My School is Gone!

Nursing Students Post Graduate

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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?

I agree 100%, and I will be assisting FEMA with the rescue efforts going on, really looking forward to seeing all the dead bodies floating in the water. SInce this is a nsg graduate student forum I only posted the loss of my educational future, which really is insignificant in light of things. But non the less, I felt the need to talk about. I really cannot mention this "trivial" concern to anyone around here, because of course they would think the same as you. In fact, I have so many losses right now I don't think you would even comprehend.

Please forgive me if I sounded insensitive posting such a trivial problem.

Thank you for your support.

Your problem is in no way trivial. You have worked very hard to get

to where you are now. I hope that school officials, and the Department

of Education of your state and Louisiana will offer full cooperation and

assistance in helping you meet your goal, and that of others in your

situation. It must be really frustrating.

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From Southern Male Nurse: "Glascow: You stated, "really looking forward to seeing all the dead bodies floating in the water". That is a really awful thing to say. I have worked in virology as a team medic on a viral threat repsonse team, and have seen alot of dead bodies. That is something noone wants (noone in the right frame of mind) to see. I hope I misunderstood you. If not, then I would be more worried about upstairs than your missing school."

I think we need to give the original poster some leeway here. The way I read it was that she was upset that she would see the dead bodies, not that she LIKED it. Sometimes (I know at least for me) in emotionally charged situations ideas don't always come across the way you mean them on the computer.

I agree. I think that some may have misread that. I seriously doubt that

she is "looking forward to seeing dead bodies floating in the water."

Really -- who would ?

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Specializes in NICU, Infection Control.

I believe that was written tongue-in-cheek.

Have you been able to find a program? I've heard of a lot of other programs taking in students, I'm sure there's something for you.

Keep a diary--maybe you can get credit for a "project"--sounds crass, but it IS a life experience worthy of some credit!

I hope you're doing ok down there.

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Specializes in rehab, antepartum, med-surg, cardiac.
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.

Glasgow I'm sorry for what is going on around you. I know your original post was concerning school and whether you could ever finish your FNP program. I know that there are colleges and universities in the Atlanta, GA area that are offering classes tuition free to students from the New Orleans area for at least this semester. Check with Georgia State University or some of the other programs. There are thousands of evacuees from the Gulf Coast here in Atlanta and many more coming here. Georgia isn't receiving FEMA money as far as I know, but I could be wrong, to handle this huge influx of potential patients and diplaced residents. People are displaced as far away as Michigan and Iowa, I hear. It is a situation that is without precedent. Check with schools that were not damaged by the hurricane and see if they will work out a temporary arrangement for you and for your fellow students.

I sincerely hope that the people you know who are missing turn up alive and well at a shelter somewhere or outside of the area. Anyone else on this message board going through this horrible event also has my deepest sympathy. I can't even imagine what it must be like there.

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I would currently be more concerned with everything else going on down there right now.............

I must disagree here.

You have every right to be concerned with losing your school. Your entire life has been upturned and that is very painful and scary. You have every right in the world to wonder what is next in your life. As those issues get addressed, you will more and more find your feet. That will provide you with a little more security. I hope you find a way to finish up your time..

good luck....

Bev

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I live in Indiana, and I have heard of several universities around here offering to provide the remainder of education to those affected by the hurricane free of charge, to help those students get their life back on track! Maybe you could check into different universities close to where you are at!!!! Good luck and I wish you and yours well! :wink2:

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Hi all,

Just a quick update. We have located all but 2 of our classmates. Several of us have checked into different universities but it seems that all of the programs are so different, and we really can't find one that matches the semester we would have had this fall.

I have decided to not even worry about it. I am so tired, emotionally and physically, I don't think I could really concentrate that much on school anyway. Every day I feel different, but for today I am thinking I don't think I even want to go back. I am feeling like I don't even want to be a nurse anymore. I want a new proffesion. I don't know what I want to do. But I don't want to have to take care of anybody anymore.

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I'm sorry to hear about your situation. i'm pretty sure a good opportunity will come. we have an old saying that for every door that close, there is one good door opening.

Nat :)

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Hi all,

Just a quick update. We have located all but 2 of our classmates. Several of us have checked into different universities but it seems that all of the programs are so different, and we really can't find one that matches the semester we would have had this fall.

I have decided to not even worry about it. I am so tired, emotionally and physically, I don't think I could really concentrate that much on school anyway. Every day I feel different, but for today I am thinking I don't think I even want to go back. I am feeling like I don't even want to be a nurse anymore. I want a new proffesion. I don't know what I want to do. But I don't want to have to take care of anybody anymore.

Glascow,

Don't make any decisions about your career or future right now. Take some time to recoup. It really sounds like you need some time off. Make sure you talk to someone about your feelings who can help you deal with all the things you saw and heard.

In 4-12 months after you've had time to recover, decompress and talk to someone, you will be in a better emotional postition to deal with things.

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Specializes in Med/Surg.

For those of you who are blasting the original poster on being sarcastic, I think she was reacting to Suzanne's very uncompassionate and downright rude post. (see post #2 of this thread) Others said it best, loss is loss, and Suzanne you have absolutely no right to pass judgment on the OP and tell her she needs to be concerned with other things at that time. I think the OP was just reacting with anger to Suzanne's extremely insensitive post, and I for one don't blame her.

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Hey Glascow!

Just saying hi! Thinking of you and hoping you are doing o.k.:)

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