tater.jake

I was given an awesome (sounding) job offer in downtown Seattle. When I did the math on housing vs commute times, I couldn't bring myself to accept it. Are downtown nurses having problems keeping up? Wage increases are minuscule while housing is outrageous!

I have to continue working full time, so I would prefer online part time school (or otherwise manageable while working 40+ hours per week). I live in WA. I have a BSN with a 3.0 GPA I have looked into Gonzaga. I am concerned with clinical hours and preceptorship, though. I don't want get in over my head.

some NPs at work regularly have this one in print: http://www.npjournal.org/

I have heard a great many things and googled the guts out of this topic. All I can come up with is "it depends on where you are and which school you go to." Please correct me if that is wrong. If anyone has reference to reliable info on the topic, I would love to see it.

I think that learning how to cut to the chase and having faith in your knowledge would save a student oodles of time in this program. Learning how to "trim the fat" on the course info will save lots of time and effort. Brave the tasks and get them in the bag. Course mentors, in addition to your main mentor are actually helpful and surprisingly available/quick to respond. I decided to take a term break for 3 months so that I can enjoy my summer. Applied Healthcare Statistics I got spooked on this one and really dragged it out. There was a pre-assessment that was way harder and focused on different chapters than the actual exam (OA). It turns out that they have updated the PA within the last few months so it's not so scary. I studied a lot and watched the lectures. I passed on my first attempt. The lectures (videos) are actually helpful. This class had lots of terminology and concepts, but not a lot of calculation. History It's easy to get caught up in the wrong details on this. Feels like a lot of work for 2 one-credit classes, but I might have made it harder than it needed to be. Biochemistry Probably the "bear" of my first term, though it still wasn't that bad. I followed the 20 day plan (found in the student success community) to the T and passed. 3 of my tasks passed on the first try, 2 of them had to be resubmitted more than once. Health Assessment (OA) I failed my first attempt on this by 2 points. There was a lot of provider-oriented material, but I found it to be a great refresher on assessment. Applied Health Assessment Pretty straightforward, follow the instructions. Helps to do it after you pass the written exam (i.e. I had no idea how to assess sinuses and tactile fremitus until I took this class). They want you to use certain software to produce a video, which complicates things a bit. Care of the Older Adult I thought this OA was pretty easy, but I used to work LTC as a CNA. Passed it on the first attempt. The most challenging material was on medicaid, medicare, and healthy people campaigns.

ready to rock and roll on this.

most likely, but I guess it depends on the specific school in question.

I haven't begun to investigate, but the enrollment counselor says about 1/2 of the programs won't take WGU credits.

tentatively

I was hoping for a description from an actual student who is going through it.

dang, it turns out that Ohio U will only take apps from 5 states, and mine isn't one of them. thanks anyway.

thanks. someone else was recommending that. sounds good because I do have lots of other credits.

A handy link to UT arlington https://www.uta.edu/nursing/rn-bsn

I liked the flexibility and low cost of the ADN program at Excelsior, but the BSN program at Excelsior doesn't offer much flexibility. I've been off the forum for a while and it seems like times have changed. Any recommended distance learning RN to BSN programs out there? Cost isn't quite such an issue anymore because I have good benefits for education through my employer.

I'm glad someone like you got to read it.

Ya I really think local schools try to discredit distance learning as a self preservation thing. Also, you can imagine the bitterness of nurses who spent more money and took more time only to end up with the same jobs we have.

You really did help me, Lunah. Thanks.

I graduated as an LPN back in 2007 and immediately started pursuing LPN to RN degrees at my local university. After realizing that my university was set up more to collect tuition dollars and less to produce a good RN, I sought out distance learning. I liked the idea and the flexibility of distance learning, and enrolled in Excelsior College in 2007. In August of 2009, I passed my CPNE and became a GN shortly after (which almost doubled my pay the instant my BON faxed my temp license to my employer). I found myself on allnurses and excelsior forums. I was trying to find validation that I was doing things right, and that I was not making a mistake by choosing distance learning. I found a few strangers here who posted detailed info and it really helped me. Since graduating, I have had a successful career, working in three different states and several different areas of care with salaries ranging from $60k to $90k. I have gotten to experience what RNs do in all sorts of settings. I have seen a whole new side of humanity and it has been very enlightening to me. Despite being warned otherwise, no employer has looked twice at where I got my degree, and I have not hit any snags with license endorsement. Personally I have found that employers look hard at my interview, experience, and references, not so much where I graduated or what my GPA was. I think that's sensible on the employer's part, too. Don't let any snooty students or co-workers make you feel like a lesser RN. Knowledge, critical thinking, and skill makes good RNs, and the source of those three things does not matter. Employers know that.

IA minimum wage is is $7.25 http://www.dol.gov/whd/minwage/america.htm#Iowa

$19/hr for an RN is wrong in any context, so long as we are referring to an RN working ANYWHERE in the US (especially with inflation on the rise). It baffles me when nurses try to defend that trend.

I swear... these people keep turning up, and I can't believe it.

cost of living is 87.5 (vs us average of 100) http://www.city-data.com/city/Sioux-City-Iowa.html

lots of hospitals are paying like this: http://www.mercysiouxcity.com/rn-wages Strangely, people want to either deny that this is the state of things, or say "we should be grateful." No we shouldn't... not for what we do *edit: sioux city has a cost of living index of 87.5 compared to a national average of 100

At the end of the day, who has the energy left to write up a disrespectful co-worker, fill out a maintenance form, clean out a drawer, or email administration? It behooves us all to be proactive about our work environments. Don't become complacent with misbehaving co-workers, clutter, and broken equipment. So say something! Do something! Follow up, follow up, follow up, until the problem is gone. Don't forget that YOU are part of the "they" that everyone refers to.

Just insane to hear that bedside staff are getting pinkslips.