|
Kibbles posted:
How interesting. I wonder how many nursing schools require a CNA prior to getting a BSN. Mine certainly doesn't, (thanks goodness) we don't really need any MORE requirements to get into the program. Anyways, I just started my nursing classes this semester (back in August) and will experience my first round of hospital clinicals in the spring (yay!) It took me quite a while to get to this point. I switched majors and transferred schools halfway through my sophmore year. I was then placed on a waitlist and stayed on that waitlist for 2.5 years. When I applied the requirements for transfers were pretty straightforward. You needed to have a good standing with your last school, have at least 30 credit hours already completed, and at least a 3.0 GPA. The waitlist at my school got so bad (upwards of 4 years) that they changed to requirements to a 3.3 GPA, 30 credit hours, and you have to take a preadmission exam. You can only take the exam twice...if you fail twice they won't even entertain your application anymore. So anyways...what's my point? I dunno, but I do know that nursing school is indeed difficult, but what's even more difficult sometimes is finding a school that is able to get you into the program in a timely manner and not stick you on a waitlist for 2.5 years which means it takes you 7 years to get your undergrad! RAWR! I tend to suggest a BSN program to anyone who asks simply because I firmly believe BSN programs open more doors to the nurse down the road. And also because there is a movement within the healthcare community for hospitals to only hire BSN educated nurses. It just seems to be a better option overall.
|
#
¿
Dec 8, 2008 20:14
|
|
|
|
| # ¿ May 1, 2024 23:31 |
|
|
Keep in mind that I'm a transfer student. I was originally a business major so my example of 7 years to get an undergrand isn't necessarily the norm. I know plenty of people in my classes who decided they wanted to be nurses early on and applied to nursing schools while they were still in high school. So they are sophmores in the sophmore classes...they are 19 instead of 22 or 25 or 28...they knew about wait lists and planned ahead. And for those who already have degrees and are going back to school for nursing, there is always the accelerated program. No wait list but it's quite competative and WAY more difficult than the standard curiculum. Imagine cramming 6 semesters of material into 18 months. Ugh. In my opinion the only way wait lists could be eliminated is to open more schools and hire more educators...but phatmonky is right, nurses do get paid well and most enjoy their job so why the heck would they want to take a major pay cut just to teach someone else to do the job the teachers really want to be doing? Besides, I'd go for quality over quantity any day when it comes to healthcare providers.
|
|
#
¿
Dec 9, 2008 01:03
|
|
|
Ohthehugemanatee posted:There are two shortages that are unrelated. First, we're losing GPs because any physician in his right mind doesn't want to be one. The money, respect and babes all go to the specialists. While many people start out wanting to go into primary care, by the time they finish med school they look at their debt vs their salaries and do what anyone else would. I dunno...in most ways I agree with you about Masters and PhD programs for nursing. But I do know that more and more schools are offering a PhD in "nursing practice" and not "nursing theory". What that means exactly, I'm not really sure, but I do know it means there are programs out there for nurses that offer higher education in the field of actual practice. Because you're right, nursing theory is a load and most people couldn't care less. Plus there are a number of nursing practice fields that require a Masters. Like nurse anesthetists and NPs. (Oh what I would give to be a nurse anesthetist. Talk about money!) But yeah, you're right. Most teaching postitions require at least a masters, more often a PhD. And who the hell cares when you get better money actually practicing?
|
|
#
¿
Dec 9, 2008 17:05
|
|
|
Hughmoris posted:I'm an RN-applicant at my local school, starting up my prerequisites in August. One of my classes will be A&P I. I've heard that this class is a kick to the nuts and weeds out a majority of people, and I've heard it ain't too bad. Is the class worth doing a little preemptive studying over the summer? I actually really enjoyed A&P. It's pretty tough but to be honest, not nearly as tough as many people made it out to be. It helps to start studying for your tests a couple weeks in advance and go to every single class. One thing that helped me was to make flash cards. Thousands upon thousands of them. It breaks down the material into smaller, more managable pieces and really helped me focus my studying. And the lab was pure awesomeness. The fact that by the 2nd semester I was completely unphased by holding a severed human leg or studying a head that had been cut in half is amazing to me. Plus the lab really helped me get an A in the class. Don't worry too much about it. You just have to study. And ask questions.
|
|
#
¿
Jun 13, 2009 15:17
|
|
|
Absolute Evil posted:A coworker of mine took A&P last semester and I'd help her study..quiz her, hold up flashcards etc. I'll be taking A&P next semester and just from helping her all those hours, I feel like I won't have any problems with the class. She says if I pass the class on the first try, she'll try again..she's taken it 3 times so far and hasn't passed it yet. Tis a shame. Yikes...is your coworker trying to get into nursing as well? If she can't pass A&P after 3 tries she will never get through classes that are 10 times harder, like pharmacology or pathophysiology. A&P is cake compared to those classes (in my opinion, of course). Trust me, it's really not that difficult.
|
|
#
¿
Jun 13, 2009 18:04
|
|
|
Reading back through the last couple of pages I noticed some people asking if it's possible to get jobs in certain departments...of course it's possible! Maybe not when you're fresh out of school and it may take a few years and a bit of hard work but go where your heart takes you. There is nothing worse than a nurse working in an area he/she hates. I had a friend growing up whose mom was a nurse. She said it was the worst job ever and told her daughter to never go that route. Well, she would say that as she worked the night shift at an incredibly depressing nursing home and hated her job with a passion. Go where you want to go, work where you want to work. Don't settle or else you risk burnout which is not only harmful to the nurse but is potentially very harmful to the patients. I believe if you work in an area you love, all the depressing/gross/weird poo poo you will inevitably see will be much easier to deal with. I'm only a junior in nursing school at the moment (starting med/surg here in a week...God help me!) so I'm not entirely sure what it is I want to do after I graduate. But if there is one thing I do know already is that there are literally hundreds of options for nurses. Don't settle for whatever!
|
|
#
¿
Aug 17, 2009 03:55
|
|
|
Hot Dog Day #31 posted:Med/surg rant I'm in my med/surg clinical right now and I'm truly not enjoying it. The only thing I've leanred is that I absolutely do not want to be a med/surg nurse. Everything you said it absolutely correct. I asked my primary nurse to help me move a patient yesterday who was almost completely incabale of moving herself and my nurse barely put her foot in the room before she was distracted by another patient's family member and her phone ringing off the hook. So she had to just leave me hanging. I don't blame her at all. It's the life of a med/surg nurse. Screw med/surg. I absolutely cannot wait until I have my OR rotation next week and I'm really excited for pediatrics/obstetrics next year. Another thing...I'm almost done with junior year med/surg and I STILL haven't ever started an IV, or inserted a Foley catheter or NG tube. I feel like I've just been a CNA all semester. (Not dissing on the CNAs...they are truly life savers. But I'm not spending the big bucks and doing all those drat care plans to learn to be a CNA!!!!) I'm a bit disillussioned with nursing at the moment and it sucks because I remember when it was all so exciting and new. I just pray I get something cool to learn in the next few weeks.  What degree do you have? AA, BSN, MSN? Junior year BSN Why did you go into nursing? Honestly, not really sure. I like the idea of learning about medicine and it feels really good to help people but I never really thought about becoming a nurse before I got married. Was it your first career? I was a business major before I switched to nursing. One of the best decisions I have ever made! What area do you work in? N/A On a scale of 1 to 10, how happy are you with your job on a daily basis? Right now...about a 4 most days. I'm really hoping it picks up to at least a 7 or 8 when I finally find what I want to do within the field!
|
|
#
¿
Oct 16, 2009 22:50
|
|
|
Hughmoris posted:What is the protocol when being attacked by adult men? Are you allowed to protect yourself by whatever means necessary, or are you just supposed to try to restrain him until help arrives? I can't imagine only being allowed to hug someone while he is punching me in the face. I'm currently in my Mental Health Nursing semester (survived med/surg yay!) and we're taught to just run away. You can defend yourself if necessary but for the most part, if you follow the rules and use some common sense it's actually sort of difficult to get into a really bad situation like that. Always keep yourself between the patient and an exit, never go into a patient's room by yourself, etc. I'm actually really surprised at how much I'm looking forward to my clinicals starting. I'm not nearly as terrified of psych nursing as I was when I started med/surg. I have tremendous respect for psych nurses and am pretty stoked to get started. As for med/surg...well I bashed it a bit last semester but truth be told I learned SO MUCH! I never did end up getting to drop an NGT or start an IV but the fact remains that I learned more in that class than I have in any class ever and overall it was a really good experience.
|
|
#
¿
Feb 7, 2010 02:01
|
|
|
Baby_Hippo posted:I'm supposed to do that this semester and I am soooo not looking forward to it. The only one I've seen in the hospital setting was horrifying, the nurse went super slow, pt started throwing up blood as a result and was immediately shipped back up to ICU. I felt so bad for him. Yeah I have heard horror stories haha. Nose bleeds, vomit, massive resistance, etc. Good luck!
|
|
#
¿
Feb 7, 2010 02:20
|
|
|
Hughmoris posted:In that spirit, for the former and current students, what was your first big "HOLY poo poo! No way that dude is going to live!" moment? Personally, I've never had any...traumatic or emergency moments in which I think that, but I have taken care of a few patients who I knew were going to die. (Still a student so death is all still pretty new to me). The saddest ones I have taken care of were the ones who seemed pretty ok one week, then I'm back the next week and just happen to see them again (passing out trays, helping out a CNA) and my former patient is completely far gone and out of it. Just...went downhill and I knew they probably weren't going to make it.
|
|
#
¿
Feb 7, 2010 03:21
|
|
|
Space Harrier posted:It seems like a Bachelor's degree is rapidly becoming the new standard for new nurses. I know two people who have graduated with Associates degrees in the past year, and neither one of them has been able to find a job. I don't feel like this is necessarily fair, as the students I studied with at community college seemed just as dedicated as the students at the University I'm attending, but it seems to be the new reality. I'll be graduating with a BSN next May and I've heard rumors that it's difficult for ANY new grad to find a job. Everyone wants experience, experience, experience. However, I think you are correct in that, in the long run, most places will want nurses with a BSN. Right now though, it seems like every new grad is having a tough time.
|
|
#
¿
Jul 22, 2010 15:42
|
|
|
I'm in my last year of school and still hoping to get my first IV stick one of these days. Learned how to do it last fall but never got an opportunity. Ah well, next semester is Advanced Med/Surg, so hopefully I'll get it then. I just want at least ONE before I graduate. IV and urinary Cath. We'll see. Mostly I just wanna graduate. Ugh.
|
|
#
¿
Oct 2, 2010 05:38
|
|
|
Giant Wallet posted:Alright, so I tried to remember all of your advice (feel for straight squishy vein, don't dig, death grip) and it went...ok. My partner had terrible veins in her forearm, but I tried her hand and it went well. And then I tried her forearm and it went downhill. Ahh so jealous you guys get to do them on each other! Unfortunately, we are not allowed to and instead just practiced on fake arms when we were taught how to do them. It's totally lame and our Student Nurses Association is working on changing the policy for future students. It's completely terrifying to walk into a hospital with the prospect of starting an IV on a real patient with no real experience at all and if they ask if you've done it before you essentially have to lie and say "yes". On another note, I did finally get my first IV the other day...on my instructor. My patient refused to let me start it simply because I was the student so I think my instructor felt so bad that she let me do it on her. She had wonderfully big straight veins in her arm so I was able to get it easy the first try. Said she didn't even feel it  (Yay lidocaine!). Just getting that first one done is a huge sense of accomplishment and relief.
|
|
#
¿
Oct 7, 2010 22:43
|
|
|
Don't watch House. Their opinion on nurses is that they essentially don't exist. Seriously, I think I have seen about 5 scenes with a nurse in all 6 seasons... Or maybe that's the point haha. Good show though otherwise.
|
|
#
¿
Nov 7, 2010 04:33
|
|
|
I think it's pretty common in nursing schools to have education regarding alternative or complementary methods. At my school it seems like almost every semester we have a guest speaker who comes in and talks about various complementary therapies such as aromatherapy, acupuncture, massage therapy, or pretty much anything else you can imagine. They do this because many schools of nursing teach from a "holistic" point of view which is different than the allopathic or medical model. The holistic approach incorporates absolutely everything about the patient including their religion, culture, beliefs, spirituality, etc. Teaching you about these alternative methods increases your knowledge regarding everything you may encounter as a nurse. Treating the entire person, not just their illness, is the theory that many nursing schools incorporate into their curriculum.
|
|
#
¿
Jan 19, 2011 02:45
|
|
|
Baby_Hippo posted:L&D preceptorships are pointless because you're not going to be hired straight into L&D (could be wrong) I know this was from a while ago but I just wanted to say...I did an L&D preceptorship this spring. While I knew it was essentially useless in getting me a job once I graduated I have to say it was the most fun clinical experience I ever had. I enjoyed every second of it and still hope to get into L&D one day. I would do it again in an instant. I too am part of the ranks of the unemployed new grads. Graduated in May, passed the NCLEX in late June, and I have had a grand total of ONE interview. Luckily, I have yet to hear back about whether or not I've gotten the job (please GOD let it be so) so there is still hope! If I don't...I have no other real prospects. It seems like the only way to get a job at one of the hospitals in town is to have some sort of connection which I unfortunately do not have. Not sure what I'll do...I really never thought it would be this hard to find a job as a new grad. Ugh.
|
|
#
¿
Sep 10, 2011 01:22
|
|
|
Bum the Sad posted:They should hire new grads into OH poo poo areas. Just get them a long preceptorship when they're licensed. For one it teaches them THIS IS HOW YOU DO IT HERE, and they don't come on with a bunch of stupid floor nurse baggage and preconceived notions of being safe. When we got four nurses hand squeezing in blood as fast as you can while cranking the levophed up to 30mcg/min, while we're giving repeat doses of novo-7. You don't need some being like "Oh transfusion reactions, and shouldn't you give those over an hour with lasix inbetween" and "isn't the dose higher than max shouldn't you titrate up slower" No gently caress that baggage, get them young and smart and mold them into a SICU machine. I wish more departments thought like this! I want nothing more than to work at the Birth Center where I did my preceptorship...but it's hard enough getting a job on an acute floor let alone a specialty floor. I thought perhaps I could get lucky but nope...they only wanna hire nurses with experience. I just want to march in and say "teach me! Mold me to your ways! Who cares if I don't have a ton of experience, I will get it HERE and here I will stay!" Alas, I don't think the hospitals have enough time and money to train many new grads into specialty areas. It's really frustrating and disheartening. I can't really think about L&D at this point though...I need to focus on getting ANY sort of job so that maybe one day 5 years from now I can apply to the Birth Center.
|
|
#
¿
Sep 10, 2011 22:49
|
|
|
leb388 posted:Where are you applying? Don't count on just hospitals. Have you called up pediatric clinics to ask if they need a nurse? I've taken care of babies (just as a babysitter though) and it seems like every two months they have to go to the doctor's office for shots or just a well-baby check-up. You'll miss out on the "labor" component but it would get you some experience as a new grad. Good luck on your job search, it's rough out there. I've mostly been focusing on the hospitals right now because that's where I actually want to work. If this job that I've interviewed for doesn't work out, I will start looking elsewhere. But I've sort of been resisting because I don't want to work in a clinic...I want to work in a hospital! But I have come to the realization that beggars can't be choosers. I'm at the point now where I want a job, any job, anywhere. I just want to work.
|
|
#
¿
Sep 12, 2011 15:57
|
|
|
Pretty sure it's just a new grad thing.
|
|
#
¿
Sep 13, 2011 17:21
|
|
|
Whew. Got accepted into an apparently competitive Perioperative Program at one of the local hospitals so I am officially employed! In a field I'm actually really truly interested in! The best part is they don't even care that I'm pregnant and have to take some time off in the middle of my training. Can't ask for much more than that!
|
|
#
¿
Oct 3, 2011 22:25
|
|
|
Hellacopter posted:Congratulations! The program is aimed at teaching us to be circulating nurses but we do have two weeks of scrub time. It really is more than I ever thought I could get. OR was my first love in nursing school but since I never thought I would be able to get into it I gravitated more towards Labor and Delivery which I also love. It just so happens that this program became available and I applied. Best of luck on finishing school and landing a job! Hopefully the job market has improved somewhat by the time you graduate.
|
|
#
¿
Oct 6, 2011 15:40
|
|
Are they going to train you to scrub and circulate? I love OR and how technical it is, plus you get to see sharp objects and body parts and poo poo. That and ICU are at the top of my dream list when I graduate and join the thousands of unemployable new grads in CA. I'd pack my crap up and move to Butthole, OK if it meant I had a job in either of those areas. 
|
I don't think giving the advice that the NCLEX is easy is really the best advice to give...I passed in June. I studied for 5-6 hours every day for three weeks leading up to it. I passed with 75 questions but it was undoubtedly the most difficult test I have ever taken in my life. The fact that I believed I had failed, the fact that YOU (Oxford Comma) believed you failed, and the fact that literally every single person I know who has taken it believed they failed is a telling sign. It is hard. There are a number of individuals whom I graduated with who have failed it. I really don't think it is a test that can be taken lightly. Study, study, study. Though Oxford Comma, I did see that you passed the LVN NCLEX. I really have no idea if it's much different than the NCLEX RN. I can't imagine that it is and by the description of the types of questions you got, they sound pretty similar. Either way, I feel when giving advice about the NCLEX, it's best not to downplay its difficulty. Anyways, I did take the Hurst class. As for if it helped...hard to say. I don't feel like the NCLEX really tested over much of the info we went over in the Hurst class. But the way Hurst makes you study, and how they encourage you to know the stuff they teach like the back of your hand really helps you to focus on what you're doing on the test. I think the most valuable thing they teach is teaching you a different way to think. The content they give you is nice and all...but mostly it's about practice and getting used to the different types of questions. Really, I feel the best thing you can do is lots and lots of practice questions. I did about 1,800 and I really do think that that, personally, is what helped me the most. Overall, I would say that it's worth it. But then again, I passed. Who knows how I'd feel if I hadn't passed.
|
|
#
¿
Oct 13, 2011 05:08
|
|
|
Dr. Capco posted:Anybody have any other recommendations for NCLEX books or question banks I can use? I have the Kaplan and the Lacharity Prioritization book, but I don't test for another 3 weeks and I'd like to have a couple more sets of questions to practice with before I test. The book I primarily studied from was the Pearson book. It's by the same people who create the NCLEX so I figured the questions must be pretty similar.
|
|
#
¿
Jan 22, 2012 20:28
|
|
|
loopsheloop posted:Pretty sure I just failed the NCLEX, my advice, as obvious as it may seem, would be to test as soon as you are possibly able. No matter what. Not to say that you absolutely didn't fail it but...everyone thinks they failed it. I passed with flying colors but I left the test absolutely convinced that I failed. Good luck!!!
|
|
#
¿
Mar 15, 2012 16:48
|
|
|
Hughmoris posted:Do we have any OR nurses hanging around here? Meee! I've been circulating at an outpatient surgical center for about 6 months.
|
|
#
¿
Jul 12, 2012 12:00
|
|
|
Hughmoris posted:Do you have an email or AIM I can contact you on and chat about it? I don't want to clutter this thread up with it. I don't think anyone would mind discussing OR nursing here in the thread. It might pique the interest in someone else and motivate them to go into the OR! Besides I don't have any IM programs or PMs for the website and I don't feel comfortable posting my email here in public.
|
|
#
¿
Jul 13, 2012 22:16
|
|
|
I was hired into a Perioperative 101 class last November. It was 6 weeks of classroom work with some basic clinical stuff then about 4 months of orientation. I think a Perioperative program is your best bet but if I'm not mistaken, you generally need to get into it as a new job. I don't really think you can just take it then interview for an OR position afterwards. The OR is a very unique area of nursing. If you really like patient interaction it's not really the place for you. You get about 5 minutes with the patient then it's off to sleep for them. Circulating can either be ridiculously easy in which you just fill out the documentation and sit around talking for the rest of the case or it can be very challenging, requiring lots of multitasking and priority setting. You have to be aware of at least three other people's needs (surgeon, scrub, and anesthesiologist) and it takes a while to filter out the random unimportant babbling to be able to pick up on the important stuff. One of the most important jobs is assisting the anesthesiologist. I work in a surgery center and though the cases maybe aren't as glamorous as the ones done in a hospital, the anesthesia is the same. Things can go wrong just as easily. It's the nurse's job to stick by the anesthesiologist and assist with giving meds or doing pretty much anything else (s)he asks. As far as skills, there really aren't many. IVs are only really done on kiddos, the rest of the time they're going to already be in place. Foleys or straight caths are common but that's about it. You don't really give any meds. You mostly give the meds to the scrub and the scrub gives them to the surgeon. It's still super important to do the 5 Rights though...giving a local med with epinephrine when doing a hand case could be disastrous. That's a pretty basic overview of circulating. I don't scrub, so I can't really speak to that aspect. I like being able to move around. If anyone has any specific questions I'll do my best to answer them. As I mentioned before, I'm still pretty new, only been doing it since January but I think I have a pretty good grasp on the whole OR thing.
|
|
#
¿
Jul 19, 2012 04:49
|
|
|
Hughmoris posted:Did you work the floor before getting into that class or was that your first gig out of nursing school? The latter. I have blessedly managed to avoid the floor as a new grad.
|
|
#
¿
Jul 19, 2012 12:59
|
|
|
|
| # ¿ May 1, 2024 23:31 |
|
|
Lava Lamp posted:How long on average do the surgeries last? Do you spend the majority of the time assisting in surgery? Where I work I would say the average length of surgery is about an hour, though the surgeries at the surgery center vary between 5 minutes and 3.5 hours. I'm not scrubbed in helping the surgeon. That's what the scrub tech/nurse does. I'm the circulating nurse. Some of the things I do includes: document everything that goes on, monitor the OR environment, make sure those scrubbed in maintain sterility, keep surgeon/scrub stocked with supplies, and assist anesthesia. The scrub tech/nurse is the one who hands off the instruments to the surgeon. They don't really assist though. That is to say, they don't help with any of the actual surgery like cutting, dissecting, suturing, etc. Though scrub nurses can become certified to assist and then they are called RNFAs (Registered Nurse First Assist). I personally am not a huge fan of scrubbing. It's neat in that you get a much better view of the surgery but anything over an hour and I get antsy. I need to move. Sit, cross my arms, walk around, stretch. Scratch my friggen nose.
|
|
#
¿
Jul 20, 2012 04:12
|
|