SNA Bocce Ball Tournament Sign-up!

Sign of the times

I decided to pop in and see whassup on the ol' class blog. Nothing new since August 17. Over a month!! Well, I suppose that means we've mostly moved on, which is a good thing, yah?

For those who do still drop by, for nostalgia or curiosity, please continue to share information on what you're hearing on the "grapevine" about job opportunities, career fairs, etc.

Some of us are still not working, while some of us have secured a job of sorts, but are still open to finding something better than what we've lined up so far.

And drop a line, sometime: susielynn@gmail.com

Missing the ol' gang, and hoping you're all thriving in your new careers!!

Jobs

I'm sure many of you have already heard about the Wellness Nurse jobs out there. Here are a few links.

Wellness nurse in Concord

Wellness nurse in Sacramento

Mollen Immunization Clinics

Dr's Manteca new grad position

Student Nurses' Association would like to invite you to our CPK Fundraiser!

When: Thursday August 13th 2009
Time: Beginning at 10am and lasting all day
Where: California Pizza Kitchen in Stockton (located across the street from the college)
*Please bring the attached flyer and present it to your server when ordering and the NSNA will receive 20% of your bill!

California Pizza Kitchen has graciously opened their restaurant to us 1 hour before they open to the public. This will give us time to order our food, catch up with each other/get to know new students, exchange books, buy uniform patches or learn some important information from more seasoned students. The SNA would love for all of Delta's past graduates to join us! We would also love any information & encouragement that you could lend.

We look forward to seeing some of you there!

Thank you!
Angela Aistrup - Vice-President (Fall 2009)

Talk about insanity!

I studied my little butt off..question after question after question. And actually, I learned A LOT. I went to sleep the night before feeling like, "I got this." Before I left the house, my dad gave me one of those "parent" pep talks. You know..the one where they say something about how they're confident in you and you can do it and you put in your time and I have faith in you. All I could say was, "I'm confident."
It was the longest drive of my life up there. To speed things up a bit..I sat down and started. Question #1..I was like OMG I don't know..after that it was kind of a blur. My mind started going blank. I'm like great, I failed. I kept wondering will it cut off at 75? How many questions will I have to complete? 75 came and I got another question. I was like oh, ok, I know this. I was very confident in the answer. I clicked it and the screen went blank. Suddenly, my stomach turned and everything became blurry. The answer that I was so confident in now started to seem wrong. OMG, what did I just do? Did I blow it? Then, they want you to fill out this stupid survey afterward. Walking out was a blur. I was trying to hold it together. I didn't want to start crying in the building. Searching for reassurance, I quickly walked to my car to call someone super smart and ask her what she thought the answer was to my last question. She's not sure. OMG. This is the worst feeling I ever felt in my life. I sat in my car for about an hour, searching for a "correct answer". To my dismay, there wasn't anything on the topic in the Kaplan book and nothing great in my PDA. I came home (finally) and searched the internet. I just don't know. And then I thought well at least I am so tired, I will sleep good tonight. Yea right! I woke up just about every hour. Talk about torture. I've never failed anything important in my life and just knowing this could be the first time, when it's probably THE most important thing, is driving me insane. I wish everyone good luck. Study hard and don't restrict yourself to topics designated "highly testable" because my test didn't have many of those. And make sure you have someone to call afterward because you're going to need it. I had NO idea I would feel like this!

Two Whole Months?!

I can't believe it has been 2 months since we graduated. So, what is everyone up to....I'm sure many of us are enjoying our lives free of school (and work!).

Drop us a line! What are you doing right now?

Those of you who are working..... how's it going so far?

Today makes 2 weeks of waiting

I am stressing out here. I took the NCLEX on 6/23 and I haven't heard anything from them. I called them last Tues and they told me that my check bounced (embarassing, I know). So I drove up to Sac and paid that day. They said within 5 days I should hear something. So today I called them and now they are saying my transcripts are suspended!? I asked what that meant and the lady transfered me to my "evaluator". Of course this guy hasn's called me back. I don't feel like I failed. I know you usually get your notice of failure in the mail within a week or so. Delta's eval said they sent my transcripts in....so I am CONFUSED!!
Sorry about the rant, I was just wondering if any of you have heard of anything like this. Like what is "suspended transcripts"?
If I didn't pass...fine, just tell me!! I've already been through the stages of grief, several times now. Each phone call to the BRN gives me hope, they tell me "Oh, you should soon", soon has come and gone too many times.
Again, sorry for the rant!
I hope you're enjoying your summer.
Maureen

Tons of interview questions

This was posted on allnurses.com

1. Tell me about yourself.
2. What is your greatest strength?
3. What can you offer us that no one else can?
4. What are your three most important career accomplishments?
5. How would you describe yourself?
6. Why should I hire you?
7. Describe the biggest crisis in your life (career).
8. What is unique about you?
9. How would your supervisor describe you?
10. Rate yourself on a scale of 1-10.
11. Tell me a story.
12. How have you benefited from disappointment?
13. What is your greatest weakness?
14. Have you ever been fired or asked to resign?
15. Why have you changed jobs so frequently?
16. Why have you been out of work so long? What have you been doing?
17. What is the biggest mistake you ever made?
18. What are your career goals?
19. What do you want to do in life?
20. How long have you been out of work?
21. What personal, non-job related gals have you set for yourself?
22. Are you willing to relocate?
23. Are you willing to travel overnight?
24. How do you feel about overtime?
25. What have you learned from your past mistakes? What are some of them?
26. What do you think determines a person’s progress with a goof company?
27. Who has exercised the greatest influence on you? How?
28. What public figure do you admire most and why?
29. What are your primary activities outside of work?
30. Would you have any concern if we did a full background check on you? What would we find?
31. What qualities do you most admire in people?
32. What have you done to increase your personal development?
33. What type of books and magazines do you read?
34. What was the last book you read (movie you saw) and how did it affect you?
35. How do you feel about your career progress?
36. Can you work well under stress?
37. Do you prefer to work as an individually or as a part of a team?
38. Are you a team player?
39. Tell me about the last incident that made you angry. How did you handle it?
40. What are the things that motivate you?
41. How do you handle people that you really don’t get along with?
42. What have you done that shows initiative?
43. What personal qualities are important for success in this field?
44. Sell me this pen.
45. Are you willing to take calculated risks?
46. Describe your perfect job?
47. What is most important to you in a job?
48. Why do you want to change careers?
49. Why do you want to get into this field?
50. Why did you leave your last job?
51. How long will it take before you make a positive contribution to our organization?
52. What do you like least about this position? Most?
53. Tell me about your duties at your present job?
54. What is the most important aspect of your job?
55. Describe a time when you were criticized for your job.
56. What is the most difficult situation you have ever faced?
57. What frustrates you about your job?
58. What jobs have you enjoyed most? Least? Why?
59. What duties have you enjoyed most? Least? Why?
60. What is the worst thing your have ever heard about this organization?
61. What position do you expect to hold in five years? (similar to, Where do you expect to be in 5 years?)
62. Why would you like to work for us?
63. What is opinion of your present (or past) employer?
64. How long would you stay if we offered you this position?
65. What do you know about our company?
66. Why do you want to leave your present employer?
67. Starting with your first job out of college, tell me why you left each organization.
68. What kinds of recommendations will you get from previous employers?
69. Describe your relationship with your last three supervisors.
70. What are your supervisor’s strengths and weaknesses?
71. What kind of supervisors do you like most? Least? Why?
72. How has your supervisor helped you grow?
73. What did your supervisor rate you highest on during your last review? Lowest?
74. What kind of supervisor gets the best results out of you?
75. What is your boss like?
76. What actions would you take if you came on board?
77. Can you supervise people?
78. Describe your management philosophy and management style.
79. How many people have you hired? How do you go about it? How successful have the people been?
80. How many people have you fired?
81. How would your subordinates describe you as a supervisor?
82. Some managers watch their employees closely while others use a loose rein. How do you manage?
83. How have you improved as a supervisor over the years?
84. Why did you pick your major?
85. What kind of grades did you have?
86. What course did you like the most? Least? Why?
87. How has your schooling prepared you for this job?
88. Do you feel you did the best work at school that you were capable of doing?
89. How did your summer jobs benefit you?

SOME BEHAVIOR BASED QUESTIONS

Tell me about a time when you:

1. Achieved a great deal in a short amount of time.
2. Were disappointed in your performance.
3. Made a major sacrifice to achieve a work goal.
4. Were unwilling or unable to make the necessary sacrifice to achieve a goal.
5. Worked effectively under a great deal of pressure.
6. Didn’t handle a stressful situation very well.
7. Really got angry over a situation at work.
8. Felt under a great deal of pressure from an internal or external customer.
9. Were really bothered by the actions of a coworker.
10. Were especially creative in solving a problem.
11. Were not as creative as usual.
12. Organized and planned an event that was successful.
13. Planned and coordinated a project that was very successful.
14. Were unable to complete a project on schedule despite your best efforts.
15. Really had to remain flexible.
16. Had to deal with a personality conflict with a boss or coworker.
17. Were unable to sell your idea to a key person.
18. Felt really good about a decision you made and the process you went through.
19. Were very effective in your problem-solving ability.
20. Used facts and reason to persuade someone to accept your recommendation.
21. Utilized your leadership ability to gain support for what initially had been strong opposition.
22. Were able to build team spirit during a time of low morale.
23. Were able to gain commitment from others to really work as a team.
24. Used your political savvy to push through a program you believed in.
25. Were particularly perceptive regarding a person’s or group’s feelings and needs.
26. Were able to predict someone’s behavior or response based on your assessment of him or her.
27. Were particularly supportive and reassuring to a person who needed a friend.
28. Built rapport quickly with someone under difficult conditions.
29. Wrote a report which was well received by others.
30. Were particularly effective at prioritizing tasks and completing a project on schedule.
31. Identified potential problems and resolved the situation before the problems became serious.
32. Were highly motivated and your example inspired others.
33. Found it necessary to tactfully but forcefully say things others did not want to hear.
34. Were particularly effective in a talk you gave or a seminar you taught.
35. Had to make an important decision quickly even though you did not have all the information you wanted.
36. Had to make a decision you knew would be unpopular.
37. Were in a situation when events and circumstances changed rapidly.

Interviewees

For those of you who have already interviewed for positions, what questions were you asked? Were there any questions that you felt were particularly difficult to answer? What do you feel would've prepared you better for the interview?

thank you!

Confessions of a 30-something RN grad

So, I am in the seat, feeling comfortable, calm (even though I have went through enough security to enter Fort Knox).  I read through the instructions as to not miss anything.  “You have 6 hours….”  Sounds good, all is well…..

First question, okay, 50/50…..A or C….. hmmm…A…. “next”…..2^nd question…..what?  What are they asking?  These are all right, and there are no indicators in the question showing priority.  Can I ask them “is this patient stable?”  “how old are they?”  “should I assume they are anxious?”….Can I phone a friend?

Okay, quit assuming, take the question at face value……uh……well, if I were getting this done, this is what I would want to know…….B……..

Right about question 8 I hear the girl next to me groan.  Then about 10 questions later she does a big sigh, then a few later she says, “Oh God.”   Seriously?  Shut-up…..I am freaking out, too.  The least you can do is give me some silence, right?  Maybe I should’ve said yes to those earplugs.

Where’s the delegation?  Where is the alternate question with apical pulse location?  Where are the labs?  Where is the question on crutches?

Why do I get the feeling they are asking me about the same thing over and over?  Maybe they are thinking (I have now humanized the NCLEX monster as “they”) if I give her the question 5 or 6 more times, maybe she’ll get it right…..then…….

Black screen…..wait!  They are thinking….we gave her every shot possible, but she blew it.  75 questions, and I knew the answer to a whopping…..TWO (with certainty).

I do the outgoing survey, looking for the question that says, do you think these questions blow?  “Strongly agree”

I again get fingerprinted (I am thinking, if you think I actually paid this pathetic looking, short-haired blonde girl in sweatpants to take the test for me, then she did a piss poor job…..I want my money back).  I courteously smile and get my stuff.  Then I realize, it’s time to hit the potty.  My stomach is gurgling, and I can actually see my heartbeat in my abdomen.  It is pounding.  I get into my car, deciding who won’t think I am crazy if I call in this state of mind.  Okay, my hubby, of course, he always makes me feel better.  “Oh, that stinks.” Is his response to my description.  “When can you take it again?”  I’m thinking “I DON’T KNOW, I DIDN’T PLAN ON FAILING!”  You’re not helping, click……then, my mom.  Mom’s always make you feel better, right?  “Oh sweetie, it’s not the end of the world, you can just take it over.”  Again, not what I wanted to hear.

At this point I am hoping that Ashton pops out from behind the car next to me with his trendy hair and crooked smile and says, “You’ve been Punk’d!”  so that I can slap him in the face or kick him in the balls or something equally degrading.

Where are all of my girlfriends who are RNs?  Voicemail, Voicemail, Voicemail.

I am sitting in a random parking lot in Roseville thinking, “Maybe I’ll just tell everyone that I had to reschedule, then take the exam again before anybody finds out that I’ve failed.”  How vain is that?!

Ugh!!!  My stomach is hurting again.  I get a few calls/texts and I can’t bear to tell the whole ugly story again.

I get home (I can’t even remember driving really….it feels like I got home in 5 minutes).  I sit on my couch for about 45 minutes…..no TV, no kids, no talking, maybe even no blinking.  I didn’t take the NCLEX serious enough.  I should’ve done a different review.  I should’ve done more questions.  I should’ve taken it later or maybe earlier or maybe I should’ve just NOT studied. 

Of course, nothing on BRN the next day, the day after that, I wake up at 0500 and check…nope…I am even looking on allnurses.com to see what the odds are of failing at 75 questions.  Meanwhile, I am talking to people now.  I am trying to convince myself that I am okay with whatever happens (of course, I am MORE okay with passing!).  I contemplate setting my alarm for 0200 Saturday morning (I’ve heard the BRN updates their website at 0200 for the previous day).  I decide that if it isn’t there, it will ruin the rest of my night’s sleep, so I pass on the alarm idea.

Saturday morning, I get up at 0300 bc Mason is crying.  I pick him up and carry him to my computer…….I click on my bookmark (yes, I have bookmarked it)…..type “eagal”…….can you believe it?  There is another Trina Eagal in San Joaquin county….well, that is annoying, even SHE passed the NCLEX….wait….oh, okay, I think I can actually hear the word relief as I exhale.  Now, I can drop the weight on my chest and the pit from my stomach.  Phew.

Moral of the story, sometimes the signs and symptoms (diarrhea, abdominal pain, bounding pulse, anxiety, feelings of impending doom) don’t match the diagnosis (Effective testing output r/t using my noggin aeb name showing up on BRN site)

What’s next?

You mean, now I have to find a job?  My stomach hurts again.

nclex people

those of you that have taken the test, talk to us....please!!! i take it on the 23rd and i will be posting my thoughts on this beast that is consuming my life right now.

Okay... and so?

Trina, Sarilda, and whoever else just took it... how did it feel?? This NCLEX thing?

more random stuff

i keep seeing these topics come up on practice q's
lithium toxicity
radium implants
psych meds
cane walking (lame!!!)
hip surgery...post-op positioning
memorize lab values (per kaplan instructor)

I keep seeing these!

I have found that I keep seeing some information over and over again.  Here are some of them....

- Hot spot questions (valve locations, Erb's point)

- troponin is best indicator of MI

- lots of questions on hypER/hypOthyroidism (surgery, tx, s/sx)

- theophylline (weird, i know, but i have had a question on it for pretty much every practice test), therapeutic levels are 11-20 mcg/mL

- platelet levels (150k-400k)

- i wasn't prepared for all of the insulin questions (duration, peak, onset)

- 1 oz=30mL and 1tsp=5mL

- ABG values

- I read on the allnurses forum "RNs don't delegate what they can EAT (Evaluate, Assess, Teach)"

- Aluminum: constipation, Magneium: diarrhea

Here is a link to random facts to study for the nclex.....

If you have any to add, put them in the comments section.

ATT

Hey everyone, I was just wondering if you guys have received your authorization to test (ATT). I just received mine. I had mailed my application in the beginning of March so if you mailed yours around the same time hopefully you will be getting yours soon. I am very nervous about taking the NCLEX. I am taking the Kaplan review and have also received the study materials in the mail. So hopefully it will help. Have a good summer and let us know when you pass the NCLEX.

NCLEX prep

For those who are starting to think about NCLEX prep, check out:
NCLEX 3500 (Lippincott, Williams & Wilkins)
Study tips for NCLEX Exam
Exam information
NCSBN info (including test plans, statistics, psychometrics)

Also:
NCLEX 4000 is available in the computer lab

Trina found a podcast called "F.A. Davis NCLEX-RN audio prep: Test-taking tips and tactics to help you pass." It's free on iTunes and you can subscribe to it.

Other links:
Board of Registered Nursing (BRN)
California Nursing Practice Act
California Nurses Association (CNA)

Graduation

Congratulations to you all, well done!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I just want to take this opportunity to thank Trina Eagal and Sue Barnes for keeping everybody informed via blog or e-mail. I really appreciate what you've done. You both are awesome!!!!!!!!

*malou*

Blog withdrawals :O

We are so, so close to the end of school, but beginning of our nursing career.

There are some of us who can't bear to let go of our lovely blog!

A fellow student had a GREAT idea! We can turn our "student" blog into a "new RN" blog. :) (sorry, but I am becoming a big fan of the colon/parentheses smiley face)

Continue to check (and post to) this blog for information about what people are doing, the difficulties, the successes, to vent or to just see how everyone else is doing!

We have grown close over these past two years, and I hope that we can continue these friendships for years to come!!

New grad programs

If any of you are willing to drive to UC Davis or live in the area...they have a new grad program that was just posted in the OR, Surgical ICU, Oncology/BMT and in Neurosciences.

 

Here is the link to the job search...

UC Davis job search

Good luck!

In the right hand column are links to Hospital job searches in the area.