dougRN2BE

It took me several weeks, but I understand the difference between the two ages. Like you mentioned, the website lists it as "post-conception", which led me to think that perhaps I hadn't mastered it quite yet. LOL. All is good, I think. It is all a bit confusing. Thanks, Gompers!! :)

Also, Crown Rump Length was 79mm at the time of the ultrasound, which calculated on the printout to a gestational age of 13w4d. So, when people are saying that you can perhaps tell gender at 13 weeks, is it 13 weeks gestational age or age of the fetus? Again, still skeptical! :) Doug

interesting that you mention this, since the baby would have only been 10 weeks 4 days at the time of the ultrasound. mom was in her 13th week (12w4d), but baby is 2 weeks behind. when i look at the 10 week slide, it says that the baby's pelvic region is still developing. this raises the question...are we talking about 12 weeks of pregnancy, or 12 weeks post conception...she isn't 12 weeks post conception yet. and as i said, at the time of the u/s the baby would only have been 10w4d old. does this change anyone's pov?

Thanks for everyone's input. I tend to agree with most everyone that it is too early... She said that "they don't detect gender ever on a 3D ultrasound", rather depending on the 2D black-white ultrasound to see the gender. I don't know how accurate her assessment of detecting gender and 3D u/s is, but that's what she said. We'll wait and see at 20 weeks and I'll report back. And who knows...perhaps it will even be a surprise at delivery. So much fun in waiting for the baby to arrrive! :) Thanks again everyone! And feel free to keep piping in if you have something to say. I appreciate it. Cheers, Doug

Yeah, I don't think we are going to paint anything yet or buy boy's clothes. I was a bit surprised that sonographers in CA don't have to be licensed, but I guess it is the experience and training that matters. We will have another US at 20 weeks from our HMO with a licensed sonographer who supposedly has a lot of experience and I'm curious to see what his assessment is. We'll see. But like you said, you never know for sure until the little bundle of joy pops out. Imagine days without ultrasounds and the internet and all of our fancy gadgets. A lot SIMPLER!!! :) Cheers to all, Doug

Thanks everyone and thanks for the warm wishes, Tazzi! Mom got to pick the boy's name. It will be Miles Aiden. :) We're super excited. Cheers, Doug

I posted this in the OB forum, but for good reason (at least I think) am posting it in the general forum. Hopefully the OB folks will be able to give some technical experience and you all in the general forum might have had experiences as parents in recent years with this topic. I'd appreciate any feedback you have. ________________________________________________________________ Hello Everyone, My dear wife is pregnant and she went in for an ultrasound at 12 weeks to see the baby in 3D (a wonderful experience) and it was not with a licensed sonographer, although she claimed to have years of experience. In any event, she claimed to be able to detect male parts and declared that it was 85-90% certain that we were having a boy. Now, we are completely fine with a boy or a girl (we just want our little bundle of joy to be healthy on arrival), but I am a bit skeptical that she was able to determine the sex at 12 weeks. It seems a bit early to me and I am wondering if any of you have experience with this and might be able to shed some light onto whether 1) it is quite feasible that she did see testicles/scrotum and her assertion holds water, 2) perhaps she did see male parts, but it is too early and her prediction of gender is not as solid as she stated, 3) it is too early to tell, period! or 4) whatever you want to say! :) Any help would be appreciated. Cheers, Doug

Hello Everyone, My dear wife is pregnant and she went in for an ultrasound at 12 weeks to see the baby in 3D (a wonderful experience) and it was not with a licensed sonographer, although she claimed to have years of experience. In any event, she claimed to be able to detect male parts and declared that it was 85-90% certain that we were having a boy. Now, we are completely fine with a boy or a girl (we just want our little bundle of joy to be healthy on arrival), but I am a bit skeptical that she was able to determine the sex at 12 weeks. It seems a bit early to me and I am wondering if any of you have experience with this and might be able to shed some light onto whether 1) it is quite feasible that she did see testicles/scrotum and her assertion holds water, 2) perhaps she did see male parts, but it is too early and her prediction of gender is not as solid as she stated, 3) it is too early to tell, period! or 4) whatever you want to say! :) Any help would be appreciated. Cheers, Doug

Well, depending on if money is a factor for you or not, you might consider University of Rochester. Downside: 45K in tuition Upsides: only 5 pre-reqs and they transfer in 70ish credits from your previous degree and you are done with a BSN in one year. Might make sense when you run the cost-benefit analysis of being in school and not working as opposed to paying a high amount in tuition now, but getting into the workforce sooner. They are also very competitive GPA wise, so that might be another factor. Cheers, Doug

Thanks for your understanding, Leslie. I genuinely appreciate it. In kind, I apologize for assuming what you meant without probing further. The point made by you and the mod are valid and I see your perspective. My fingers got ahead of my sensibilities. :icon_hug:

Why are we justifying the illegal use of drugs? Cigarettes and alcohol (when consumed in accordance with statutes) are legal. Ecstacy is not...It's illegal, shows very poor professional judgement and there needs to be some sort or an intervention. Sounds like the OP tried, but to no avail. I don't understand this "understanding" attitude for their situation and for their debts and time in school. Accountability, folks!

We shouldn't assume that because someone has a difference of interpretation or opinion that it is a result of not reading the post. I acknowledge your points and see validity in them. I'll bow out of the conversation so as not to derail the thread. Cheers, Doug

WOW! Imagine this in the business world. "I'm sorry ma'am, but female managers at our company are going to encounter various barriers at various times. Don't take it personally." The lawyers would be writing briefs before you could blink your eyes. Quite a double standard this is. Unfortunate, really. This comment is, in my opinion, sexist and sad. It wouldn't fly in any other industry and I assume that most nurses would denounce such a statement. :uhoh21:

:yeahthat: Lots of people, regardless of the profession, are trying to assert dominance over others...try not to let it bother you becaue we all have unique and special tasks in this world and quite frankly, we wouldn't enjoy the kind of lives we do if we didn't have so many diverse fields and professions.

I'm with you 100% on this one. Would I want this individual giving anesthesia to my wife, mother, brother? If your allegations are true, absolutely not. There are a lot of people that work very hard for their degrees, but that doesn't exempt them from professional conduct. If they want to do recreational drugs, fine...but perhaps a career where you aren't responsible for the lives of others might be more appropriate. The well-being of their patients is far more important than their years spent in schooing or the debt they have accrued. Not even comparable. And I asked myself how I would feel if something DID happen as a result of their recreational drug use...I would feel absolutely horrible and a bit responsible. In my opinion, putting one's head in the sand and not reporting these types of things (either to the employer or the BON) is irresponsible.

I can't say that I've seen a nurse with bright red hair. I can't speak to what different nursing schools would say...I'm sure others will chime in with good advice. Even if it is an obstacle (don't know that it is), you can always find other outlets for your eccentric spirit! If my hair color stood between me and my dream job then I would find another method of expression. Perhaps it won't be a problem. Cheers, Doug

I teach at the University level and I don't know how it was before (only been teaching for a few years), but there just seems to be an atmosphere of cautiousness with everything. I had a girl in class who was being negative and would say, "this is stupid" when I would introduce an activity and just had negative energy. I sent her an email asking her if anything was wrong and that I would appreciate her respect in class. I also told her that if the behavior continued I would start docking her participation grade. As per policy, I cc'd my chair on the email and wow, was I surprised when I was told that we should never write these types of thing in case the student goes to the student newspaper or claims discrimination. It was all I could to keep myself from laughing. I saw it as being concerned, blunt and having expectations for appropriate classroom decorum. In any event, it just reminded me of how many people (students and those who are the pc police) have this sense of entitlement. Perhaps it belongs to one generation, perhaps not...but there are a lot of people who think they are entitled to anything and everything...quite unfortunate really... BTW, the girl ended up shaping up her attitude and apologized. It was only the "establishment" that was worried I had addressed the issue with the disrespectful student! An institution that doesn't back you feeds directly into disrespectful students, IMO. Cheers! Doug

What a spirited discussion. I enjoy reading everyone's opinions and feelings on the matter. I think it's unfortunate that there isn't a more humanist-oriented discourse taking place on the topic. We're all here for a purpose and hold different titles and have different experiences. Legalities are one thing, but respecting others for who they are and what unique characteristics they bring to the table is quite a simple task... Cheers to all, Doug :wink2:

My mom is an MDS coordinator and an LPN. She lives in AZ and makes 31/hour. She's been a nurse for 8 yrs and an MDS coordinator for about 4... She says she makes much more than what an MDS coorinator should make and actually makes more than some of the floor RN's in the LTC facility. The caveat to the story is that she has an administrator who really likes her and they are a very close knit team...so when my mom demands a raise, she usually gets it (within reason of course).

LOL...had to laugh when I saw this one. I'm a native Phoenician and now live in SF. Phoenix is super-hot, cookie cutter style housing in a lot of places and the air quality is absolutely horrible. Yeah, they sure do pay nurses well in the SF area, but the average cost of a house where we live is over 600,000 and I think Phoenix is about half of that. If you don't mind the cost of living, the Bay area is wonderful. Try areas like San Rafael, Petaluma or other areas in the North Bay. Much quieter, safer and more relaxed than SF. Best of luck!

Gotta love moms! (She was the giver of this present) I went and tested the MC at a local supply store (didn't want to open mine in case I sell it) and I was really impressed. The attachment is kind of a pain, but I don't think it would be too cumbersome. The sounds were very crisp and I really liked it. I think I might just hold on to it. If anyone has other opinions on it, please post. Thanks everyone! Have a nice evening.

Hi All, I realize there are several threads on stethoscopes...I didn't find much on the Master Cardiology. I just got one of these as a gift and am trying to decide if I should keep or sell (still brand new and in the box) for a different model. 1. Does anyone have any experience with the Littmann Master Cardiology? 2. Does it present any difficulties for pediatrics since it is doesn't have a smaller chestpiece? ...thinking of going with the Cardiology III, but wanted some input before I make a decision. Thanks in advance!! :)

As far as I know, cc courses look absolutely fine on a transcript. Most universities understand that students go to cc's for a multitude of reasons and don't automatically assume you have an inferior education. Most all schools have a "residency requirement" that stipulates the number of credit hours you must take in residence at that university. Aside from that, I think most schools want to see you have done well (whether that be at a cc or a university). The only time I have seen schools get pretentious about cc credits is if you are applying to an east coast ivy-league school. There are so many colleges/universities on the east coast that (this is my understanding based on an admissions counselor from Yale) they tend to not like excessive cc credits because it looks like an easy way out. On the contrary, however, since there are many more cc's many other parts of the country that serve communities where a university might be far, far away, these areas tend to have a much more understanding attitude toward cc credits. Aside from very infrequent circumstances, I don't think people care where you get your credits. As has been posted many times on this site, ADN's and BSN's practice side-by-side and there is no difference in licensure exams. There are some professions, where the prestige of your university dictates whether you will get a job and how much you will earn. I don't think this is the case with nursing. Sorry for hijacking the thread

Let me clarify. I was only speaking to the question of cc being harder or easier. I absolutely agree with you that many students choose cc because it is more cost effective. And when I was at the cc, I wasn't easy either...and I do agree that it depends largely on the professor. However, this is a key point. Many faculty members at the cc level tend to have less of an interest in research than in teaching. What does mean? In my opinion, it translates into the instructors being more connected to their students and understanding their abilities and concerns at a comm college because they are often not primarily concerned with the publish/perish phenomenon in the universities. In my opinion and experience, because cc instructors have more of a connection and understand their students' abilities and needs, they tend to be more realistic in expectations. Now, of COURSE there are exceptions and this is a broad generalization, but I have found it to be largely true. And also, I don't know where you teach, but there aren't too many ivy-league educated professors teaching at comm college. This brings me to your point...many times the professor determines the difficulty of the class. I can absolutely see validity in this point. More professors educated at prestigious institutions tend to set their goal at getting to a university to teach and research. Since these professors are ending up at universities and not so much at comm colleges, their expectations tend to be higher, classes harder, and thus it is not as easy to get a 4.0GPA. I don't think anyone will disagree that it is as easy to get a 4.0 at your local comm college as it is to get the same at an ivy-league or a presigious public 4-yr school.

Based on my experience, I have to disagree that "Earning a 4.0 in a CC is not easier or harder necessarily". I have taught at both a community college and 2 universities (non-nursing field) and the expectations and drive for cc students is often lower than at the university. Before the flames begin, let me re-emphasize that I didn't teach nursing courses. That being said, I have many colleagues who teach at both levels and my experiences are similiar to those of others I know who teach at the cc level. I think the big difference, however, is when it comes to older students who attend cc as opposed to a university because it is more convenient and they can't drop their life to do a university schedule during the day. These students tend to work their butts off. However, I do think it is far easier for students to get a 4.0 at a cc than a university (again, only speaking from my experience at the 3 institutions I've taught at)...I've had several transfer students who flew through cc classes with a 4.0 and then hit a brick wall when they get to the university because academic expectations are higher. Let the flaming begin!!