Today: Mar 28, 2024

‘Becoming an RN’ forum talks to senior nursing major

Sofia RositaniReporter

“Becoming an RN,” was a forum for graduating seniors who want to know what the potential outlook on a future career as registered nurse might look like.

The event was held by the Multicultural Health Leaders, formally known as the National Association for Hispanic Nurses.

Alumna Daniele White, who graduated last semester and got a job as an RN at Yale Hospital, acted as the master of ceremonies for the event.

Prior to being an RN, White said she worked as a patient care assistant in the float pool at Yale Hospital, a job where employees, workers, etc. work on the floors that need the most help.

She spoke to the future nurses about what their first month will look like in a hospital, and after White spoke, they started a question and answer.

Many of the questions were based on how to pass the National Council Licensure Examination, that all future nurses must take in order to become licensed and registered, because many student nurses said they felt anxious about taking the NCLEX.

The NCLEX is a six hour exam, with two optional breaks.

White said she studied for three days to help her pass the NCLEX, since she was not confident in her ability to pass the exam without doing so, although she had worked hard to get through the nursing program.

In nursing school, White said students endure four years of intense study, clinicals, and labs but it all comes down to NCLEX to determine whether or not a nursing student can call themselves an RN.

One of White’s recommendations was to find employment at the facility they would like to work at as a nurse prior to graduating because being familiar with the facility and the managers will give them a better chance at being hired there.

“Yale managers love Southern students because they have a high passing rate,” said White.

Many students asked White about the interview process and how she was interviewed. For White, it was a very different process because she already worked at Yale New Haven Hospital and knew the manager.

“Make a connection with the manager,” said White. “Ask questions regarding the orientation process because in school you are being taught but you are hands on when you are working and you do not have the critical skills you need when you start.”

White said she has been working for seven months on the night shift, which is easier for her because the pace is slower and gives her more time to complete her task and learn at the same time.

White also has children so she said it is easier for her as a mom to work in the night shift and she highly recommends student nurses to join some form of association. White said even though some of her experience as an RN was bad, it will be rewarding, and the students will learn a lot.

President of Multicultural Health Leaders Angelica Castro said the organization wanted to be more inclusive.

She said she thought some people may be put off by reading the word Hispanic in the name even though the nursing student can be any ethnicity to join the organization, and not just nursing students, either.

They want to also have pre-nursing, public health, and health care studies, though the majority is nursing students. Castro said she is hoping to work in the labor and delivery floor in the future.

“I have wanted to be a nurse since I was 11 years old,” said Castro. “I just always loved the healthcare field getting involved with helping others, as weird as it sounds, I loved being in the hospital, that environment.”

 

 

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