Triplepoint

If you are not good at math, start practicing med math asap. A busy first term of nursing school is an unfortunate time to discover that you are having trouble with dosage calculations. It will make your life much easier. Aside from that, do some fun things that you want to do before nursing school!

Yes you can. I did. I really depends upon the rest of your academic transcript. If you have some W's but then went on to be successful in your pre-requisites, I'd say you have a good chance of being accepted to a program. Good luck!

YES! Of course you can! The benefit of having CNA experience is that you know what you are getting yourself into when you start your nursing career, but as long as you are not afraid of getting your hands dirty and doing direct patient care, you will do awesome! Your learning curve may be a little bit steeper than those who are able to confidently transfer or clean patients because they have done it as CNAs, but as with most things, it is your attitude that matters most! Keep up the good work!

Caveat: I do not have personal experience with working in the float pool myself, but I have talked to people who have because I have been considering starting there myself! I think the real question is, how much support do you get? The people who I have spoken with who started float pool as new grads said that their hospital provided them with lots of support, additional education, and long orientations to the floors they would be floating to. Another question you might want consider is how do you personally handle transitions or stress? If you think you would do best with a more consistent setting as a new grad, then maybe switching units on a regular basis is not for you! Good Luck!

You may find that you hate many things nursing related while in nursing school, and then while working as a nurse. You may find nursing school very challenging, or you may find it silly and inane. Either experience can make you want to peace out. However, what kept me going were two things; one, I liked working with patients a lot, and two, I know exactly what my career goals are. Knowing your "why" will get you through almost any crummy experience. Figure out what yours is!

If you want to review anatomy for nursing school, do a thorough review of the heart and lungs, the immune system, and the liver. This will help you a ton. Doing more review than this is unnecessary, in my humble opinion.

I believe that Boise state will allow you to do this. People in my ADN program were simultaneously enrolled in the boise state program to complete their BSN, as it does not require a RN license or a completed associates degree to enroll.

I don't think anyone should ever spend $90,000 to get a nursing degree. That is a TON of money for something that you can achieve for a lot less. If I were you I'd go to the ADN program, get a job when you finish, and do an RN-BSN program while you work.

That is so awesome! Good luck on your nursing school journey!

It's good to be asking these questions before deciding to pursue nursing school. Even if you get a job in a doctor's office as a nurse, you will still have to go through a nursing program and do clinical where you will not be able to avoid unpleasant bodily functions and people who are very sick. A job in healthcare administration may be a better fit for you if you wish to advance your education.

It really depends... Some people find it to be a piece of cake, others have difficulty with it. If you have good math and conceptual skills, you probably won't be overwhelmed. Also make sure you do your homework on your professor..... Some people have a way of making something that should be easy a miserable experience. edited to add that I took stats in a 6 week Summer period along with micro, and it was very doable.

You would have to look at the ADN program requirements to see if you met them with the classes you took during your bachelors degree. Did you already take pre-reqs such as anatomy, micro, and college level math? If so, you probably won't have to take much, if anything additional for the ADN. You'd really have to do your research to find out though. As for clinical placements, call and ask the programs to see where students have been going during COVID. From what you've listed, those seem like pretty impressive clinical sites that any nursing student would be happy to get. Call the ADN program you are interested in. Ask them where they have been placing students. The best way to find out what type of education hospitals want is to look up job postings for hospitals and units you want to work in. They will say if a BSN is required, preferred, or if they just want someone with an RN license who graduated from an accredited program. I would not throw away $12,000 just to see how it goes. Make a decision about where to go after doing research on multiple programs and their requirements. Take into consideration your career goals and the requirements of hospitals that you want to work at. Then you will be able to make an informed decision about what the best choice is for you.

If you don't have kids, already have a degree under your belt, and are a fairly organized person, you can probably hack it. If you are a slow reader or struggle with scientific concepts or nursing pre-reqs, you may need to reconsider. Having your education paid for is an awesome opportunity!

$50,000 is a lot of money for a program, but you have to take into consideration more than the cost. How old are you? If you are in your early 20's then taking an extra year to do an ADN and save some money may be a really good choice. If you are in your late 30's you may want to be done sooner so you can get your career started ASAP. The fact that the university you are considering had a large portion of their cohort not go on to be eligible to take the NCLEX is concerning. If I were you, I would wonder if the big bucks I am spending on my education would get me to my end goal. In my area, one of the fancy private nursing schools with an accelerated BSN program had some people doing their senior practicums at flu clinics.... A university or private BSN program does not absolutely guarantee you a good education or great clinical placements, so make sure you ask them about what their recent clinical placements have been. Another important thing to consider is the area you are in. In some parts of the country hospitals hire new ADN grads all the time, even into areas like ICU and ED. In other regions of the country, you cannot get into a hospital unless you have a BSN. What is it like in your town? This is important info to know, so find out! If you can easily find the work you want as an ADN grad, you could have a job in 18 months and then finish your BSN online. Your family may be happy you have somewhere to go, but they don't have to live your life..... whatever you decide, make sure that it is truly YOUR decision! You have to live with the consequences!

First of all, congrats on getting in to OHSU! The nursing program is very competitive, so you should be very proud of yourself for getting a spot! I would say that if you have the interest and the time to complete the medical assisting class AND you plan as working as a medical assistant while going to nursing school, then finish the program. The people in my cohort at MHCC who are medical assistants generally seem more comfortable in the medical environment and more at ease with doing things like giving people injections than other students. However, if you don't want to work as a medical assistant, then save yourself some money and enjoy your time before nursing school starts! You will learn so much in your nursing program!

You got a B, and were told that you needed to improve in some areas with your patient interactions. If I were you, I would not take the grade or the instructor's comments too hard. It is common for instructors to tell students that they need to improve, because they don't want you to think you know it all just because you got a good grade or completed a course. From your explanation, it seems like you are probably doing just fine and will make a perfectly good nurse. Now, if the instructor pulled you aside and told you that they had concerns about your competency, safety, or clinical judgment, then I would worry. Don't let one person's analysis of your work make or break you. No matter how much you like them. Keep going! You can do this!

Our instructors do a statistical analysis on our tests after everyone has taken them, and then throw out a question if more than 50% of the class missed it. This generally results in about one question getting thrown out per 50 question test.

Keep practicing and testing yourself! The worst thing you can do is give up!

Does your school have a learning skills tutor? They may be able to help you figure out why you are having difficulty studying. It also might not hurt to talk to your doctor about how you are feeling. They may also be able to help you!

At my school we have used a book called "calculate with confidence". It has tons of practice problems as well as answers and explanations for med type math. I highly recommend it.

I would say 4,3,1,2. In my opinion the low blood sugar takes precedence over dizziness in a post-infact patient. The dizziness is the only symptom mentioned, so IMO there is no need for immediate action. A blood sugar of 50 is really low, and needs to be addressed ASAP since they are at risk for a seizure or diabetic coma.

Many schools use NCLEX style questions in their testing. My school tests this way. If you have an NCLEX review book it probably has a section on how to approach this style of question. That would be a great place to start. Some people find this style of testing quite difficulty, so getting used to how they are structured is a great idea!

Thank you for your response! I really appreciate your advice, and I hope you are loving your NICU experience!

Congrats, that is awesome! Do you have any advice on preparing for the nurse residency interview and essay? I want to apply to a residency program at a nearby children's hospital as I finish up my BSN, and would love to get some advice on what these types of programs are looking for!

I would do whichever position is most willing to work with your schedule. There are things that you do as a PCT that you wouldn't really do as a MA, so if all things are equal, maybe spend some time working as a PCT to learn some new skills.