RRTtoBSN

Hi! I have a year of RN experience in ICU and 5 years as a respiratory therapist. I want to start traveling to gain more skill and save money for CRNA school. My issue is that I have back problems and have had 2 back surgeries. Should I wait to travel? Will they even hire me with back issues?

So I am a BSN RN with 1 year of ICU experience. I am also currently a charge nurse in my unit. I also have 5 years of respiratory therapy experience in ICU/CCU and ER. My husband is a surgical tech and we are both interested in traveling. However, I have some reservations about it and most of it is due to anxiety and my back problems. I have had 2 microdiscetomys in the past 5 years. I am currently in the middle of a series of epidural steroid injections. My back hurts a little everyday but my current employer is understanding and I work fine with a 25lb weight limit. my goal is to go to CRNA school eventually. The cost of attendance is something that is holding me back. After some talks with travel nurses, they agree that traveling may not only give me more experience but also help me save for school. I would want to travel locally at first, within 2 hours of home to see if I like it. I also prefer nights and weekends/holidays don’t bother me. I like to travel and see different areas. It’s just me and my husband and our two cats. I’m such a home body though that I am not sure if traveling is for me. I’m also concerned about my health. What if I get hurt on a job? What if they don’t even want me because I am a liability?! what do y’all think? Anyone work as a traveler with a bad back? What are some issues you had to overcome? Is it really more money?

I have looked in the psych route, since it’s offered at the university here, and it is an option for me. Moving would be iffy but we did it would be TN or FL. I think the school here offers a DNP, I will look into that too. What all can you do with a DNP?

I have been looking into that. I didn’t really want to (my area is saturated since we have an university here) but my work is offering $2500 to pay towards tuition for a masters degree. I love paperwork and helping people

I have 10 years of medical experience between being a CNA and a respiratory therapist. I graduated this may with my BSN and immediately started working in my hospital's ICU in June. I love working there and I have started looking into ways to become more involved in the unit,etc. I have also looked into CRNA school,which was my end game goal. The bad thing is, I have a bad back. I am 29 years old and I have had 2 back surgeries and working on a 3rd (possibily a fusion). My question is, if for some reason my back doesn't allow me to keep working bedside, what else can I do? I have looked into legal nurse consulting, but there isn't a big need for it around here. CRNA is the dream, but I only have 6 months of ICU experience so I can't apply yet. Any suggestions??

Two days ago, i was assisting my patient to the bathroom when they suddenly went unconscious. I was able to catch her and pull the emergency bathroom light. However, I had my 2nd back surgery in June 2019. I have been cleared for work since August on no restrictions, just if it hurts don't do it. well this hurt! The monitor tech came in and helped take some weight off and screamed for help. Finally everyone else piled in secured her for me while I took in the scene and started assessing. My adrenaline was pumping. It wasn't two hours later I felt the cramping in my back and the burning down my leg. I filed an incident report and about two more hours later, I agreed to go to the Er to get checked out. My MRI didn't show many changes since my post up MRI, except for scar tissue and inflammation. My question is.... What happens now? I have already missed one day of work. Will work file a workers comp claim or do I need to? I filed an incident report and reported it to my house administration. Can I go back to work? Should I go back to work or wait until I see my doctor and neurosurgeon? Should I look into other jobs? I am an ICU nurse, bt I am a new nurse. I graduated this past may. Idk what to do or what to expect.

I had a MD on June 24, 2019 (my second one actually) I had a 22mm herniation at my L5-S1. I am happy to say that I am working my full time nursing job in the ICU with minimal pain. Just keep up with your PT and don't stop stretching!

I’m in Kentucky, our board of nursing does a really good job of posting our results (usually by the next day)!

Omg I passed!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ugh I’m dying! I slept 4 hours last night and my stomach is all tore up

about 4 hours afterwards

took the exam. stopped at 75 did the PVT... got the good message I'm scared bc a couple of the last questions were pretty easy I feel like I am going to throw up

Monday I take my NCLEX at 8am. I am a nervous wreck! Everyone keeps saying "oh don't worry, you will pass!" or "you passed RRT boards, you can pass the nclex", but snap, what if I don't?? I am using Kaplan Q Bank and Hurst Review (mostly the videos). I was focused on content at first, but then my friend took hers and said it really didn't have much to do with content, more like prioritization and management. She passed by the way, but she literally brought her study materials with her to the beach (she is goals!). Anyway... what are some tips/tricks that you used to calm down before the exam. What did you do the day before the exam? And how do you slow yourself down when taking the exam? I noticed by taking my practice exams that I miss some questions because I read it too quickly and missed a word or something. Thank you guys!

Tutoring? Niiiiice! My program was not so forgiving. You had average a 77% on all exams before any assignments were counted towards your final grade. If you failed 2 check offs, you were done. If you failed a class, you are done. There was no tutoring. They did encourage that if you failed an exam that you meet up with the instructors for advisement and to ask questions but that was it.

Thank you for the replies!!! I will for sure have to retake the chemistry class then. I think the reason I did so bad in it was because I was taking 19 credit hours that semester and most of them were science related courses. I guess I was just too stressed out and that was my second semester as an undergrad. I have my ACLS, PALS, BLS, and NRP currently. I am planning on taking my CCRN but apparently you can't take that until you have been a RN for one year at my hospital. What is TNCC? I think I have heard of nurses taking it recently, but I am not sure of what it is. The ICU I work in is a 12 bed ICU with an additional 4 bed "step down" unit. We take basically any critical care patients including post op. We get patients that are even still open after surgery, its pretty interesting. We also have a 6 bed Neuro ICU that we get floated to as well. I am hoping all that experience will be beneficial. I was looking into classes at my local community college because it is cheaper, but do they not look as well for CRNA admissions??