jetfuel

My personal favorite is the segment of our population (!) who believe that COVID is being spread via the 5G cellular network. As a current healthcare professional and former IT professional, I found this intellectually disturbing.

In a word, "no." But then, you can't (and shouldn't try) to put nursing school into a word, or a sentence, or even a book. It's a life - a lifestyle, an almost-all-encompassing occupation, energizing you and draining you all at the same time. It's a fascinating journey, full of experience and revelation and wonder. It's an incredible time and labor that I will treasure the rest of my life, and one that I would never want to have to repeat. Short answer: when someone asks me, "how's nursing school?" I always reply with two sentences: "I frickin' HATE nursing school! I frickin' LOVE nursing school!" If you aren't dedicated to it and passionate about becoming a nurse, and don't already see yourself as one deep inside, for heaven's sake, don't do it! It will destroy you! However, if you find personal satisfaction in making people's lives better, or keeping watch over those who cannot, and you know that the soul of a nurse is driving you, you had better do it! Keep your eye on "the prize" - follow your soul. And if it is a nurse's soul, you are meant to become a nurse. No one will be ever able to honestly tell you that it's easy - or even that it's less than very, very difficult. Don't give up on your dreams just because they're difficult to realize. Most worthwhile endeavors are.

A friend recently wrote to me about his aunt ("Mimi") who had heart valve-replacement surgery. "Mimi" is normally a strong-willed person and very health-conscious. However, after this ten-hour procedure (originally expected to take four), she became (as my friend put it)...lazy. She refuses to eat more than a mouthful, and has yet to use the spirometer she was instructed to use every half hour. It's like she "just quit." The issue I bring here is that the nurses on staff there didn't say word one to encourage her to recover or even take basic care of herself. It is as if they would rather avoid any confrontation and go on to something or someone else. I'm not suggesting that they force a patient against her will, but to not even encourage her to eat? Thoughts?

Anyone in healthcare should know the toll that stress can take on a human being. NO amount of money is worth a terrible job. Been there...cost me. Left...happier, healthier.

I'm 47 with a BS and MS in Computer Science. I started all over a few years ago at a junior college (has a better reputation that the local BSN program!). I was not much of a student in higher education, but this time around I have maintained a 4.0. Don't cheat yourself with an accelerated program; stick with the most thorough education you can get, especially your A&P classes. Best of luck to you, and welcome to the craziness!

Assuming it was cultured in the customary fashion...are you allergic to eggs? I can't help but wonder if it was cultured in something different, something you're allergic to...

Since I can remember (about age 6), I have always had an inclination to help and take care of people.

:redbeathe My specialty is cardiology; I use a Littmann Cardiology III. It comes with different types of ear tips; I found the squishy ones very comfortable and made for superior sound transmission. It was a staggering difference from the cheapie I was using before. If you can swing it, the electronic ones are worth exploring. I have Littmann's 3200 model; it can amplify quite a bit, has impressive noise-cancellation and can record and replay what it picks up. It is also Bluetooth-equipped so it can transfer recorded sounds to a computer via the included USB Bluetooth receiver. The only downside of my 3200 is that, without a battery, it's about as useful as my iPod ear buds (oh, and it looks really impressive ); no sound is passed through acoustically. If you opt for an electronic model, I would strongly recommend having a good quality standard model as a backup. I have learned to be wary of electronics and batteries that die unexpectedly. (though to be fair, my 3200 has a very visible battery meter on it) I agree with other posters: buy only from a legitimate source! The last thing you want is a cheap knock-off. My Cardio III came from Steeles (http://www.steeles.com/); the 3200 was a gift from my wife, who doesn't recall the source. Please post again when the issue is resolved. I'd like to know what the resolution involved and what worked for you. --David

for pity's sake, people. it's hipaa: "health insurance portability and accountability act". if there's a "hippa," i'm unfamiliar with it. considering the education each and everyone one of us is supposed to have, and the size of the shadow hipaa casts over us, you'd think we would all know this one inside and out. oh, and the title of this thread, "another nurse bites the dust due to facebook"...come on. facebook is not to blame any more than a soapbox is to blame for what people shout when they stand on one. :) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ if we blame guns for killing people, can i blame my pencil for spelling errors?' --larry the cable guy

Being an older nursing student (47), I have it in my head that I have something to prove, that I need to have some advantage to compensate for my age, so for me and my wife (a 46-year-old law student), 89% is a failing grade. She's wrapping up her Bachelor's with a 4.0; I've completed my pre-reqs with the same. Here's hoping we can keep it up!

'The Few. The Proud. The Male Nurses.' :w00t:

AR student here, too. When it comes time to take A&P, look for Prof. Justin Moore. He's tough, but thorough, so you'll really learn the material. It's more academic work than you've ever faced (guaranteed), but it's good to have been through. Best of luck to ya. --David

Something no one has bothered to ask yet: Why exactly would you want to do this?

Well, I'm not exactly starting my pre-reqs (just finished them, actually), but I am a male nursing student in Sacramento. Your girlfriend is right - having students with whom you will have "survived" (A&P comes to mind) can be a great source of encouragement, camaraderie and support. Please feel free to post or reply if there is any way I can help. --David

I think the garrison cap is a cool idea, though I'm partial to some design involving a surgical scrub cap. Being Jewish, I'd be inclined to utilize a caduceus or rod of asclepius instead of a cross, red or otherwise. :) :hanukkahstar:

For credibility's sake: I have completed all my prerequisites and am applying to nursing programs; I have a solid 4.0. Frankly speaking, I think compressing A&P in any way is insane. You DO NOT want to do this. I took A&P over a fall and spring semester. As you probably know, summer sessions are much shorter (read: "more condensed"). I studied more for those two semesters of A&P than I did for my ENTIRE Bachelor's Degree in computer science. I'm not kidding. A&P is the foundation of everything you will encounter in your nursing education, and I suspect, your nursing profession. This is the stuff you will need in the long term, and there is more information than you can imagine. To try to cut corners or just "get through" this pivotal course would do you (and your patients) a disservice. As far as online courses, I'm not a big fan, as I do FAR better in a classroom/lab setting, interacting with other humans, bouncing ideas, engaging in questions and discussion, etc. Not that it can't or shouldn't be done, it's just not my thing. If you go with an online approach, be sure that any questions or concerns you have do not go unanswered; they are likely to surface again. Be one of "The Greats" - take the time to completely immerse yourself in A&P; if you love health care, you will love A&P. And hate it; after all, it is a hell of a lot of work! Sorry if this came across harsh. --David ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 'An education is the only commodity in which the consumer doesn't want their money's worth.' --Dr. George Abood, University of Phoenix

I just finished my last pre-req course LAST NIGHT. [looks like another 'A'!] I'll turn 47 this July. Don't let your age be a distraction or stumbling block. In A&P, I had a classmate who was 71! To success!

I'm feeling dumb...what is an 'RT program'?

Another former computer geek here. Twenty years in software development and system/network administration. Career fell apart; watched the Trauma ICU nurses care for my dying stepson, and knew all the times I had taken care of people through life were pointing me to a nursing career. Getting some exposure in advance is always useful; but I think that a moment will come when you'll know for sure what you want to do, and you won't be satisfied doing anything else.

100% of the nurses with whom I've chatted about career topics absolutely love it. Sure, there are plenty of drawbacks and bad points, but what job doesn't have those? I will always believe that, as long as you love what you do, you will be able to be happy. Yes, I know that some employers seem to preclude happiness, and some people simply will not be reasoned with, but there are a lot of nursing jobs to be had. I've had a high-paying career that drove me to a variety of stress-related health problems, but I learned that it was because I was miserable and hated what I was doing. I barely care what I earn as a nurse; I was meant to care for people, and that's what makes me happy and feel "whole". 'When your heart cries out, you must obey!' --Triumph, "All the Way" (from the "Never Surrender" album)

Okay, I'm going to look like a big, spoiled turd. I use a Rolex Submariner (blue). :imbar It's easy to read in almost any light and at most angles. I won't be a complete toad and post the list price, but I will mention that it was a gift from my wife a number of years ago. Seriously though, I would think any modern quartz watch that you find easy to read will do the job for many years. You could always try the Flavor-Flav method and wear a big ugly clock around your neck! You asked.

I had a decent-paying career. It started off interesting and fun. I couldn't believe they were actually paying me! However, with each new project, layoff, department or corporate restructuring, it went farther and farther down hill. Eventually, the career fell apart: from "which offer should I accept" to "would you like fries with that?" Many self-realizations, childhood memories and oddly-timed inspirations clearly pointed me to nursing. At the time of that decision, I believed that the old adage, "a career in nursing is essentially charity work." Translation: "the pay is a joke." I didn't care. I was meant to care for people, and I was excited about it. I still am. I found out later that nurses are pretty well-paid, but the point is that, if you're not doing something you love, no salary is worth the enormous expense of your life's time wasted in that occupation, because that's all it is: an "occupation" - something that occupies your time. Follow your passion. Big house, fast car, lots of cash...none of it can compare to living a dream from your heart. Oh - on being male, almost 100% of the reactions have been of excitement, encouragement (both for me, and because of me), admiration and supportive. --David '...when your heart cries out, you must obey!' -Triumph, "All the Way"

I searched my personal "Quotes" lists and found one I had saved from is5512 (on this site!): '...I decided to fight back, and chase this thing out of me. And then I thought of the next person who would be in that hospital bed, and what they'd be going through. 'I once read that fighting for the defenseless was the highest calling of a man. A Nurse fights on behalf of a patient who can't. When the patient is able, the Nurse teaches them how to fight back. I'm not going to get into class warfare about Doctors and Nurses, but the Nurse is the one who stands guard during the night shift and tells the enemy, "Not on MY watch, you don't." 'I'm going to be a Nurse because that's what a man does.' I thought that was so perfect and something for us (men), that I am tempted to commit it to memory! And again, as another poster...posted: who really cares what others think? Depending on your concentration, duties, opportunities (even a traffic mishap you may witness), you will make a difference in peoples' lives -- perhaps even save them! This reminds me of a vivid dream I had early in my nursing education: I was having lunch with a small group of friends with whom I had worked years prior. Most of us had moved on to other things. Someone posed the question: "So...what interesting thing have you all done today?" One was wearing fashionably-torn jean, a $120 Tommy Bahama shirt and Birkenstocks. As the last one still in the computer software industry, he spoke up first: "I completed a revolutionary animation method that will put my company on the 'map'!" The next was a hardware engineer. He described an improvement to PC design that would net tremendous performance increases for minimal cost; this would open up amazing technological potential for the masses. Another, dressed in a fine hand-tailored suit, "power tie" and shoes worth more than my car piped up: "I closed a deal with a new Asian market that will not only expand my company's reach by 250%, but was the stroke I needed to be made the new Vice President of my division. Oh, and there's a $350k salary that goes with it." They all looked at me, sitting there in green scrubs, $65 white sneakers and my hospital ID with the dorky picture clipped to some trade show lanyard around my neck. They bugged their eyes out as they leaned toward me, trying to coax a laughable response out of me. I thought about the family that came into the ER that morning, especially the six-year-old girl knocked silly by her lack of a seat belt. I thought about the CPR I had performed. I finally looked up and quietly, but honestly added, "I brought a little girl back from the dead." Pursue your dream/calling/destiny/whatever you call it. 'When your heart cries out, you must obey!' --Triumph, "All the Way" (from the "Never Surrender" album) Best to you, --David

As soon as I graduate (ASN), pass the NCLEX-RN and become employed, I plan to immediately enroll in the RN-to-MSN program at the local state university. --David

I'm 45; started a year and-a-half ago. There are quite a few men in my prereq courses (A&P now); probably about 30%. --David