Who's getting pinned tonight?

SO VERY TIRED..... I took my last regular test on Wednesday. Only made an 88, but that's ok. I can make a 26 on the final and still pass the class, so I'm not sweating it. We had clinical evals yesterday and I made an A. Pinning is tonight and since I have no family here, only my husband and a couple we hang out with are coming. I don't even care. When they hand me the packet that I can send into the state to schedule my boards is when I'll truly feel like a nurse.

My kid had what is supposed to be a blood clot in his heart near the prosthetic heart valve. He was in the hospital for several days getting massive bolus's of Heparin and clot buster drugs. It dissolved and all is well, but that wasted five days that I could have been getting ready for the final. I don't regret it though since I would have been a basket case if I hadn't gone to Nashville to be with him. He seems better but I still have a lot of uneasy feelings about him both physically and emotionally. I have to learn to let that go since it is out of my control. Easier said than done.

For my morning rant. I went to pinning practice yesterday and was asking everyone where they are going to work. There are some who just haven't started looking since they want to be off for the holidays, but there are lots who just plain haven't been offered a job though they've applied for several positions. We are somewhat unique in this area in that the nursing shortage is not severe here. Sure, there are some less than stellar hospitals in Indianapolis who are trying desperately to get their staffing increased, but for the most part, decent hospitals can be fairly picky about who they hire. You won't see hiring bonuses or be guaranteed that you'll walk into your first choice of jobs or first hospital choice (I was very, very lucky). The actual shortages in the nicer hospitals in Indy is about 3% (we're close enough to Indy to be able to commute) and it is even less here. Nevertheless, there are those who are insistent on applying for positions they don't have very little chance of getting. About the only almost guaranteed jobs are PRN float positions and these deluded students keep applying for jobs they will never get. I think when you've got your heart set on Peds or OB or whatever, and you've interviewed for a couple of jobs at the large children's hospital, and they've never called you back, you may want to rethink your goals and start at a job you can get and then try again later. A friend said she tried to advise one of these women about making a good impression, and the woman totally blew her off and said she was sure all would be good since there is such a big nursing shortage. Since the hospital she wants to work in offered her nothing, maybe she should have listened. Another girl told me yesterday she wants to commute to Indy for weekend options days. I KNOW they have waiting lists for these jobs for both the day and night options (work 24 hours weekends only and get paid full time) from those within the hospital, so there is no way she will be getting one of these jobs straight out of school. I really don't know what is wrong with people. Maybe it's because they've never been out in the "real" working world and fail to understand that sometimes you start below where you want to be to get your foot in the door, then work your way up. There are those who will say that it's easy for me to comment since I got my choice job, and I am not the only one by any means, but I would have been perfectly willing to take a float position until an oncology job opened up at my hospital of choice (I wasn't willing to compromise on where I work). One of my classmates also wants only oncology, and he took a med/surg job until there is an opening. One other wants OB, and she took a float until there is an opening. Yes, it's possible to get what you want, but it's also possible that you won't, so have plan B in place or plan on sitting at home.

Much to be thankful for..........

Happy Thanksgiving!!! There is much to be thankful for this year. My RN program is winding down. Because I'm not continuing the BSN track that I planned, I'll have a six month reprieve from school which excites me beyond all reason. I got the job I wanted. My son is semi OK, my husband is great, and all my babies (kitties and doggies) are the best. I just got a letter three weeks before the end of the semester that I received a $2000.00 scholarship I applied for. I'm doing very, very well in school. Unless ATI is a big fat liar, I'm ready to pass the boards. All in all, a pretty good year. Now if my car will carry me to work and school for one more year, things will be pretty perfect.

I'm pretty sure this is where we are going to stay. I always thought this was just a way stop until I graduated and we could get back to Texas, but we've grown to like it here. I love the hospital here, and my husband likes there being four real seasons (a bit too cold and humid for me). I'm within a very reasonable drive from my son. The bad is that our parents aren't getting any younger and we are a considerable distance from them (especially the in-laws). That means we also don't get to see our nieces and nephews as often as we'd like, nor our best friends and god-children in Texas, but that is the price we have to pay. It is just as affordable here as it is in Fort Worth. You can live in a perfectly nice house here for under $150,000 and a really nice one if you're willing to spend a little more. All in all, the benefits outweigh the negatives, so I think the decision is made. Now...if a great job happened to open up in Texas that my husband is drooling for, all bets are off, but he's already turned down the chance to go back for a lateral move. Yep, I think this is our home town now.

Everyone have a great holiday and take a nap after dinner!

Missy has a JOB!!!

I haven't blogged or talked to anyone about it because I didn't want to jinx it, but I was offered my 1st choice position today!!! It's funny that when I started this whole nursing thing, I thought I'll go in the ER and live on the adrenalin. As my nursing education has progressed, I have become more attracted to the patient and less to the "fly by the seat of my pants" need for thrills. I love the patients and their families. I love taking care of the same patients for several days and seeing their faces when I show up in the morning because they know I remember what they like and don't like. When their husbands, wives, children welcome me or are so stressed out and just need a little hand holding or someone to listen to them. That being said, I'd already decided that a medical floor would be for me. When applying at the hospital I want to work in, the HR person was going through openings. Surgery? No, the patients are asleep all of the time. ER? No, they're in and out. ICU? That is a real possibility and I would not be upset about that. Oncology? My eyes lit up and I beamed. I said, "Oh...I would LOVE that!" It has everything I wanted in my nursing career. They never have any openings because the manager is so great and no one ever leaves. They hadn't even posted it yet, but I knew a student in my class who has been an LPN on the oncology floor of another hospital for several years had already applied for a job and had an interview set up for next week, so I wasn't counting on it, but still wanted it. I interviewed this morning, and I just got a call that the manager loved me and was offering me the job! I'm so excited!! I'll have my last final on the 12th and start the next week. I know I'll be sad a lot of times, but I'll be able to comfort those most affected. I'll also be thrilled when things are working out, and be able to celebrate with the patient and those they love. Best of all, I'll know I had a hand in it. I know that some day I'll be strolling through Kroger, and I'll see someone healthy and vital and know that I was part of that. I'll also see a family member and know that I had a part in ensuring their loved one died on their terms and with dignity. This day is the best!

The Search Begins!

I did it. I applied for my first job. Actually, for now, it's the only application I'll be submitting since I have my heart set on a specific hospital. The pay is pretty good for a small town, and I'm not willing to drive 75 miles one-way for a couple of dollars more an hour. The benefits are really good, and the patient to nurse ratio is doable. I hope they jump at me, because I'm one of the very few who doesn't care what days, or what hours. Heck, I don't even care what floor. That's why I applied for a float position. That way I won't get stuck somewhere and find out down the line that I made a mistake. It will also give me time to become a competent nurse with a lot of experience doing a lot of different things. I'm so excited. It really feels real now.

As for school, all is well. I have done well on all tests so far and only have three more to take. I only have a care plan and nutrition paper to do and all the assignments will be completed. I'm doing a lot of practice questions for the boards, and am FINALLY seeing a light at the end of the tunnel for this RN journey. The only fly in the ointment, is that I'm leaving the BSN program I'm scheduled to begin in January, and transferring to a different school. It doesn't affect my eligibility to sit for the boards. This will delay things about 6 months, but is a lot more organized than the one I'm currently in. I've seen one too many people think they've gotten everything done for graduation (because their advisor's told them so), and then come back with, "oops!, my bad, you have to take one more class." I also can get out of statistics and a foreign language this way. I'm good with that!

I hope my next post says I'm an EMPLOYED nurse!!!!!!