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Hughmoris posted:How difficult is the ACLS qualification? Retarded easy.
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Jun 1, 2012 02:49
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Hughmoris posted:How difficult is the ACLS qualification? It's doable as a new graduate but it's really designed for folk who have a decent amount of bls experience. You have to be able to quickly identify rhythms and it's nice to have been in a few codes so that things stick a bit better. I took it six months into my first job and it was easy. Had I taken it right away it would have been much harder and I would have retained less.
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Jun 1, 2012 06:41
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Silentgoldfish posted:I work in ED in Melbourne and know a lot of ICU nurses who switch between: expect the pace to be a lot faster. The name of the game these days is stabilize and move on. You won't be able to provide care at anywhere the same level as in ICU because the environment is far more chaotic and you'll have more patients at any one time - what will make you effective is if you're good at prioritizing and recognizing that it's better to provide adequate care for 3 people than brilliant care for 1 and crap for 2. Been having a ball so far and the above points are certainly true. I did have a big wtf moment though when the respiratory team reviewed one of my patients and told me they'd fixed his respiratory acidosis by changing his set rate on bipap from 8 to 16. His actual rate was 34 and he had a ph of 7. 119. >.< Made me realise how insulated the ICU is of idiots. I was so happy when a Resus bed was freed up for him to take and ICU reviewed him. Definitely do ACLS as soon as you can, but it does help to have a bit of critical care exposure so you can apply the theory a little easier.
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Jun 1, 2012 08:24
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Hughmoris posted:How difficult is the ACLS qualification? If you know your rhythms and drugs its cake. And thanks for the link!
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Jun 1, 2012 20:45
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Welp, just got back from taking the boards. Shut off after 75, and according to the pearson trick I passed. Holy hell I think I had like 10 SATA questions in a row.
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Jun 4, 2012 20:39
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JAF07 posted:Welp, just got back from taking the boards. Shut off after 75, and according to the pearson trick I passed. Holy hell I think I had like 10 SATA questions in a row. Nicely done. And if you were getting legions of SATA questions it means you were probably so far ahead of the curve that the test was flailing to find questions to force a 50% success rate. Congratulations.
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Jun 4, 2012 23:11
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JAF07 posted:Welp, just got back from taking the boards. Shut off after 75, and according to the pearson trick I passed. Holy hell I think I had like 10 SATA questions in a row. Congrats! What did you do to prepare for it?
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Jun 5, 2012 22:10
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I just got my letter of acceptance into my community college's nursing program. Supposedly the competition to get in this year was really hard since they stopped their momentum program, so this is a completely surreal experience. Can't wait to start up again in fall!
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Jun 6, 2012 23:57
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Hey guys, sorry if this has been covered before (and I'm sure it has I just can't find it) but I've already got a BA from a four year in an unrelated field and was considering nursing recently. I need to make up quite a few pre-requisites and was wondering if nursing schools are generally concerned with where they're coming from. Mainly, if I wanted to go straight for a BSN should I worry if all my main science pre-requisites come from whatever community college is down the block or not? I'm sure thats what most people do but I've never had any experience with that system. (of course assuming the BSN is the way to go already having a Bachelor's, right? I'm still trying to sort all this out)
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Jun 6, 2012 23:59
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El_Pato posted:Hey guys, sorry if this has been covered before (and I'm sure it has I just can't find it) but I've already got a BA from a four year in an unrelated field and was considering nursing recently. I need to make up quite a few pre-requisites and was wondering if nursing schools are generally concerned with where they're coming from. I was in your exact situation a year and a half ago. I went straight for the BSN because I had all my gen ed classes taken care of already, so it meant the same amount of time and money to get my BSN as it would have to get my ASN. My school didn't care that all my previous credits were from out of state or anything like that and I got into the program the first time I applied. Of course, all this will vary between schools, but at least in my experience, they didn't care where I did the gen ed classes. They did seem to favor applicants who took their A&P/Pathophysiology classes at that school, but that was really it. I don't want to start the ASN vs BSN derail again, but I'd definitely go for the BSN. Assuming they will cost you the same in time and money at this point, there really is no reason not to.
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Jun 7, 2012 00:43
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Just remember most places will not take science classes more then 5 years old. I ran into this when trying for my masters.
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Jun 7, 2012 00:45
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For those of us who have recently graduated, where are you looking at getting your first job? I'll Be on a med/surg floor at a major regional hospital. Not my first choice but for my first job, I'll take what I can get.
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Jun 11, 2012 15:55
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I'm curious about going back to school, in the very least for the ASN, quite likely the accelerated-RN route. I'm 24, I have a 4-year BoS in a computer field from the local state college. In my city are 2 major hospitals, and 4 nursing colleges. Said colleges are the state college I graduated from, the local community college (very well respected), one is through the hospital itself, and the last is farmed out through a religious private college. My questions are - I've been told I should wait until I'm 25 before applying, as it would change the situation in regards to grants and how I have to report income. Pre-25, I'd be listing my parents income, post-25 I'd be listing my own. I do presently make about ~40k, so I'm curious as to how truthful this is and what it really means in terms of money. I'm wanting to work at the hospital that farms out through the religious school - its a catholic hospital, but massive and very well respected. The community college would be substantially cheaper to attend and more willing to work with my schedule, but if I'm shooting myself in the foot in regards to employment, it doesn't seem worth it. Can anyone speak to hiring practices, or how I can learn such a thing? How stringent is the background check and such? I uh, enjoyed myself the first time around in college, and have 2 misdemeanor charges for drug paraphernalia (no actual drug possession charges) on my record. Is this something that would kill my chances, and I should try to get expunged before applying? Is there any good ways I can bump up my chances before I apply? I'm hoping already having a degree and, according to what I've been told, owning a penis will help usher me in. I've begun volunteering at the Ronald McDonald house, and making a dedicated effort to improve my Spanish skills. Some of my RN-college friends are working at nursing homes or home-healthcare places as an attempt to shore up their resume's, so to speak, and I wonder if I should be doing the same What are the actual pre-req stuff like? Looking over the classes listed for the actual nursing program, I feel theres a decent number of the 100-level gen-ed style things I can likely skip due to my present degree, but they always allude to a unspecified 'plus some pre-reqs' that I would need to ensure before I got into the actual program. And this last one is a bit more vague..how quickly are nurses generally hired, out of school? Every college I've looked at locally would be a full-time day program (33hrs a week is what I've been quoted), which means I'd either have to quit my current job or at least work a lot less hours. It'd be one thing if I just have to survive 2 years of being broke-as-gently caress again then went right back to employed, but if I have to prepare for being possibly without work for a while upon graduating, I'd like to know before I begin all this. Dunno if that's something anyone can tell me, though. if it matters to anyone, I live in Springfield, Missouri and the hospital-of-choice is Mercy, formerly St. John's
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Jun 15, 2012 14:28
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US Foreign Policy posted:How stringent is the background check and such? I uh, enjoyed myself the first time around in college, and have 2 misdemeanor charges for drug paraphernalia (no actual drug possession charges) on my record. Is this something that would kill my chances, and I should try to get expunged before applying? Anywhere you apply will ask if you've been convicted of a felony. I'm not sure if the misdemeanor charges will hinder you but if it were me, I'd be worried. If you don't mind me asking, did you get the two charges at the same time or were they separate accounts? quote:Is there any good ways I can bump up my chances before I apply? Some of my RN-college friends are working at nursing homes or home-healthcare places as an attempt to shore up their resume's, so to speak, and I wonder if I should be doing the same quote:What are the actual pre-req stuff like? Looking over the classes listed for the actual nursing program, I feel theres a decent number of the 100-level gen-ed style things I can likely skip due to my present degree, but they always allude to a unspecified 'plus some pre-reqs' that I would need to ensure before I got into the actual program. quote:And this last one is a bit more vague..how quickly are nurses generally hired, out of school? For me, I took my boards a month after graduation as there weren't any sooner available, passed the first time, and it took me five months to find a job. I put in about 75 applications at every major hospital in my state and in two other states. I got called for an interview from only two of them and got hired at one before I heard back from the other. That's with a BSN and four years of nursing assistant work. There are certain states that are always hiring (like TX, ND, FL) and some states where it's hard to find a job. It really depends on where you apply and how open minded you are about what unit you work on. ---- Hey everyone, I just submitted an application for an ICU Float position at my hospital. Wish me luck 
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Jun 15, 2012 20:17
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US Foreign Policy posted:How stringent is the background check and such? I uh, enjoyed myself the first time around in college, and have 2 misdemeanor charges for drug paraphernalia (no actual drug possession charges) on my record. Is this something that would kill my chances, and I should try to get expunged before applying? You need to check with your Board of Registered Nursing, because their background check is much more thorough and picky than the hospitals or even the nursing schools. One of my classmates had not a DUI but something just below that on the totem pole on her record, nothing else. The BRN made her get letters of reference/recommendation from all of our instructors and all of her clinical advisors and she had to appear before the board before being allowed to take NCLEX. Another friend is currently working with the board because they were able to review her previously sealed juvenile record and are holding up her application process. Never underestimate the probing tentacles of the BRN!! 
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Jun 16, 2012 16:12
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Goddamn I got a shitload of SATA questions when I took my NCLEX today, 32 out of 75. I was curious if that was typical so I ventured over to AllNurses (big mistake don't ever read that place) and it seems like it is if you're on the right track. So, 75 questions, 50 minutes, and the Pearson Vue trick tells me that I passed, so it looks like I've done it.  Now... job.Koivunen posted:Hey everyone, I just submitted an application for an ICU Float position at my hospital. Wish me luck  Is the ICU where you've always wanted to be?
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Jun 19, 2012 00:32
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Hellacopter posted:Goddamn I got a shitload of SATA questions when I took my NCLEX today, 32 out of 75. I was curious if that was typical so I ventured over to AllNurses (big mistake don't ever read that place) and it seems like it is if you're on the right track. So, 75 questions, 50 minutes, and the Pearson Vue trick tells me that I passed, so it looks like I've done it. Holy poo poo, 32 SATA questions? If I get that, I'm proper hosed. Congrats on passing!
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Jun 19, 2012 00:34
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Hughmoris posted:Holy poo poo, 32 SATA questions? If I get that, I'm proper hosed. The legion of SATA questions I got were ridiculously easy. Actually, the whole test was--there was more than one occasion where I was saying to myself "Are you loving kidding me? You're testing me to make sure I'm competent to medically care for people and you're asking me THAT?" They seriously need to raise the difficulty on that thing--a bunch of the real winners from my program are also passing in 75. I fear for patient safety in my area.
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Jun 19, 2012 02:18
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JAF07 posted:The legion of SATA questions I got were ridiculously easy. Actually, the whole test was--there was more than one occasion where I was saying to myself "Are you loving kidding me? You're testing me to make sure I'm competent to medically care for people and you're asking me THAT?" They seriously need to raise the difficulty on that thing--a bunch of the real winners from my program are also passing in 75. I fear for patient safety in my area. Did you do anything to prepare for it? Any idea of where you want to work?
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Jun 19, 2012 03:23
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JAF07 posted:The legion of SATA questions I got were ridiculously easy. Actually, the whole test was--there was more than one occasion where I was saying to myself "Are you loving kidding me? You're testing me to make sure I'm competent to medically care for people and you're asking me THAT?" They seriously need to raise the difficulty on that thing--a bunch of the real winners from my program are also passing in 75. I fear for patient safety in my area. I'd agree with the SATA questions being pretty straightforward (one of them was "select which of the following are appropriate responses by the nurse" and they had a bunch of therapeutic and non-therapeutic statements  ), they're just hard because they're easy to gently caress up. Saunders and ATI had harder ones. Reading horror stories about the test made me think that it was this huge, world-ending big deal, but it really is just a nursing school test. If you're fine in school and have good test-taking skills it shouldn't be too much trouble to pass. When I got thrown meds or situations I'd never heard of or studied (which was a lot of them) I just used ABCs, Maslows, and safety as a guide and welp I guess it works. 
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Jun 19, 2012 06:36
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Hughmoris posted:Did you do anything to prepare for it? Any idea of where you want to work? I just did questions off the Saunders disc that came with their comprehensive review book. As Hellacopter said, the questions on that disc are generally harder than the ones you'd get on the actual test. Doing questions will help keep you in the bizzaro-logic mindset you need to be in to answer NCLEX questions correctly. If all else fails, ask yourself "What's the simplest thing I can do to not kill the patient?" and that's the answer 98% of the time. I want to work critical care--neuro ICU preferably--but I'm pretty much going to take what I can get (that isn't psych; the hospitals around here are making new hires sign a 2 year agreement to stay in psych, and that's too long for anyone who doesn't want to do it permanently). Hellacopter posted:Reading horror stories about the test made me think that it was this huge, world-ending big deal, but it really is just a nursing school test. If you're fine in school and have good test-taking skills it shouldn't be too much trouble to pass. When I got thrown meds or situations I'd never heard of or studied (which was a lot of them) I just used ABCs, Maslows, and safety as a guide and welp I guess it works. My class was full of the most neurotic people I've ever met--they would loving panic at the drop of a hat over the most minute poo poo. Naturally, they've been getting each other torqued up about how the NCLEX is the HARDEST TEST EVER. When I took it, I thought the tests I took in nursing shcool were more difficult. I never felt too nervous because the computer kept throwing SATA questions at me and I knew that meant I was doing well enough to pass.
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Jun 19, 2012 11:25
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Just finished my NCLEX today. 75 questions, probably about 10 SATA and a shitload of priority ones. I either passed it or failed with style. The Pearson Vue trick looks positive, just have to wait and see.
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Jun 20, 2012 22:08
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Hughmoris posted:Just finished my NCLEX today. 75 questions, probably about 10 SATA and a shitload of priority ones. I either passed it or failed with style. The Pearson Vue trick looks positive, just have to wait and see. I know the internet says that the Pearson trick isn't 100%, but I have yet to find a case where someone got the good pop-up and failed. I think that's just typical nursing student neurosis preventing people from accepting it as a sure thing. So, in that light, congrats!
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Jun 20, 2012 22:53
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JAF07 posted:I know the internet says that the Pearson trick isn't 100%, but I have yet to find a case where someone got the good pop-up and failed. I think that's just typical nursing student neurosis preventing people from accepting it as a sure thing. Yeah, it's real. They don't want to take your money, only to have to refund it later. That'd cost a lot in processing fees for debit/credit cards etc. The trick's legit. If it won't let you register for the NCLEX a second time, it's because the system already knows you passed it. Congrats! Years of busting your rear end have paid off. Now go drink till you pass out.
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Jun 21, 2012 00:03
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Hughmoris posted:Anyone here have experience at going from terrible grades in another major into being accepted for a nursing program? I am a 3 year Electrical Engineering major and I hate my field, so I am looking at going into an RN program. The downside is, my grades are TERRIBLE due to the EE classes that I sucked at. Any advice on how to improve my chances at getting accepted into a program? Should I find out what the prereqs are for my school and just take them over and try to ace it or what? This was my first post in this thread, back in January of 2009. Crazy how time flies. I am now officially an RN and I've received my first job offer! It will be on a 50-bed medical/surgical unit, the same floor I've been a tech on for the past year. They are letting me start on nights, so I get to enjoy that sweet, sweet shift differential. On a side note, the offered wage is poo poo. Has anyone here negotiated a higher wage for their first RN job? I know times are tough and there are a million unemployed new grads out there, so I'm not really going to push it.
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Jul 2, 2012 05:06
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Hughmoris posted:This was my first post in this thread, back in January of 2009. Crazy how time flies. Time to move and go into corrections nursing.
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Jul 3, 2012 07:05
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fathertod posted:Time to move and go into corrections nursing. Out of curiosity, would women have a hard time working as an RN in correction?
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Jul 3, 2012 18:49
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jet sanchEz posted:Out of curiosity, would women have a hard time working as an RN in correction? Corrections was the one field my aunt, who has worked in it for years, told me not to go into as a new grad. However, a few years of experience may make a big difference. I don't think it's especially difficult but it's probably intimidating at first.
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Jul 3, 2012 20:47
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jet sanchEz posted:Out of curiosity, would women have a hard time working as an RN in correction? Anecdata: When my wife finished her degree and wrote her CRNE to become an RN, I was doing contract work at a provincial prison. I asked one of the nurses there how she liked working at the prison. She told me "Don't let anyone you love work here." No further conversation was had.
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Jul 3, 2012 21:18
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Welp, that is interesting, thanks. How much higher is the pay grade?
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Jul 3, 2012 21:57
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Last month I finished an LPN transition course (halfway through my program), and I'm considering sitting for the NCLEX. I don't know if it'd be worth $500 to get licensed though, as I'll be done in a year; I know most hospitals are phasing out LPNs, and I'd rather not work in a SNF (though I guess some experience would be better than none).
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Jul 3, 2012 22:25
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I graduated in nursing school in 2011 and have been working for over a year in a pretty good position as a Med/Surg RN. Only problem is the location; I had intended to stay on for another year, and have made a tentative commitment to do so, but I really can't stand this place any longer. I've tried to make the best of things, but there's just no getting around it; this town blows and there are no opportunities for my girlfriend either. Where can I look for a new job? I know things are hard right now even for people with experience, but are any places better to look than others right now?
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Jul 11, 2012 01:20
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Space Harrier posted:I graduated in nursing school in 2011 and have been working for over a year in a pretty good position as a Med/Surg RN. Only problem is the location; I had intended to stay on for another year, and have made a tentative commitment to do so, but I really can't stand this place any longer. I've tried to make the best of things, but there's just no getting around it; this town blows and there are no opportunities for my girlfriend either. Where can I look for a new job? I know things are hard right now even for people with experience, but are any places better to look than others right now? Where are you at right now? I know there a decent amount of jobs available for people with experience here in Northwest Florida / Lower Alabama.
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Jul 11, 2012 02:50
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I'm in the middle of the Mojave Desert right now, and would prefer to keep things in the western half of the US. I would LOVE to live in the Pacific Northwest and am focusing my search there in the hopes something promising turns up. I'd be open to just about anywhere that isn't a dying wasteland, though. Space Harrier fucked around with this message at 03:21 on Jul 11, 2012 |
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Jul 11, 2012 03:14
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Space Harrier posted:I'm in the middle of the Mojave Desert right now, and would prefer to keep things in the western half of the US. I would LOVE to live in the Pacific Northwest and am focusing my search there in the hopes something promising turns up. I'd be open to just about anywhere that isn't a dying wasteland, though. I can't offer much advice for that area but I'm interested in how things turn out for you. I imagine I'll be in your place in about a year as I start my first job on a med-surg floor this Friday. Hopefully I can escape Florida after putting in 12 months.
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Jul 11, 2012 03:24
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I'm seeing a lot of job listings that I meet the qualifications for, but a discouraging number of them are part-time or per-diem positions. Who wants to do that? As much as I hate this goddamn place, my practical side won't allow me to give up a full-time benefited position with a retention bonus for a part-time or per diem position in Seattle. My focus in the immediate future is to make myself as attractive as possible to potential employers at my current position. I'm thankful that I'm working in Med/Surg right now, because that seems to be the experience most positions I look at are seeking. Thanking god that I have a BSN and definitely going to get my ACLS certification soon.
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Jul 11, 2012 03:40
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Space Harrier posted:I'm in the middle of the Mojave Desert right now, and would prefer to keep things in the western half of the US. I would LOVE to live in the Pacific Northwest and am focusing my search there in the hopes something promising turns up. I'd be open to just about anywhere that isn't a dying wasteland, though. Where are you working, if you don't mind me asking? Ugh I need a job.
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Jul 11, 2012 04:37
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Baby_Hippo posted:Where are you working, if you don't mind me asking? Ugh I need a job. I was going to send you a PM, but it looks like you don't have that enabled. Don't want to give too much specific information out here. Space Harrier fucked around with this message at 06:11 on Jul 11, 2012 |
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Jul 11, 2012 06:09
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Space Harrier posted:I was going to send you a PM, but it looks like you don't have that enabled. Don't want to give too much specific information out here. Oh sorry about that! Yeah between this thread and the fashion swap thread I really need to upgrade to PM. I will message you when I do if thats ok.
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Jul 11, 2012 06:27
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Do we have any OR nurses hanging around here?
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Jul 11, 2012 06:32
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