cgalio01

Just as the above writer says, the BSN is looked at as a managerial position and sometimes, not always required. Each facility awards a different amount of money for your degrees, so it depends. Your hourly salary is also decided by each place that you work. Some managerial positions are "salaried", which means that you get a certain salary for the year regardless of how many hours you work. Then there are "hourly" salaries, which means you are paid by the hour. Overtime is another story, each facility has it's own policy to deal with this. For example, one place I worked, I was a Unit Manager, I was paid $27.50/hr, overtime was paid at time and 1/2. At the next facility I worked I was paid $35.00/hr and overtime was again time and 1/2. The jobs were identical and only 7 minutes drive from each other. The benefits were also identical. So you need to look around and see what the rate of pay is at each of the facilities you are looking into. Oh by the way I have an Associates Degree with 38 years experience. So the base pay is one thing then they calculate in experience pay and both these facilities awarded $250.00/year for people with BS degrees (which is one of the reasons I did not go back to school 38 years ago, in my opinion it was not worth it financially) Some facilities cap the experience pay at a number of years, so you could have 10 years or 38 years and still have the same dollar amount of "experience pay", does not seem right for people who stay in a facility for their whole careers. Also pay attention to the benefit package and retirement package, compare those too. All these things are important as well as number of patients you are responsible for and staff/patient ratios. They may pay you a great hourly rate but refuse to pay overtime (they blame the fact that there is too much work or not enough staff on "your" poor time management, they never accept responsibility for over working you). I know this sounds all overwhelming but I wanted to give you as much info as possible. The only place that you will find that the benefits/etc do not change from place to place is if you work for the Veterans Administration. If I knew better way back then I would have signed up with them. There are alot of advantages in that system including retirement. Hope this helps.

I am looking for an online Certificate in Gerontology not an NP but thanks

Does anyone know of any online geriatric nursing certificate program?

If and when you graduate with an AAS (Associate in Applied Science) Degree and pass the State Boards (NCLEX) you are licensed as as RN in your state. The same is true if you graduated from a Nursing School or a BS Degree Program. All the graduates (no matter what type of school) take the exact same NCLEX. There are not different NCLEX for different degrees. We are all RN's. Each state has it's own tests that are developed by the State Education Dept. It is not always necessary to take the tests again is you move from state to state. You may have to just pay a license fee. You have to check with each state (where you want to move) to see what the requirements are. The same is true if you wish to, after you graduate with an AAS degree, go to another college to continue your education (even if it is in the same state). You will have to submit your transcript to the college and then they will let you know how many of your credits will be accepted by them and what credits will not. Then they will set you up with their required courses to complete you BS degree. You do not need a BS degree to work as an RN ever. I have had an AAS degree for the past 38 years and have worked as a floor nurse, head nurse and supervisor with this degree. The last place I worked the Asst Director of Nursing had an AAS degree. Good luck in whatever you decide. RN for NY

I have to agree that families, certain ones, are really a pain but they are as afraid as the patients most of the time and just want to be reassurred that you are in control of the situation, once they know that they are still annoying but I can deal with them. I think by far, the Administration, is a real pain. They second guess you and interject when they are not even aware of the circumstances they are attempting to "resolve". They should know their nurses and have faith in the ones that know what they are doing and leave us alone. We are not dealing with a cookie cutter society, where one size fits all. Every situation has different solutions and because mine is not theirs, does not make them right.

Hey, I for one am not sorry that you found out early what "the profession of nursing" has turned into. You are one of the fortunate few that realized what the reality is early enough. May people don't find out till they have spent years trying to "fit in" or "conform" to an almost impossible position. I have been an RN for 37 years and have worked full time actively for all of those years minus 2 years for having children. Believe me nursing has definately changed for the worse not the better. We have taken on more and more responsibility with not much more pay and certainly less and less respect. We expect the "new nurse" to come out of school with all the experience it took us years to learn and are angry that they do not know how to do it. What do you expect? When I came out of school, believe me I knew nothing compared to what I know now. My mentors were CNA's and old (they worked with my mother who was also a nurse) LPN's. The RN's were "too busy" or "didn't have the time" to show me the ropes. But I learned thanks to the others who were really the ones too busy, they took the time to show me and teach me. I thank God for those kind souls who took me under thier wing, if not for them I would not be 1/2 the nurse I am today. The problem as I see it is that RN's took over, making LPN's feel inferior and stupid. Then they managed with their "politics" to get rid of the LPN's, at least in the hospital settings. This left them frustrated because they had to do the work and had only other RN's to work with. You know what they say about too many cooks in the kitchen? The RN's want to manage but they managed to make a big mess and now they are left to not only manage but to do the work too and it is getting to the point that no one wants to be a nurse anymore. We cannot go back, which is too bad. For me I am glad that I have 2 more years of this political nonsense and then I retire. When I am asked what I will do when I retire I say, some people burn the papers when they finally pay for their homes, I intend to burn my license and never look back. I would rather scrub toilets than work with nurses again. Good luck to all of you out there who are staying in there. I for one am so done!!!!!!