Arrghh!!

Hey, don't get discouraged it will all start to make sense to you...I'll help for the acronyms first...CNP=Certified Nurse Practitioner (Master's Degree), CRNA=Certified Registered Nurse Anethesist (Master's with Anesthesia), PRT not quite sure about that one, could be Respiratory Therapist, or Physical Therapist...not quite sure...I started my nursing career in Bama, and worked in Huntsville, Alabama for 5 years...The majority of hospitals don't make any more pay for BSN because their job duties are the same as an ADN (I am an ADN, pursuing my BSN on-line), the only way you will usually get more $ for BSN is if you take a charge nurse or nurse manager position...I think some hospitals in Birmingham make an additional $1 or $0.50 for BSN per hour...shift differential just means depending on what shift you take (typically 7a-7p or 7p-7a, or some facilities have weekend shifts) generally you get more $ (aka a shift diff) if you work night shift 7p-7a...as far as how can you know where you want to work, a lot of people I know figured that out in nursing school during clinicals...I worked as a nurse's aide in the Recovery Room, didn't care for that, so then I worked in a Cardiac ICU and that's what I found I loved...The right place to work just depends on what you are passionate about, I am a cardiac ICU nurse because the heart fascinates me, and I love figuring out what the heart is doing and managing all the intensity of the drugs used with cardiac care, I also love the intensity of the ICU...if you are an adrenaline junky how can think fast on there feet you might like the ER, if you like seening people get cut into you might like the OR, If you like babies you might want the nursery or neonatal ICU, or labor and delivery alot of this stuff like I said you'll figure out during school as you learn all the different systems and do clinicals...I'm not sure how every facility works but most facilities you work 36 hours and only get paid for 36 hours, it's considered full-time (which is maybe why you figured that we got paid for 40 hours) with full-time benefits, I am a traveling nurse now and most hospitals are the same in that manner you work 3 12-hour shifts and only get paid for the 36 hours but are still considered full-time...you don't get paid for 40 hours....hope I answered some of your questions....just take a deep breath, it will all start to come together after you start your nursing program. GOOD LUCK

First off, congratulations on JSU. I got my BSN from JSU. You will love the faculty and the campus.

Next, dont worry about the acronyms or salaries or where you want to work yet. Once you begin clinicals, you will be exposed to different areas in the hospitals and you can get a feel for what each area is. Clinicals is where most people decide where they want to work. Some people go into nursing school knowing where they want to work, and once they do clinicals in those areas they change their mind.

Hang around on here as much as you can reading different posts. The pre-nursing and General Nursing Student forums are great and will help you tremendously. Just make sure you study well, cuz this site becomes addictive!!

Good luck!!!

Congrats on going to nursing school! I've been a nurse for over ten years and we moved very frequently and I've found that acronyms vary based on regional locations. This is our first time living in the Northeast and I had no idea what human resources in both PA and MD were talking about. Out west, per-diem or prn means working on an as needed basis. Here that is flex staffing. Out west, flex-staffing was being scheduled for 36, but getting the first call-off if the census was low--still receiving benefits for 36 hours. Out here, call-off means the employee is calling off and here they refer to the hospital "calling-off" the employee as "shift downsizing." I guess what I'm trying to say is that it will always be a mystery. As far as positions that allow one to work x hours and get paid for y hours, I saw that frequently in El Paso, TX. One could work 24 hours on the weekend and get paid for 36 or work 32 on the weekend and get paid for 40. We've also lived in PA, AZ, AL, GA, NC, TX and KS and I haven't seen advertising for those positions in other areas. The other posters did a great job of explaining the common terminologies! Good luck and just know that much of it will vary based on the hospital.

Thanks, everyone. I'm getting it! Your postings really helped & I greatly appreciate all the encouragement. (I would have replied earlier but my computer has been busy refusing to do what I ask it to do).

I think I confused you--I've not been accepted to JSU yet. The nursing director is telling me that he wouldn't worry at all & he would "put all his chips on" me getting into JSU. They don't send out letters to the middle of July--my fingers are crossed & we're all praying!!!

Thanks again!!!