CJRN02

Hi all! First off, I am fairly new to this board and I wanted to thank each and every one of you for serving our country. I am VERY patriotic and have a strong desire to serve. I have been a nurse for almost 5 years and am working on my BSN, mostly so I can join the Navy or Airforce and get my NP. My husband was in the Navy for 6 years as a Navy corpsman and is now out and using his GI bill to get his nursing degree, but I am missing the military sooo much it is killing me. Granted, I was only a spouse, I loved the community and pride of knowing I belonged to such an incredible organization. Okay, now for my questions.... I am just wondering for those of you who have been in civilian and military nursing, how different the two are? Also, I will be certified in OB/neonatal nursing and wanted to know that with my experience and certs if I could be mostly gauranteed an assignment with that specialty? And lastly, how competitive is the FNP/Midwife programs in the Navy? I have many other questions, but have tried looking through all the threads to get my answers....I'm sure I will be posting more as I think of them, as I can't join for at least two more years when my hubby graduates. Thanks!!!

Hi all! I am sorta new to posting on this board, but lurk regularly and have a few questions regarding career paths. Sorry if these are repeats. I have been an RN for almost 5 years. Most of my experience has been in NICU but have dabbled around many places and am now in L&D. My first question is this..... I have always wanted to be a NP. At first, it was my dream to be a Neonatal NP, but after working for many years with them, don't want the high intense stress of that. I love the role of Midwifes, but don't want the liability and low pay/high hours of that.....so what would you reccomend for an advanced practice role? I guess I am just confused now after having been around many roles, I can't figure out which path to take. I think a FNP would give me the most versatility, but I love OB and babies so much that I don't want to get too far from that. Any suggestions from those who have been down that path or others as to what the best route is for good hours, lower stress/liabilty but a decent pay compensation would be? I have some friends who are OB/GYN NP's and are working in L&D again because they couldn't find jobs and could make more money traveling. I am just frusterated because although I have wanted to to advanced practice my whole life, there doesn't seem to be a choice that is worth all the extra schooling and liability. Could some of the NP's here just give me some encouragement that it is worth all the extra school and some direction as to what path to take? Sorry about the novel......:icon_roll

Hello! I am from NM and TCU is my #1 choice for CRNA school at this point. Just wanted to ask how it is and if you like it? How tough was it to get in, and what was the #1 thing they looked for in the applicants? Any answers are very appreciated.

Hi all! I am very excited about coming across this board, as there is a bounty of very useful information. I have some questions for those of you more experienced board members/CRNA's and SRNA's.... I am an RN working on my BSN. I have 4 years of NICU experience (always thought I wanted to be an NNP, until I worked with them long enough) and have various experience in ER, PICU, and mother/baby. I am currently dissatisfied with just being a staff nurse and really want to do advance practice. As I have been reading these posts I have become more and more intrigued by the CRNA profession and was curious to get some advice on the schooling, job, pay, etc. Also, I know there have been a few debates about how long you need critical care experience to get accepted. I was wondering if my experience in NICU is considered critical care or if I need adult ICU/CCU to be considered. Also, I am from NM so have looked at TCU as my closest schooling option. Does anyone have advice as to the best schools for CRNA in the Southwest? Thanks so much in advance for your time and responses!

I am not a NP, but plan on going back to NP school someday. This is my advice to you. I don't see how it is possible to choose an area of nursing without working as a nurse first. I am truely shocked that there is even a program that will allow you to become a NP without nursing experience. Most require at least 2 years. My other concern is the lack of respect you might receive from other nurses who have 5 or even 20 years of experience that you will be "over". They will know much more than you, but you will be expected to have authority over them. Seems a little backwards doesn't it? My suggestion is that you do your time, then decide what specialty you want to do. Most specialties require a specific NP degree so if you ever wanted to to Neonatal, Midwife, Pediatric, Acute care (ICU), or other specialties, a NP in Med-Surg or Family Practice won't facilitate your ability to work in those areas. You are better off working in a variety of settings before you go to 2-3 more years of school and discovering you hate nursing all together and have an advanced degree that won't allow you to do what you discover you really want to do. Just my 2 cents. :wink2:

Romie~ Thanks for the encouragement. I do love precepting new grads. I try my hardest to change the old timers view of nursing by "eating their young". I remember all to well being harrased by the old timers when I was a new grad, and it did nothing except upset me. I learned nothing from those who were mean and hostile and everything from the ones who cut me slack for not knowing everything and allowing me to learn at my own pace. I feel as though I am a very good nurse now but took things slowly and tried not to be supernurse from the get-go. I still learn things EVERY day! It is the new grads that act like they know everything and don't want help that are really scary!

I don't understand why there is so much hostility on this subject. Yes, I realize that as an RN we all take the same test and as a staff nurse we all perform the same job. Personally, I think diploma and ADN programs are better at clinically preparing their nurses as I felt I had better clinical experience than the BSN grads I started working with, but the politics is that people who obtain a higher degree generally should get monitarily rewarded for their extra schooling. Should a nurse practitioner get paid the same as a staff nurse if they are working as a staff nurse? Just because they aren't in a NP role, should they not be compensated in some way for all their extra knowledge and education? It DOES NOT take money to get a higher degree. Most hospitals have tution assistance so even though it might take you longer, you can get your BSN completion paid for, or there is the US Reserves, that will pay for all your education if you serve one weekend a month and two weeks a year for our country, or there ARE grants for middle class folk, you just have to apply for them and work to find one that you qualify for. I get so sick and tired of people using SOCIAL CLASS as an excuse to not advance their education! In fact, people with lower class have an easier time since they can qualify for all the programs that the middle/upper class cannot. If you live in the state of NM you can get your BSN completion for free. Eastern NM University actually has a free BSN program for NM residents. There might be programs like this in other states, you just have to do some research and find out. Hope this doen't stir up more hostility, I am just trying to open the eyes of some people who seem angry and closed minded about this subject.

I personally think that BSN prepared nurses should get a higher pay. At least $2/hr. As has been mentioned in the above posts, they went to school longer and in all other professions, regardless of the job description, people with a bachelors get paid more. Fair or not, that is how it is. At the hospital where I work, you do get $1-3/hr more but you have to be involved in what they call a career ladder where you have to do other things like be on commitees, be a preceptor, have other certificates s/a specialty certs etc to get that extra pay. The BSN/MSN just gives you more points towrds your total to get the compensation. You can actually earn up to $6-8 more per hour by doing all those things. I think it is a great way of encouraging upward education, learning and leadership. I only have an ADN and have actually, until this hospital, have had no desire to get my BSN bc they didn't pay more. Now, with this incentive, I am enrolling in a BSN completion program.

Wow! I'm new here and these posts really made me realize how much I LOVE what I do. Currently, we moved to a place that doesn't have a NICU and these posts are making me have NICU withdrawls. For the same reasons that everyone has said...seems like a tape recorder of my own thoughts....I love the NICU. I was called to be a baby nurse from the time I was a little girl. It is the only thing I ever wanted to do. First, it was a baby doctor, then realized I would be 30 before I got to do patient care, and decided being a NICU nurse would be better, and by the time I was 21, landed myself in a nursery where I thought to myself every day...I can't believe I get paid to do this?!? I have the best job in the entire world! I could repeat what the other posts said, but I will just say to anyone who is wondering what it's like being a NICU nurse these posts pretty much sum it up. It is the most challenging and rewarding job I could ever dream of. The only thing I have ever disliked about my job was the noise (worked mostly in a 50 bed open bay unit where you heard alarms going off and babies crying 24/7) and that was really overstimulating after 12-13 hours. Oh, and the babies born addicted to drugs or with FAS. That always infuriated me and made me want to strangle the mother instead of help her. The shear fact that those babies could have been perfect if it weren't for their ignorant, selfish mothers. Good luck to anyone who choses this field. I gaurentee you won't regret it.