Latest Comments by sbostonRN

They do have a policy that you must obtain your BSN within 5 years of hire. But I was already enrolled in a BSN program, which probably did help me get hired. Soon after I got hired, they instituted a policy to not hire anymore ASN nurses. This has been heavily discussed on these boards and is hugely dependent on the area of the country. I live in Massachusetts and hospitals have been moving away from ASN nurses for the past decade. There are many more rural areas of the country that are more willing to hire ASN nurses, and also many care settings, such as home health, rehab, LTC, dialysis, etc. Acute care tends to be very focused on the BSN education.

Basically, you don't want to pigeon hole yourself into a degree that can not be transferrable anywhere. Look at state schools and work on your RN slowly. Many offer a lot of their programs online, though you'll still have clinicals in-person. My point is, you never know where life will take you and if you want a Masters or a Bachelors down the line, you'll have to start all over again. Also, there are many people who worked very hard at for-profit schools only to find that they aren't even accredited and their state won't issue them an RN license! Do your research and make sure it's a good school.

I would not go to a for profit school when there are so many BSN programs out now.

I got a hospital job with my ASN but I'm enrolled in a BSN program and I had 2.5 years experience.

We don't even stock the incontinence briefs at my hospital. If a patient wants them, they have to bring their own but we don't condone their usage. We'd rather have them go on the bed pad and then change it than walk around with half a days worth of urine in a diaper and get skin breakdown. I don't know what the research says but this is a magnet facility.

I unfortunately had to remove my tragus piercing for nursing school and it healed over by the time I graduated. It stinks, I know, but patients and families will look to you as a professional and it's an important image to maintain.

Honestly I think it's a totally normal reaction to seeing something like that for the first time. I get grossed out by certain things and need to leave or sit down. Know your limits and don't be embarrassed. Everyone has something that is a trigger.

You may never have to see another circumcision again unless you work in the nursery. I hope I never do!

I asked for a longer orientation at my job and my manager was happy to give me an extra week. It doesn't hurt to ask, but try to make the most of every minute you get. LTC is hard to get a good orientation with!

And yes, it's much much less stressful than nursing. You do have to do a good job but you aren't responsible for life and death decisions daily.

I was a med tech before becoming an RN. I switched because I was bored and felt unchallenged. It's a good, stable career path though. In my lab we made slides, ran different tests using a variety of machines and were exposed to different chemicals. The pathologist (MD) is the one doing the final diagnosis but the tech would write the preliminary result and then enter the results in the computer.

I'm not sure about med tech programs because I got this job with a biology degree. To have the most career options, it's best to get your degree in Medical Technology and get certified. There are lots of options, like clinical labs, microbiology, research, etc and pay is comparable to nursing.

We practice assessments on each other with loose clothing/tank tops. Everything remains covered. I agree with previous posters that you don't know what's abnormal until you know what's normal. It's actually fun to practice things like percussion and palpating pulses on a healthy person where everything is where it should be.

In my ADN program we practiced shots, foleys and bed baths on mannequins. We also had a sim man where we could practice different scenarios. I didn't learn IV insertion until my first job.

I usually like to keep a pair in my pocket for emergencies. Like if I run into a room and my fall risk patient is halfway to the bathroom and the glove box is across the room. But I don't use my "pocket gloves" for dressing changes or anything else. It's more for keeping me clean if something comes up.

We do self-scheduling at my current job, but like KelRN215 said, it's more like a "wish list". I am able to request off any days I have class or other plans and generally haven't had any issues getting those off (have only been working there for 6 months though). Our weekends are every other and we aren't able to request them off at all, unless we find someone to switch with. Generally our manager does her best to follow through on the self-schedule, but occasionally she does have to move people to ensure adequate staffing of the unit.

Usually we put in our requests about a month in advance and it's finalized a week to two weeks out.

BS in Biology with a minor in Psych and Chemistry.

I've only been called off once in 6 months and it was for a shift I had picked up. Usually nurses can call the staffing office and be asked to be placed on the "first off" list. So while nurses get cancelled a lot, it's usually the nurses who want to be cancelled.

I would give it time. Your boss knows you want FT status so it's just a matter of time. Is there a lot of turnover on your current floor? What is considered benefits eligible? You may only need to have 64 biweekly hours to be eligible.

It sounds like you've built a good relationship with the current job and I think you would lose that by leaving so soon. And that commute sounds horrendous. I know different areas of the country vary widely, but I had a 1/2 hour commute and had to leave because I felt like I was always on the road.

As I said in my previous post, I just started back to school for my BSN (2.5 years as an RN). In one of my classes we're learning about barriers that nurses have in obtaining their BSN and one often cited is trauma from their ASN program! That surprised me because it's a feeling I had but was never able to articulate. I always blamed it on finances or time.

I will tell you that most BSN programs are vastly different than ASN programs. They are less competitive between students. I am in a classroom-online hybrid program and I go to class 1-2 times a week (in the evenings) and do a lot of work online. It works well but I wish I chose a totally online schedule since i work evening shift so I'm never home with my hubby. I don't feel as stressed as I did with my ASN program though. You can also start slowly and work on pre-reqs online one at a time, that way you can tell employers that you're working towards your BSN and that could help you get a job. (I did this as well, and I believe this is one of the reasons I got a job at a high-ranking Magnet hospital without my BSN).