Raeth

I'd do the RN. Of course, that's pretty obvious since I am in the middle of my RN program right now. However, I know a few people in my program who dropped out of other allied health fields to become RNs. Most seemed to complain about the limited scope of what they were studying to be. Not as much flexibility or room to advance. RN and Sonographer make about the same I would say, however in the end I would say your earning potential would be far greater if you became an RN and continued to advance your education. Being a student myself this isn't from personal experience. Just from what research I did when investigating my career choices. Good luck... either way I am sure you will enjoy it.

I'm not saying this is great, but it's not the end of the world either. I have always felt that as a healthcare worker that I needed to set a positive example. I'd feel like a moron telling someone they needed to quit smoking and then running outside to light up. Or even worse is when healthcare workers avoid discussing those issues (smoking, obesity, exercise) with patients because they feel like they don't have any room to talk. Maybe a better idea would be to pay bonuses to employees who don't smoke, maintain their weight, bp, etc... I dunno. Even if it's misguided I think it's nice to see someone actually trying to do something about these problems, even if it's for their own financial gain. Taking advantage of the nurtitionist and exercise programs they offer couldn't hurt anyone... nor could it to stop smoking. I just think it would have a much more positive appeal if it was rewarding people for doing those things, and rewarding those who already do those things... might be enough motivation to get some people off the couch. Getting paid to workout sounds like a wonderful thing to me.

That would really suck if it were part of the package! I know a lot of people refuse us in clinicals, and some are totally happy having 10 students watching/performing just about anything. I know I wouldn't want to cause a pregnant mother any more stress... Congrats... enjoy the new addition!

Yes, they can/do perform surgery. They have the same amount of education as an MD (4 yrs undergrad, 4 yrs medical school + specialty), they have some extra training in the musculoskeletal system... I believe more DOs choose family practice when compared to MDs, but there is nothing barring them from any area of medicine that I know of. A quick google search will turn up all the info needed about the two, and also about all the other nursing specialties people have mentioned. Sorry to get off topic...

I think it's interesting that everyone who posted that they do not support PAS didn't give any reasons as to why that is the case. It would be interesting to hear the reasons you feel that way. I do support PAS in the controlled manner others have mentioned. However, I always wonder about the toll such things could take on healthcare workers. I believe people should have control of their lives. So often they lose everything else, and if they are mentally competent to make the decision to die, then I feel the morals and personal feelings of others should be irrelevent. We let people decide about DNRs... I think this is just a logical progression of that.

That's YOUR opinion though, and though all those things are probably true, what most people are going to see is the hair and at the very least make a snap judgement about it. I think piercings and different hair has become much more accepted, but as was mentioned earlier, that is mostly to the younger generation. Even then, it's not the norm. You might get lucky and have someone that will reserve judgement until after actually interviewing you. Still, I think it's a bad idea to put yourself at a disadvantage... I would think many interviewers would see your hair as a fashion choice, and the fact that you wouldn't change it for an interview as being disrespectful. It's not a religious thing, it a choice, just like if you chose to wear jeans and a t-shirt. Wonderful thing about hair is it always grows back. Once an employer sees all the good things you do in practice, and if it doesn't conflict with policy, then I would bust out the crazy hair. I think for interviews it's perfectly acceptable for an employer to judge you on dress and appearence. There's a pretty well respected norm for interviews and it says something if you're unwilling to do that much to get a job. Just my opinion... good luck! Another thought, as a nurse I think it's probably more important... as the poster above stated they wouldn't have a problem with it. But I have a feeling that many of the patients you would see might have reservations... especially considering you will likely be caring for many elderly who might not be impressed. I know my grandmother wouldn't be. In most cases I am all for saying who cares what others think. In this situation I think it's very important that patients respect you. Again, seems silly to put yourself at a disadvantage.

I'd dress like a pirate... On second thought... it IS psych

Isn't that the truth! It's like they decide that everything that was just fine before they made that much money suddenly isn't enough. :trout: I have a friend who's now making over 125k... what does he do? Buys a brand new wakeboarding boat, a house that's too big/expensive, a new truck, and spends an ungodly amount on a wedding (8k for the dress!!) Now he's just gotta pray that he never gets hurt and is out of work. Not that you can't have those things if you make enough money. I think it's just that some people decide to go do it right away. The money starts burning a hole in their pocket. Which is scary considering all of it is financed...

You should be making more than most people in the country. Median household income is somewhere between 45-50k (I think) and average RN salary is just under 60k. So if you manage your money right you shouldn't have too much trouble having a decent life. Especially if you're willing to work where there's a good balance between COL and wages. I've noticed in some areas that you won't make a lot more yet be paying $$$$ for housing. I've seen too many people who focus on having a big house that it ends up being all they can afford.

All good advice... I think the last part of number 4 is a little much though. You'll find out pretty quick how much time you have to put in to being successful in nursing school. Everyone needs balance in their lives, I think it's totally neccessary to spend time w/ family and friends. I have found that I have more free time than I thought I would. Not saying some of it isn't difficult, but if you keep on top of it you should be fine. Definitely learn as much in clinical as you possibly can, volunteer for whatever you can. I know I have seen and done some things in my first quarter that some other students I know haven't done by the time the graduate. Unless you just get a bad clinical site, the opportunities are there. Also, I'd suggest take advantage of the lab to practice your skills. You'll probably be taught a bunch of things that you might not get to apply right away and it really does help you stay comfortable when you do get a chance to use them. Just my two cents... have fun!!!

I was actually wondering about this today... not so much if you could work as both, but how some CRNA's might miss bedside nursing. I don't think there is anything wrong with it, I mean, if you are allowed to do it (work as both) and you want to do it... then do what makes you happy! Just because nobody else is doing it doesn't mean you can't. As far as volunteering goes, I think like the poster above me said, you'd probably be doing more good by working more and donating those extra hours. Unless you can find something that really does require your nursing skills.

I was just thinking that it sounds kinda like my father who has an arrhythmia. He is still active (working 60+ hrs/wk), but some days he is extremely tired, and many times if he sits down he'll fall asleep after about 2 minutes. Sure it could be other things, that's just what it made me think of when I read your post.

I was just replying to this comment, I have honestly yet to see a nurse that charts everything right after they do it. In my experience as a NAC and now a nursing student I have seen how crazy it gets. It wasn't my intention to sound judgemental. I wish in my NAC days that the nurses would have realized that we might not always be able to do vitals... even when we would be doing a whole hall alone because of call-offs some would still be on my ass to do them. Then they leave on time and you're there two hours late... In general though, I was happy to do vitals for most of the nurses... and it was definitely expected of us.

http://www.doctorswithoutborders.org Says they require at least a 6 month time obligation... w/ preference for those with 9-12 months.

Our instructors have consistently encouraged us to chart as we go. Like someone said, if it's not in the chart, it never happened. This has been stressed to us a lot in school. Also, delegating vitals to aides is actually in our textbooks... works if you're using student nurses too!

I'm finishing first quarter of my clinical in long term care right now. I haven't lifted a single person without mechanical lift, and even w/ that all the facilities require that you use 2 people. You'll see some NACs in a hurry that feel the need to lift alone and too much (been there, done that) but I have yet to see a nurse do that. Sorry to hear about your final experience as a teacher. I don't blame you for not going back! I hope this all works out for you.

Congrats on getting in! I guess I can understand your frustration, but on the other had it's just good that you're in. Very likely the reason your school lowered the standards to fill spots is because many people probably don't want to pay to go to a "very expensive private school" for nursing. I'm not saying there aren't benefits, but I am in my first quarter of clinicals at the community college and we share clincal sites with the nursing students from the private school that costs about 10X as much.

Just doing a quick search it says the average national RN salary is just under 60k. Of course that is going to be higher or lower in some areas just like everything else. While there may not be a noticeable increase in pay between an 2yr and 4yr degree RN... the BSN will open up door to more advanced positions... also the higher education can pay off... same place lists averages for some more advanced roles... Clinical Nurse Specialist - $76,209 Nurse Practitioners - $77,886 Head Nurse - $80,824 CRNA - $134,820 Chief Nursing Officer - $167,387 Pharmacists can make close to 100k pretty quickly, but if you want to work in a hospital the average is quite a bit lower I believe. Still, pharmacy school isn't always easy to get in to... also it's 2 yrs or so of prereq's and then another 4 years of pharmacy school...

I really wouldn't recommend getting a cheap one. I guess if you constantly lose them it might be a requirement. Otherwise as a student I think it can be hard enough to know what you are listening for, you don't need your stethescope making it even more difficult. One problem I have seen with the cheap spragues is that the two tubes create too much background noise. Not saying you need to spend a ton of money, but it seems like you get what you pay for. Also, if it wasn't cheap I am less likely to lose it or be careless with it. I'll lose ten pairs of cheap sunglasses in a year, but if they cost a $100 they seem to stick around forever.

Worst experience? I broke my wrist when I was 8yrs old and fell off a horse. It was a pretty clean break. Still, I ended up in the hospital for 3 days! I was actually so drugged that I didn't wake up enough to eat until the third day. My father had to just take me out of the hospital because they just kept giving me meds. I don't want to quote an exact number, cause I would have to guess... it was extremely expensive though... and a huge portion of it was medication. I wish I could look and see what all they did now that I would understand some of it. Best experience was the birth of my daughter. My wife had some really wonderful care. I really hope I get the same unit when I rotate through there in clinicals.

I don't feel that requiring RN's to pursue more education is empowering. If someone chooses to pursue higher education then they are empowering themselves... but someone else forcing them to do it isn't quite the same thing. Considering how much I seem to hear about the shortage of nursing, it seems like a very poor idea to essentially eliminate some of the major producers of qualified RN's, the community/technical colleges. Also, as far as the public goes, I think an RN is an RN for the most part. Being that I DO know the difference... do I really care if it's an ADN or BSN nurse caring for me? Not really! Why would I care if my nurse took an extra history class? I think most people care about nursing skills/experience in which both programs are almost identical... and bedside manner... which isn't something I ever heard of anyone obtaining from a history, visual arts, language, or statistics class. Options empower nurses. If they want to really get away from ADN programs... pay BSN nurses a premium wage and let the market work itself out. It shouldn't matter to nursing unity what level of education... if the RN status isn't enough to put us in the same boat, why would everyone being a BSN do it? (Info comes from comparing my ADN program to that of the UNC School of Nursing site)

My RN program is 7 quarters of clinicals, but after the first 4 you can get your LPN and work doing that until you finish. We actually run into some of the 2nd year students at work when we are doing our clinical. Either way, I'd definitely say don't go for anything less than your RN. The hospitals here don't hire any LPNs and actually the largest hospital here just laid off all their LPNs

My program requires solid white, non vented shoes for clinical... what a pain! I wear a size 14. Pretty much everywhere I went and asked for white Danskos in that size they looked at me like I was drooling on myself. (Pretty sure I wasn't) So then I ordered a pair of Danskos... never came... ordered another pair of Danskos... came the day before my first clinical, but didn't fit my feet right. :angryfire Emergency trip to them mall netted me the ugliest New Balances ever made... but they fit, and that's what counts.

Congrats on getting in. I just started my clinicals as well... so far it's been great. Probably just under 10% of our class is male. However, there are 3 other males in my clinical group of 11. It's fun... the women are great, but the guys keep it sane... if that makes any sense. Just a different sense of humor I guess! I think we all feel like we are in it together and want to see each other do well. It's honestly the best eductational environment I have ever been in.

I think I could do it... I'm not very far into my clinicals now, but it's all interesting to me. I've been a CNA for a while as well... I've seen enough that I don't really care what I see anymore. I don't think that's what I will choose when I graduate, just because of the attitudes some people have. I hope in my OB rotation that I don't run into a lot of people who have a problem with me being male though... My wife recently had our first by c-section. I was taking pictures the whole way through, holding my camera over the curtain... it was great!