Patrick57

NET, yeah - that's it! Sorry about that! Thanks!

That is totally ridiculous! Here in So. Calif. were insane - we get tickets for driving to slow on the freeways (a friend got on the other day). California drivers are crazy, I've had people honk and flash their lights to move, and I'm doing 80+ (seriously). I've done 90 and cops are passing me!

I I took the NAT today. Is this REALLY necessary? I understand many of the people wanting in the program have only a high school diploma, but the test was so incredibly basic, dare I say sophomoric? I was told I had 2 hours to complete the test, and I did it in a little over an hour. Please understand, I'm not putting anyone down, but I would think the test would be a bit more difficult considering the career choice of nursing and the responsibilities that go with it. Your opinion?

I would much rather wear "rumpled pajamas" than wear a *******' shirt and tie for eight, nine, ten hours a day, like I have been for the past 20 or so years!

I plan to start a certificate LPN program next month. I did the A-B-M (AS, BS and MS in Information Systems). I don't want to go for another degree. I figure getting my LPN will be enough to get into nursing informatics.

Hi Dixie; Thanks for the support. I plan to go to the college I will be taking classes and taking the test. I was told it will take about 2 hours, mainly reading comprehension and simple math.

Hi; I plan to start my program the end of August (changing careers after 25 years in the IT field.) They gave me a web site where I can review for the entrance exam. I don't know if this is a national standardized test or not, but here is the link , I hope it helps. http://www.studyguidezone.com/nursingtest.htm

I went to visit a potential school this afternoon, and their requirements are not any more strict than a corporate dress policy. Of course, you must wear the uniform (I can't wait - NO MORE WEARING TIES!), clean and neat. The only thing that stood out was no tongue or exposed piercings. Not one word about tattoo's! Fine with me, I would not think they would object to the one's I have exposed - the japanese character for peace on the back of my neck, and the pink breast cancer ribbon on the inside of my left wrist, and, I AM planning more!

As I came out of Circuit City yesterday afternoon, there were cops, fire dept and paramedics all over the place. An officer came up asking if I owned a Ford sedan, I told him no, and showed him the truck I drive. Looking towards a fast-food place, I saw emergency people holding and examining a toddler no more than 1 1/2 years old. You could tell the child was in severe distress, the paramedics were cracking and applying cold packs to get her temp down. She looked alert, and responding. Yep, another stupid adult leaving a child in a locked car in the middle of the afternoon. The temp outside was 100. This is the first time I've ever witnessed this, and became physically ill. I became so angry, it took me a while to calm down. It reminds me when I was doing my clinical for my EMT in an emergency room years ago. The mother came in with a baby who was bruised and having trouble breathing. The cops came, and the mother admitted her boyfriend did it. Soon after, the boyfriend came in demanding to see the child. I started after him, and the cops had to restrain me, and get the guy out fast. The cops understood my feelings, but had to keep me down to protect me. I did get some satisfaction when I saw the cops trying to help the guy in the car, and just couldn't seem to get his head down far enough and kept hitting his head trying to get in. :chuckle

Thank you all for your kind words and support. I'm looking into nursing schools and see what will work for me. I'm really getting excited about this. Of course, I need to work, so will be looking for an evening/part time curriculum. I've pretty much decided to pursue my LVN/LPN diploma first and go from there. I had started a doctorate program, but dropped out due to my wife's winning fight with breast cancer (DCIS stage 0). She's already had bilateral mastectomies, and had expanders "installed". Of course, during surgery, they checked the sentinal nodes on each side and came out negative. I found I'm no longer interested or motivated to pursue my doctorate. Looking back, I should have gone into nursing years ago. My wife is a real trooper and is healing very well. It's because of her, and what we went through caring for my mom (diabetes, carotid artery blockage, breast cancer survivor, COPD (4L O2), heart disease, and dementia). Anyway, thanks again, this is a wonderful forum, very educational, with real people here ready and willing to help. I'm certainly looking forward to getting to know many of you!

The test sounds very similar to my networking certification exams. They are designed using a special algorithm that figures out where your weaknesses are, based on the answers to the questions (which are pulled randomly from a large pool). If your doing poorly in one area, the software will start hitting you with more questions in that area, and yes, they will become more difficult. The "cutoff" is a based on this algorithm. It figures out, based on the amount of questions remaining, if you can still pass based on your continued performance. My network tests were crazy. I had 7 separate tests to take, and each test was 15 to 35 questions, with 45 minutes to complete any one test. some were t/f, multiple choice, and some were you had to complete a simulation. I agree, it's quite unnerving when it simply cuts you off and ends the test. patrick

Hi All; I've been in the IT field (network administration, help desk, database) for over 25 years and have a masters degree in Info Systems Mgt. When our son was young, and inspiration from TV shows like Rescue 911, I earned my EMT basic certification. I never worked as one, but really enjoyed the training. I let my cert. expire years ago. I was laid off, and had been out of work for 4 months. My family is encouraging me to go back to school and at least get my LVN. I would like to use my education and go into informatics. My inspiration: My wife is recovering from DCIS and recently had a bilateral mastectomy with reconstruction implants to follow. Thank God her lymph nodes came out negative. The nurses I've spoken to have encouraged me to do this, and I've always enjoyed helping people. My questions are: am I to old (I'm 50)? am I crazy? is there "really" a nursing shortage? any and all comments and advise is appreciated. Thanks!

I had the joyous experience of being in the hospital as a patient for a few days due to a spider bite. On my discharge, the staff actually gave ME a completed rating form saying I was the best patient they've had all year. By the way, stay away from brown recluse spiders, those little buggars are nasty, painful, and can do a lot of damage!