BearWayne

That's what I thought nursing was about. I'm a little older than SharonH and I wonder if it has something to do with how nurses were portrayed in the media when we were kids.... I sure got straightened out my first semester of nursing school.... Nursing process??? Nursing diagnosis?? health assessment? Where did all this "stuff" come from? During my health assessment class I kept thinking "Why do I need to know this, this is what doctors do".... well, I found out in clinicals! I am just starting out my career as an RN so I haven't yet personally found out how nursing school is totally different from the "real" world... but I know that it is. --BearWayne, RN, BSN

I have the Saunders book & CD, access to the NCSBN website that my school purchased for me, and the Kaplan on-line course that I purchased myself. I feel that the difficulty of the Saunders questions is not at the appropriate level (too easy). The Kaplan questions are by far the most difficult--even more difficult than the NCSBN questions. I think Kaplan does that intentionally to ensure their high pass rate. the qbank is great--but it doesn't by itself really teach the Kaplan matrix of how to answer questions. On the other hand, following the matrix has caused me to answer questions incorrectly by allowing me to rationalize my way into a wrong answer. Sometimes you have to go with your gut. The other thing is, why risk a failure in order to save $300? I know if you've just graduated and have no income, money is tight, but it's cheap insurance, I think. In my state, you have to wait 3 months before taking the NCLEX again. That's 3 months of lost income. Bearwayne

Hi Sunnydaydream! Congratulations on graduation and on your new position! I too am a new grad (graduated on 12/12) and I too have accepted a position in a bone marrow transplant unit. I think it's a phenomenal opportunity and there will be SO much to learn! I can't start until after I've passed the boards. Good luck! Let's keep in touch if you like!

For the record, it is Kennesaw State University. I will be graduating in Dec. 2007. I am a non-accelerated student, and it is difficult. I did not work, I am a 40-something student preparing for a second career. I did very well grade-wise once I figured out how to study. It is true that you do not get much skills experience, but their attitude is that you can learn skills on the job, and the emphasis in school is critical thinking skills. Studies show that ASN and ADN program graduates are much better at performing skills initially, but are surpassed by BSN graduates after a short time. As far as KSU specifically, it felt like every time I turned around, there was some hoop to jump through, some deadline to be met, and it was generally disorganized. I think that is true of most nursing schools. KSU nursing students are loved at pretty much all the hospitals where I have had clinicals, and I think that speaks volumes. People who are in the accellerated program run ragged. I wouldn't expect to see your kids much if you do that, and it only saves you 1 semester--that's only 4 - 5 months out of your entire life. Good luck in your choice of schools.

A couple things--don't give your students the option of saying "no" to doing a procedure--get them in there and have them do it. The other thing, if you have down time, talk about your experiences as a nurse. As a student, I love to hear from experienced nurses about all the things they've done--often, I learned about aspects of nursing that I had no idea existed!

I am 42 and will be 43 when I graduate. It's never too late to follow your passion! Since you have a Bachelor's degree, there are some schools that offer programs for people who already have a degree. I am at Kennesaw State, and they have an accellerated program where you graduate after 4 semesters rather than 5. The folks I know who are doing that say that it is grueling. Also, as far as math goes, learn "dimensional analysis"--it's a great technique for solving dosage calculations, and while not fool proof, it does not require the memorization of formulas and improves your ability to get the correct answer.

Hi PHM, I appreciate your replies...... still somewhat undecided as to what to do because I love PCB so much, and the people there are so friendly. I still think I'll stay in Atlanta & get a couple years experience then decide what to do. I will be down there next week for my spring break. I'm really looking forward to ocean and warmer temps. I am surprised how much a difference 300 miles makes in the weather!

I am a nursing student, but I have owned a 5th wheel for about 3 years now. Bought it used--it was 10 years old at the time but in great shape. It's not one I would want to live in, but it's great for weekend and week-long getaways. I now know what I would look for in a new unit such as more counter space in the kitchen, a larger bathroom, a slide-out in the bedroom, and if I were going to live in it, washer/dryer hookups with enough space for a stackable set. Many of the questions I see here can be answered by reading the forums at RV.net: http://www.rv.net I suggest that anyone considering the purchase of an RV spend a lot of time reading the posts there--you'll learn a lot about the systems in an RV (they're not quite like those at home!) and some of the issues people face, as well as be able to post your own questions to an audience with a wealth of experience and information. There have been some posts from traveling nurses there.... RV'ing is great fun! Barry

Hi PHM and Cammie, I am a BSN student in Atlanta and I was planning to move to Panama City after I graduate. But then I saw another posting by PHM about pay rates there and decided that I can't afford to do that. I am familiar enough with Bay County to know that property taxes have skyrocketed, plus a mortgage payment, etc. I noticed that Bay Medical & Gulf Coast both require Associate's degrees. Is there any advantage to having a BSN there? My plan now is to stay in Atlanta a couple more years then move down there with the hopes that I can get into a specialty unit here & get trained first. I've written to nurse recruiting at Bay & Gulf Coast for more info but have not yet heard back from them. I also emailed the nurse recruiter at Sacred Heart since they now have a hospital in Destin..... she did not answer most of my questions. Thanks in advance for any add'l info you can provide! Barry