Perseus Mandate

For those of you who are new to being an RN, can you tell me what your shifts are like? Do you initially get stuck with all the crappy shifts, working weekends, nights and/or a lot of holidays? I'd imagine senior nurses choose the day shifts and all ...

Just a quick question regarding the salaries of CRNAs. Currently, they're very well compensated for the job they do, and for good reason. However, I've heard in recent months that the salary of the average CRNA can be expected to drop a good deal ove...

This is in the FAQ. I'm planning to get my ADN. I want to have experience as an RN. After that, I was going to get my BSN from Stony Brook University, and hopefully take my premedical requisite courses in order to apply to medical school. If I got in...

I work the later part of the afternoon now, getting home at 10:30 PM - I actually can't stand it. By the time I'm out of work, everyone's already drunk or at a party, or too tired to come out because the night's already over. This sucks, since all of...

Alright, thanks for the info. I wish it was straight days, and I wish you could choose all day or all evening shifts though. Having alternating shifts means your sleep schedule is fairly erratic, no? That's one thing I wouldn't like much.

A traditional D/N schedule? Is it the case, then, that most nurses work both days and nights? You said it's rare to have someone with strictly day shifts?

What are the benefits of being with a nursing agency, as opposed to going it alone? What are the drawbacks?

Yes, I was talking about a hospital setting or something of that nature. I didn't mean to sound as if I deserve to have those days off - whatever I have to do, I'll do. I just wanted to have a general idea of what I was getting into. I didn't want to...

Okay, good to know - obviously money isn't the only factor to consider, but we all want to be well compensated for the job we do, which is why I wanted to look into it. I suppose people in the medical field will always be compensated fairly well thou...

Well I know that salaries can fluctuate like that and everything, but I swore I heard people discussing why they will soon have salaries slashed on the whole for one reason or another.

Lots of views; no discussion?

Yeah, I know I need those prerequisite courses, so I'll just get my ADN, go to school for a Biology BS and try to medical school. If I don't get in, I can either find a CRNA program that accepts non-BSN graduates, or just go back and finish off my BS...

For those of you who got their ADN more recently, have you found it difficult to get a job as a new graduate? A lot of places I was looking at around here say, "BSN preferred." Although I've got some time before I get to that point, I wanted to hear ...

Nice. Yes, same here. I have years of supervisor experience at UPS, and will have a few more under my belt by the time I achieve my ADN, then quit and go to work as an RN. This way, when I get my BSN, if I decide for a "clipboard" position, I'll be a...

That's what I was afraid of. Damn. Well, my plan is to aim for medical school first, and if that fails, a CRNA program, and if I don't get in to that, stay as an RN. Right now, I'm working on my ADN, then I can either enter a BSN program or get a BS ...

Yeah, that's what I'm finding out. I looked at about 10 programs, and they all require a BSN, and not any bachelors. What about the Stony Brook BSN program, then? There's no organic chemistry or physics or anything, right? Is that common, or do BSN p...

Good to know. Thanks again, everyone.

After you get your ADN, how long must you wait before you can take the NCLEX-RN? Does it have set times of year, like the MCATS? How is this exam to pass? Cake? Requires a lot of studying? Moderate?

So where do you go for your ATT? Can I find that online for NY? Same question with regards to the NCLEX. I didn't expect it to be easy, just figured I'd ask. I would obviously prepare beforehand - I wouldn't waste my time otherwise. Is it expensive? ...

I'm a bit confused with something. When a person goes ahead and gets their ADN, do they then start work as an RN? Or LPN? If it's RN, then how do you wind up as an LPN? If it's LPN, what else do you need to get to RN? The way I understood it, ADNs an...

I gotcha. Hey, I'll be happy with 100k a year, which is what I've heard you can end up at for the cap here on Long Island. I'm sure it depends where you work, but that's great money. Any idea how long it takes to reach the cap, typically?

I'm sure it varies with the hospital you work at and the state you live in, but what was your starting wage as an RN, right after graduating? Nurses get paid by the hour, correct? What kinds of raises do nurses get? What's the cap on wages currently?...

I'd want to balance my income and free time, though. Lots of OT with little free time to take advantage of the extra wages seems pointless. That's my view, anyway. In any case, it seems being an RN is the way to go when measured against medical schoo...

So I've not yet worked as a nurse of any sort. I'm sure I can't really know what it's like until I do, but I'll ask anyway - what's it like being an RN? Granted, there are tons of different areas of nursing, and so many variables, I'd like to hear yo...

I'm in NY, so I guess I'm good. :) I can always oppose joining the union, anyway.