llg

As a previous poster said, this is an age-old problem. Some units are perceived as being "better" than others. When I was in school many years ago, the "glamour unit" was the CCU. In some children's hospitals, the most popular units with students is the oncology unit. People have favorites and preferences for the type of work they do. That is to be expected.

The hospital should have announced its policy many months ago. So yes, it was handled badly. But ... if you claim that you have a "disability" which makes it impossible for you to do certain kinds of work, they have every right (and even an obligation) to require that your "disability" be properly verified and documented by a physician. They can't just take people's word for it. However ... I agree that it was handled badly at the time as everyone should have been well aware of the policy long ago, giving you time to get your documentation in place.

Hi, Hannahbanana. I finally took the plunge about 6 weeks ago -- retired from my main job at a hospital. I am still doing a little on-line teaching and hope to be able to continue that. Because I sold my home and moved in the same time, I have been too busy (and stressed) to feel retired. I hope to actually start a lifestyle that seems like "retirement" after the holidays. I had a friend in college named Hannah that we called Hannahbanana. Wouldn't it be a coincidence.....?

Legitimate? How would such a service make money? There are very few people willing to pay someone else to write a care plan for them except for students -- which would mean that anyone who is doing that would be helping the student to cheat. The "legitimate" market is too small to be profitable.

I agree with DesiDani. If the CNA's hang out around the "staff station," that is great! That means they are there, in the middle of things, aware of what is happening on the unit -- and can easily be found if they are needed. That's much better than the opposite behavior -- of "hiding" somewhere they can't be seen and easily found.

It really depends on the details. Sometimes, such things are necessary -- and might not be a big deal if the new nurse only being asked to do things that she is capable of doing. That is the key. If the new nurse has been taught certain skills and can complete certain tasks safely, then it should be OK if she is asked to perform those tasks while still within the orientation period. However, even a nurse who has been off orientation for a while should NOT be asked to take on responsibilities that she has not been prepared for. People get too hung up on the phrases "on orientation" and "off orientation." It's not clear cut. There is a middle ground of being competent at many tasks and capable of being a huge help -- but not yet 100% finished with orientation. My favorite system is one that counts people as 100% "out of the numbers" in the early phases of orientation, but then counts them as "partially in the staffing numbers" as they progress through orientation and become capable of taking on some responsibilities. The person who is going to be completely "off orientation" tomorrow should be capable of taking an assignment today -- with just a little backup help available if needed. And someone who "just came off orientation" yesterday still needs some back-up help available. Exactly what is appropriate and what is not appropriate depends on the specifics of the situation.

I certainly hope that this is just a little bump in the road for your parents -- and not a major event. Once the immediate crisis is over, perhaps this incident will stimulate you and your parents to have that difficult conversation that most families avoid until they have no other choice. The "what to do with Mom and Dad" as they become too old/frail to handle crises -- and eventually, everyday life -- by themselves. Can they locate suitable resources in their current home region? Are you prepared to quit your job and move in permanently with them to take care of them? etc. When my mother was faced with that issue many years ago, she had to look her parents in the eye and tell them that if they expected to call her every time there was a problem, then they needed to move close to where she lived. With a teenager still at home, Mom could not simply run off to where they lived for weeks at a time. After some explorations of the options, they did decide to move where my parents lived -- and were very happy they did so. Your family's decision may be different. Your/their options may be different. But this is not the last time you will get the news that something is wrong and your presence is requested for what could be an extended length of time. Whatever you decide ... your family needs a long-term plan and not just a short-term response to a particular event. Good luck!

There is no way I would consider a commute that long. I don't think it would be safe.

I also graduated in 1977 and am in the process of semi-retiring now. I am still going to teach a little -- so I need to keep my license a while longer. But I will be letting it expire in just a couple of years. I think it will bother me a little, but hopefully, by then I will have moved on to a new life as a retiree and found other things to do.

Can you maybe find a job coordinating a program that relates directly to your previous experience -- not be a manager/administrator of a department, but rather, the coordinator of a specific program or specialty service. Such positions usually require an advanced knowledge of the patients needs related to the program, but don't provide Primary Care. For example, I am thinking of the coordination of a specialty treatment program -- such as a transplant program or specialty surgery. Would that be a fit for your experience and interests?

She needs to get hooked up with all of the resources in her area and be pro-active in preventing further loss ... get whatever assistive technology she needs ... arrange for the accommodations she may need ... and make plans for when her hearing deteriorates further. That may involve switching jobs, maybe not, depending on what her prognosis is. Some jobs require more hearing than others. Technology can help some problems, but not others. I've had a mild/moderate hearing loss for 20 years, but have managed to make it to retirement. However, I have always known that my hearing would probably only get worse with time, not better. So dealing with the hearing loss has always been a part of my career planning. I wish her the best of luck!

That is a good question and I am not sure of the answer. You'll need to check 2 things: (1) Will a school accept you into their NP certificate program without an MSN? In the olden days, there were programs that did not require an MSN. Most of those now require an MSN -- or require that you obtain your MSN or DNP as part of the program. But you might find one that doesn't have that requirement. (2) Will you be able to get licensed as an NP in the state where you want to practice? That may vary from state to state. Regardless of what you find as you investigate the 2 questions above, you may find that you will need so many nursing courses to the NP certificate that you might as well complete MSN as part of the process. I'll be interested to see what other posters more familiar with the current regulations say.

It's not stupid to want what you want ... but I think it is unlikely you will be selected. While you technically meet the criteria for the residencies that you want, you are not exactly what they have in mind -- and it is likely that in a competition against lots of other new grads, your chances of being chosen are not high. My recommendation is to apply for the programs you want ... but don't count of being accepted. You might be fortunate and be selected, but be prepared not to be. Develop a good "plan B" for yourself.

I agree with the other posters. Also, I noticed that you will be working with pediatric patients. Most children's hospitals would greatly value the type of experience that you will be getting. You may never have thought about being a peds nurse, but if you end up liking the peds population, you should have little trouble getting a future job in a peds hospital. And believe me, the children in peds hospitals are just as sick and need just has much intensive care as the adults in the adult hospitals!

I think you are doing the appropriate homework to investigate this question and thinking along good lines. Continue to do that and: 1. If you can realistically complete the ADN in 2 years and you will be able to get a good job that you will like as a new graduate ADN, then I would go that route. As you realize, it will be cheaper, get you into the workforce sooner, and save you a lot of money in the long run. 2. However ... in some areas of the country, it can take 3-4 years to get an ADN because the good schools are so crowded that they have added extra requirements (making them almost as long and expensive as BSN programs). Also, in some areas of the country, newly graduated ADN nurses are not eligible for some of the best jobs. The best hospitals with the best new graduate orientation programs and popular specialty programs, etc. may limit their hiring to only nurses with BSNs. If those factors are true in your region, then there is little to no benefit in doing the ADN first. You might as well go for the BSN from the beginning. You'll get your career off to a better start -- and in the long run, that may be more important to your long-term professional and financial life than the money saved up front. Perhaps you can improve the financial aspect by working a little more during your first 2 years of college, applying for every type of financial aid, etc. 3. Quality matters. No matter what type of program you choose, make sure it is of good quality. If the nursing student market is crowded with lots of people wanting to go to nursing school, there are probably some schools that are reducing their quality to take in more students so that they can make more money. Be sure you are going to a school that is fully accredited, a high NCLEX pass rate, and a strong reputation with the best local employers. Don't compromise on quality.