Soapy

Hi, I'm finding this thread very interesting. I'm an Army wife and brat, and wanted nothing more than to join the Army as a medic (still would). Athsma disqualified me, but I'm hoping I can get into the Army Nursing Corps when I get my license (which wont be for a while) so I'm really enjoying all the info here. I hope that since my athsma isn't as bad, maybe I can get a waiver since, from my understanding they don't go to basic. ???? I still need info on how that works though, so any insight would be appreciated. As for the recruiting thing, my DH "served his time" in recruiting (it's hell, let me tell ya) and there are some things they have no control of as far as what will happen with your unit once you get somewhere because it's ultimatly up what that specific group is doing. I will however agree that you should be firm and TELL them what you want. Strings may be pulled to get you what you want, it's not going to kill them if they have to work a little harder to get you what they were going to give someone else. If you have any questions recruiting wise and what is beyond their control, I could definatly find out for you. Anyway, I just wanted to say thanks to all of you serving our country, it's great hearing from the very people I wished to be serving next to, and look up to today. Stay safe out there. Soapy

Hi Frank. I'm acutally considering going that same route. My DH is a SFC in the Army, an ex-recruiter, and one of his buddies is acutally a reservist med. recruiter, so I will DEFINATLY ask and find out about how deployments would work while trying to get your BSN. As soon as I get a moment with him, I'll ask him and see if his buddy has an answer for me as well. I've not thought about that and would like to know myself. I'll keep you posted....

I'm going to Northwest Vista College right now, and the career advisor lady, who's an RN came up with a degree plan in which all the classes I take at NVC, are ones I'll need to get my BSN. All the electives are what I'll be needing to get into UTHSC or SAC. I'm very serious about getting a high GPA and my BF who also just graduated from St. Phillips as well, was just accepting to UTHSC. She said that they've told her that the nursing program at SAC isn't as good as the one at UTHSC, and people graduating from SAC aren't getting as good of jobs as those from Incarnate Word or UTHSC. I kinda find that hard to believe....would you happen to know anything about that? If SAC is only accepting 120 out of 1200 applicants, how does it work that they don't have a waiting list? I'm not familiar with how waiting lists work.

Wow, thanks for that info. They have a CC out here that still does the diploma, which is why I was wondering. I wonder why they haven't phased it out. What's the difference though between an Associates of Science and an Associates in Art when it comes to nursing? I've seen those 2 mentioned.

WOW, I love reading all the stories!! :) I'm acutally BARELY just starting with school but I know this is my "calling". Since I could remember, I was just always intruiged by hospitals, the human body, medicine, etc... When I was younger, because my dad was in the Army, we had free medical. I'd always make up some illness or over do my cold just to go to the doctor's. I LOVED hospitals. Anyway, in 7th grade, I got really sick, and the docs said it was just the flu. I told my mom there was something wrong with my lung, but the Doc said no, I was fine. I was in the ER 2 days later with pneumonia and a collapsed lung. I was hospitalized for over a month, all through Christmas and New Years with chest tubes. It was two nurses there that I will NEVER forget. One was a very pretty lady with LONG eyelashes. She'd hold my hand when they were doing spinal taps or inserting my chest tubes and she always spoiled me. If she was on shift no one could touch me unless she was in the room with me...she called me her baby. I loved her! Another was a younger man studying to be a surgeon. He taught me to jump right as the elevator takes off, and right before it stops. He'd bring me magazines and tell me about his "cool Army life" when he'd have the night shifts. It was so fun and he was really cute! They probably made the biggest impact on me knowing that I wanted to be a nurse. The LITTLE things they did for me made me feel wonderful, especially when I'd be hurting so much. I really loved them because they LISTENED to me when I said something was wrong. 9 times out of 10, there was something wrong, and they were the only ones that seemed to really comfort me. Throughout my life I've had too many physicians not take me seriously, and I vowed to never do that when (not if) I became a doctor or nurse. Well, my buget can't handle being a doctor. That and from what I've heard, it's not for me. I want that patient to patient care. My plan was to join the Army and be a medic, doctor, nurse, whatever. Those plans went downhill when I found out I'm medically (how ironic) disqualified from joining the military. So, now I just hope that I can get through all this school and be in what I like to call "my second home" (a hospital...seriously, I don't know why I love them and feel so comfortable in them.) someday, and maybe I can get to work in a military hospital since DH is in the service. I've always picked up and absorbed anything medical...I'd always be telling people what was wrong with them, or what I felt they should have "checked out" with very surprizing results! Even in middle school they'd be amazed at "how did you know about that?". It was cool! LOL. I hope that memory and absorption of info sticks with me through nursing school!

That's sad. What are people thinking? You're right, that's just plain stupid and I believe should be a crime.

Ahh...ok, that's what I thought. Thanks. :) So...Brittanyrenee...why do you say that RN's obtained by a diploma program are few and far between? Is it because people try to get higher degrees later on like EricEnfermo said and therefore there aren't any, or is it because it's hard...easy....? Does ADN and ASN really make a difference? One's a regular associate's degree and the other's an associates in Science right? What's the difference between the two in nursing?

I'm really kinda new to all the acronyms and to how nursing itself works degree and "rank" wise, so I'm sorry if I sound really silly here. My question is....what is the difference between an RN and all the other "N's" (ADN, BSN, MSN.....). I know what the ones in ( )'s stand for, but I thought all those were considered RN's, just with different degrees?? I saw on another post that you can get your RN, ADN, BSN....and I just got confused. I thought any Nurse's degree means your an RN. I saw that list of degrees but it didnt' answer my question as to the differences. Sorry for the silly question....Please enlighten me oh smart ones! LOL. :)

Thank you very much, that info helps a lot. :)

OOOHHH!!! Gocha. Ok...I thought was all fancy shmancy. Thanks so much!

I was looking at a website that required people to have an unrestricted RN licence to apply for the position(s). How would you get one of those? Is it only attainable through California? I heard that getting your RN in California keeps you from having to take the test in other states. Is that true too?

Thanks for that bit of info. As for the support system I have, my SIL, which I'm pretty close to is here and has offered to help. I also have a few of my DH's co-workers and their wives offering help, however little it may be I'm sure I can find someone to help me out if I REALLY need to. My problem (and I know this is more of a personal thing for ME and I'm going to have to get over eventually,) is that I believe my kids are MY responsibiliy, not anyone else's, which is why I'm often reluctant to ask for help, but I know I do have some if I need it. By the time I start on any nursing program, my DH will be back from Iraq and would be more able to work something out with my schedule. Right now I'm going full time to a community college, and I just go to school every day while my kids are at school and I squeeze in some time for my homework. THey're old enough to keep themselves entertained and help me out with housework and things like that, which makes it a lot easier. However, I know that nursing school is more demanding and time consuming that what I'm doing now, which is why I was asking for more info. In regards to our financial situation, we're good. My DH is an E7 (higher enlisted) and we are very careful and frugal with our finances. He's told me to put our kids, who are 8 and 5 in some kind of daycamp or childcare during the summer months to allow me to go to summer school. That's a very big option that I feel I'm going to have to take if my SIL's schedule doesn't allow me to leave them with her. My BF who got accepted to the University of Texas Health and Science Center, did mention that during her interview, they made it sould like they didn't really want anyone who had other family or more serious commitments, which really bothered me, but I have been aware of that. Sadly, you confirmed that it's a common practice, thank you for the head's up. So far, a 2 year college is looking like the best thing for me, but I want to get all the facts and all the choices I have. I have about 2 more years or so until I apply to any nursing prgm, but I want to have a plan in place as soon as I can. Thanks for your info, it was very helpful. :)

Hi everyone....I recently moved to San Antonio and am currently going to College for the first time to get my prerequ's out of the way. I'm still a little confused as to what route to take with my education. My best friend just finished at St. Phillips and got accepted to UTHCS and my plan was to go that route too to get my BSN right away. I've also been talking to a few people and I've gotten mixed reviews on what is best....to just get my ADN at a local community college with a nursing program and get into a hospital that will pay for me to get my BSN later, go straight into my BSN like my best friend, or get my certificate and skip all the way to get my MSN. One lady that has her MSN told me that all hospitals in San Antonio have up to 100% tuition reimbursement for anyone wanting to get their BSN or MSN, but I'm not sure how true that is. What's making it a bit tough is that I'm 26 and I have 2 kiddos, with my DH in the Army (and going to Iraq next month for a year and a half)I want to hurry up and get my career going before we have to move again. I'm going to school while my kids are in schoo so that I can be there for them when they get home and on the weekends, so time is of the essence for me and I feel a bit restricted on my school hours. Because of this, I have no idea how long it's going to take for me to finish up school and I want to really get the best education because I'm serious about nursing. Because of those personal reasons, I keep hearing to just get my RN quickly, and later on go for my BSN. I DO know that I DO want a bachelors in nursing eventually...that's not a question...I just don't know what options are open to me, what schools would be good, and what's going to benifit me most when we do leave to another state. Anyone have any advise?? :)

WOW!! That's great info! I'm kinda new to this site and nursing (still taking my prerequ's). Ok...so question....to do any of those types of nursing, can you have your ADN or do you have to have a BSN? (still kinda confused about the ADN/BSN thing.) THANKS!

Hi everyone! I was born and raised in El Paso, and even though it's "home" to me, I would also never go back. Part of me really does LOVE it, the people there are sooo nice and if you're into backyard parties and clubbin, then it's great. It's "home" for me so I always find myself going to visit, but in terms of making a life out there, I would never want to do that. The reason being is for the same given above....people there really do get "stuck". The city is growing like wildfire, but rather than bringing in acutal big businesses, and attractions, they bring in restaruants, malls, and jobs that leave little room for advancement. Kids (by kids I mean teens) have very little to do there but party and go clubbin' sometimes even in Mexico. Just trouble. I left in '98 when I graduated from high school in the Northeast side (ohh...the northeast side....the ghetto:rolleyes: ). While I visit frequently, I cannot see myself there. My family that is still there says they're trying to bring in more businesses and hospitals, but it's all talk so far. I can't speak for the medical field there, other than there is a HUGE shortage of nurses there, and as my friends tell me, they get paid pretty good there. I grew up going to the military hospital there, and the nurses (even some civilian) liked the pay, just not the fact that there's not much to do in EP. Schools there aren't THAT bad, they're MUCH worse in California, but that's due in part to the Texas education system as a whole. Living in San Antonio now, I do see that the schools in EP aren't as great as in other parts of the country, as a state, the schools are good....I've seen worse. Everyone says to live in the West side, but you really just have to research for yourself different parts of the city. Like I said, the NE side is known as the ghetto, where you go get stabbed, but I grew up there and it's all more bad reputation than fact. The NE side has some really nice neighborhoods which also includes military housing. The Sgt. Major's academy is there, and it's where they house them in a nice area called North Hills. People there are nice and not as "scary" as some parts of EP have a reputation of having. The housing market is hot there right now though! Being military there is differnent than being there as a civilian. Saguario13, I'm pretty sure you can find a very well paying job at WBAMC, the Army hospital there. Being an Army wife myself, growing up as an Army brat in EP, I really think that with your DH in the service and you working as a nurse in EP, you all will be financially well off. The cost of living for what people make there may be a bit high, but with those 2 occupations, you'll be ok. Ft. Bliss is the 2nd (or 3rd..I forget) biggest Army base in the US, so military facilities and the attitude of the people there about the military are very favorable. If the Army is sending you there, I wouldn't completely rule it out.....especially if you're likely to be transfered somewhere else later. LOL...just don't get stuck living there forever! As a civilian, unless you're also planning on leaving at some point, I just can't see it being something I would do. People really DO get "stuck" and are ok with it, but it hurts those that want to advance. Depending on the side of town you're on and what your income is, you may be just fine! Speaking spanish is a plus, if you love to go out to eat, then you'll be set, but if you like to go out and enjoy things and DO things....you'll find yourself bored quickly. As for Las Cruces....I have a good friend there that says that's where they big bucks are! Areas there have multi-million dollar houses and the workforce is small, but strong. Again, I don't know about how the nursing field is out there, but I'll try to find out for you. I hope I answered some questions too....feel free to ask! :)