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In addition, your written English is very bad. That alone would disqualify you from CRNA school, with the papers and research you must perform. Not to mention in any interviewer would see through your pomposity and your lack of humility and deny you. You think because you could not cut it in any American medical school you have what it takes to succeed in nursing?And you have the nerve to come to allnurses looking for suport for your ridiculous assertions? What a joke. How dare you? You know what? I'm going to ignore you and your pathetic statements, you're not worth it. I'm going to go back to my CRNA colleagues,and we will laugh about this ignorant comment, laughing all the way to the bank. Good luck to you.

Superking: You sound like a pompous person who is not able to get into Medical anesthesia, but still wants to make a lot of money, and sees the CRNA route as a solid way to make 6 figures, and feel superior to nurses who you are, in your mind, smarter than. I was able to sum you up in 2 seconds after reading your rude, insensitive, baseless, factless comments. Where I work, nurses are highly respected. I've had other health professions, among which MDs are included, say "let's see what the nurse thinks about this" because they respect our vast body of knowledge. My advice is this: choose a different profession. You are not the kind of nurse I would want taking care of me or anyone I love. You believe you are "settling" to be a nurse. You don't have the temperament or the intelligence to realize how talented, capable and brilliant nurses are.

I love that I am lucky enough to have worked with some wonderful CNAs. A CNA can make you or break you, much like a nurse can make or break a doctor's day. CNAs are often the ones who notice subtle changes in your patient and make you aware of them before the patient goes bad. We make an amazing team. My mother is a CNA, and paid for my college education, and supported me as I became a nurse, then as I earned my masters degrees in Nursing and Public Health. She always taught me to never look down on anyone, simply because they have less formal education than you. It's because of my mom that I appreciate every CNA I come in touch with. They truly are the unsung heroes in our profession, in my opinion. Nurses (and other ancillary staff) who don't appreciate CNAs are really a shame to the profession, and are not smart or humble enough to recognize and celebrate their value.

I had a "preceptor" as a new grad on a tele floor who would yell at me down the hall in front of patients, nurses, doctors, and belittle me whenever she had the chance. Her and her little friends would tell jokes with me as the butt of them on a regular basis. As a new grad, I was not at all confident in my skills, so I let it go on for a few days. Then I got angry. I stood up to each and every one of those nurses in my own way. I would confidently give my report of my patients, respond to any question they had with gumption. I went to my manager to inform her that I wanted a new preceptor. I also eventually went to human resources on one of the bullies, and stood there with my manager as the HR person and my manager rebuked her and her behavior in front of me. I never had any other problems with any of those girls, and they eventually got other jobs and moved on. My point in all this is that BULLIES NEED TO BE CONFRONTED, by administration, by bystanders, by victims, by other nurses who see it and walk the other way. They need to be told that their behavior is not acceptable, will not be tolerated, and that they will suffer the consequences if their behavior does not stop. Period. And another thing is this. Bullies would not be able to create their path of destruction if they didn't have others who saw their behavior and did nothing about it. Enabling bullies by remaining silent and walking away while they do it to others makes one just as guilty, imho. Instead of victims of bullies leaving their jobs, I think bullies need to be forced out. They need to know that no one is afraid of them, and that if they are not careful, they will be dealt with by administration, risk being humiliated and shamed, and will lose their jobs. Creating a hostile work environment by others should never, ever be ignored or tolerated.

Yes. As someone who works nights, usually I'm pretty exhausted by the morning when the day shift nurses come in. Most of the time I am patient, but if nurses are just getting together talking about their hot date last week, or gossiping, I just cheerfully say with a smile "ready to get started"? Or, "which of my patients do you have"? That usually does the trick...

Hi Registered Nurse 3, I am an African American female nurse, with a double Masters in nursing and public health. People make assumptions about me as well. I happen to believe those assumptions are made because I look very young. I also happen to attribute some of those assumptions to me being an African American. Those of you who are quick to say that the OP's experiences are not race related, just pause and think of this. Racism still exists. Period. It exists in nursing, and it exists outside of nursing. In addition, to continue to deny that it exists, or to jump to the conclusion and continue to say "this is not race related" contributes to why we are not further ahead on frank conversations on race. Just because you say that it's not racism, doesn't make it so. The second we are willing to admit that there is racial bias, sexual bias, age bias, call it where it lives, and deal with it by having open frank conversations, we will be able to make strides. Until then, we will remain stuck. To the OP: I find that me being a young, black nurse in a mainly non-black environment, and being confident in my skills, earns me further respect of my colleagues. And those who don't respect me, well, I don't pay them much attention I think if I had a nickle for every time someone assumed I was not on their level and got a rude awakening, I would be a very rich woman. You just need to have pride and confidence in yourself, hold your head up high, and be a good nurse. Period. That will speak for itself, believe me.

Thank so very much for the responses!!!!

Hello all!!! I'm a tele nurse with almost three years experience, and I am having a second interview with ER nurses next week. Does anyone have any advice or any ideas on what questions they may ask? Any suggestions would be much appreciated, thank you!!

Hello! I have recently completed a joint masters degree MSN/MPH degree and I am now looking into becoming a Nurse Anesthesist. I am a BSN prepared nurse, and I also have been a telemetry nurse since 2011. I am also interested in joining the military, perhaps the Air Force or Army, because of the chance to continue to serve those who need me, in addition to the educational benefits, and I have a few questions: 1) Should I become an active duty nurse in the military now, or get a year of critical care experience before joining, if I want the military to pay for nurse anesthesia school? How many years must you commit in order to receive HPSP? What are the benefits, if any, to becoming a critical care nurse and getting a year of experience before joining the military? 2) How does the timing work with joining the military and going to school, as a nurse? Can I join as a nurse and go to school right away? Or must I work as a nurse at a military hospital for a certain amount of time to be able to go to nurse anesthesia school? 3) Can I join as a telemetry nurse and get critical care experience, or must I get that experience before I join? 4) Has anyone here on the boards joined the military as a nurse and gotten their advanced education paid for? If so, are there any helpful hints that you may be able to share? 5) Which military branch is best to join in order to receive the best educational benefits?

I would say that most hospitals will interview you and ask you what your area of specialization is, and put you on those floors. I have a telemetry background, so when I started as a registry nurse I could work med-surg, telemetry, but also oncology as well, without administering chemotherapy, of course. I don't have experience in peds or l+d so they didn't put me on those floors.

Hi! I just thought I would throw my two cents into the conversation. I just graduated with my BSN (and just passed my NCLEX yay!!!), and I had the good fortune of discovering that I loved learning about the connection between health and policy. So, I applied for my MSN/MPH degree while I was in my last year of my BSN. Now, I am starting graduate school in two weeks. I am interested in working in Washington DC in on health policy issues, and getting my Ph.D. There are lots of nurses who transition from direct patient care into forming policy. I would say that getting nursing experience is valuable, but I disagree with the notion that it is absolutely necessary before getting your MSN/MPH. I tend to stay away from advice telling me what I cannot do, I am just too positive for that. You can make whatever you want work for you, period. You can always get work experience while you are attaining these degrees, which is what I am doing. Also, I was very active with my community and on campus when I was attaining my BSN, so I had plenty to talk about on my personal statement. You have worked in an Neuro ICU, as well as your clinicals, and you can always talk about that. So, it really is your choice, but follow your own instincts. I am at an age where I did not want to spend a year working only, when I could be working and going to graduate school. You can do whatever you want to do!! :)

Ahhh...yess. I too remember those days of being sooo nervous and excited at the same time about being admitted to UIC. What a competetive, challenging, yet wonderful these two years have been! I'm looking forward to graduating in another month! :) Good luck to those of you applying and still waiting on admissions letters.

Does anyone know if nursing students can be of help in Haiti? Or do we need to be registered nurses first? Thanks!

Hi There! I applied and interviewed for the VALOR student nurse position at the VA, and that is the summer job that I have now. My understanding is that the VA has panel interviews, meaning there will be about four or five people interviewing you. They do have set questions that they ask, I heard somewhere you can get the list online but I am not sure. It's hard for me to know for sure what questions they will ask of you because my position was a student position and I don't know if they would ask the same questions for a nurse residency. Just prepare like you would for any interview, go over your nursing process, know your own strengths and weaknesses and be able to explain them succinctly and confidently. Oh! And think about why you want to work for the VA. Know about the VA. Good luck!

Hi! I also go to UIC, I'll be a senior this year. It's true, your gpa has to be great in order for you to be admitted. Also, how are you attending the global campus? That program is for RN's who want their BSN, if I remember correctly. Are you an RN already?

Right but one thing you have to remember is that you did not choose this profession because it's easy, and you didn't choose it because of instructors or rude people. Try to be strong and hang in there, it will all be worth it in the end. I seriously thought about quitting last year when all that crap was happenning to me, losing weight, mean instructors, not sleeping. But I kept hanging on, and you can too.

LVN Trave.s: I'm a little disturbed by your post. If you are saying that you don't like the childish rude antics of your fellow nurses, then, O.K, I can understand that. I too wish that we had less of that in nursing. But your post seems to go further than that when you say that "certain races stick together", and that you aren't "racist". I hope you don't think that these nurses are being rude to you because they are of a different race. I'm assuming that you are white, correct me if I'm wrong. If these nurses are being rude to you and trying to bring you down, that's negativity and immaturity, it has NOTHING to do with race. I have seen rude and childish nurses of all shades and colors and genders, for that matter. Please don't assume they are rude due to their race, or their gender. And don't assume that they are being rude to you because you may be a different race than them. That's stereotyping and generalizing, and plain wrong. Not to mention, this type of thinking sets race relations in this country back 100 years. We need to come together in nursing, not to seperate ourselves based on race, that's dangerous.

Hi George! I am in Illinois. Do you mind telling me what school you are speaking of? I attend UIC College of Nursing. 800 people applied for 90 spots last year. Nursing school is very, very competetive. My advice would be to have your son apply elsewhere. There are many nursing schools in Illlinois to choose from.

Hey Muse! Thanks so much. I just had to say something because I went through hell last year with clinical instructors who bullied me, screamed and yelled at me in front of fellow students and nurses, and belittled my ideas. The thing is, I did not seek support from fellow students, because I knew that unless they had walked in my shoes, they would not be able to see what was happenning. Even if they did see it, they turned a blind eye because of fear. It is fear, I believe, that leads fellow nurisng students and nurses to do nothing. They figure, better you than me. This is wrong. To LVN Trave.s, the problem is just what you stated. Be careful, be afraid, so say nothing and do nothing. That is the wrong attitude in my opinion. We are going to be nurses, we are going to have to get the cajones to talk to doctors, get up before a judge and explain ourselves and our practices, and deal with difficult situations every day. We need to get courage, and we need to get it fast, if we are to be good nurses. Sometimes, we need to act IN SPITE of fear. We acknowledge the fear that is present, and use it as energy, harness it to stand up for ourselves. We are going to be advocates, we are going to be saving lives while others cower in the corner. I don't want to be the kind of nurse that is too scared to speak up for myself, or my patients. If I were a patient, I would want someone with courage taking care of me. And that means saying things that may make you uncomfortable, and may make others uncomfortable. Maybe some folks need to be uncomfortable, maybe then we may be heard and taken seriously as nurses.

Pnclpr: Go with your intuition, especially if it is telling you to stay away from West Suburban! Just Kidding. But on a serious note, my boyfriend applied to this school a few years ago, and had three experiences of West Sub disorganizing his file, and continually coming back to him letting him know he was missing this or that. Count that: THREE BAD EXPERIENCES WITH THEIR ADMISSIONS OFFICE. His sister attended their accelerated program and told me that it's all self study. She said the instructors are all practicing nurses at the hospital and had absolutely no time to help with the work. They tell you to show up at 5:30 am when they are availiable, and then there is a long line outside of their office. She felt that for the money she was spending, she deserved far more than teachers telling her to read the book and that's it. She said she did not feel that they really taught her anything. I also know a nurse who knew three people who did not pass their nclex after several tries, and I myself saw a commercial recently that West Suburban hospital does not comply with JCAHO standards, and receives poor customer satisfaction surveys. I considered West Sub long ago because of it's convenient location near my home, but decided to attend another nursing school, and I'm glad that I did. West Suburban has a horrible reputation as far as I have heard from people who have attended there.

I totally second what Princessa is saying, lots of people apply elsewhere. I can't believe it, but it's true!!! And, UIC is totally a wonderful place. Challenging and wonderful. I am a different, more educated nurse now that I'm going to UIC. I hope those of you who want to go there will get in. I'm going to get back to studying for finals. Good luck everyone!

Hi Icechick! Oh, I'm not so sure if they let you know your place in line, I would call and ask if they do or not, could be some vicious rumour.

Hey Lawyergirl! This is NOT the courtroom, this is nursing. And, you cannot argue your point to the NCLEX exam that you are right because your answer is the most logical,, or that you were taught the wrong answer, it won't work. AGAIN, YOU CANNOT ARGUE YOUR WAY THROUGH NURSING. This is not a debate, and you need to be flexible as a nurse and realize that every situation is different. It's not about what you think, it's about the patient. You really need to realize this if you will be successful in nursing school, and as a nurse. As a nurse, if you have a patient crashing and you do the wrong thing and the patient dies, you will not be able to say "I was taught the wrong thing, forgive my indiscretion". No. It won't fly. There are several distractors both on the NCLEX exam and clinically, have you ever worked with patients? If you had, you would have realized that patients will distract you from your duties with complaints from their yogurt tasting bad to their hair not being combed well, IT IS YOUR JOB AS A NURSE TO TEASE OUT WHAT IS IMPORTANT. Again, I have worked clinically with patients, as others on this post, and I am in nursing school. At UIC, exams are worded with NCLEX style questions, and I do well each time because I figure out what's important, you need to be able to do the same to pass the NCLEX AND to be a great nurse.

Hey Icechick! I was waitlisted at UIC, and I am finishing my first year there, and I LOVE IT!!!! I was really really lucky because my application was on the top of the wait list. Good luck to you!

Hi Unwell! I'm sorry that's happenning to you. As I stated in the original post, go to whoever is over this clinical instructor in terms of hierarchy and voice your concerns EARLY. It's important to give specific examples of her behavior so that they can address it. If that person does nothing, go over that person's head. Sometimes you need to let people know you mean business, and that you will NOT be intimidated just because you are a student. Just saying "she doesn't like me" is not enough, and administration can do nothing about that. Other than that, file a grievance with your college/university, again citing examples. The key is to not stay silent about these things. Let us know what happens.