Passed at 85. What do I actually do in the first week?

The question

1. AOAvery on orientationRN, week 5 of orientation, med surg

   Congratulations. Mine shut off at 92 and I refreshed the board site twice a day until the number posted. The day that number posts is the whole unlock. I emailed my recruiter that morning with one line, "License posted today, number below, still available for the June cohort," and my start date moved up three weeks. Send that before you touch anything else.

2. RBRiley in the break roomRN, 2 years, ED

   Mine was 145, first person was my dad, and he cried, which I did not expect. Week one, do not assume you have to take a residency. I went direct hire into ED and by month 4 I was carrying my own assignment while my residency friends were still doing classroom days. If you already know the unit you want, apply straight to it and say so in the first line.

3. MNMaya on nightsRN, 8 months in, med surg

   Going to disagree with the direct hire take. I took the med surg residency and it is the reason I can read a patient going bad at all. You get a preceptor who is paid to have you and a cohort hitting the same wall in the same week. Your first job isn't your forever job, and med surg first buys you every door at the 2-year unlock.

4. Nursing Mastery

   Two mechanics worth having this week. A license is needed by day one, not at application. The two you started pre-license are not wasted, so attach your number to both today. Orientation runs 6 to 16 weeks depending on the unit, and the length is a real term of the job, so ask for yours in writing before you sign.

5. BFBlair reading the fine printRN, 10 months in, float pool

   Before you sign anything this week, find the clawback. Mine is a 24 month commitment on a sign-on bonus paid in thirds, and if I leave at month 18 I owe the entire thing back, not the unearned part. Ask for the repayment schedule as a document, not as a sentence in an interview. Celebrate first, sign second.

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