Light at The End of The Tunnel

     Every time I think to post I always end up forgetting to do it, which is why my posts are always so spread out. But anyway I come bearing news. I believe since the last time I posted, it was when I was being considered for an OR fellowship. Well I have yet to hear back from them if I got the job or not since then lol. Obviously I assumed that I didn't get it, but it would have been nice for someone to at least contact me and tell me I didn't get the job. I would rather be told I didn't get the job than to just sit around and assume I didn't but what's done is done. In other news I had been contacted by the same hospital again for a different position but this time on a new telemetry floor they were opening. This was amazing because that is like the ideal job for me and its a full time day shift which are usually hard to come by. While waiting to have that interview I got called by a different hospital for an interview for an RN New Grad Telemetry Internship a week before my other interview. What are the chances that would happen around the same time and the same type of floor on top of interview for the internship which was a panel style interview. That alone made me scared beyond belief but I thought it went really well. And by the end of the week I found out that I had gotten the job all before I even went on the other interview for the first job. Crazy right?! I accepted the job but still went on the other interview anyway. That interview I felt also went well. Like I said this job was a full time day position on a brand new telemetry floor. I would get 8 weeks orientation and since the floor they were building wouldn't be ready until the end of the year, we would start off temporarily working on a different unit and then transfer over once it is ready. They said they wouldn't have an answer for me for at least a couple of weeks because they were interviewing a lot of day and night staff for the new floor and this would take some time. So I figured I would just keep the internship especially since it was a 16 week orientation for me.
     And just like that I was employed! I did all my paperwork and employee physical. This past Monday was the first day of orientation. We learned about the hospital policies and procedures and got to know some of the other staff since it was general hospital orientation. Wednesday was the first day of RN orientation. this was the real stuff like learning how to use the EMR, medication administration, mock codes, etc. However Thursday afternoon things changed for me. I got a call from the recruiter of the first job on the brand new telemetry day job I had interviewed for at the end of last month. Come to find out that I had gotten the job and to make matters harder, they were going to pay me more money. My dilemma though was that I had just started with this hospital and the job that I had wanted originally wanted came through for me. I went home and tried to talk to everyone I could and get advice on what to do on the situation. About 50% of the people I asked told me I should stay at the hospital since I was already there. The other 50% said I should go for the other job because this hospital system was hard to get into so when they extend an invitation you should take it. Being in a situation like that is very hard and I don't wish that feeling on anyone. I cried about it a lot and I'm not the type of person that is prone to tears so of course I got pissed off that I was crying about it and ended up crying more. I went to sleep and the next day I had to wake up at 6 AM for orientation so I needed to make a decision because I told the recruiter I would give him an answer the next morning. So Friday morning came and my alarm went off and I laid in bed and thought long and hard about my situation. I finally thought to myself which one would I regret not doing the most if I turned my back on it. And just like that my decision was made. I called the recruiter that morning and accepted the daytime telemetry job and resigned from the other job the same day.
     Now I know I probably seem like a spoiled ungrateful brat but I am just the opposite. I am so grateful that I had two great opportunities offered to me considering many people in the same position as me have yet to find jobs. I know the internship might have been a great opportunity but I knew I would have regretted turning down the other job. Anytime I had a bad day, bad moment, or even if I couldn't find parking(btw parking is horrendous and practically impossible at that hospital), I knew I would have been like I should have taken the other job. Which is why I decided to take it. I know 8 weeks is not a lot of time especially on a telemetry unit but that health system is so nurturing towards its nurses that I know I will be okay. Now I don't at all expect it to be smooth sailing because nursing is a tough field and its especially tough for new grads so I'm not expecting to be skipping through fields of daisies but in my heart I know things will be okay for me. So I was originally told that I was supposed to start March 23 but that is pretty far away. The recruiter mentioned another orientation to take place March 9th, so I mentioned to him how if it were possible that I would prefer to start on the 9th instead of the 23rd. Sure enough he said it was possible so I will officially be starting orientation on the 9th of March. I know some might think I'm crazy because I am pretty poor at the moment because I hadn't gotten paid yet before I resigned and I don't even know if they are going to give me that money at all. But I'm super excited because I am going to be starting at a place that I have always wanted to work. So we'll be doing a little back and forth for a bit but who cares. God is on my side so things will ultimately work out. I'm about to get paid!!! Lol that was totally uncalled for but hey what can I say, I'm a work in progress...

The Job Hunt Continues...

     So it's definitely been awhile since my last post on here. In that time, I have still been looking for a job and even had a small bout of depression over it (obviously I'm being over-dramatic but I can't help myself lol). It's funny how in nursing school they tell you that nurses will always find jobs in their field, which is true, but they could have also told me that it would also take forever to actually find that first job. Granted my search has only been for four months now, it feels like the longest four months of my life. It's even more difficult sometimes when you here all your friends finding jobs so quickly after passing their boards (I have a friend who got a job the week after she passed her boards and started working the week after that). I was never one to hate on other people's success but I just wish some of that success or even some luck would come my way. I'm to the point where every time my phone rings I jump, hoping it's a potential job call.
     Recently I had an interview for an operating room fellowship through the same health system I did my externship with. It would be a 6 month program with 7 weeks in the classroom and the rest of the time with a preceptor. It also would require a 2 year working commitment which I have no problem with. I was told that they were looking into choosing 10-12 people for the program and it would start in January. It is a full-time job with benefits I just think of it as having an extended orientation period. Overall I think my first interview went well. The woman that interviewed me had done an event earlier in the year for all the externs that worked with the health system last summer so she remembered my name. She even seemed to be almost a little shocked that I wasn't working yet or that I hadn't heard back from the health system earlier about jobs. Anyway long story short, I ended up scoring a second interview with the nurse manager of the OR at one of the health system's most well-known hospitals. That being said, I am nervous beyond belief. This is pretty much my first real interview process since graduating and taking my boards. This is the interview that makes you or breaks you because I would assume that after this interview would hopefully lead to an offer of employment. I am trying not to freak myself out but I really want this. I have never really even considered being in the operating room because I assumed that it was no man's land for new grads. But now that I am being considered for this program it seems like it would be the most amazing learning experience for me. I am scared to even mention it to too many people because I feel like that could jinx me lol. All I can do is practice some behavioral questions and hope for the best in this situation and hope that this is my moment to start the rest of my life. If not then I might actually go into that bout of depression I was talking about before haha. Hey what can I say, I'm a work in progress...

The NCLEX Results

     So on Thursday July 24, 2014 I took the NCLEX exam. For starters, it was probably the most intimidated I have ever been in my life. For one thing to check in you go through this process of scanning your hands and rules and regulations. That part alone made me want to die of nerves. The actual test wasn't as intense as I thought it was going to be but it was still pretty nerve wracking knowing that I was taking the test that ultimately determines if I start my job search or not. One thing is that the style of the questions are very similar to the Kaplan questions so even though I didn't really like the Kaplan review, I would definitely recommend it so that you can get used to the style of questions. Hurst was very helpful for me content-wise. I didn't even use my notes from school, I only studied from my Hurst book and then did Kaplan questions. so on the test day, in order to keep myself from freaking out I just though of me just taking one of the Kaplan trainers so that I could be a little more calm and focused about the situation. So I clicked away at the questions and took my time to really answer the questions well so I was totally taken back when my computer stopped at 75. the magic number! And two days later, I'm jumping for joy because I PASSED MY NCLEX!!!!! Words cannot describe the way I felt. It feels so good to literally be done and come out on top! After everything I've been through and all the stress and drama, I'm finally done and I'm finally a nurse! Now it's time to do big girl things and start looking for my dream job, right after I catch up on some fun (and most importantly some sleep lol). Hey what can I say, I'm a work in progress...

Crunch Time

     So since my last post I have received my ATT and scheduled my NCLEX for July. I literally almost passed out when I finally did it. I have one month to really get it together and study for my exam. It's a little hard considering the earliest I've ever studied for an exam was a week in advance. I'm trying not to let the idea intimidate me. I did two review classes: Hurst and Kaplan. Hurst. Hurst was a content based review which I appreciated very much so. Kaplan on the other hand focused more on strategy and test taking skills. My  problem with Kaplan was if I answered the questions my way I got them wrong and if I used Kaplan's way I got it wrong too. I must say that I did get better at the questions by the end of the review but overall I don't feel as if it was that much of a benefit to me. Hopefully it proves me wrong come NCLEX time. Ultimately the goal is passing so if in some way it did help me then by all means I support it. Anyway this was meant to be a short update considering I should be studying and am procrastinating as usual but hey what can I say I'm a work in progress...

Graduation and NCLEX Review

     So it's been awhile since my last post and I can happily say that I survived nursing school. I graduated last week and it was the best feeling ever to know that I am one step closer to my career. Now the next challenge is the NCLEX exam. I have already started taking review classes. This past week I did a review with Hurst and it was just what I needed. Hurst is mainly known for it's content based reviews which is exactly what I needed. It pretty much brushed off all the dust in my brain and reviewed all the major topics that are going to be on the NCLEX. This coming week I am going to be starting a Kaplan review. Kaplan is mainly known for it's test taking strategies. They focus on helping you use tips and tricks to tackle the questions as opposed to being solely content based. Both of them give you access to a variety of test bank questions that you can do because the key really is to do questions, questions, and more questions. I plan to really start studying after I finish with my review classes. I figure they will help get me in the mindset more and then I will take over from there. In the meantime I have been applying for licensure and keeping up with Pearson Vue because they will actually let you know when you can take the test. As of right now, I hope to take the test towards the end of July beginning of August. Many people from past graduated nursing classes have said that Hurst was all they needed, others said Kaplan was all they needed, and some said that the combination of the two was amazing for them. Overall, I just want to pass and only have to take the test once. In the meantime, I have really been enjoying not having to worry about studying for an upcoming test, preparing for clinicals (even though that was the best part), or just not having so much stress in general. I like the little time that I have to hangout and go out now as well too lol. Hey what can I say, I am still a work in progress... (who managed to graduate nursing school).

         

Nurse Residency Programs

 

     So it's definitely been some time since my last post. Since then I've had papers, tests, quizzes, posts, and a really interesting nursing conference. So to say the least, I've definitely been kept pretty busy. These days I have been spending a lot of my time looking up information on nurse residency programs. As you may or may not know, I am in my last semester of nursing school so I have been trying to figure out just what to do with myself once I graduate. Obviously I plan to take my NCLEX exam as soon as I can but after that I need a plan as to what to do. And here is where the nurse residency programs come in to play. In my head, I look at nurse residency programs like an extended externship or extended orientation is probably a better way to describe it. Pretty much they are geared toward new graduate nurses or experienced nurses looking to try a new area of nursing. How it works is you have an aspect in which you have class time and then you have an experienced nurse preceptor who gives you one-on-one training to transition you into the full-time nurse lifestyle. These programs can be 6 months-2 years long depending on the hospital, which consequently means that you have to give a 1-2 (possibly even 3) year commitment to the place in which you decide to do the program, again depending on the hospital. The beauty of these residencies is that when you accept them you are accepting a full-time position (that means money and benefits!) so once you finish the residency time period you stay on at the hospital as a part of the staff which is why you are given the commitment period. The residencies are offered in a number of areas, such as critical care, med/surg, emergency, maternity, neurology, orthopedics, and many more. They have these programs in many hospitals and different states as well. These residencies are a blessing in my opinion because you basically get the nurturing and learning feel of an orientation over an extended period of time to better transition you into being a nurse. I think my biggest fear once I graduate and get a job is realizing that I know nothing and actually suck at being a nurse. I think programs like this will really help to hone your skills and build your confidence which is exactly what I need. The best thing to do is to research, research, and research some more. Search on Google, go on hospital websites, call nursing education departments, pretty much just find as much information as you can to help you. Allnurses.com is a great website to read about how other people in the past applied, what sources they used, how their experience was, how their interviews were, when to apply, and pretty much everything you really need to know from different people's perspectives. Most people may be thinking that their goal after graduation is finding the perfect job but my goal is going to be more so focused on finding a good residency program for myself. ( http://www.ohsu.edu/xd/education/schools/school-of-nursing/students/resources/upload/Guide-to-Hospital-Nursing-Residency-and-New-Graduate-Programs.pdf ) This is a link to a list of a bunch of hospitals in all the different states that offer residency programs in which you can click on them and be redirected to their pages to get more info about them. Just like externships, I definitely recommend looking into and doing a residency program if you can.

 



Stressful Beginnings

     Well I knew vacation had to end eventually but mine definitely ended with a bang (and not in a good way. To start off, I have been lucky enough to get the shingles -__-. I think the worst part about having shingles is not being able to scratch at my rashes. I have rashes on my chest and a bigger one on my back. When one starts itching, it itches to the point where it hurts and when it finally passes or decides to give me a break the other rash steps in and takes over. It definitely been an annoying and uncomfortable couple of days. I am on Valtrex 3x/day for 7 days, I can't wait to be done with it! Everyday I dread the though of people touching me because I am so uncomfortable. To add on to my discomfort, last night I got my 3rd flat tire in the past 6 months. And then on top of that I have to somehow make myself focus and study for my pharmacology NLN tomorrow because my school decided to be mean to us and give us a test on the first day back to school. The only good side to this is that this is my last semester of nursing school which is freaking amazing! I really need to step up this semester because even though I did alright it was definitely not my goal for the semester. I want to graduate with honors so I really want this semester to be my 4.0 semester, which means a lot of hard work. But that just means I am one step closer to graduating.
     I have a friend who graduated this past May and she just got a job at a hospital in the city that's in the same health system as the hospital I did my externship in over the summer. She is going to start at $77 thousand which is music to my ears and it's not even my job offer (ha!). She's already talking about moving out and buying her own place, traveling, and just pure unadulterated freedom. I can't wait to be in her shoes! Anyway, of course as always though, I am procrastinating the study process so off I go to make an attempt to study as much as I can before the Grammy's tonight. Hey what can I say, I'm a work in progress...