notTHATjersey

Fortunately I have not commented or posted in the group. I was going to leave the group anyway, but her claims of being a nurse made it all that much easier to leave. As for her motivations to call herself a nurse, I honestly think she's just feeling unfulfilled. She worked in healthcare for nearly a decade and has a mind for research. She would probably make a great nurse if she went to school for it. I know she wanted to for a long time. I think she just regrets not going and is making up for it by creating this online fantasy.

I agree with the others that this is on HER, not you! As a nurse, we have to check all the "rights" before giving a med: right patient, right drug, right dose, right route, right TIME, right documentation... We are supposed to do this with every administration. Every preceptor I have had has double checked the timing/frequency of the meds they are to give on their shift against the previous doses given on the prior shift to make sure the timing intervals on the eMAR are correct, because technology is NOT infallible. She is blaming YOU for HER laziness and failure to administer medication properly. She needs an in-service training or workshop on medication administration and a good talking-to about ethics and professionalism. Don't stress yourself. People forget to mention things in report sometimes. That is why it is important for ALL nurses to take a minute or two to review the chart and eMAR after getting report. It's just a good habit to develop. Instead of beating yourself up, learn from HER mistake so YOU can be a better nurse =)

OK, let's clear up some of this confusion... A "practical nursing program" is usually a one year program. You earn a career CERTIFICATE (not a degree) and are eligible to sit for the NCLEX-PN, after which you will become a Licensed Practical Nurse. Many hospitals have phased out this category of nurses and are hiring mostly Bachelor-prepared nurses (which I will get to shortly). Job prospects for LPNs are primarily in long-term care facilities (skilled nursing facilities/SNFs or AKA nursing homes and rehab centers), primary care doctor's offices, and home health care services. The MINIMUM educational requirement for an RN (Registered Nurse) is an Associate Degree, which is a 2 year program (2.5 to 3 years when you include the non-nursing pre-reqs like English, Bio, Anatomy and Physiology, etc). At the end of this program you will be awarded either an Associate of Applied Science - Nursing (AAS-Nursing) or an Associate of Science - Nursing (ASN) and will be eligible to sit for the NCLEX-RN. If you pass, you will be licensed as a Registered Nurse, which is the minimum for working in most hospitals and urgent/acute care facilities. The next "tier" is a Bachelor of Science - Nursing degree. This is offered at 4-year universities. You will do 2 years of liberal arts and pre-req classes followed by 2 years of Nursing and Nursing Leadership courses. This is the preferred level of education for most hospitals, and some prefer a BSN PLUS experience in the field. If your end goal is to work in a hospital, the LPN is a waste of time and money. There is one more option, and it is the path I am currently taking. I am dual-enrolled with a 2 year community college to earn my AAS-Nursing so that I can sit for the NCLEX-RN, AND I am also enrolled with a 4-year university for my BSN. So I did my pre-reqs at the community college and then applied to (and was accepted to) the Nursing Program. After my 1st semester of the Nursing Program, I applied to (and was accepted to) a 4-yr school that has a dual-enrollment agreement with my community college. So I am also taking my BSN classes online at the same time as my AAS-N classes. When I finish my AAS-N, I will only have 2 semesters (and a summer semester) left to get my BSN. So it essentially takes the same amount of time to earn the BSN this way as it would going to a 4-year school from the start. So why did I go this route? Two reasons: Money and Money. I am a single mom of 2, so I need to be as smart as I can be in terms of financing this journey! First, the AAS-N program is WAY less expensive than a 4-year school. So I can do 3 of my 4 years of my BSN at community college prices. Second, I can start working as an RN after my AAS-N is completed, since the BSN classes are all online. This gives me a full YEAR of nursing experience before I finish the BSN program. This is an advantage for when I am applying for jobs after earning my BSN, because I will be a BSN graduate WITH experience. So not only am I earning good money for the last year of my program (and earning it in the field in which I am getting my degree), I am positioning myself more strategically for when I have the BSN and am looking for a job in whatever specialty I choose. If dual-enrollment is not an option, you can do the AAS-N or AS-N program at your local community college, work as an RN for a couple of years and then do an RN to BSN bridge program for your bachelor's. If you do well enough in your Associate program, you MAY be able to land a hospital job and score some tuition reimbursement for your BSN or even paid tuition outright for your BSN. There are a LOT of options, and you need to explore them with your academic advisor. They usually know what programs are available locally.

This is probably the route I am going to take. I left the group in which she was making these comments because it was really getting under my skin. I need a little distance before I approach this with her. The only reason I even have my FB still open is for my ADN nursing cohort and my dual-enrollement BSN cohort. We do a lot of communicating through our private FB groups when we have questions on assignments or to set up study groups, etc. I actually set up a secondary FB account just for school, but I made the mistake of adding a few "old friends" from back east that I don't ever see since I moved to attend school. Looks like I need to clear out that FB to just my classmates. And maybe stay off FB until classes start in August. *sigh*

I am a student nurse. I m halfway through my ADN and dual enrolled for my BSN. I also completed the LPN option program so I can sit for the NCLEX-PN this summer so I can work as an LPN until I get my RN. I have a friend, she used to be my BFF before I moved to go to school. She has worked in healthcare for many years in administrative positions (Surgical coordinator for a dental practice, secretary in a urology clinic, etc.) She completed some pre-reqs for a nursing program, but never actually took ANY nursing classes. She IS more knowledgeable than the average layperson when it comes to health and wellness. But she has never taken Nursing classes, not even CNA classes. I love her to death. She's always been more like a sister than a friend. My problem is, she is claiming to be a nurse in a certain FB group. She will comment on posts saying, "Nurse here! It sounds like ABC or EFG, so you should talk to your doctor and ask them to run XYZ labs and look at TUV for blah blah blah..." Or she will give her opinion and support it with, "BTW I'm a nurse..." She even said just today, "Some people, including me (an advanced degree nurse), use blah blah blah..." I am REALLY annoyed by this. Like, I am feeling really angry about it. I am busting my tail in school, with NO social life, missing time with my kids to EARN my nursing degree. I've passed the LPN program, but I don't even THINK about calling myself an LPN because I have not taken the NCLEX yet! And here she is, having never taken a single NURSING class and calling herself a nurse? An "advance degree nurse?" I'm beyond irritated. So how can I handle this? I don't want to lose a friend, but I don't think I can tolerate this behavior. I find it very offensive and insulting to every person who has busted their butt to EARN their license. I feel like it is disrespectful to all nurses, and beyond that, what if she gives the wrong "advice" and someone gets hurt? Now there's someone who will be less trusting of REAL nurses. It's not even entirely about my feelings, it's about the damage to our profession when people who claim to be nurses, but are NOT, give bad or inappropriate advice to people. What would you do? Obviously I have to confront her, but I don't even know where to begin...