Rin287

I just got accepted an offer for AGAC!! Last year I was number 5 on the waitlist, this year I was number 2. What a relief!

I applied for the AGAC-DNP program. I was wait-listed last year and hoping to get off that list this year. I just completed the online essay questions. The time went by very fast but was less stressful compared to last years process, which included a recorded one-way interview. Good luck everyone!

I received the email at 1258 : ) Good luck everyone!

Hey! I applied for the Adult Gerontology Acute Care track. I went to one of the informational sessions in December and it sounds like the interview questions are pretty tame. For example, last year, one of the questions was "who is your hero and why" (something along those lines). The instructors also made it seem the essay portion of the interview is equally low-key (I don't think you'll have anything to worry about lisarn789....auto-correct has ruined us all : )) I will say, the statistics they provided at the meeting regarding the acceptance rate, per program, was a little disconcerting: the AGAC track has roughly a 38% acceptance rate; however, I work with two RN's in the same track and they made it sound like as long as you follow the application instructions to a "T", your chances of getting in are pretty good. Good luck everyone! We need more NP's out there!!

"I don't want to be that jerk nurse that refuses a patient but I also don't think i will be able to provide the best care because of all the circumstances". First of all, you are NOT a jerk for refusing a patient, and if you're working in a culture that fosters that kind of criticism, you're working in the wrong place. And not because of the patient population, but because of the people you are working with. I work on a neurology unit and our patients predominately come from the Neuro ICU. Our staffing matrix is operating as a med surg floor when in reality the acuity of our patient population is that of a progressive care unit. With that said, it is not uncommon for there to be a list of nurses and nursing assistants requesting to not have a patient again. Granted, these patients I speak of have occupied our unit for months and are just as/if not worse than the patient you speak of, but no one is chastised for being self-aware and introspective enough to recognize that their need for a break of sanity is ultimately the best thing for the patient and the nurse. I'm sorry you feel like you can't speak up. In an industry where we pour our time, energy and emotions into advocating and taking care of strangers, we are often quick to fail at advocating for ourselves. Oh, and I absolutely agree with you that all patients and family members should be treated equally. The patient's husband is abusing his powers of "people he knows" which is ultimately impacting how you care for this patient, subsequently impacting how you care for your other patients. I would bring this issue up the proper chain of command to ensure the husband is clear about what is and is not acceptable in this very difficult and emotionally draining environment. Don't be discouraged. Things will get easier. Humor is important, yes, but can often be hard to see when clouded by frustration, especially as a new nurse. Just remember to advocate for YOU as much as you advocate for others.

Thank you Accolay! I really appreciate your input : )

For those of you who work on a unit in a hospital that is Comprehensive Stroke Certified, I am interested to know what your RN to patient ratio looks like. I work on a unit that is Comprehensive Stroke certified and our RN to patient ration is 4:1 on days, 5:1 on nights. RN's max out at 3 patients on days if one is a new stroke patient (meaning they will need neuro and vital signs checked Q2H) and on nights the nurses are maxed out at 4 patients with a new stroke patient. During the day, our NAC's have 8 patients; on nights our NAC's have 10 patients. Please respond with the RN to patient ratio for days and nights, as well as the name of your hospital, city and state. Thank you fellow nurses!

I have been attempting to determine what other hospitals comprehensive stroke care units RN to patient ratio is. I started this process off by compiling a list of comprehensive stroke care units (there are nearly 200 in the US, if not more--the list is lacking a few hospitals) and calling the hospital switchboard, asking to be transferred to either HR or RN recruiter for their comprehensive stroke unit. Clearly, I could just call the unit and ask who ever picks up the phone what their ratio is. The problem is that the hospital operator does not know off the top of their head which unit is comprehensive stroke certified AND--working on a comprehensive stroke unit myself--I don't want to clog up the lines on that unit when I'm not a family member of a patient or staff. So, now I'm here. If any of you work on a unit that is comprehensive stroke certified, please reply with your DAY shift and NIGHT shift RN to patient ratio along with the HOSPITAL, CITY and STATE you work in. Thank you!!!