or rn-adn, etc.

do bsns get paid more than asns? like my answer to the last question, from my experience, adn and bsn nurses are treated just the same in every aspect, including pay.

what kind of things do you do in the hospital? it depends on the unit you are on. you will definately be assessing your patients at least once per shift, usually more. you will be passing medications, speaking with doctors, drawing and assessing labs, and a lot of other things.

what's a typical day like?i can't really say, as i haven't begun working yet.

do er nurses get paid more than, say or nurses?i don't believe so. unless you are working for a private practice md, you'll be getting paid the same as everyone else in the hospital.

do you rotate between er and or????

is there special training to work in or? it depends. i believe there is specific certification that most hospitals want you to have, but i don't know if it's mandatory.

how many years did you spend in college for your associate degree in nursing? i have my bachelor's degree, and it took me 6 long years!

anything else you wouldn't have thought of asking until you worked there! i'd appreciate all information.

good luck with your schooling and all your nursing endeavors!!

jmgrn65, RN · Jul 27, 2006

I'm working for my associates and have a lot of unanswered questions! If you can answer any of them I'll be happy to read your responses and learn a little of what to expect.
How many hours per day do you work? 12 hours
How many days per week?3-4
What is the starting salary per year? idk i think 19-20 an hour
What is the capped salary and how long til you get it?around 28.83 14 years
Do BSNs do different work than ASNs in hospital settings?depends at beside no, if they choose to do something else, some positions require bsn
Do BSNs get paid more than ASNs?not at the bedside
What kind of things do you do in the hospital?way too many to list
What's a typical day like?in a hospital there really isn't a typical day
Do ER nurses get paid more than, say OR nurses?no
Do you rotate between ER and OR?no
Is there special training to work in OR?yes they usually do the training
How many years did you spend in college for your Associate Degree in Nursing? 3
Anything else you wouldn't have thought of asking until you worked there! I'd appreciate all information.

some of your questions require a lot more to answer, feel free to pm if u want.