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C.J. Scalia posted:Still. That's lawyer money. Without the lovely life. See the picture in the OP 
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Apr 23, 2009 14:59
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Has anyone gone through nursing school while caring for a young child? My daughter is 6 months old, and I'm looking to start school in August. Will I be overloading myself?
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Apr 23, 2009 16:39
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AquaVita posted:See the picture in the OP Oh, I caught on to the evilness of the thread title long ago, thank you :p
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Apr 23, 2009 16:43
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anyone a Nurse anesthetist or going through the CRNA program? I'm going for my BSN right now and am really considering doing the 1 year of ICU + CRNA route. What was your GPA upon graduating/being accepting into your schools CRNA program? Is the schoolwork more/less rigorous than clinicals? Just want to know what to expect as far as the school part goes. If you're already a nurse anesthetist, what's your salary like? edit: left out the As. Fatty Patty fucked around with this message at 04:24 on Apr 24, 2009 |
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Apr 23, 2009 17:50
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bump 
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Apr 24, 2009 04:25
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mannerup fucked around with this message at 13:02 on Feb 15, 2016 |
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Apr 28, 2009 19:28
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Fatty Patty posted:anyone a Nurse anesthetist or going through the CRNA program? I'm going for my BSN right now and am really considering doing the 1 year of ICU + CRNA route. What was your GPA upon graduating/being accepting into your schools CRNA program? Is the schoolwork more/less rigorous than clinicals? Just want to know what to expect as far as the school part goes. If you're already a nurse anesthetist, what's your salary like? I'm planning to do the same thing and am presently working on my second year in an ICU. I can't tell you much about the programs as I'm still looking into them myself, but I'd count on getting more than one year of ICU experience. It's possible, but unless you have incredibly competitive undergrad grades and can convince the interviewer you're ready with less than 6 months experience (you'll be interviewing at least that much earlier than the start of the program, keep in mind) it's probably not going to happen. Hell, depending on the hospital, you may not even be done with your unit's preceptorship until your 3rd to 5th month. Even knowing this I was still banking on being able to do it anyway, until I actually started in an ICU. Unless you're an immoral, completely self-absorbed prick, you'll realize pretty quick that there is no loving way your clinical, assessment, and emergent crisis skills are anywhere near ready for that sort of situation. That first week on the job is going to be a really harsh reality check, but in a good way. You'll realize just how little you know and how completely hosed any patient in your care would be. Then multiply that tenfold. Critical care nursing doesn't get much more critical than anesthesia and if you gently caress up it really is on YOUR head, so try to keep some perspective. Take the extra year, get your poo poo together, concentrate on building your skills and practical knowledge base. LEARN YOUR MEDS back to front, that's one of the biggest stumbling blocks. I've gotten this advice from almost every CRNA and instructor I've talked to and it makes a lot of sense. The salary is indeed loving awesome, easily over $100K to start. Compare that to an ICU RN's start at $55K-$65K (both of these are for CT and base, no OT included) and you should get a vague idea of how much more is at stake.
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Apr 28, 2009 21:11
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So I've been thinking of going into nursing. I enjoy helping people overcome their ills, and I can handle the sight of bodily fluids and such. But just to test and see, I've come up with an idea like this... There are a lot of convalescent hospitals in my area. I'm gonna try finding one with a program to train you to be a nurse's assistant. From there, if I find it is something I want to do, I'm going to apply to my local university's nurse program. Is this a good idea? Bad idea? Any other advice?
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Apr 29, 2009 04:07
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DigitalJesus posted:After speaking with my college counselor, I am now on the road to get my ADN and (hopefully) transfer to Sonoma State University to get my BSN there. I hope that I didn't just put myself into a scary situation with hair-pulling coursework :x Why not just go straight for a BSN?
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Apr 29, 2009 06:13
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freshmex posted:Why not just go straight for a BSN? There are a lot of reasons, mainly because an ADN is much cheaper, and once you're working in a hospital, you can have the facility pay for your additional education.
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Apr 29, 2009 07:27
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C.J. Scalia posted:Still. That's lawyer money. Without the lovely life. Nurses are way smarter than lawyers.
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Apr 29, 2009 09:49
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freshmex posted:Why not just go straight for a BSN? Even if you factor in the extra classes to go from ADN to BSN later, it's still cheaper than getting a BSN right off the bat. Especially because, as has already been pointed out, most hospitals will reimburse all or at least a significant percentage of the cost if you do it while working for them. Plus, if you're sure you just want your RN and never intend to go back for a Master's or try to break into management, there's no reason to get a BSN. There's no difference in pay, job opportunities, seniority, etc, and none of your coworkers will give a poo poo either way. And hey, if you change your mind later, there will probably be even more universities offering those ADN->BSN programs by that time. They also tend to be a littler easier and less stressful than their BSN counterparts. Not because they don't educate you as well (it's pretty much impossible to tell the difference between new grads when they're hired, and after a few months on the job there's no difference at all), they just throw less bullshit at you. About 20% of nursing school is teaching you basics so you'll be ready to learn REAL nursing once you graduate. The other 80% is getting you ready to pass the NCLEX, which in themselves have nothing to do with being a nurse beyond making sure you're not a retard and can actually think for yourself. So why get a BSN? 1) Master's programs open doors to the real money careers in nursing and 2) Four year universities are a helluva lot more fun than two year local colleges.
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Apr 29, 2009 12:45
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Fatty Patty posted:anyone a Nurse anesthetist or going through the CRNA program? A coworker of my wife's is about to finish his first semester. He is a BSN with over ten years experience in ER and ICU. He has pretty much disappeared due to the workload. The minimum standards for the program aren't crazy high, but the competition to get in is intense. Also, in the program I'm talking about at least, you cannot work as a nurse (or at all really) while in the program. So that's 2 years minimum that you won't be earning.
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Apr 29, 2009 13:42
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mannerup fucked around with this message at 13:02 on Feb 15, 2016 |
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Apr 29, 2009 16:11
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I'm looking at entering a nursing program this fall or maybe spring semester. I have a ton of undergraduate credits and would like to go for my BSN, but I don't think that is feasable due to my GPA being pretty low. The price to pay for being an Engineering major and hating your classes. Any who, I've applied at the local community college for the RN program. Chances are pretty good that I won't have a problem getting ito it. I've been doing a little research on the school, and it appears that they just received their NLN(?) accredidation. However, word of mouth on the school do not appear to be good. I keep hearing things like "disorganized, administration people are assholes, instructors are assholes but generally fair etc. etc." I realize this is an extremely vague question, but does anyone have thoughts or experience in getting a degree from a school that wasn't exactly top notch? I guess the main upside I've heard about the school is that very few people fail to pass the NCLEX. *I take that back, it looks like in 2007 they had a passing rate of 73%. Well, poo poo. Hughmoris fucked around with this message at 14:38 on May 9, 2009 |
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May 9, 2009 13:30
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Nostalgia4Dogges fucked around with this message at 04:27 on Jul 19, 2016 |
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May 9, 2009 15:30
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I'm a male nurse from Spain, I worked in a ICU and now I looking for working in a prison, it's a little dangerous but they pay well
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May 9, 2009 17:15
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For those that have gone through a masters programs for people without a BSN but a regular BA/BS could you describe the admissions process? I realize that it would vary from program to program but in your experience was it difficult to get in and did you go directly from college or have a period between where you worked?
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May 14, 2009 23:20
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My older sister just finished her nursing school and clinicals, and is looking for a job. Absolutely no one in NYC is hiring, she's been looking for half a year now. She might have to move to a different state at this point and let go of her dream to live in NYC.
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May 14, 2009 23:23
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I'm thinking about starting an RN program at my local community college here in Florida, but I know that once I would graduate the program I'd want to find a job in a different state ASAP. Could someone explain how it works as far as finishing an RN program in one state, then turning around and trying to get a job in another? What type of licensing/testing has to be done? I really hate Florida, but I can't afford out-of-state tuition. Thanks!
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May 17, 2009 04:36
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Carebear posted:My older sister just finished her nursing school and clinicals, and is looking for a job. Absolutely no one in NYC is hiring, she's been looking for half a year now. She might have to move to a different state at this point and let go of her dream to live in NYC. Pretty much, I finished nursing school in NYC in June 2008, passed boards in august 08, got a job in feb 09. As for work, the hospitals in NYC that are currently hiring are: NY Methodist Hospital in Brooklyn (Park Slope) They are between hiring freezes all the time, try calling nurse recruitment. Bellevue Hospital in Manhattan (got in person to nurse recruitment, do not bother with online crap to HHC, doesn't work). Kings County in Brooklyn, also HHC, go there personally, don't do their online crap. I also hear Maimonides may be hiring MAYBE. If your older sister can drive, try North-Shore LIJ, I heard they are hiring too, not far from queens, an hour or so from Brooklyn AFAIK. They have two big hospitals and a ton of small ones.
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May 17, 2009 04:47
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DotFortune posted:I forget the job/certification/whatever that requires an RN certification + a degree in computer science or related field. They do IT for hospitals or something. Can anyone help me out? I didn't see this question answered, maybe I missed it though. Are you thinking of nursing informatics? I was interested in this for awhile. I worked as a nurse for a year and decided it wasn't for me, so now I'm back in school for computer science/design. Even though I didn't like nursing, I still think it would be cool to work for a company that makes software nurses use for charting/meds/etc. I also wouldn't mind working in IT/web design for a hospital. Medical stuff still interests me a lot. I think the fact that I have experience working with computer charting systems will help me if I want to work in that area. I'd be really interested if anybody knows anything about former nurses that pursue this kind of thing. Also, if you are still in nursing school (or are already a nurse even) and realize you don't like nursing, find something else! Although working for a year did allow me to save up money to go back to school, money is not a good enough reason to be a nurse. You need to like it too or else you're at risk of becoming one of those mean, bitter nurses that everyone loves so much. I always tried to be nice to my patients, but I'm sure if I had stayed with it for long enough I'd become one of those mean ones. 
miso fucked around with this message at 06:49 on May 17, 2009 |
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May 17, 2009 06:44
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Hughmoris posted:I'm thinking about starting an RN program at my local community college here in Florida, but I know that once I would graduate the program I'd want to find a job in a different state ASAP. Could someone explain how it works as far as finishing an RN program in one state, then turning around and trying to get a job in another? What type of licensing/testing has to be done? I really hate Florida, but I can't afford out-of-state tuition. Thanks! It's a pretty common practice and relatively easy. I finished school in Atlanta and then ended up working in Minneapolis. I had the option of taking the boards in Georgia and then getting my license transferred over or simply traveling to MN and taking the boards there. I took the lazy man's option and waited until I was in MN to take the NCLEX. Nursing degrees and licenses are very portable.
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May 17, 2009 06:58
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Hughmoris posted:I'm thinking about starting an RN program at my local community college here in Florida, but I know that once I would graduate the program I'd want to find a job in a different state ASAP. Could someone explain how it works as far as finishing an RN program in one state, then turning around and trying to get a job in another? What type of licensing/testing has to be done? I really hate Florida, but I can't afford out-of-state tuition. Thanks! I graduated from nursing school in St. Louis and was offered a job in NYC. All I had to do was fill out the application for registration/licensure on the NY state nursing board website, have my school send them certification of education, and pay like $135. After they received everything I was given a code to use when registering to take the NCLEX that would send my results to NY. You can take the NCLEX anywhere; I actually ended up taking mine in Illinois the day before I moved to New York. I had already accepted the job there and I have no loving clue what would have happened had I not passed NCLEX, but that ended up not being an issue. Anyway this stuff can vary a lot from state to state, so it really depends on where you want to end up.
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May 17, 2009 09:16
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Thanks for the information on getting jobs in different states. I would like to move to the Wyoming or Colorado area and start working there. gently caress hot Florida. Another vague question. When coming fresh out of school, what do potential employers tend to look for more, when hiring? Do they heavily weigh your GPA in nursing school, or are they just happy you passed the NCLEX? Do reviews/evaluations from clinicals weigh more than anything else?
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May 17, 2009 15:43
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Hughmoris posted:Thanks for the information on getting jobs in different states. I would like to move to the Wyoming or Colorado area and start working there. gently caress hot Florida. Already having a license (NCLEX passed) is a good thing, as it removes a potentially crushing pitfall for the employer: the competent, likeable Grad Nurse who must be terminated (or demoted to buttwiper) after repeated NCLEX failures. Of course grades and clinical performance will matter, as that would indicate your overall performance and your ease of orientation. Positive letters from past employers are immensely helpful, as it can demonstrate that you're already a disciplined, mature person. "I can teach you to insert an IV or read a 12-lead ECG; I cannot teach you to show up on time, rested and ready for work," was said to a classmate of mine at her 90-day review; she was terminated weeks later. As always, YMMV. The manager I ended up hiring in with glanced at my CV, chatted for 45 minutes and offered me a job, told me to take a few days to consider it. She did not review my transcripts or LoR until after offering me the job. I'm sure she could have shitcanned the background check to give herself a backdoor. Another job I applied for required CV, transcripts, 3+ LoR, an essay, and other poo poo to be submitted by the middle of January, for a series of interviews in late Feb and March. Most other GN interviews fell in between those. From where I sit, nursing school accomplished a few things: -Instilled a body of knowledge -Offered basic exposure to patients and patient care environments -Preparation for passing the licensing exam So if you, in your interview and your submissions, can convey that you have the underlying knowledge, have the ability to interact comfortably with sick people, have already or will pass the NCLEX, and will show up and work, then you've made yourself a high-quality candidate.
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May 17, 2009 20:14
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mason likes onions posted:Tons of great information... Thanks for all this. I really wish this thread would get a bit more love. I don't know anyone who is a nurse so most of the information/opinions I gather is from here and the rest of the internet. Does anyone have any crazy stories or experiences from the first few months you started working as a nurse? Was it what you expected it to be? Any advice for someone just starting up the program?
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May 17, 2009 22:41
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Hughmoris posted:Thanks for all this. Nursing school and nursing are two very different things. Nursing school was frustrating for the inanity of half the material and the incredible difficulty of the other half (really as difficult as you make it, but I tend towards being a perfectionist...). My only advice is to suffer through the stupidity and hold out for the meaningful stuff. You'll pick up the difference quickly, although that first semester is usually pretty awful. Actual nursing on the other hand... drat. I think I spent my first few months in the ICU constantly asking, "Wait, we can do that?" It got even worse once I got on night shift and we no longer had a Fellow around to bounce questions off. At nights we're expected to be independent to the point of questionable legality and the hardest part for me was learning to dance on that line. It's also somewhat sobering to figure out that we're the end of the line in critical care. There have been multiple nights when I've realized I'm taking care of the sickest guy in a 400 bed hospital. It's fun as hell though. My only advice to someone starting a program though would be to find things in your life that don't involve health care. It's easy to get sucked into that world and it's a good way to get burned out. You'll need non-health care buddies and activities where there aren't sick people everywhere. That, and whenever someone mentions "nursing theory" reach up and turn off your brain. But that comes naturally I think.
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May 17, 2009 23:50
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Can anyone please tell me about their experiences as a Patient Care Technician before going into nursing? Is it worth it to get certified as a PCT and work in a hospital before starting nursing school? I know some hospitals offer decent tuition reimbursement for employees, so that's definitely a plus, along with generally better insurance (or so I've heard anyway). If you were a PCT first, how long was your training program? I've found programs here in Atlanta that range from 10 weeks to 8 months. I'm assuming hospitals will be more likely to hire you based on the program you graduated from, so if you received your training from the place in the Indian shopping mall next to the dollar store (this is a real school here in Atlanta), you're probably not getting the job.
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May 31, 2009 22:27
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This seems interesting. I wish someone could start a Doctor thread, or maybe an Astronaut thread. That would be interesting. But anyway, is it true that if the nurse just does all the doctor's work he would get in trouble, like that one episode of Scrubs?
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Jun 1, 2009 02:49
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Forever Zero posted:This seems interesting. I wish someone could start a Doctor thread, or maybe an Astronaut thread. That would be interesting. But anyway, is it true that if the nurse just does all the doctor's work he would get in trouble, like that one episode of Scrubs? Since you can't seem to get your head far enough out of your rear end to find the physicians here, I'll give you a hand: http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=2777787 Medical school thread http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=2895161 Residency thread Regarding employment as a butt-scrubber: I worked as nurse aid/PCT at 2 hospitals before getting licensed as an RN, and the experience at each was invaluable; however, it was not experience that could have substituted in any meaningful way for nursing school. Butt-scrubbing is a lovely job; having a strong dislike for butt-scrubbing is not necessarily an indication that you will dislike nursing as a profession. It did give me a wholly new perspective on how acute care units work, the interactions and relationships between docs, nurses and others, and the differences between low-end and high-end hospitals (one job was at a loving dump in the ghetto, and one was at one of the premier hospitals in the US). However, I didn't start working in health care until after I was in nursing school, so I know nothing about PCT training. I'd caution you against assuming so much about why someone would/wouldn't hire you; your ability to stitch together a resume and handle an interview should be far more meaningful to en employer than the curry-smlel on your certificate.
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Jun 1, 2009 04:33
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does anyone have experience with moving to another country? I plan on moving to NZ in about 10 years and I want to know what it is I'll have to do to be recognized over there, if anything.
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Jun 1, 2009 05:06
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Hey All - I have an interesting situation - I'm ready to start a BSN->RN program, but had to declare bankruptcy a year ago to hang onto my house. Now that I have my life together, how do I get student loans to pay for schooling? If I had a spare $35K laying around, I wouldn't have had to screw up my credit. Any suggestions? This whole financial aid thing is giving me fits.
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Jun 3, 2009 00:22
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Reading through this thread is so weird. LPNs are way different in the states than in Canada, or so it seems. Here, the norm is two years of schooling for LPN and if you're in the BSN program (aka the RN program here), you have to do two years before you can take the LPN licensing exam, rather than just one year. I think they are allowed to go for an RCA after one year, but not LPN. I'm not sure if it's the same elsewhere, but the LPN program that I am in takes time to teach RN tasks to us (not in depth, but just enough) so that we are aware of what "should" happen in certain situations with our patients. LPNs starting wage is 3 dollars less than the RN. I think we start at $21.50/hour. The RN maxes out at 30 bucks and the LPN maxes at 27. I think it's a little strange that the OP has only the RN choices listed for the "What does it take to be a nurse?" question, since LPN/LVNs are nurses as well. It's pretty lovely that people -- especially other nurses -- continue to shaft the LPN/LVN roles. They are not always less educated, either. Having a smaller scope of practice would have been a better way of writing that out. That was just a random spew I had to get out before I could move on... That said, what I really came in this thread for was to ask about everyone's experience with palliative care. I've chosen to do palliative care for my preceptorship. How did it feel for you; what were some common mistakes; what areas did you feel the most unprepared for?
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Jun 5, 2009 07:44
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With me working and taking one class a semester, my ADN is going to take forever. I am wondering if I am in the wrong career.
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Jun 5, 2009 07:49
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Hey Chickster, I think the reason there's very little reference to LPNs in this thread is because in most areas in the US, they're trying to phase out LPN programs completely. I know around here (Atlanta), it's almost impossible to even find an LPN program.
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Jun 5, 2009 11:46
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Google Embryo posted:Hey Chickster, I think the reason there's very little reference to LPNs in this thread is because in most areas in the US, they're trying to phase out LPN programs completely. I know around here (Atlanta), it's almost impossible to even find an LPN program. Thank you for that insight. I think I remember hearing about this and just let it slip my mind completely. LPNs here are just broadening their scope year after year so that we aren't behind the RNs by very much (hence the pay ranges being decently close). Hospitals still hire us by the handful (yay).
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Jun 5, 2009 16:58
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quote:Guy nurses Just a word of warning, when a woman becomes a nurse and works in a hen house for at least 10 years, she enters a chrysalis and emerges a super bitch even if she used to be pleasant to be around. Plan accordingly guys; have beer for when you get home, or perhaps pick up a cigarette habit. Don't argue with me you liberal PC jerks, I know what I'm talking about
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Jun 5, 2009 17:26
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Ears posted:Hey All - I have an interesting situation - I'm ready to start a BSN->RN program, but had to declare bankruptcy a year ago to hang onto my house. I think your questions would be answered here: http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=2250971&userid=0&perpage=40&pagenumber=1
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Jun 5, 2009 17:36
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Total War! posted:Just a word of warning, when a woman becomes a nurse and works in a hen house for at least 10 years, she enters a chrysalis and emerges a super bitch even if she used to be pleasant to be around. Plan accordingly guys; have beer for when you get home, or perhaps pick up a cigarette habit. Great to know, heh. I'm contemplating the move from IT to Nursing, and I'm on a 1-yr waiting list. I'm looking forward to doing something that I think will actually be somewhat rewarding, but I've also heard there's a lot of poo poo (and not just in the literal sense) to deal with.
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Jun 5, 2009 18:39
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