DelGR

I have not. Did you look it up on the internet? Here is the url. http://www.visn1.med.va.gov/boston/ Generally, any of the VA websites gives you a general idea of the services they offer to vets and the make up of the staff.

VA Nurse, I agree with you 100% about trying to get any advancement in the VA. They apply the Nurse Qual standards too strictly and are biased against anyone they have had past dealings with. Anyone who has become a thorn in managements side will not be advanced even if they are doing excellent nursing. Once you fall out of favor, it will take moving on to another facility to get an advancement. I know a friend of mine did. At a time when they wanted all nurse managers to have their BSN (which she had), they would not give her a position as a nurse manager because the Chair of the Nurse Professional Board didn't like her and would not agree to advancing her when her yearly eval came up.

ADNs and BSNs do the same. Responsibility is the same. Same license. Like all have said before. you may have more options for specific positions from your employer. I have known ADNs who were the only ones to apply for Nurse Manager positions and got them even though the description of the job says BSN perferred. It depends on the facility and Position Descriptions. For instance, my job as a Risk Manager is to have a BSN. In some facilities, they will not allow those with ADNs to apply for specific BSN required or even preferred positions. That is why a BSN gives you more flexibility and options.

To Browsing, I commend you that you are going to try. Yes, I do think an ADN is higher learning (post high school). Anyway, I'm not annoyed. I hope you were not offended by my remarks. I just wanted to caution you about what to expect both in school and on the job. In my ADN class, I did not have to do group projects. I did have to give individual oral presentations form time to time. They were short and informal and not a formal stand in front of the group type of thing. The speech class was the only one I had to do in front of the class (several times). After all, that was what speech was about; presenting something to a group. Make sure you have a good grade point average with your general classes. Some ADN programs want good general course GPAs (I believe my ADN program would not let anyone apply if they had less than 3.2 GPA). I know other programs may expect 2.8 or higher GPA. Believe me, I understand your comments about being tired of school. I've told all my friends, family and co-workers to take me out back and shoot me if I mention going for a PhD. I've spent a total of 11 to 12 years of my life (while working full time always) going to school. To Hopeful RN 2006, Many of the facilitators at UoP online consider a PowerPoint project as a presentation. They will tell you that they want a specific number of slides with speaker notes and give you a specific length of time for the presentation to last such as 10 or 20 minutes. So, you do the PowerPoint and present it to yourself first to see if it meets the timeframe. Then you add it as an attachment to a specific newsgroup. Some facilitaors want you to add special features such as audio and animation, etc. Hope this is an adequate answer.

Browsing, Unfortunately you are not going to get out of doing papers, giving presentations, and doing projects in any higher learning institute. You would be doing even more if you were enrolled in an online course. The University of Phoenix online is nothing but individual and team work papers in concentrated 3-6 week classes. BSN classes are 5 weeks, I believe. MSN classes are generally 6 weeks. You don't have to do oral presentations but you do have to do PowerPoint projects from time to time. I went the ADN, BSN route and now I am completing my MSN. My ADN and BSN required specific "breath of knowledge" general courses: Chemistry, Algebra, Micorbiology, Biology, Physics, English Composition, History, Sociology, etc. I waiting over 5 years between my ADN and BSN and had to retake my sciences and math (I had already taken A&P, Chemisty, Micro, Algebra, etc. in my ADN). I also had speech and philosophy in my ADN. I didn't like speech at all. Scared to death. The BSN required many oral in front of the class presentations and group work. SO, unless you just want a job where you make money without having to do much in the way of administrative type of stuff, I would suggest a technical field that doesn't required the type of classes you seem reluctant to try. I'm not trying to be mean, just realistic. Nursing is a continuous life long learning experience. Once you get into it, you will see what I mean. Who knows, you may find your niche and really enjoy it and be eager to pursue higher education. As the others stated, you DO have many more options with a BSN. And when you physically can't do the bedside tasks anymore (as happened to me), you will be very thankful that you had the BSN to explore those other options. I wish you much luck and a brighter successful future.

I never worked as a GNT. However, several times I have worked with them at my VA. Those that I've worked with stayed at the VA and are still there many, many years later (15 years or more). I've been in the VA since June 1977.

Have you thought of an Online course through the UOP (University of Phoenix)? I'm on my 4th class. It is intense but flexible with my life style. You have to have a computer and a contingency plan if something goes haywire. There are no excuses for not meeting deadlines or handing in paper work or getting power points done. You can use the public library for one contingency plan. The courses vary from 1 credit hour to 3 or 4. Each credit hour is approx. $420.00 (recent increase from $410.00). Registration was $85.00 last Sept. Classes are from 3 weeks to 6-8 weeks depending on the credits for each class. One week off between classes. There are breaks during regularly observed holidays. You need a current RN license and proof that you graduated from an approved BSN program. You do not need to take the GRE or have a statistics class. It is NLN approved. The total number of credits for the Master's degree in Nursing is 39. Everything is online. No clinicals even though you may have to get approval for whom or what you choose for the practicums (there are two required). The book prices are some of the better I've come across in my years of going to school. Many books are tailored for the UOP campus. PM me if you have further questions. :)

Yes, you are eligible I believe after working at least one year at the VA. The MSN may or may not be funded depending on who else may want to sign up from your facility. They (the VA) have a priority to give the funding to those seeking BSN degrees first then MSN. There are several nurses in my facility taking the BSN courses. So far I know that there is me and one other nurse where I work going for their master's degree. I agree that the UOP online courses are intense. You will owe the VA back in time (3 years) once you are finished with the BSN. Of course, if you have already paid for the first year, you may not owe as much. They don't usually do any retroactive paying of something you have alread paid if you didn't do the paper work prior to signing up for the class. I don't know what you may owe if you have two degrees funded by them. Each year the funding is voted on by Congress. There may be funds in the future and there may not be.

I have now taken 3 courses towards my master's degree in nursing through the University of Phoenix Online. The VA is paying for it through the NNEI program. The main glitches to the funding is a problem at the beginning of each fiscal year (Oct. 1st) with the budget not being signed in a timely manner. We (government) were in continuing resolution until the end of January. When that happens, the most important funding goes through. Nursing education is not one of the priority items that gets included. The education department at my VA hasn't been given the go ahead to pay my tuition, so, I keep getting a bill from them (UOP) until it's paid. I'm told not to pay because it complicates matters. I did pay the first course and the VA had to reimburse my credit card account. The program is quite intense and a lot of work but I like it so far. Team work is expected and does cause some problems with getting team members you have never seen or talked to to cooperate and get the projects (power points and papers) done. If you have any specific questions, please feel free to ask me. :)

I like being a VA nurse. I've been in the VA almost 27 years. I don't know anything about the student nurse technician program. I think we briefly had that program in the mid 1980s but it was abandoned when there wasn't a nursing shortage anymore. Several nurses from the community college hired on and stayed. They are still with the VA. Many nurses in the VA really like working there due to the 5 weeks vacation, number of holidays and other benefits. :)

I hope you are doing something about your situation rather than just putting up with it. Don't you have a union? Have you written up the nursing assistants? Did you fill out an unsafe staffing level with your union (if you have one)? Have you notified management about the situation IN WRITING? Many nurses in the VA don't use the voice they have to make a change for the better. I know, I've tried as a union leader to get the VA nurses at my facility to stick up for their rights and they won't. You will only perpetuate the problem if you do not speak up and you don't stick together as nurses. That's my opinion and experience. I've been a VA nurse for over 26 years at the same facility. We have a union that is only as strong as it's members and the other non-member nurses make it. If you are not voicing your concerns to the right people, you are basically not helping to right the problems you have spoken about. :)

:wink2: Welcome aboard the VA system. I've been with the VA for almost 27 years. It has good and bad parts not unlike any other facility. I hope you are enjoying your new job. If there is any questions you have, I'll try to answer them. Del

http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/combinedregtext.pdf I hope this helps some regarding patient privacy issues. It is the US Dept. of Health and Human Services site regarding the latest about HIPPA that is suppose to take effect next April.

The last survey the JCAHO came on the PM shift around supper time and then again on NOC shift around 6AM. They stayed briefly and asked few questions of the nursing staff.

Ted Make sure you get the good frames that have hidden springs where the eye pieces meet the lens frame. I've not had my glasses slip down my nose or swing back and forth when I bend over to empty urine bags, etc. Previous types of frames were always a great problem with keeping the eyeglasses where they are suppose to be. Grace I agree with you about the graduated lens they're great for everday seeing. I, too, have to take my glasses off to read in bed but because I am so nearsighted the reading glasses don't help. I have to read with the reading material just inches from my nose.