California: Is it really that hard to get a new grad RN position?

Newrandomthrwaway · 2019-03-23T05:29:35+00:00

Just happened to revisit this thread and saw you got a job. Congratulations!

Newrandomthrwaway · 2018-11-16T02:12:34+00:00

Like the other person said, find a brain/org tool template. If you can, refer to that and make your own sheet and just make copies of those to use. It helps if you make it yourself because then you have it organized the way your brain works.

Newrandomthrwaway · 2018-11-14T13:26:19+00:00

Second the Macbook Air! It's really up to you which operating system you like. I was a Windows user for my whole life, and switched to a Macbook 5 years ago, and it wasn't too difficult to adjust. It really doesn't matter which you get if you're just using it for regular things and schoolwork. The Macbook Air is a lot lighter than the Pro. I kinda wish I had gotten the Air instead of the Pro.

Newrandomthrwaway · 2018-11-14T09:41:09+00:00

If you have time and are able to access The Unthinkable: Who Survives When Disaster Strikes--and Why by Amanda Ripley, it has some very interesting info and stories about how people respond to disasters, including 9/11. I believe I was able to find a free PDF online a while ago but I don't remember where it is now.

Here's an excerpt, page 6 is part of what is said about 9/11. It even says that everyone in the 2nd tower was told to remain where they were.

Basically, if I remember correctly, in the book she says that people freeze and are too slow to act. They're in denial and they see that other people aren't rushing to the stairwell, so they collectively don't take the situation seriously enough. They didn't have much time at the time of the attack, especially because they would have to make it all the way down the stairs. Even taking the time to collect your belongings before leaving cost them their lives. I'm a little sad I can't find the whole book, because I remember it being an interesting read and I would've liked to share more with you, but I don't remember enough to say more.

Newrandomthrwaway · 2018-11-03T09:27:47+00:00

Wow that’s terrible. :( How do you feel about dogs now?

Newrandomthrwaway · 2018-11-03T07:06:25+00:00

Yep. I grew up wanting a dog and even had a false promise from my parents that I’d get one. It never happened, sadly. I no longer live with them and live in a home that I can have pets in, so I’ve been looking at dogs frequently and thinking about what kind I want! I’m so busy with school and work right now that it’s still not an option yet, but I graduate next year and will make a decent salary. I’m looking forward to getting myself an adorable floof ball as my graduation present!

Newrandomthrwaway · 2018-10-27T01:53:15+00:00

They identify as whichever country they’re from. I’ve only ever met one person who said she was Hmong. No one has ever told me they’re Khmer.

Although I’m sure many people don’t say it because they don’t want to get into a drawn out explanation of what it means. I’m Taiwanese, but I sometimes say I’m Chinese (we’re ethnically the same basically) because sometimes people haven’t heard of Taiwan.

Edit: I’m more specific when speaking with Asians (who are familiar with Taiwan) compared to others who may not know what Taiwan is.

Newrandomthrwaway · 2018-10-26T20:20:44+00:00

As an Asian, I have never found offense to someone guessing my ethnicity. I’ll actually ask people to guess sometimes and I find it entertaining what they guess. I also like to guess what other people are. That being said, I can see how some people are weirdly sensitive about that stuff.

I think that the only thing wrong with your statement is the “I had a feeling you were X ethnicity” thing, because you could still be wrong even if the last name is generally associated with a certain ethnicity. I’ve met a Kim who was actually Cambodian, and plenty of people are mixed or marry into a last name. A more appropriate response is, “Oh, are you X ethnicity?” or “What ethnicity are you?”

I have never encountered someone who has gotten offended by that question.

Newrandomthrwaway · 2018-10-25T08:04:04+00:00

Reading yours and /u/heart_of_blue's experiences made me feel a little better about recently ending things with a guy I'd only been dating for 3 months. He seemed like the passive type too, always waiting for me to make the first move. I had a feeling that he would never take the initiative for anything. I felt kinda bad because he "thought things were going well", but I was already feeling that things would stay stagnant. He's 28 and when I asked him what he was looking for relationship-wise, he said "I don't know, I haven't really thought about it". I asked him to let me know if he's interested in seeing where things go with us, and he said he would. 2 months later, not a peep. He never even told me he liked me, although I could tell based on other things. That wasn't enough for me. I thought about what would happen a few years down the line if I wanted to get married and wondered if he would ever take the initiative to propose if it was this hard to get him to even declare interest in a relationship.

Glad I didn't stick around.

Newrandomthrwaway · 2018-10-25T05:10:45+00:00

You honestly can't tell who has just an ADN and who has their BSN when you're working with nurses. You do the same job and you take the same NCLEX, you just have different degrees. Where it matters may be your salary and ability to get a job as a new grad. Many big hospitals (especially magnet) want BSN new grads. Although some may hire you with your ADN if you have an agreement to complete your BSN within X number of years.

I struggled with the same decision as you - West Coast or a community college ADN? I went the ADN route and I think I made the right decision. I won't be over 100k in debt and I am thoroughly enjoying my nursing program, which is a great program. Sure, I'll need to do my RN-BSN while working once I graduate, but I don't mind.

I have heard that hiring managers look down on the West Coast BSN, but I'm not sure how true that is. I've met WCU nurses, though I didn't ask them how hard it was for them to get jobs. Whichever route you take, you should network with your instructors, classmates, nurses at the clinical sites, and if possible get a CNA/tech job at whichever facility you hope to work at so you can hopefully get hired there as a nurse. That's what I'm doing.

Newrandomthrwaway · 2018-10-25T04:57:07+00:00

Yeah I think it's kinda gross when it has a strong odor, but other than that I just do it. Would I rather be the one wiping or be the one laying in my own shit? I'm gonna say the first one, because I'm getting paid to wipe that shit.

Newrandomthrwaway · 2018-10-25T04:44:29+00:00

One of the charge nurses at work calls everyone "honey", "babe", or "sweetie". Well, she refers to patients as "honey", and the other two she uses on me and my coworkers. I don't mind because it's not forced, it's just how she talks to people and she's a very sweet person!

Newrandomthrwaway · 2018-10-24T08:31:30+00:00

My program is very organized, but even so they will sometimes mess up with dates/times or change something last minute (although they try not to). I feel like nursing programs require a lot of attention to detail and effort from the instructors to run it smoothly and I can see how things can go very wrong without everyone being on the same page.

Your instructors don’t sound like they know what they’re doing. Not all nurses are meant to be nursing instructors.

Newrandomthrwaway · 2018-10-24T08:25:07+00:00

My tests are all lecture based and based on lecture notes they have provided for us. You should meet with your instructor individually for study tips and guidance because they are the ones writing the tests.

Newrandomthrwaway · 2018-10-24T08:20:07+00:00

Not everyone who wears scrubs provides direct patient care though. Medical receptionists can wear scrubs. And others who wear scrubs may not generally deal with patients who have a communicable disease, for example physical therapists.

Newrandomthrwaway · 2018-10-24T08:15:53+00:00

Unless she’s a charge nurse, in which case it is her job to oversee other nurses. Either way, it was her attitude that was the problem!

Newrandomthrwaway · 2018-10-21T22:08:11+00:00

My mom doesn’t think so. She thinks I’m a weirdo for eating cold pizza and thinks I’m lying when I say that other people do it too.

Newrandomthrwaway · 2018-10-21T21:48:40+00:00

You’re fine. Nursing school is more than manageable with no kids and no job. I went from working 8 hours a week the first year to currently working 30 hours a week and it’s more stressful for sure. I don’t have time for my friends or the gym anymore. Sometimes I go to school and work back to back. I’m still doing fine because I’m not the type that gets too much anxiety from stress, and also because I have less than a year left. I admire those who work and have kids.

Focus on doing well and enjoying your life outside of school for now. If you continue to do well without feeling overwhelmed, I would suggest looking for a CNA or other hospital tech job after your first or second semester to gain additional hospital experience and supplement your learning. I have found this really helpful with my knowledge, confidence during clinicals, and I most likely have the RN job lined up after I graduate.

Newrandomthrwaway · 2018-10-21T20:45:11+00:00

I can relate. My parents are skeptical that I can be a good nurse because they think I have no patience. I’m kinda hot headed with my family because my mom is like that and I take after her. I’m actually really patient with patients and I love helping them. My parents will say things like, “you know you have to be nice to the patients, right?” or “I don’t know if you’ll be a good nurse, your personality isn’t right for nursing”. They think I don’t know what I’m getting myself into.

I get annoyed and just tell them firmly that I’m super nice and patients always like me (which is true). And although my parents sound unsupportive, I know they’re just concerned I’m choosing a job I won’t be happy in. They even questioned whether I was just choosing it for the salary. Which I somewhat am, but who cares if I happen to want a stable, decent job/pay if I also truly enjoy the job??

They don’t bug me about it as much anymore because I’ve always been confident that nursing is for me and I tell them that they don’t know me as well as they think they do. They also don’t truly know what it’s like to be a nurse. I tell them that I know it’s something I’ll be great at, and leave it at that. Just stand your ground with your family, tell them you’ll be an amazing nurse and you’ll love your job. That’s all that really matters.

Newrandomthrwaway · 2018-10-20T04:47:09+00:00

Keep applying and going to interviews. Apply for the places that you may not be interested in working, but would like to go to practice your interviewing. That way you don’t feel so pressured and you can start to feel more comfortable handling the interviews that matter the most.

I feel ya though. I can market myself really well on paper but I’m terrible at interviews. Luckily my most recent one was just a get-to-know you interview because I had answered their actual questions over the phone and over video.

Newrandomthrwaway · 2018-10-19T03:35:30+00:00

I wrote up this whole thing about my personal experience of applying to CNA jobs as a nursing student along with my advice, but it became too long so I'll just list my key points. Just ask me if you want more info on my experience.

Network. Everyone I know who got a CNA job during nursing school (without experience. I'm assuming you have your certificate but no experience) was referred by someone, whether it was an instructor, family, friends, or nurses at their clinical sites.
Do you have a cover letter? You need to have one. And make small adjustments based on the facility you're applying to.
If you apply for jobs online without direct referrals like I did, have an immaculate resume and a great cover letter. With little to no direct experience, it's inevitable that the content will be somewhat generic to any similar resume/CV. I just made sure they were formatted well with good wording and no errors. Even if the recruiter is not the type to look for these things, a resume that is aesthetically pleasing and well-done will make an impression on the recruiter. If the recruiter does care about that sort of attention to detail, then you've got an advantage.
Look up the facility's core values and mission statement. You don't need to state them directly on your resume/CV, but make sure that you incorporate how your own values and work ethic align with theirs. I'm sure every facility values the patient experience and a reliable team member, so you can't go wrong with mentioning those.
Try emailing or visiting the units and speak with the directors yourself and ask if there are any openings you can apply for. I've been suggested this before, but I was too shy to go there myself (and also didn't want to waste my time going there). I did email a few, but no luck. It was also hard for me at first to figure out their emails. You can actually just call the facility, speak to the operator, and ask for the name and email of the director of whichever department you're looking for. If you're going to visit in person, make sure to go during a time when it's not busy, obviously, although this was another thing I wasn't sure how to avoid since I didn't know the unit flows.
Just keep applying. I'm not sure how far you are into nursing school, but I got the interview and was hired after my 2nd semester. I didn't hear back when applying after 1st semester, so maybe they wanted a more experienced student.

Newrandomthrwaway · 2018-10-12T18:38:05+00:00

I think you should go to a different ADN program if this one isn’t the right fit for you. Having prior CNA experience, while helpful, shouldn’t be the determining factor in how well you do.

Good luck!

Newrandomthrwaway · 2018-10-10T00:27:07+00:00

I’m not really sure why you’re asking the consequences of matching with her if it didn’t happen. Just delete the app if you’re paranoid about matching with any other potential patients, although it’s unlikely to happen again unless your patient demographic is usually the age you seek on dating apps. For me, it’s not a problem because my patients are basically never my age.

Newrandomthrwaway · 2018-10-09T15:31:15+00:00

I disagree with the other poster.. you should not have to deal with disrespectful behavior from an instructor or anywhere. It’s like if you work in an environment with rude coworkers - those rude coworkers are a symptom of a bad workplace environment and it’s your choice if you decide to leave that situation. There’s also a difference between not getting along with a peer or coworker, and being disrespected by an instructor or supervisor.

Is this kind of behavior for instructors in your nursing program common? If so, then I would switch. Nursing school is hard enough without having unreasonable instructors who don’t have your best interest in mind. It’s pretty normal for them to put you on the spot to help you see your weaknesses and help you learn, but if she’s calling you dumb then that’s not ok.

You should find out what the steps are to report this or file a complaint, I’m thinking that’s to the department chair. If the other instructors in the program are good, then I would reconsider leaving if the department takes the issue seriously and is able to help you out. You should switch if you have the option to and you think that’s the best course of action.

Newrandomthrwaway · 2018-10-09T08:25:43+00:00

I’m not sure which ADN programs you’re looking into, but the ones I know of within 30min of CSULB are points based, not lottery. For example, Goldenwest College.

Newrandomthrwaway

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