boomer28

Brycemom, I'm so glad to hear that you had a good experience with L&D nurses as a patient. That is the most important thing.

I also wanted to add that I was able to see a natural lady partsl childbirth (I even got to hold the mother's leg while she pushed!!!) where the baby was delivered by a midwife. She was amazing, and was the nicest person I talked to that day (and she was from a private practice, not from the hospital). She encouraged me to help and explained things to me. She even commented to me and the other student that she didn't like the environment there.

Thanks for the responses. I'm glad to know I'm not the only one that's experienced the cold shoulder in a unit. It just makes me wonder if you can't be friendly to a newcomer to the unit how you might treat your patients.

Hi, I am currently a nursing student. I am in OB clinical and today I went down to L&D to observe 2 C-sections and a lady partsl birth. When I go to observe anyone, I always am polite, professional, and I stay out of the way or assist as much as possible. I always thank anyone that helps me. I have to say that I was really disappointed in the nurses' attitudes in the L&D unit. Not only did they act like I didn't exist, they badmouthed each other and the doctors on the unit. The one nurse in charge of the patient I was observing for the 1st C-section ignored me and left me behind in the hall. When I asked what I needed to do to prepare, she barked at me to put on a hat and mask. I rarely saw anyone smile and the majority of the time the nurses were complaining about something or another while sitting at the nurses station doing nothing but eating and reading magazines. The big problem I have is that this is a teaching hospital, and the nurses were not busy. There is no reason why they could not have had the courtesy to speak to me and acknowledge my presence. I felt like I was the outsider at the popular girls' table or something, with the negative vibe I got from being there. Is this an OB phenomenon or does this happen in other areas of the hospital??? I've never been around nurses like this all grouped together. After having the experience I had today, I would NEVER want to have my baby in that hospital.

I think I know how you feel. I started out in engineering for the same reasons you decided to become a nurse- it just seemed the most practical and I felt like I settled because it seemed like the best option, but not what I really wanted to do. I figured out before I graduated that it wasn't what I thought it would be and that I hated it. I think you just know that a career is not a right fit, it's just hard admitting to yourself that it's not working because you feel stupid. Having made the change to a different career in nursing (not easy!) I know that I love it and I made the right choice. Therefore, I would suggest to you to find something you really love and work towards that. I think that you know by now in your gut whether or not you want to stick with nursing. Good luck!

I guess I am confused by the negativity towards Dr. Mundinger's article. I actually felt empowered by it as an MSN student considering continuing on for a DNP. She clearly described the role of the DNP, emphasizing the benefit to patients in terms of health management (prevention, education, family centered care) that physicians generally do not do. I agree with her that patients are better off if they are seen by a provider that has both medical and nursing skills. I am not saying that a DNP should take the place of an MD, I am just pointing out that in the entire meshwork of collaborative care that should take place in the treatment of a patient, it would be beneficial for a patient to see a specialist MD and also have continued care by a DNP. In regards to the length of the program, what I have heard is that the current MSN has so many credit hours already, it is practically on par with what a doctorate would be in other specialties, so that is one reason they want to change to a DNP. I'm all for it and I'm excited about the changing role in advanced practice nursing.

I too was disturbed by a lot of the comments made on the SDN website about NPs. Apparently some medical students have a misunderstanding about the value of nurses and NPs and what it is that they do. I have a feeling that they will eventually figure it out . The fact of the matter is that hospitals and doctors offices are hiring more NPs than ever, so they need to face the facts. I'm currently working on my MSN to become an FNP (and maybe a DNP!) and I am not worried about negativity from med students or physicians because I am confident in my abilities to be a good practitioner and I will not tolerate being disrespected. I say hey, if you want to be rude, that's just fine. It will make your patients prefer to see me... no one wants to go see a rude physician. Actually, I am looking forward to working with physicians on a collaborative basis because I think it will end up helping provide better healthcare to my patients whether I decide to work in a hospital or a family practice.

I'm taking Pathophys right now and I don't like our main text. However, our prof recommended a wonderful Patho handbook that is sooo easy to read. It really simplifies things and cuts out all the extraneous crap. I feel like I can just read through it like a story book. If you're interested, look for "Handbook of Pathophysiology", by Elizabeth J. Corwin

I've lost about 5lbs. so far this quarter. I pan outmy meals and pack a lunch every night before class the next day (full of healthy food) to prevent myself from eating out on campus. On clinical days I barely have time to eat lunch. I guess I've just been so busy that I don't have time to really eat junk (except on weekends and tonight because it's Halloween).

I absolutely agree with the advice to figure out which one would make you the happiest. You'll definitely be pretty darn well off doing any of those. I know from experience not to choose the moneymaking career over what you really want to do. I'm now changing fields to nursing because I made a mistake. Also, don't assume that the MD will be making the most money. There is a great difference in pay between specialties. I personally chose NP over MD because I felt I could get paid a good salary while still being able to have decent hours or the possiblity of working part time. 3 years of nursing school (I have a BS in another field), being able to work during school (as an RN the 3rd!) and NO residency for master's in nursing vs. 4 yrs of med. school & getting paid crap (relative to the hrs worked) for 3-7 yrs of residency was also a huge factor in my decision...

I am starting a master's in nursing program in a couple of weeks. For my previous job, I pretty much wore ratty T-shirts and jeans because I would get my clothes dirty or ruined. I'm planning on buying a bunch of new clothes for school, and I'm not really sure what people normally wear in grad school. Any advicewould be much appreciated. Please help!! Thanks.

Hello everyone, I was hoping someone could give me some advice. After a year of working as a research assistant in a biology lab at a university, I applied and was accepted to the Grad Entry program at the same university. When I told my boss about the acceptance, he told me he would give me a raise and asked if I would consider staying on part time (which would be with really flexible hours). I was really looking forward to leaving my job, but I thought that maybe I could negotiate staying on as a graduate research assistant and get my tuition waived and receive a stipend. I don't know if this is possible- I haven't talked with my boss about it. Here's the dilemma: Should I continue to work during grad school or just take out the loans? I have heard that the Grad Entry programs are pretty intense. I talked to my advisor and she suggested that if I don't have to, I should probably not work. Part of me agrees, and thinks that I should just focus on school and not worry about the loans. I am torn and I don't know what to do. I don't know if I can deal with another year at the lab job & take a full load of classes, but how could I turn down a chance to make money or get my tuition waived? What do you think? Has anyone else been in a similar position? I'd love to hear your views. Thanks! boomer28

Hi, I just got accepted to a direct entry program. I agree with the other posters who suggested asking for recommendations from contacts outside of work and through volunteering. I actually had a co-worker write a recommendation for me, in addition to a former professor and my boss. That way I had a variety of people. I knew my co-worker was bad with deadlines (always turning things in at the last minute or later) so I told him the deadline was actually earlier than it was. Sure enough, he turned it in the very day I gave him as the deadline. Hope that helps. Good luck! boomer28