Nurse Apprentices

[Forevermomof5]

I was just wondering how many nursing students have taken the opportunity to work as a nurse apprentice. In Nevada you can start working after you have completed your first semester. Is it the same everywhere else?

I worked on a med-surg floor since December and now I just got a new job working on the pediatric emergency room. Saturday was my first day and I absolutely loved it. I loved the pace and the excitement. By the end of the shift, I was doing my own I.V.s and caths without supervision and I even did an I.V. on an 18 month old (with pudgy hands to boot!).

I am so grateful I have this experience because from what I've felt and what I've been told, this will make me a better nurse in the long run and appreciate those hard working CNAs and Nurse Apprentices when they work under me someday. Also, having these jobs on my resume won't hurt either!

Let me know if you had good experiences with being a NAP or not!

Karen:chuckle

[EricTAMUCC-BSN, BSN, RN]

Hey, congratulations on your new employment opportunity. We have similiar positions called Nurse techs, which is the equivalent of what you describe. We are allowed to start at these positions following our third year of college (first year of nursing school). I am employed on a med-surg. floor at the moment but hope to be in the ICU soon. Best of luck to you! May we grow wiser and better health care professionals together. You were talking about not forgetting CNA's and hard working techs, that reminds me of what a CRNA once told me while working in the OR: The monkeys hanging from the tops of the trees see the sky, while the monkeys hanging from the bottom of the tree just see asses.

[Forevermomof5]

I love that quote! I am going to use that from now on - it's so true!!

Thanks,

Karen

[EricTAMUCC-BSN, BSN, RN]

Glad you liked it

[nadia562002]

We have nurse techs in WA and nurse apprentices in ID. I had an OK job through school as a home health aid so I did not bother with the nurse tech jobs available to me. I preferred continuity rather then quiting after 6 months with the home health agency. I really appreciate what aids do but its time to move on into better things and better pay.

[iliel]

Forevermomof5

is this program with any hospital? Is it for ADN,BSN or both? Sounds like such a good deal!