tnd511

I used to work outpt and there you were assigned bed slots ONLY. Basically, as the pt's came out the charge would just say send them to what ever # slot and she would try and give them out evenly....like if you just got an admission then someone else would get the next and so forth. The main problem was, there were certain people who would sit on their pts and not try to progress them, therefore they always got less admissions. And I want to mention that yes sometimes someone would get a pt before they were actually there. If all of us had our 3 slots full then they would get put in a slot of someone who isn't there and we would all take care of the pt until they got there, usually only a few minutes. I now work in a inpt PACU and we don't assign pts or slots or anything. We all work well together and basically when a pt comes out whoever isn't busy takes the pt. And when we are really busy people just watch each others pts and chart vitals and medicate as necessary....does that make sense at all? It is sort of an odd system, but it works for us and as the charge nurse in the evenings it makes my life so much easier to not have to beg people to take admissions.

XX If you carefully read what I wrote, you will see that I said that these years will contribute to my further education and in "a way they have been a portion of my residency". I in NO way said that my 13 years of nursing made me equal to a Dr., did I???? I am pretty on top of my knowledge base and will freely admit that I don't know everything, nor will I ever know everything, no matter the number of years I am in school. You would be well served to adopt the same attitude! and your patients will appreciate a Dr. who knows when to say I don't know, but I will find out! Further more I added, and I quote from my initial post....... So while I don't equate NP's and MD's, I do feel that when I am finished with school that I will be ready to provide SAFE and adequate care that will only get better with years of practice.....just like all graduates from med school.....if I didn't believe that, I wouldn't even go to NP school!!! So Bob, good luck in school and PLEASE remember that you are always going to be learning....the day you stop learning, please STOP practicing medicine!! BTW, why again did you feel the need to come and post on this board when (they) have a board of thier own? You were never going to get the answer you seek. But then again I get the feeling that you weren't really seeking any answers, rather furthering the already great divide, JMO.

As a nurse for nearly 13 years, I have worked in many areas of nursing and I feel that my experiences have made me pretty well-rounded. I am starting a CC, ER, Trauma NP/CNS program in Jan. I do feel that my almost 13 years of nursing experience will contribute to my education and in a way these years have been a portion of my "residency". I have worked CC for years and learned from the attendings as well as the residents. This learning has definitely augmented my initial training and will contribute to future education. When most people start med school how many years of medical experience do they have???? I would dare say no where near 13, but I could be wrong. Once in my program I will take more classes in Physiology and Patho., multiple classes in assessment, pharmacology, and so on. So while I am sure that your education far out weighs that of your sister's BSN, so will my NP education out weigh that of my BSN. The main difference that I can see between the 2 programs is that when you go to med school you take alot of very broad classes and after many years of generalized practice you then can decide on a specialty. When you become an NP you are specialized from the beginning, therefore eliminating alot of general classes that aren't needed for the practice that one has chosen. So while I don't equate NP's and MD's, I do feel that when I am finished with school that I will be ready to provide SAFE and adequate care that will only get better with years of practice.....just like all graduates from med school.....if I didn't believe that, I wouldn't even go to NP school!!! And BTW, I have no desire to become a Dr. I am very happy and proud of being a nurse. If you ask me that one big difference between the MD and the NP is RESPECT:nono: , which is very sad!

Hospitals DO on the job training......it is called ORIENTATION! If you hire into a hospital right out of school and they don't give you ATLEAST 8weeks or orientation then RUN THE OTHER WAY!!!!! Most hospitals that hire new grads into the ICU give them 12 weeks orientation (minimum). Not only do they provide orientation, they often send new nurses to many classes (if you work in the ICU especially) like EKG interpretation, Critical Care classes, and anything else that may be special to the floor in which you will be working like CVVHD or IABP. So yes, it does cost the hospital money to train you. I know that SOME managers are very sceptical when someone says that they want to go to school. You may want to keep that info to yourself until alittle futher down the road.

You may want to look closely at the schools that offer accelerated BSN's AND have CRNA programs. Oakland Univ., Wayne State, U of D Mercy all have programs. I believe that Michigan State is in the process and will have a CRNA program soon....but not sure when. If you attend one of these schools and do well in the BSN portion and get in good with the professors it may give you a leg up when it comes time to apply for CRNA school.

NP wannabe, This program is a CNS not an NP program....if I am reading it correctly. There is a hugh difference between the two. An Np can work as a CNS BUT a CNS CAN'T work as an NP. Edited to add: Do they have a post master's cert. if you are interested in becoming an NP? Also, if you choose, say, Adult NP and don't really like it or want something new, most universities will let you take the additional classes and then you can test for a different concentration like FNP.....KWIM? You are never locked into one career FOREVER.....not in Nursing anyway!

I just took it, see my post "now what???". The practice test scores were actually lower than what I received on the actual test. I am still waiting on my essay scores. I would spend time working on time management. The reason that I didn't do very well on the analytical is because I ran out of time. I answered about 6 questions with "C", UGH! Good Luck and just try and relax!

Thanks!

When you apply to a school, I know they figure your overall GPA abd your science GPA. When the science GPA is calculated do they take the overall GPA for all science classes or do you have to have a (whatever) for each class? ie: If the minimum science GPA is a 3.0...does that mean you have to have a 3.0 in EACH science course or is it a cumulative GPA of a 3.0 for all science classes together? I have a C in 1 of my science classes, but my overall science GPA is a 3.4 (I think). Just trying to figure out if I need to retake that 1 class. Just curious....Thanks.

I studied on my own with a couple of GRE books. I tried to take it after a short period of studying because I was planning on applying for school in '07. I have since realized that I can't "get myself together" and be ready for school next year. I have set my goal for '08 and I am working toward that. I have come to the conclusion that I have ALOT more to do to prepare for the test. I am just worried that a less than stellar GRE score will over shadow the better one. I have thought about the prep class, but $1000+ for a class is a real killer.......I can think of a million ways to spend $1000, like save it for when I am in school:chuckle . Thank you all for the replies, I do appreciate them. BTW, no one else has ever had to take the GRE twice? come on....I can't be the ONLY one:uhoh3: .....can I???????

As a former CICU nurse and a current supervisor, I often hear from senior staff....."I can't take a pt from the ED.....So and So are working and they are fairly new grads. I have a weak crew today and as the charge nurse it is really hard. I just can't take any more." I can truely appreciate the sentiment of a charge nurse trying to "keep it together" and working with a bunch of newbies. I really feel that the MANAGER should never leave the unit staffed so poorly, and poor staffing isn't all about the numbers! But on off shifts most managers only care that there is an adequate number of nurses and pay little attention to the mix of nurses:nono: . New grads are allowed to work in the ICU right out of school. Those who choose this road need to understand that it will be anything but easy! BUT this is the road that YOU decided to take. You can learn to be great or you can learn to be bitter, your choice! Having said the above......seasoned nurses really do need to put themselves in the shoes of others. I realized they are stressed, but how does picking on the new grad fix that???? We can either help each other and hopefully end up with some great co-workers or we can pick, pick, pick until they leave......our choice! wanted to add: I didn't read all of the responses, sorry if I repeated others.

I didn't get any responses on the pre-crna side so I thought that I would give it a go here. My question...... I am fairly new here, so I will post a little background......I really, REALLY want to become a CRNA. I was recently offered a full scholarship to become a FNP, which I turned down because it really wasn't my dream.....CRNA is! I have been way from the ICU for 4 years and I am in the process of looking for a job (I have been working in a PACU). My GPA from my ADN was pretty bad, like a 2.53 and my GPA from my BSN was much better..a 3.9. I took my GRE today and I SUCKED! I got a 490 Quant and a 450 Verbal. I was looking at the GRE website and it said (for institutions) that they should look at all of the scores if it is taken multiple times and that any great impovement basically was a fluke????? Not in those exact words, mind you. So now what???? I have felt so discouraged since I decided to persue the CRNA route. It seems that every turn presents an insurmountable task. I don't want to give up on my dream, but I am beginning to wonder if it will ever become a reality. I am really smart, but I have never done well on standardized tests. I feel that my scores on the GRE are in no way a reflection of my intelligence, but I may never get to prove that in an interview. UGH!!! How many have taken the GRE more than once? Did your scores really improve the subsequent time(s)? When you applied to schools how did they view multiple GRE scores? Thanks for any input! Anyone?????

I am really glad to hear that school was managable. I haven't even applied for school yet, but I am already worried about getting through the program with 2 small children. I feel that it would be easier with 2 small children vs. 2 teenagers!

I am fairly new here, so I will post a little background......I really, REALLY want to become a CRNA. I was recently offered a full scholarship to become a FNP, which I turned down because it really wasn't my dream.....CRNA is! I have been way from the ICU for 4 years and I am in the process of looking for a job (I have been working in a PACU). My GPA from my ADN was pretty bad, like a 2.53 and my GPA from my BSN was much better..a 3.9. I took my GRE today and I SUCKED! I got a 490 Quant and a 450 Verbal. I was looking at the GRE website and it said (for institutions) that they should look at all of the scores if it is taken multiple times and that any great impovement basically was a fluke????? Not in those exact words, mind you. So now what???? I have felt so discouraged since I decided to persue the CRNA route. It seems that every turn presents an insurmountable task. I don't want to give up on my dream, but I am beginning to wonder if it will ever become a reality. I am really smart, but I have never done well on standardized tests. I feel that my scores on the GRE are in no way a reflection of my intelligence, but I may never get to prove that in an interview. UGH!!! How many have taken the GRE more than once? Did your scores really improve the subsequent time(s)? When you applied to schools how did they view multiple GRE scores? Thanks for any input!

I don't think that wanting a program that is condusive to having a family makes you "unmotivated", IMO. If it does than I am EXTREMELY unmotivated! I turned down a full scholarship to FNP school because I REALLY want to become a CRNA. I am willing to do just about anything to reach my goal, but having a program where I could attend part-time would be really great. If I don't find such a program than I will get through the full-time program without complaint! I think that it is very short-sighted on the part of the admissions panel to look down on those of us who have a family and don't want to forget about them for 2+ years.