Boltthrower

Get outta here OORAH, I was an AAV crewman with second tracks in Lejeune. Nice to see a fellow gator in the mix. Of course I didnt fix em, I just drove em and broke em, but its good to meet you. YATYAS!!

WELCOME!! Congratulations ARMY on choosing a great career field. I was in the Marines for 4 years and then recalled in 2003 for 6 months before deciding on becoming a nurse. I am now staring down the barrel of graduating in May with my ASN and (God willing) getting my RN. It is a great career field of which I really had no idea prior to entering school. It is quite a change for an old jarhead like me but I started when I was 32 and so you are not that far out from me when you start. It takes A LOT of patience (not patients) and a willingness to learn from the mistakes of others and your own, but now that I see the light at the end of the tunnel I feel like I am on top of the world. You will be fine, just keep trudging ahead and you will make it. I am sorry to hear that you had to go into the army instead of the Marines, but I guess not everyone is ready to earn the title. Just kidding. Thank you for your service and God bless in your nursing career. Bolt

Well, I guess its settled. There is only one course of action left to us. We have to find the OP and put her to death. Afterall, we cant have people going around making mistakes in this day and age now can we?

I am just finishing my first semester of school but i am having a hard time dealing with what one of my instructors is "preaching" in her class. She seems to want to portray physicians as the enemy of nurses, and she is basically giving these young impressionable students a loaded gun and telling them that "it is our business to question physicians". I understand that pt advocacy is key to the nursing role, but I think there is a definate line that must be drawn and to realize that we are all on the same team. It is almost hate speech she is getting into and she generalizes all physicians. Have any of you come across this in your schools too? I am doing my best to get the opposing viewpoint out there, but I fear that some of my fellow students might be dressed down a bit when they tell an attending MD that he doesnt know what he is talking about. Is this a common attitude of nurses? Bolt.

You are correct, bad experiences have jaded my perspective. Forgive me. And yes I realize not all women are like that. I was exagerating.

Yes. I didnt want to believe it either..... but sadly it is true. Even though EVERY girl will deny it...... they always fall prey to the jerkoffs and defend their choice until the bitter end.

I agree with daytonite. I am 32 and just getting into the game just the same as you are. By the time I have 20 years of experience I will be thinking about retiring and probably be on oxygen therapy, :wink2: . You are going to make it through. Just remember that when you are an RN and you get new students on your floor that you need to remember how you felt this semester. I am sure you wont forget. Keep pushing forward and dont let this "Nurse Ratchet" instructor get between you and your dream. The profession needs people like you. Bolt.

Maybe.......... muhhuhhuhahahahahahahahahahahahahahahah!!!!!!!! I used the "do you like apples?" joke on my neighbor. Maybe I am just coming back from a date with her where we went miniature golfing, muhuhuhhahahahahahahahahahahahaah!!!!!

Funny story that just happened to me tonight. I was at Hooters with some friends for trivia night and my neighbor who has always given me crap about going into nursing pulls one of the Hooters girls aside and asks what she thinks about a man who is a nurse....... :trout: she tells him that it is incredibly attractive for a guy to put aside the stereotype and help people for a living....... So the jokes on him. I told him that when I show up at his annual party with a bunch of gorgeous nurses that he will have to apologise to me in front of all of them. HEHE HEH. Bolt

CHANGE YOUR UNDERWEAR!!!???!!!??? If I dont have any accidents during the week why should I change anything? JK Bolt

I wore pantyhose in HS when I played football and they indeed cut down on chaffing and kept my legs warm as well. Again in the US Marines I wore them for long marches in order to prevent chaffing/blisters and occaisionally in the field for warmth. I plan on wearing them as a nurse because they have been recommended to me by people who know, including people on and off this site. I am secure enough in my "manliness" that I will not be bothered by morons who take issue with men wearing hose...... and if they insist on pushing it I will be happy to break their jaw for them. I do have a question though.... are support hose the same thing as regular nylons or pantyhose? I assume they are the same thing, but I am out of the loop on the subtle differences and would appreciate it if someone would clarify. THX Bolt

name mark school: thomas jefferson univ. danville, pa campus program: asn what area of interest at this time: er, cardio, infectious diseases, nurse practitioner biggest fear: being able to survive in female dominated environment :nuke: what you'd like us to know about you: formerly a sergeant in usmc, b.s. in criminal justice, but i decided i would be happier trying to help people rather than kill/arrest them.

Thats funny you should say that, when I am substitute teaching for HS kids I always try to be a grumy old man toward them (all a big act) and I always say, "remember, the only stupid question, is the one YOU ask." They all know I am kidding and I get a laugh every time. heh heh.

I just wanted to get any input from guys or girls out there who have experience with male RNs who have long hair or facial hair in school or hospitals. I know it varies greatly according to policy at that particular place, but I just wanted to get a feel for different takes on it. I am attending nursing school this fall. I dont have really long hair, but I would say it is probably longer than most guys out there and I like to sport well groomed facial hair like goatee or beard. Have any of you fellas run into problems where you were required to cut your hair or shave or anything like that? I know with the hair issue many female nurses are required to wear hair in a ponytail, but what about when it is of intermittant length and cant be put up, but also is longer than regular. Are there places that allow you to wear surgical caps or hair nets or other caps? And are male nurses with long hair or facial hair looked at as unprofessional or seen by potential employers as undesirable because of this? I realize this is kind of a silly question and believe me I am more than willing to do whatever it takes to become a nurse if I have to shave my body and wear a clown suit or the like. I am just fairly new to the field and was looking for some quality input that I know I will find here. Thanks. M:gandalf:

excellent! It's nice to "meet" you too. I am not so nervouse about going away as I am about getting through the school and doing well. It looks like a really good program and my friend who is heading out there with me has lots of family in the immediate area and they all say the hospital is top notch. Well thats good news, I hope your daughter has a great time and I am sure I will meet her sooner or later, only 30 people in the class I think,. Do you know yet if she is staying on campus or getting a house? We are heading out there next weekend to try to find something to maybe buy or possibly rent. I have a 100 lbs. rottweiler, so the odds of renting are between slim and none, but anything is possible. Well I hope to hear from you and possibly your daughter in the future. Take care M :gandalf:

First of all let me apologize if I offended anyone, that was not what I was trying to do. I am also not trying to force anyone to my point of view on the issue because as we both know many people are extremly passionate about this issue on both sides of the fence. Trying to change someones opinion about it is kind of like telling the sun to not rise. That being said let me clarify what my points were in the original post. 1. Abortion affects both men and women because it takes 2 to tango and any guy who can see past the end of his own nose realizes this and should educate himself on the issue, be it on whichever side he feels drawn to. 2. The controversy surrounding this is well known and extremely inflamatory and sore for both sides. 3. This issue does not belong in a learning enviornment, you are there to learn, not to promote polarizing causes no matter how strongly you feel about them because as you mentioned you have to be able to work with people of all different mindsets and you had better be able to get along at least at work. So what I was trying to do, effectively apparently :) , was to come at you with my views in a very aggressive and in your face type of way to show how arrogant/over the top/ and out of place it was, and I am sure I made a few of you mad in the process. What I was doing (polarizing many of you from myself or other pro-lifers) has no business in a learning environment. I would not start a mens group in nursing school because it would not build cohesion within the group, but only further seperate the sexes and add an element of discomfort in a stressful time. So I was merely trying to show you ladies that the door swings both ways, and that while you may have many people who agree with you in school on the subject it is not professional/ respectful to bring your personal views into the learning environment. Once you are out of school, the sky's the limit. I know how strongly i feel about the subject and I know many of you feel equally or even more strongly and do not hold my views. So when you get that nursing job and are out in the world I think it would be a great idea to educate young women on abortion and to have support groups for those who are undecided or have already had the proceedure. And the statement I made about women's health: You are right ljds, I apologize to judyblueyes for being rude and unkind. I have no excuse for my statement and I am sorry I went on that little rant for no reason and I hope I did not hurt your feelings. Have a good morning everyone. >M :beer:

So when I go to nursing school in the fall, as a male and as a man who's girlfriend had an abortion against my requests (whole hearted pleading really), since I believe in the preservation of life AND TAKING RESPONSIBILITY FOR YOUR ACTIONS, I should start a "men's group" (since we are dealing with gender specific issues apparently{can you smell the sarcasm?}) that takes the opposite stance as some of the ladies here and you dont think that would be a divisive issue in nursing school? Would YOU want to be my lab partner? If I am politically active and "in your face" about it would that be condusive (*sp) to a quality learning environment or would it cause hate and discontent? I am asking because I know when I get to nursing school if I run into someone who has the same attitude that you seem to display I am not going to want to associate or work with them. I dont go around throwing my Christian beliefs and values in other peoples' faces and I expect the same professionalism and respect from other people, be they men or women. I know that abortion is one of the most controversial topics of all time and to say, "I am going to start a group, while my peers and I are giving up every ounce of our being to learn this profession that we have a passion for, that could possibly divide the class irrepairably because I feel like it is important to be able to slaughter the young." seems awfully selfish. I realize that I kind of rant and rave a bit because I feel as strongly as you about my position on the topic at hand, and dont expect me to say, "oh, but I respect your position on the matter", because I dont, I do, however respect your drive to stand up for what you believe in, be it ever so wrong. :nuke: So I disagree with you about the topic and about the original thread starter trying to start an organization who's sole purpose is to start controversy in an environment that doesnt need any more stress than it already has. P.S. Its great that you have dedicated you life to womens' health, but how about health in general? Most nurses here seem to have a "gender unrelated" attitude on healthcare because they were unselfish enough to get into nursing in the first place and they dont have some hidden agenda regarding the care of their fellow individual. I wish it were true for every nurse.

:rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :offtopic: Congrats on the Olympic gold for your hockey team. Lundqvist OWNES!!!!! Rangers OWN!!!!! Swedish death metal OWNS!!!!!!! by the way is everyone in Sweden named Anders? JK

Thank you for the reply. Is that pretty typical, the team nursing approach that is, as far as RN to Px ratio? And if so, is that a difficult ratio to deal with? I know with the shortage many RN's are savagely overworked and I have read threads here that complain of such, but I dont know what a "good" ratio would be. I am hoping that the staff will be helpful during clinicals and not have the "us vs. them" attitude. I am glad to hear your friend likes the hospital, I have heard other good things about it and look forward to seeing it for myself. Is it possible to ask your friend how the RN students are viewed by the full time staff while doing clinicals? I am interested in any info I can suck up. Feel free to PM me also if you would rather, that goes for anyone who has info about Giesinger. Thanks again. PS. I love the Rottie puppies. I have one myself and he is the best dog ever.

Just writing to see if there are any past, current, or future students who will be going to Danville for Thomas Jefferson Univ ASN program in Fall 2006. I and a friend were just accepted and will be moving from Michigan in July. If there are any alums or current students I would love to be able to pick your brain about your experiences there to give me a better picture. I would also like to hear from any current RNs who are working at Giesinger to see how they match up to other hospitals you may have worked for. All replies would be appreciated as I am very inexperienced in the field and am eager to draw on the wealth of experience here at the site. Thanks in advance. M :beer:

Congrats, good luck at ASU.

I never said anything about getting a 4.0 on everything. I would imagine very few nurses here or in the country got perfect grades in school. BSN programs are GENERALLY very competetive and therefor difficult to get into. It is just the way things are. When you have limited seats you have to choose the best candidates, and thats what they do. My point was that nursing schools, and other healthcare training facilities have an obligation to the people they serve (the public) to do their best to make sure that the healthcare providers they are cranking out, for lack of a better term, are as prepared as they can be for what they will face on the job. Of course they cant teach you everything, and I'm sure many nurses here with decades of experience still learn new things every day, but the fact remains that if they just say, "hey we need more nurses, let run them through here and get the spots filled" you are asking for trouble. What you said about someone not being able to get through the school, pass the NCLEX and get through their first year of nursing is probably true for the most part. But the question still remains as to HOW to get those people through all those steps. There are limited numbers of seats on university programs for a reason; thats all they can handle. So when major universities, which for the most part have 30-50 people allowed into their programs per semester or year, receive 500 applications for those positions they have to make a choice..... someone isnt getting in. What criteria should they use to determine the best candidates for those 50 spots? The only tangible evidence as to ones ability to perform on an academic level. Grades, test scores, writing assignments, etc... They use these criteria not to determine how good a nurse you will be, not to guage your level of caring or your all around character. They use them to try to determine how much of the information they will present, you will retain. Its just that simple, and it is harsh because it is not about people, it is about numbers and figures. Lowering standards is not the way to solve the problem. We need more nursing teachers. We need more RNs who are willing to stick it out and stay in the field. The only way to do that is........ you guessed it $$$$$. Offer full time RNs large incentives to go into teaching to impart their knowledge and to get some of the programs from 30-50 entries per year to maybe 100-200 per year then the playing field would level out somewhat for we non-4.0 students. Granted it would be tough work for them to teach and work, but thats why you would have to pay them well. Have hospitals offer large bonuses for longevity with the system. You have to make it worth the time and trouble for the people who are already IN nursing to assist with the repopulation of the field through their experiences and know how. Thats how the shortage will end, albeit a long way down the road. More nurses trained at the same level is better than more nurses who have essentially been run through "Operation get 'em through".

It concerns me slightly that a few people here, who I assume are RN's with at least some experience under their belt, are calling for standards to be reduced because of the nursing shortage. To me it would seem nothing short of irresponsible for nursing programs to lower their academic/entrance standards because of a shortage in the field. I am not making commentary as to your abilities sundevil, for all I know you could be 100 times more qualified than I am. That is not the issue. I understand the frustration of savagely overworked nurses across the country and also the people trying their best to get into academic programs, but as you all know nursing is a career in which you MUST perform at a certain level or suffer untoward results. I guarantee none of us wants to find ourselves or a family member under the direct care of someone who performed at a substandard level, or who was admitted into an RN program based solely on the idea that we need more nurses. That being said, I hope you will continue to push forward sundevil and as many have mentioned here perhaps you should try an ASN program from a CC first in order to get into the field and then work for your BSN once you have a job and are experiencing the reality of nursing every day. Good luck in whatever you decide.

I have gotten the "semi-look" but never the full blown one. I am a former US Marine and I have my BS in law enforcement. So most of the "semi-looks" have come from other guys in my police academy who have been on the receiving end of a brachioplexus tie-in blow from me during defensive tactics. So when I tell them I am going to school to be a nurse they first have to say something about Gaylord Fokker, but then they switch gears and there is not even an issue after that. So that is cool. I agree, it takes a very simple minded person to come up with a simple minded reaction to a change from the societal "norm".