Confused about going to school??

PEBBLES1 · Mar 18, 2009

Don't let those C's discourage you. You know the old saying C = RN. I had c's also and I just took my boards 2 weeks ago and I passed with 75 questions. Some of the A students don't pass on their 1st try. Go back to school and do your best. Hang in their and do your best not to fail out.

As for hiring new grads, you have to be very aggressive with finding a job. If you work in a hospital, then go an talk to the managers. Just remember all nurses at 1 time or another was new grads and they got hired. Someone will give you a chance.

Good luck

SummerGarden, BSN, MSN, RN · Mar 19, 2009

you do not have to be a rn to work in a doctor's office... do you want to be a nurse? nurses care for patients.

in fact, skin care is very important to us... sure there are nurses who work in physician offices and do not put a patient on bed pans or clean him/her up, but i'll bet money you will not find many that never worked in a hospital or in long term care. all the more experienced nurses i know can put a bed pan on a 400 pound patient in 2 seconds flat!

they also are very good with assessments... it amazes me to watch them work... they built their skills working in direct patient care... it is hard for me to believe that you could become a rn and never work in direct patient care and have a long career at it unless you were married to the physician that owned the office where you worked.

again... do you really want to be a nurse? it is not a crime to do something else. other fields pay too such as business and it... you could run an office or set up the computer system and never clean up a patient.

Music in My Heart · Mar 19, 2009

Do physicians' offices really have nurses... I mean real, live RNs?

My family's got way more than our share of doctors and the only nurse I've ever seen in their clinics was an NP.

Lots of MAs... no nurses.

PEBBLES1 · Mar 19, 2009

Yes in fact some Doctor's offices do have RN's. They do case management, call in scripts and phone triage. Maybe you can do that.

cingle · Mar 21, 2009

Sounds like maybe you would be more interested in medical assisting rather than training to be an RN.

I've been an CMA for 15+ years. Although I've worked with a few RNs in medical offices, this is much more common in specialty offices were procedures are performed (gastroenterology, for instance, where endoscopic exams are done) than in primary care. Although an RNs skills would be great in family practice, that level of skill isn't really necessary and isn't cost-effective. Physician practices are really staffing at bare bones levels right now and medical assistants are much more affordable.

If you decide to look into MA programs, be sure to look at ones accredited by CAAHEP or you will not be eligible to sit for the CMA exam from the AAMA. In fact, the American Association of Medical Assistants Website may be a good place to start if you want more info.

CMAs can give injections (just not IV route), draw blood, perform EKGS and other in-office tests, call in scripts (at least in every state where I've worked), etc. Training also involves office-specific skills such as insurance and coding, some general practice management tasks, etc. Most schools offer an AS degree which would take 2 years, although some of your previous credits may be transferable.

If you really aren't sure whether or not you can cut it in nursing school, you might try setting up a meeting with the instructors/advisors from your previous program. Ask them for information about why you were advised to quit, what were your short-comings at that time, what advice would they have for you to overcome those short-comings, etc. My experience is that most instructors want you to succeed, otherwise they wouldn't offered you admission in the first place. If they see that you genuinely want to know how to improve and maybe give it another shot, I'm sure they'll be happy to advise you.

TheCommuter, BSN, RN · Mar 21, 2009

Do physicians' offices really have nurses... I mean real, live RNs?
My family's got way more than our share of doctors and the only nurse I've ever seen in their clinics was an NP.
Lots of MAs... no nurses.

My friend is an LVN who is employed at a clinic.

In my area, LVNs are utilized quite frequently in the doctors' offices and clinics.

TheCommuter, BSN, RN · Mar 21, 2009

My issue is that I am not really interested in working in a hospital.

Unfortunately, there's a shortage of nurses who want to work in hospitals. There's absolutely no shortage of nurses who want to do work away from the hospital bedside, such as at a clinic, doctors' office, school, insurance company, research center, etc.

I did a clinical in a nursing home and it was very depressing for me.

There's also a shortage of nurses who want to work in nursing homes because the nature of the work is not very glamorous or cheery. Unfortunately, you'll be competing against masses of nurses who desperately want to escape bedside nursing. This is reality, and it is typically the ones with several years (or more) of floor nursing experience who get hired into these desirable jobs away from the hospital or nursing home.

Good luck, regardless of the choice you make.

sunray12 · Mar 21, 2009

hi,
i tried nursing school two years ago. i received 2 high c's and was told that is considered failing and i had to leave. i know some people had the same experience and i am not sure if i should go back to school in the fall. are there schools that a c is not failing. i mean i do not think i will get any c's again but then i only went through the first year of a two year program. ...

some states allow people to take the lpn exam after completing one year of nursing school. maybe you can check with your state bon to find out whether this is an option for you.

in my area some nurses do work in dr offices and clinics, etc - both public and private sector. as a poster pointed out above this is not where the bulk of nurse jobs can be found but if this is what you want to do and you're persistent then it can be done.

caliotter3 · Mar 21, 2009

I got a C in one of my lab courses in nursing school and it was ok. You just need to find a different program. Hopefully you can find a program that doesn't have such stringent criteria.

oldfashionedlove · Mar 29, 2009

Thank you, Thank you. I am glad that I saw your respnse. I just e-mailed my state do see if NJ or NYC gives that option. I hope so because then I can directly go into a BSN or RN program. I have most of the skills. I have taken a lot of classes. I will let you know. :) :) If so, it will be easier to get into a RN and BSN program. I looked at an RN program in a local community college and I thought. Gee I have all of the programs. I did not want anyone to see my transcripts because I got a F in one class. I freaked out on the final exam with the instructor who failed me because I contaminated the would. I was so nervous that I messed up.