got an A in Theory!

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A lot of you know how worried I was about even trying this after everything I have been through. I only took one course to play it safe. I just got my grade-A in Theory. I loved the course, I love the school, and I can't wait to start again in the fall. I was supposed to take grad. stats in the summer and research in the fall, but my husband doesnt want me to go to summer schoool. I work very hard, and it is so time consuming. Do you think I should take Stats and research together in the fall or just take Stats alone in the fall and then research in the spring? I don't really think I can handle two courses. I work too slowly. I know-I took 5 courses at a time in undergraduate school. But I am older now, and I want to get all A's which I didn't then-no not even close. I am an older student, I need to write down everything I read (That is not because of my age, it is a LD that I always had but didn't always want to bother coimpensating for it), and I enjoy working slowly and do well that way. But I don't want to be a MHPNP at 90.

I was also thinking of eventually taking a semester off to take another refresher course and then maybe have a part time job, for experience, while in school. I have no hospital experience except two years as a school nurse teacher in 1972 and then 25 years as a teacher.(elementary school)

At least now I know I can do it. Do they look at grades when hiring? How many A courses would be good to have before getting hired on a psych floor as a staff RN while I am going for my MS in Psych Nursing? Or would they be more interested in another refresher course to pick up on med-surg skills?

Any advice would be gladly accepted. If it wasn't for my friends on this site, I never would have been going back to school.

Krisssy YAY I did it!

NaomieRN

1,853 Posts

Congratulations

Editorial Team / Admin

sirI, MSN, APRN, NP

17 Articles; 44,729 Posts

Specializes in Education, FP, LNC, Forensics, ED, OB.

first of all, krisssy....congratulations on the 'a'

;)

i am rather familiar with you and you have consistently talked about the need to take only one class. unless something has changed in your life, i think (and, this is just my opinion), you should take only one course at a time. less stress and since you are striving for all a's, you can give it your fullest attention.

as for employers looking at grades? no, they do not. yes, i think a refresher course to hone your clinical skills is a wonderful idea.

good luck in your program. proud of you, krisssy.:balloons:

Specializes in ICU, ER, HH, NICU, now FNP.

My motto is "B's get degrees". With everything on my plate something had to give and it was the A's and I was fine with that. If you really want all A's and don't want to stress, then one class at a time would be my recommendation too. That way you can enjoy the class AND get an A since that is important to you.

krisssy

585 Posts

Thank you for your happiness and encouragement for me. In thinking about it, it is not really the A's that are so impoertant. It is enjoying what I am doing. Two courses would stress me out, and that is not what I want. My husband is needy, and together we have 7 children and one grandchild. This may sound crazy, but I enjoy being a perfectionist. I love reading and writing and creating slowly and methodically. When I don't know what to do first, I don't want to do anything. That is why I did poorly in undergraduate school. Also, there were the boys always in the way of concentrating then. lol-and my immaturity and ignorance re compensating for my disabilityl I was only 17 at the beginning. ONe's study skills definitely improve with age, because you get to know yourself and how you learn best. Personally, I have to write everything down. I am just wondering, what would be a good job for someone with my working personality. I suppose a one patient at a time job! But home nursing is not my cup of tea.

Just an interesting point, when I was a teacher, I was able to get a terrific high paying job in a very highly rated school district. So, they told me that I got the job after the interview, the demo lesson and the references from the other school I had taught at but was excessed from due to an overload of staff. The next morning, I get a call from the supt. telling me that the board voted me down, because I got a D in organic chemistry. It was for a first grade job, and I had fabulous references from prior principals. So I guess sometimes, grades count. But Organic Chem for a first grade class-crazy! lol

Krisssy

spaniel

180 Posts

Congratulations to you. It's terrifc that you like your school. .. and that you are having fun. I also enjoyed theory very much. My prof was absolutely brilliant. May I ask you- do you get to know more about the school's ability to help with finding practicums?

krisssy

585 Posts

Congratulations to you. It's terrifc that you like your school. .. and that you are having fun. I also enjoyed theory very much. My prof was absolutely brilliant. May I ask you- do you get to know more about the school's ability to help with finding practicums?

Hi Spaniel,

My theory teacher was brilliant also. There is so much out there that I wasn't aware of. The only problem with the school is their ability to find me clinicals. They do have contracts with certain schools but none are in my area. They also keep a file of schools that have given a student of theirs a practical experience, and that usually works out for the next student living in that area. So if it is time for practicals, and they still don't have anything, I will try to find something on my own. I have come up with calling or writing HR Dept.s at hospitals, clinics, physicians' offices etc. I know I am taking a chance. If worse comes to worse, I will have to look into transfering my credits to a school that has contracts for practicals in my area. In their state, they have plentry of contracts. That is the problem with online schools. But they have provided everything else I need for now like fabulous library and tect support. Their library support can be reached just by IM ing them on AOL even if you have a different server. Everybody is so nice, that real midwestern attitude that I just love. Like if it takes them an hour to find what need, they don't care. They just do it. How are you doing in your school? I think you decided to go to a land school. Correct? Take care. Krisssy

spaniel

180 Posts

Hi- thanks for your reply. As much as I truly enjoyed the brick and mortar school, I just don't have time to work full time and go to all the classes in person! However, it still would be a half decent deal in that they would have waived a whole bunch of credits for me. But at the ripe of age of 53, it is just too much. Plus I sing in three groups and didn't want to give that up in that this keeps me half sane.I might go back there and take a few courses.. but... we'll see.

I wonder if Univ of Missouri would consider forming a contract with the VA, system in that this is federal. Plenty of psych work there-that's for sure.Hmm I'm trying to think of other federal "systems" for practicums other than Indian Health Service.

But back to your topic-I think a lot of the nurse theorists are extremely creative. I DO think that the lack of recognition is partially a product of society's devaluation of the nursing role as well as nursings devaluation of the "non-task" component.

And-interesting about what you said about the midwest courtesy. I had once called Univ of Wyoming and indeed they were terrific on the phone. So much unlike that one "state" school I told you about.

Congrats again.

allnurses Guide

JBudd, MSN

3,836 Posts

Specializes in Trauma, Teaching.

[mouse]yippee! Congrats![/mouse]

krisssy

585 Posts

Hi- thanks for your reply. As much as I truly enjoyed the brick and mortar school, I just don't have time to work full time and go to all the classes in person! However, it still would be a half decent deal in that they would have waived a whole bunch of credits for me. But at the ripe of age of 53, it is just too much. Plus I sing in three groups and didn't want to give that up in that this keeps me half sane.I might go back there and take a few courses.. but... we'll see.

I wonder if Univ of Missouri would consider forming a contract with the VA, system in that this is federal. Plenty of psych work there-that's for sure.Hmm I'm trying to think of other federal "systems" for practicums other than Indian Health Service.

But back to your topic-I think a lot of the nurse theorists are extremely creative. I DO think that the lack of recognition is partially a product of society's devaluation of the nursing role as well as nursings devaluation of the "non-task" component.

And-interesting about what you said about the midwest courtesy. I had once called Univ of Wyoming and indeed they were terrific on the phone. So much unlike that one "state" school I told you about.

Congrats again.

http://www.nursingadvocacy.org/media/books/atonement.html

I came across this and thought it would be apropos regarding society's devaluation of the nursing role. There are some very interesting things in this site including a description of this book called Atonement that I just started reading.

My advisor and I thought about the VA, and she thought it would be a good idea. But someone told me that it is a very hard place to work in, because of the nature of the patients(dangerous). What do you think?

What kind of nursing do you do? You may have already told me in a PM, and I forgot. I have to check.

Thanks for all your advice. I am so happy I went to Missouri, because of your advise re. the other school. lol

Krisssy

spaniel

180 Posts

Nope,I don't think the VA is a particularly dangerous area . Now, the ER-that's a whole other issue altogether. I've worked admissions psych wards in inner city (Bronx) and had not even found that particularly dangerous. I found a mixed adolescent/ adult ward to be a bit tricky . Any site, though, that does not have a good handle on illicit drugs is a major major problem.

OH- I looked at the description of the book "Atonement". The review noted the aspect of nursing as a potential vehicle for atonement, not reward. Heady heady stuff . Boy, if that's not fodder for a doctoral dissertaion I don't know what is!

Yes- I work privately as a geriatric psych consultant. I am getting quite dismayed though. What a day/night "today":- and things are getting tougher. Major cutbacks all over-coupled with May flu outbreaks.. not a good scene.

krisssy

585 Posts

Nope,I don't think the VA is a particularly dangerous area . Now, the ER-that's a whole other issue altogether. I've worked admissions psych wards in inner city (Bronx) and had not even found that particularly dangerous. I found a mixed adolescent/ adult ward to be a bit tricky . Any site, though, that does not have a good handle on illicit drugs is a major major problem.

OH- I looked at the description of the book "Atonement". The review noted the aspect of nursing as a potential vehicle for atonement, not reward. Heady heady stuff . Boy, if that's not fodder for a doctoral dissertaion I don't know what is!

Yes- I work privately as a geriatric psych consultant. I am getting quite dismayed though. What a day/night "today":- and things are getting tougher. Major cutbacks all over-coupled with May flu outbreaks.. not a good scene.

OK Spaniel, you haven't led me wrong in the past. When the time comes, I will look into the VA. My advisor said that it would be great to do all my practicals in the same facility.

I love nursing history. I may do a paper on it for my research class using that book as a beginning. It would also be interesting to research how nursing schools started out and how they ended up; noting the problems then and now. That is way too basic. There is so much that could go into something like that.It's not like we added the academics and critical thinking, and everything is fine. (In reading Atonement, the good nurses did think critically. They HAD to to save lives.) Since then, we added the academics, but we left our two and four year graduates with not enough clinical experience. I could go on and on. lol

So have you given up on getting your masters completely?

Krisssy

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