TxMama

I am currently enrolled at UoP and due to complete my AA in Health Administration December 23rd. Like KnittWhitt, I have had a superb experience and highly recommend it. When you meet with your enrollment advisor, it will most likely seem overwhelming and extremely complicated, but it really is not. Once you get started and complete your first block of courses, you will know what to expect for all the upcoming blocks. If you have a busy life and flexibility is a must, then UoP will certainly give you the opportunity to reach your goals. GOOD LUCK!!!!

You are very welcome MamaMadge and thank YOU as well! In my own personal experience and in many of the post I have read, I have heard too many stories of physician "laziness" -- even when the nurses are CERTAIN there is a problem. Unfortunately for me, I had two OB's (out of four) whom fell in this category and put my life at risk. I cannot say enough for the work that nurses do and for advocating for their patients!!

Although I am only a pre-nursing student who aspires to work in L&D, I thought it may be helpful to share my own PP hemorage stories from a patients perspective... 1st hemmorage - First child, normal pregnancy, natural delivery, prolonged crowning (doc not there nurses refused to deliver), cord around neck, blue baby that required resussitation. Discharged from hospital after less than 24 hours (this was in 1994) with no problems. I knew something was not right the first week after delivery when my blood turned bright red and increased. Called doc and was told "your fine, its normal). One more week passes and again bright red and increased... called doc... again told "okay/normal" yet this time the doc is obviously annoyed. Third, forth and fifth week passes with on again - off again bright red flow. I grew so concerned that I just showed up at my ob's office and insisted he see me. He did a lady partsl and uterine (pressure) check and said, "YOU ARE FINE" and that this would count as my "6-week check-up". Two days later after putting my daughter in her corificeat and preparing to leave the house, I suddenly felt a huge gush come out of my lady parts and looked down to find my jeans completely saturated with blood and pooling at my feet. I knew exactly what was happening and thought I was going to die. I calmly layed down next to my daughter's car seat on my bed, elavated my feet above my head and called my mother (less that 5 minutes away) so she could take me to the ER (almost 10 minutes away). I reclined in the passenger seat while sitting on a huge stack of towels on the way to the hospital. I cried and told my mom to tell my then boyfriend (now husband) that I love him and to make sure both of them tell my daughter how much I loved her.... I really thought I was going to die. I began to fade as we pulled up to the ER's curb. I remember them putting me in a wheel chair and seeing the blood-soaked towels I was sitting on. I remember the other patients sitting in the ER's waiting room gasping as the saw the trail of blood that was left behind me as they rushed me to a room. I blacked out as the cut off my jeans. When I came too, I found out that I had a portion of the placenta still inside me (which they got out) and had received a blood transfusion. I do not remember how much blood they said I lot, but they said I was lucky to be alive. The point to me telling this story in hope that any current/future OB's will tell their patients to seek medical attention immedciately if their discharge becomes bright-red and/or increases (which I know you already do) AND to also tell them to seek a second opinon or go to an emergency room if their OB brushes them off and says this is fine. I knew that this was not okay, but as a first-time (and young) mother, I felt like I "HAD" to believe my OB. Man do I know better now!! As for my second PP hemmorage, it was immediately following the birth of my 3rd child in 2003. The prenancy was complicated after a loss and nearly 4 years of secondary infertility. Diagnosed with incompetent cervix at 22 wks gestation and underwent surgery for a cervical cerclage three days later. Contractions immediately followed surgery and continued... put on mag sul (and given steroids) to stop preterm labor. Send home to strict bedrest while on turb for the remainder of pregnancy. In and out of the hospital four more time (pre-term labor) before being induced (GO FIGURE!! LOL) at almost 39 weeks (large baby). Pitocin did nothing after almost a day and began to see fetal decells (spelling?). Received epi in prep for c/s THEN wham.... contractions came as did baby. Delivered almost 10 pound son who had no problems. Delivery was followed by a removal of a large labial cyst (not bartholins or ?? - can't remember) and external vag reconstruction. PP bleeding was heavy and of concern the entire time. OB left and two nurses continued to monitor me. They kept me in the delivery room out of concern and because I was considered unstable. Uterine pressure was given intermittently to remove clots, but none came out and bleeding continued. There was question as to where the sorce of the bleeding was - uterine, site of cyst, or reconstructed area. It felt like hours went by and I was kept comfortable (codine I believe) and unable to see my baby. I saturated pads continuously and remember it dripping on the floor. They gave me a shot to help clot my blood and it subsequently began to get under control. After a short time, they wanted me to void so they could clean me up, and move me to a PP room. I got really dizzy the second I got up and could not walk (not from epi). Half way to the restroom, blood began to gush out of me. They sat me on the toilet where I passed out. They broke out the smelling salt and put me back in bed while my doc was paged. It was difficult and EXTREMELY PAINFUL to examine me because of the lady partsl incisions and stiches. The nurse agrued with the doc while I cried out... she begged him to allow her to give me morphine via shot. She won - THANK GOD! :) It turns out I had a pretty significant uterine tear than need repair and low and behold another transfusion due to blood loss. I later found out (from a nurse) that my nurses had been fighting to have my OB examine me for quite a while before it happened. They felt confident that I was bleeding out. Thank heaven for nurses!! Sorry so long, but I hope my stories will help someone. I myself am very frightened of experiencing this with a patient once I become a L&D nurse. You can be your bottom dollar I will err on the side of caution and as for second/third opinons if something is abnormal.

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As an student who's dream is to become a L&D nurse, I want to say thank you for asking the question and to all of you who have/will answer it. Best wishes!

THANK YOU Tiffany!! It is nice to hear from other busy moms who are giving all they have to maintain a happy family while pursing their goals. The nursing programs I am looking 5-6 semester in length like your program -- major committment for anyone much less a wife/mother. We all have our obstacles to overcome and this just so happens to be ours. When we do acheive our goals we will get the added benefit of our children seeing our accomplishments first hand. I always say, it is not a matter of IF I finish, it is merely a matter of WHEN I finish! You keep up the hard work as well! Thanks again!!

Good for you for going looking at the short period of time (in the grand scheme of things) instead of how bad it is going to suck! I really want to get into the university 90-120 minutes from me (merit based admission), but think the odds of making it work for my life is slim-to-none. As of next September I will have one child in daycare, one child in kindergarten (half-day), one child in junior high and one in high-school.... then me in college of course. I simply cannot be hours away from their day-care and schools. My clinical at that university would also be two hours away from home three nights a week. My husband's job-sites vary and take him anywhere from 1 to 3 hours away from home 5-6 days a week as it is. UGH! Enough of my rant... wish it were easier, but I will persevere one way or another! Best wishes to everyone out there and the lengths you have to take to earn your degree and licensure! MIND OVER MATTER!!

Unfortunately for many of us, the process of actually getting into a nursing program can be extremely frustrating. For me personally, all of the universities close to me use a waiting list and there is an average 6-8 semester wait. There is one school about an hour and a half to two hours away from me that accepts students based on merit (which I am confident my accomplishments/gpa would result in acceptance), but it is simply too far away with my responsibilities as a wife and mother of four. Sometimes we have to be creative (which I have resorted to) in order to gain enterance ASAP. You can search for LVN programs at local community colleges and then enter a LVN-to-RN career ladder (accelerated program) which typically have a significantly shorter wait. Best luck to you as you explore your options and make an informed decision. :)

Hello again! Just in case you have not seen it before, here is a link to the California government website that list all off the accredited ADN, BSN and Master's Degree nursing programs in the state -- COMPLETE WITH LINKS!! http://www.rn.ca.gov/schools/rnprgms.htm . If the school has weekend, evening or accelerated programs available it will say it in the same box with the link. Hope this helps you and anyone else in California exploring their options.

Count me in ladies and gents! I am 30 years old, married and mother of four (13, 10, 4 & 21 months). Since my husband and I fell in love and started our family young, I focused on completing our family and staying home with them before pursing my career. I will complete my AA in Health Administration this December and begin my nursing pre-requisites (has some completed) in January. Due to extensive waiting lists and competitive entry nursing programs (points system), I will apply to all I can and take whatever opportunity presents itself. I hope to complete my BSN as expedituously as possible. Best wishes to all of you on your pursuit of my nursing careers! :)

Golden West College in Huntington Beach also has an ADN program w/ evening and weekend classes. Here is the link: http://gwc.info/nursing/index.html . Best wishes to you on your journey to acheive your goals/dreams. :)