Need input from some RNs please

I can't really help you because I"m a new grad RN so I can't quit answer your questions r/t "over the years".

(Was this assignment assigned recently? You seem a little stressed since it's due tomorrow and you haven't even started)

One down. I hope this helps.

DC

Associate Degree

1. I felt I was adequately prepared to enter into a program of orientation. I learned quite a bit during this 3-month orientation where I was one-on-one with a nurse. I really learned a lot about being a nurse that first year. I feel school is just the first stepping stone to pracitce, that school's job isn't to prepare ready-to-roll nurses, that the process continues in a preceptorship/orientation on the job.

2. Two changes have driven my work over the years: an increase in RN to patient ratio along with the use of unlicensed personal (nurse techs) and an increase in paperwork brought on by JCAHCO standards. For example pain control documentation has changed, "hand off of care" paperwork as been added, patient education docuementation has changed. It feels like I'm drowning in a sea of paperwork and trying to reach impossible standards that compromise time away from the patient.

3. Fourteen years into my nursing career, I decided to get my BSN in order to have more job opportunities as I age in nursing and graduated in August 2007. Prior to that I have attended countless workshops and education inservices, have beecome certified in Med-Surg Nursing, ACLS, taken courses in ventilators, telemetry monitoring etc. A practicing nurse can never get enough education in my opinion.

I think it would be interesting to see the responses and see if they differ based on degree pathway. (I personally suspect it would be based more on school than degree, but I guess we'll see.) If you'd rather keep your answers private you can message me the responses and I'll pick them up that way.

I sent you a PM. But I forgot to include that I'm an ADN nurse and I am taking my first class (pre-req) for BSN tomorrow!

Thanks, Tweety and CardiacRN. Megananne, I don't really mean to sound stressed. I'm not really. But as to whether it was a recent assignment, this is for a May interim online class which began on Thursday. I worked 8a-4p on Thursday, then 7p-7a Friday night. I assumed that I'd be able to talk to some of the nurses there, but for a variety of reasons it didn't work out that way. So I was thinking about where I'd have access to nurses that would talk to me and I knew I could find them here. I work again tomorrow, but getting the paper turned in by midnight tomorrow shouldn't be too hard, especially with all these wonderful folks willing to help out. I appreciate you guys!

BTW, cardiacRN, I saw your PM and sent you a reply asking for your degree. You can ignore it, since I see you replied here. :-)

Great, TraumaRUs. Thanks a lot. Can I ask what made you choose to go back for a higher degree each time? I know you said you went for the BSN to have more choices. What made you go on up to the MSN, and what makes you want to go on higher?