My School is Gone!

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I was supposed to start the semester yesterday. I was supposed to graduate in May with my FNP. My school is in New Orleans. I have no school to go back to. I know most schools will only accept 12 hr graduate transfer hours. I have only 10hrs left to graduate from the program I was in.

I wonder what will happen now?

Sorry if my dry sarcasm offended anyway. Of course I would not like to see dead bodies floating in the street. And yes, I am luck and have a good job as a RN.

Yes, I am 135 miles away, but our city has opened up a rescue center and are housing thousands of displaced people without homes.

It is bad. I just got back from spending 10hrs there. I will take a nap and go back tonight. The people just keep pouring in. Hysterical, crying, devastated. The red cross is there, but let me tell you, they aren't doing much for the moment. I am hoping they are just trying to get things organized, but for now, it is total chaos. Many local people are driving to the shelter to drop off blankets and pillows, the red cross is turning them away. Telling them to drop it off at the salvation armry. I had so many people ask me for pillows and blankets, knowing we had a stash, I would come back later and give them to it. We have a warehouse of donations, but guess what? The doors are locked, and we can't get anything out of it, they said "It is property of the red cross."

I wrote tons of prescriptions today, but they had no money to fill them. We are telling them to go to a local drugstore to get it filled. The ones that do have money, aren't well enough to walk to the drug store. The ones that don't have money, we are telling them that FEMA will be here soon to give them vouchers. At first I heard that would be some time after noon, now I am hearing it will be 3 weeks.

They do have food. But many people are too sick to walk to the food line. I brought as many people food as I could. The communication between the Red Cross and the volunteers is horrible. We have local people who want to help, but we can't get the supplies to them.

I tried to help one woman with history of diabetes, she was almost unconscious. We could not find a glucometer to check her sugar.I asked one of the red cross workers if we had any glucomenters or IV supplies, she told me we were strickly a band-aid first station. Her husband was pleading with me to do something.

Another man was having grand mal seizures, he hadn't taken his seizure meds in 4 days. He quit breathing. So did I. Thankfully, he started breathing again and we were able to transfer him to a local hospital. A few hours later I saw him back at our shelter, they had given him some IV meds for his seizures and sent him back to us. I guess the same thing will happen tomorrow once the seizure meds get out of his system.

I have hundreds of other stories, but will spare you. What I have told you are some of the better stories. I won't even tell you about the psychiatric pts who have been off their meds for days.

Our city is not prepared for the influx of all of these people. The word is that the city I live in will be out of gas by Friday. Fast food restaurants are already running out of bread. We do not have enough security or cops to manage this huge influx.

I did here from one of my missing friends. I text messaged her and she got word to me today through a third party that she is OK. She is still stuck in her house in Covington and they are trying to get out. She has no electricity and has no idea how bad it is out there. Still no word from others. Our local phone system is being jam, it is hit or miss to make or recieve calls.

I am overwhelmed (am I allowed that, since I still have a home?)

Thanks for all the prayers. I am also praying.

P.S. If you know people from New Orleans and are looking for them, please PM me their names and I will look to see if they are at our shelter. It will be a long time before lists are posted of all the peoples at various shelters.

decided that perhaps, I was a bit harsh, but i was taken aback by some of the posts. Everyone is going to have a hard time dealing with this, and we should all try to be supportive and helpful to all.

I was supposed to start the semester yesterday. I was supposed to graduate in May with my FNP. My school is in New Orleans. I have no school to go back to. I know most schools will only accept 12 hr graduate transfer hours. I have only 10hrs left to graduate from the program I was in.

I wonder what will happen now?

You are not selfish, as hard as you have worked, and any nurse should understand, your concern about what will happen now is warranted and probably just one of the many things you are worried about right now. I can't begin to imagine your dismay and obviously you are a survivor (a true nurse) because that is what a nurse does seek resolution to problems and probable outcomes. Good luck, may God bless and please let us know when you find out the information you seek.

Glasgow- Male Nurse and others very affected--Though I have watched the TV station coverage, nothing comes close to hearing first hand reports. I do so wish that all stations would cover this more. Yes, I guess life does go on-but I believe this is of such major proportion that regular programming should be suspended to ennable a larger consciousness, if you get where I'm coming from. I also hope that other nations come to our aid and quickly.

Glascow- don't think twice about it. Surely we read it as nothing other than sarcasm, not to worry. Thats the trouble with the "net"-can't always read the emotion. I have no doubt that provisions will be made for you to finish your school. God knows your higher expertise will be needed.

What can we do as fellow nurses to help? Please let us know.

Specializes in NICU.

(((((hugs))))) for you. I'm so sorry for all you're going through. Of course there are people that are worse off after all that's happened over there, but that doesn't mean that what you're going through isn't making you sad and it doesn't mean that you have to just "buck up" and move forward. It's ok to talk about it and feel sad. Know that we're here (well some of us anyway) to listen to your feelings and what all you're going through right now.

To all of you that are down there being affected by this, have family down there, etc .... you're all in my prayers. :icon_hug:for each of you.

Specializes in Nephrology, Cardiology, ER, ICU.

This is such an emotionally charged issue (as it should be). I'm going to give this a cooling off period. Sometimes we need some time to regroup.

Specializes in Nephrology, Cardiology, ER, ICU.

Will reopen this.

Will reopen this.

Thanks much.

There were some misunderstandings and ruffled feathers earlier in the thread, but they were all resolved and posters who had been somewhat at odds backed off and even offered each other support.

I hope we all continue to be united in our caring and support of each other and of the victims of this unimaginable series of events.

Glasgow, you are probably too busy to give us an update, but I've been thinking about you and praying for everyone down there. Take care.

Miranda

Hi, thank you for all of the prayers and offers of support to our state. It is truely, truely amazing.

I just found out that Loyola University New Orleans (where I attended) will definitely be closed all semester (not surprised by this info. but it is finally official).

The other jesuit universities around the U.S. are offering to let us take online classes that will be transferred back to LOYNO if and when we are able to return Jan 2006.

Is there anyone who has info. on these schools and if they have a FNP program? I know there is info on the web, but I am very bogged down as I have become the "nonofficial" communication center for the members of my class. I am very fortunate to have internet access and am able to sometimes recieve phone calls and make outcoming calls.

We still have 6 members of our class unaccounted for. I heard from one classmate (my partner I worked with on research project) today THANK YOU GOD, I had been so worried about him, I knew he had stayed for the storm. He finally got a generator running today and contacted me. I still have another classmate in Covington who has been in her home living with a generator and 10 family members. The only contact they have is an AM radio that catches one station. She has been able to contact me twice, I am relaying info. to her family and friends to let them know she and her family are alive.

One classmate was last heard from working at Charity the night of the storm. If you have watched the news, the conditions are very upsetting about Charity.

School is last on my priority list of things to do right now, but when they call me that is all they are concerned about, they really don't know just how bad it is. I don't have the heart to tell them it is the least of their problems at this time. But any comforting info that I could pass onto them as they are "holed up" in their homes would help them.

I realize you'll also are starting the semester and bogged down and have lots to do, but if anyone has time to look the info up for me and post it here it would be greatly appreciated.

I hope you are all doing well in your classes, I know how stressful the beginning of the semester is! It is overwhelming, and you wonder how you will get everything accomplished that is expected in one semester. My prayers are with you while you try to juggle family, work and school.

Thank You

Specializes in ICU/CCU/MICU/SICU/CTICU.

Im glad you are finding your classmates. I pray that the others are found safe. As far as an online FNP program........ UAB in Brimingham has one. Completely online, clinicals where you live. You could try them, also University of South Alabama has one as well.........of course they are in Mobile, which you know got hit as well.

UAB website: http://www.uab.edu

USA: http://www.southalabama.edu

Hope this helps.

Youre in my prayers

Hey Glasscow,

I am so sorry you are going through such a rough time. It is awful. I am sure after being in school for several years you are anxious to finish and move on. Try St. Louis University nursing.slu.edu or the association of Jesuit Colleges http://www.ajcunet.edu for more info. I know SLU has an online FNP program. I hope it all works out for you. Take Care.

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