Anything I can do now to prepare?

SmilingBluEyes · May 22, 2007

Oh trust me, MANY will be just that: Weeded out. What is sad is people who truly don't give a rip or may be grossly incompetent might be taking slots from others who really want to become nurses, whatever their motivations are.

One other thing: there is nothing at all wrong with wanting to make good money, as a nurse or anything else. Many become nurses for lots of reasons, calling or not---nobody's reason is that much more legitimate than the next one's really.

msdobson · May 23, 2007

Oh trust me, MANY will be just that: Weeded out. What is sad is people who truly don't give a rip or may be grossly incompetent might be taking slots from others who really want to become nurses, whatever their motivations are.

My point exactly. That is precisely how I felt listening to all that chatter before the orientation.

One other thing: there is nothing at all wrong with wanting to make good money, as a nurse or anything else. Many become nurses for lots of reasons, calling or not---nobody's reason is that much more legitimate than the next one's really.

Agreed. That is, after all, WHY we go to work! My point is that a great many of these students were there, as you say "taking slots from others who really want to become nurses", will bildge out of the program at the first sign of blood, emesis, fecal matter or a combination of the three! lol!

I guess I still believe that, as important a choice as a profession, one should do the required research BEFORE jumping in with both feet!

msdobson · May 23, 2007

...so i'm just looking for things i can do in the meantime (besides working on my prereqs) to work on my goal of becoming an l&d rn.

1. subscribe to some of the nursing journals and/or magazines. nursing2006, ajn (american journal of nursing) and lpn2006 are but a few that i read on a regular basis. this can help expand your knowledge in areas such as political, social and clinical. nearly all of these articles are written by nurses who've years (even decades) of experience to share.

2. read the "latest nursing news", which can be found on the allnurses.com main page. this will keep you "in the groove" on issues ranging from new clinical findings and applications to political matters affecting nurses in america and across the world.

3. start building your library of "research" material. pick up old texts on odd subjects that interest you (and even those that don't, but hold information you haven't yet aquired!) you can pick up these books for as little as $2 at yard sales, hospital sales, college bookstore sales and library sales. (thanks for that tip, daytonite!)

4. keep up-to-date with topics of interest in your home states forum here on allnurses.com!

good luck!

blissfulee · May 23, 2007

A (sad) side note.
a) they heard there was "really good money" to be made,
b) they didn't get into the program they "wanted" (and doesn't THAT speak volumes!) or
c) they really weren't sure WHAT major they wanted to pursue, but nursing SOUNDED good.
I think if there was some magical device available that could weed out those listed above from those who were passionate about the profession, EVERY ONE OF US would find a slot!

You're absolutely right when you say these people (described above) are taking up slots that serious applicants could have been chosen for. {Edited to note that at my community college, the nursing program drop out rate is 30%...pretty high in my opinion.} But like SmilingBluEyes (sorry...I'm sure I'll find out your first name soon :) ) said most WILL be weeded out! My husband's cousin was one of those people who only wanted to become a nurse for the money...she got into the nursing program and dropped out half way through it because it was too tough for her and she just wasn't dedicated and didn't want to give up her weekend to study. That's one of the reason why I think that schools should only choose applicants by GPA and not by lottery...

And thank you SOO much Mike for ideas of what I can do in the meantime to expand my knowledge! Great advice! :icon_hug:

blissfulee · May 23, 2007

hey there!! it might not be as hard as you think. i worked really hard for several years and just completed all of my prereques this past semester. last week i got my acceptance letter into the nursing program!!! i definitely wasn't expecting to get in. so just go ahead and apply and see what happens! it was a complete shock to me (i even have a few b's)! i am 21 and so incredibly excited about getting in! don't give up!! there is still hope!! :kiss

congratulations!! how wonderful!! you really are one of the lucky few! i hope i'll be as lucky as you...please send your lucky dust my way!

SmilingBluEyes · May 23, 2007

No one can fully prepare for what faces him or her as a nurse "in the world". The above suggestions are excellent ----each and every one----but no one knows how it is til he/she is actually nursing. A huge number drop out and quit after only a few years on their jobs. There are tons of nurses out there who choose to remain inactive, not just soley due to retirement. Many more are injured on the job, and even cast aside, having to fight for what little disability compensation they can get for their trouble,. knowing they will never again be physically able to perform bedside nursing.

Anyhow, having been at it 10 years, I know several of my classmates are no longer working as nurses. Two quit just because of dangerous patient assignments and unrealistic expectations of administration, and one was violently injured on the job in just her 2nd year after graduation, and is forever sidelined from what she loved doing. Depressed and unemployed, she has nothing to fall back on, not any more disability or some such. She also suffers PTSD that she can't shake.

Another quit to become a waitress as a high-end restaurant, citing better pay and treatment. I find these situations that I know just from my class, rather telling. And many, if not most who were accepted, were quite serious and had done the research before entering nursing. We graduated only a 1/3 of what we started with---the "strong" were the only survivors, believe me. Really and truly there is a lot of disillusionment being experienced by so many, sadly. Spending more and more time on paperwork, charting and computers and less at the bedside, while tackling impossible assignments is a reality as well.

Money IS a big part of the reason to consider nursing, no doubt about it.

Anyhow, the reality is, no amount of research can prepare any of us for what we can't know about til we have been doing it a while.

I know this sounds discouraging, and I don't mean to be, but if we are going to be "real" about this and do the research, this is the truth of the matter of nursing today.

As part of my research, I would interview some nurses in practice today, to get some perspective, in addition to the wonderful suggestions above. I, personally love the human aspect of my job: My patients. and their loved ones. The paperwork and other "stuff" for JCAHO and other agencies makes my work very hard to do, and some of it rather counterintuitive. But I do hang in there because I take great pride and joy in my work with people experiencing the most powerful moments of their lives. It's a priveledge, truly, for me to be part of it all. The hugs and thank-you's really make it worth it all, most of the time. That is what keeps me going back after this many years.

Good luck to all aspiring nurses.

blissfulee · May 23, 2007

You're absolutely right!! NOTHING can FULLY prepare me for what challenges and obstacles I will face if I become a nurse, except for personal experience! I know that being a nurse is hard work and stressful, which is why I'm sure the pay is high. But like any job, there are pros and cons. I make sure to talk to the OB nurses when I'm at the hospital with clients and they are pretty honest about their job...I've also have seen for myself just by watching them that it is a lot of work, it's tiring, and it's not as glamourous as one would think....but what I also see is their smiles and tears of joy after healthy babies are born...and there aren't many jobs out there which are that gratifying.

But I also do know not every birth ends on a happy note...I know I'll see less than ideal births, complicated births, sick babies and mothers, even stillborns, and I know my critical thinking skills will be tested often. I know I'll have to deal with bossy, aggressive, violent and/or irate parents and families and I know the list goes on and on. I also know there are things I will deal with that I don't even know about yet and won't know about until I do the job for myself...but I'm also hoping that by lurking here, I will read about some of those things and learn how you all dealt with them...

So, I am definetely aware that NOTHING will truly prepare me except for experience alone!

But on that note, this is something that I've wanted to do for SO long, and I know that if I quit now just because I hear that being a nurse is one of the toughest job, I'd regret that decision for the rest of my life.

All I'm really trying to do right now is get as familiar as I can with some of the medical terms, procedures and policies so that when I hit the floor, I'm not totally clueless! And I'm hoping to get a "glimpse" of what it's like to be an OB nurse! I feel that I've already learned some valuable information just by reading some threads on this site so I'm thankfully I found all of you!! :)

Thanks again for all of your advice and I will definetely take what I can from it!!