DirtyVA

Hi there, Yes, two of my doctors (Orthopedic Surgeons) have been Canadian transplants and they told me the main issue in their system is the wait times for even the most basic of procedures (hernia repair, lumpectomies, gall bladder removals ,etc). Good quality of care, but the wait times super long and horrible so folks that have the resources jump across the border and cash pay. Also, the doctors came to work and live in the US because the pay they get here versus Canada is larger by several orders of magnitude. They had top notch credentials by any measure, top residencies (Both of them trained in the US) and top prestigious fellowships (both in the US). They had to pay back Canada for funding their educations but Its a free market folks.

Hi, would you share with us why you made this statement?

I second this statement, they contain cost by ultimately reducing care and quality of care delivered. The VHA is a basket case of epic proportions. Any good news or data is based on manipulations and cherry picking, it is a dog and pony show, smoke and mirrors, or a shell game to make even the scant good numbers look good. How do I know? Been there done that (Decades). The government should not run ANYTHING! When they run everything, it's called Socialism or Communism. And its not pretty.

Oh boy, more passive-aggressive RN behavior. More ad hominem logical fallacy attacks. What in your opinion makes one ready for a masters degree? What is a masters degree? If you are looking at it from a leadership angle then you haven't worked for many of the nurse managers I have worked for or who worked for me. I think the OP guy is more ready for his masters than most because he spoke up and spoke truth to power. More BS propaganda tripe. I grew up in those neighborhoods. Sure, folks don't have a lot of money. How does racism contribute to somebody's health choices. Another straw man argument. Health is a function of choice. I lived on my Mom's welfare check (WE WERE DEAD BROKE) for for most of my childhood until I was 16 then I left home. We had access to gyms, basketball courts and doctors. No, we didn't have access to high priced specialists but we had access to MSWs, FPs and mid-levles and had plenty of basic care and preventive care. The "food desert" narrative is a huge myth: https://news.uchicago.edu/story/food-deserts-not-blame-growing-nutrition-gap-between-rich-and-poor-study-finds We ate like garbage because it was easy and we were lazy and eating healthy sucks. Stores closed because of something called "shrinkage" and they lose more money than they make in profit. It's very simple its called the invisible hand of competition. If it were that easy to change our taste buds and get off our butts and exercise then everyone would be doing it, no matter what the race. Are you saying there is a huge conspiracy to keep black people down and oppressed by making a huge group of potential consumers/spenders have heart disease, diabetes, alcoholism, lung disease and other highly correlated to diet and chemical intake related maladies? Why would anyone do that? What is the logic???? Nobody is in perfect health these days. It's not a white super race oppressor wanna be master race conspiracy, you can thank the guys that made the computer and cell phones and Youtube and processed food and TV dinners and fast food. Everyones hurting. Please don't take this personally, but How about you pick up a book, read some peer reviewed studies, spend time in those communities on the ground, and make your own thoughts instead of spewing out regurgitated propaganda????

Hi Bobognnp, Actually I'm multi-racial (I pass for white, at the end of Summer, I can pass for Native or Latino) and my wife is a woman of color and is an immigrant. I know very well what white privilege is and I know what implicit bias is. I have watched it and experienced it with my own eyes, especially when with my wife while traveling and living in rural parts of the US. I lived several years overseas and I know I was treated differentially because I was a white American, like I was a big shot or something special. My wife was instantly treated better by staff when they would learn she was my wife. One minute she was a local, the next minute the wife of an "important white American." I have also been given several jobs over other candidates because I was hired or appointed so the company or agency could meet diversity hiring goals. I have had racist jokes told around me, because people forget what I am (I blend in), but then they suddenly remember who I am married to (Faux Pas). Its kind of funny the awkerdness of it. I did an honors undergraduate program and my senior thesis was on improving law enforcement and minority relations, specifically African-Americans in urban environments. My graduate work and specifically my graduate project I designed a program for elderly Native Americans who did not have access to preventive medical or nursing care. I know the issues at a deep level and Ito this day I keep up with peer reviewed research and policy matters in these specific areas to this day. So who is ignorant for calling me ignorant and you know nothing about me? I am getting sick and tired of being treated like the Grand Dragon of the KKK because I was born with white skin and hazel eyes. The white part of my family (Dad) were all Lutheran abolitionists from a "Slave State," they defected from the Confederacy and fought on the Union side in the Civil War. They spent months in a Union prison camp because they (The US Army) thought they were Confederate spies. They were finally released and went to fight in many battles. My great great great grandfather later married a freed woman and had my great great grandfather. When can we talk about real issues, analyze issues without a bunch of political rhetoric and slogans, and develop real solutions based on data? There is a lot of brain power on this message board (I have been on and off here since it started years ago). Not all white people are evil. Lets give this a try: 1. Maybe folks need to start eating better, 2. taking their BP meds, 3. monitoring their CBGs and dosing INS more accurately, 4. make their kids study and do their homework (Dr. Ben Carson anyone), 5. Make sex education and parenting classes mandatory for everyone... and maybe 1. Take away the authority of the police to use lethal force on any misdemeanor or non-violent felony for anyone unless they have probably cause a violent may have occurred, 2. Make arrest warrants that are misdemeanor or non-violent felony arrestable at the discretion of the officer on scene and not the judge who signed it years before for a traffic court no-show, 3. Mandated social security payments including government paid health care to any family or child whose parent is incarcerated for a crime lasting longer than a year, 4. Mandatory home health visits by both an MSW and RN to do health monitoring for any person who has certain health risk factors score, and one of those risk factors would be certain races or DNA marker profiles or a zip code... Here are some ideas based on data and non-biased observation not logical fallacy, give it a try...

Hi Bobognnp, I am interested in hearing more of your point of view. I have been following all of the goings on and I just keep hearing statements and facts thrown out with out any deep root causes analysis. I also don't hear any specifics about what needs to be done to fix these alleged notions of maltreatment. Are you going to respond to his questions/points or are you just going to throw out political slogans and Ad Hominem attacks at him. He produced specific questions to refute you're broad and generalized statements. Please respond to his points with specific facts. Educate me and enlighten me.

Hello Shelle, Any input on what the most important admissions factors are? I just got an email yesterday from the Admin Rep she told me I am now in review and should hear in 2-3 weeks. Any input or insight on what is going on and what I can do to help myself? Thanks in advance! Also, should we start a new thread?

Hello, question, why did you write this: "Im a black male in South Georgia and went to school where there were no black teachers for nursing and my class was mostly black (about 60%) and had 3 more black males in school." Why is this relevant to the OP post? What does the color skin ratio of student to instructors have to do with anything he posted?

If you can do the BSN right away then go for it. The thing is ADNs tend to be a little shorter and you can start working sooner. But there in again is a trade off, because some environments want BSN (Accredited hospitals), some places it doesn't matter (rural, fly over states, LTC, etc.)

I worked as a CNA for a little while and I was a medic in the US Navy 20 years ago. I am changing careers. My work (I am a care coordinator at a mental health clinic) is paying for me to go to RN school.

Hello NPZ_RN, I am a former insurance tort claims investigator. What pro-student said is exactly what I was told by several Oregon and Washington State RNs, APNs and BONs who were waiting for licensure or wanted to P/U extra floor shifts or work in a pool for extra cash, from a liability stand point you will be held to the higher standard when it comes to liability and economic damages. Make sure and run it by your insurance carrier as well to ensure you are protected in the RN role.

Chirp...chirp... I am applying for the August start for what its worth. Any advice for me? I just took the TEAS on Friday (84%) and turned in everything.

I know this is a very old post but this company has everything a bigfoot needs: Zappos.

Do the ADN. You have a degree in Hotel Management so I am assuming you probably took some type of budgeting or finance classes? Do a basic cost benefit analysis and time value of money, etc. Disclaimer, I am an MPA and an MHA, I have that background and I have done that analysis. Many here at ALLRNs have asked your question or something similar to it over the years. The old, "save your money and go to a CC for 12K for the whole program, etc..." Good luck on getting into that CC with all their crazy point schemes based on: 1) must have high GPA, 2) high TEAS/HESI, 3) prior degree, 4) all classes taken at the school, 5) total point ranked admit list, etc. and one per year starts with a whopping 20-40 students per class. It's a roll of the dice if you even get in each year. What if it takes you 5 years to get in, how much money/promotion/salary increase lost is that? I don't know where you as an individual are as far as points but food for thought. Also, the mentality of the instructors at a high cost for-profit school vs. a state school is miles apart. The people at the for-profit school want you to succeed. If you succeed, they succeed. It is in their interest for you to graduate and pass NCLEX. At the state school, their salaries are paid by taxes. If you wash out they still get paid. Many times they could care less and expect to weed people out. They care about you in an abstract way, but it's different for people whose job and bonus depends on you being a success. Also, the old argument about a college degree, "don't go into more debt than you will make one year out of school" is ancient history, like since the 1970s or 1980s. The business and business people that provide that service, "higher education," have figured it out and they have gamed the system. Hence the explosive rise of the for-profit-schools. They know very well how much $$$ they can squeeze out of you thanks to "guaranteed federal aid" courtesy of the US Government/Our elected law makers. They know what people will pay and can pay, or will be made to pay (by force of the US government if needed) if they sign on the dotted line and take out that financial aid/loans. This applies to for-profit schools and not-for profit, State schools. If you can get any degree that will earn you a salary thats worth a hoot or has any kind of prestige or upward mobility with the cost being = to first year salary, my hats off to you, go for it and good luck.

Are you saying you joined the Air Guard after you got the boot from the Navy? Did you get the boot from the Navy for the roids in 2016, then went Air Guard? What was your Navy job? What was your AG job? Were you enlisted or commissioned? Was NCIS involved or was it handled at the command level and you signed admissions and waivers wit ha deal of no prosecute/jail (no Art. 32/Captains mast)? These things are very important, it changes a lot of things. What is your goal? Benefits? Job preference? What???? -Dirty

A Protected Veteran is not the same thing as Veterans preference for hiring, or eligibility for disability benefits, or being eligible for the level of security clearance as per the background check for a staff nurse/low level RN manager in the VA (VHA Hospital) system...What are you looking for? What is your ultimate goal?

"Cheap out" are the key words. If, or I should say when, they get sued in court for negligence (whatever it is, and they will eventually) they will have to explain the rational for not wanting to pay the price it took to recruit or retain an RN. We will be seeing plenty of this as more and more baby boomers are getting parked in these types of facilities. Guaranteed.

Right, you applied through vacareers.va.gov and got rerouted and put your information through USAJobs, right? You can email me directly and I will get you the name of the nurse recruiter or you can call the facility where you applied for on USAJobs. Often the nurse recruiter will work in Staff Education/Nurse Education. So if you call the facility HR, you are usually dealing with some very low-level front desk clerk and they often will have no clue what you are talking about and they will tell you, "We handle recruiting for the hospital." So call and ask to talk to Staff Ed, then the Nurse Education coordinator. The VA is a great place to work and have a career. But it can be frustrating at first if you have spent time in the private sector. When you come aboard be prepared to suspend reality and embrace what we call, "The VA Way." OK? If I don't hear from you: Good luck!

Did you ever get your answer jlambirt? A big factor in all of this is the year of the offense (Art, 15/32/Etc.) and the year you were discharged. If you are still around let me know and I can fill you in.

No Forest2, the VA RN hiring does not work that way! The VA, DOJ/BOP, DOD, NHS, IHS...etc. are totally different than any civilian HR. To call VA/VHA HR....that would be horrible advice and it totally incorrect and really a waste of time. Your best bet would be to call the nurse recruiter where you are applying or within the VISN you are applying to. Have you been working with an RN recruiter or are you applying blind through USAJobs?

Yes, you can do a revamp of your "resume/CV" and ask the board to reconsider...as long as it has real, substantial changes. Just like a proficiency, you can ask them to reconsider before you have to file a formal appeal. I have seen managers do this just to get staff off of their backs. If you do it right and send it up you may be surprised.

I second this. Amen.

Asking for a friend...are you a nurse, PA???

Hello Beldar..., Is seems you have a couple of problems that can actually be solved quite easily. Problem 1. You seem to have a problem with Asian women who are in positions of authority over you. Problem 2. You seem to think your employer and others owe you some kind of a free ride, as an example the owner will not let you camp out and live on her property. 3. You seem to be demonstrating a pattern of making poor financial and life decisions and seem to think it is other people's fault. Why don't you put everything aside, sell your van and any other property you can, and join the military. The military will pay you, give you a place to live, free food, pay your college tuition and give you money for college tuition after you leave, and many other great benefits. And in my experience, may people peace more mature and with a much greater sense of responsibility for their actions. Give it a try.

Hello All, I think it is state specific, but an LPN can be a Supervisor/Manager. It is not "illegal" in the states near me and is normal in rural LTCs and ALFs. Being a supervisor or manager is a different role than the role of an LPN working under the clinical direction of an RN. You really need to break each task down and look at each task individually, the facility type and the patient population, and look at each task and their resultant 2nd, 3rd and f4th order effects. This is a major part of how I make my living, I have a working knowledge of these matters, I know about these things. In the states near me the RN will always have the final say over any clinical decisions of any LPN who work under their license. They will always have the final say, and be responsible for, any administrative decision (supervisor/manager) an LPN makes that affects a patient clinically. But general administrative duties not so much. That's the risk an organization will need to accept, going cheap by (using an LPN v. RN) and be prepared to pay for it if things don't work out the way they hoped. If an organization or DON wants to accept the risk (as in lawsuit risk, high monetary damages) and save money by letting LPNs run the place at all hours (i.e. NOC) when an RN is not physically on site, the organization better have at least an RN if not a provider available at the other end of a phone line at anytime STAT.