debRNo1

I am planning to take the exam in Oct. I applied for membership with AMSN as you receive a discount on the price of the exam and study materials. I have just about 2 years med-surg experience and I am accustomed to "independant study". I am waiting for confirmation of my membership before I send in the application. I am starting with an outline I found on another website AACN ? using my trusty med-surg text, skipping the stuff I already know. They will reimburse me for exam WHEN I pass and I will get more $ per year for the cert. Not too sure I need any other study stuff kinda feel that it would be a waste except for a few practice questions after all med-surg is med-surg RIGHT ?? deb

"they" say every nurse should do a year of med-surg !!!??? Well my anniversary is rapidly approaching 1/6/04 I was an LPN then an RN in LTC, I have done every position available in LTC when I became a "nurse manager". This was not for me~ Now Im back on the floor a busy busy hectic floor and for the most part I do love it !!! Isnt this insane that I and many others thrive on the chaos and hectic enviroment ? When I contemplate leaving I have to remember that i really do love the floor and the actual hands on of being a nurse. As far as the negativity that goes with the territory I think~We have a little running joke that when things get really bad one of us will say to the other, "have I told you that I LOVE my job?" You can further add to that comment by saying, "I LOVE NURSING !!!!" Theres a place in heaven for EVERY hard working nurse !!!!! I'm not going anywhere anytime soon I do love my job deb

:imbar here we go again........... why is it that every thread related to an "online" program has to turn into a prolonged argument generated by someone who is not currently in such a program ?????? i see this as a put down to all non traditional students and discourages students contemplating a degree online. we are all by well aware that lizz hates excelsior and for some unknown reason loves to bad mouth excelsior and its nursing program. for some unknown reason she feels compelled to jump into every discussion where excelsior is mentioned although she is in a traditional program herself. no matter how or where a discussion begins it seems to end here~lately. there is more to this story im sure but that it seems will will never know. we could try~ why are you so bitter and angry towards nurses trying to upgrade themselves to rn thru excelsior ???? tell us a little about yourself and what you did prior to choosing nursing as a career ???? lgflamini~ill waste a little breath here (you know i have to)............ :roll the program is not for everyone and i doubt that most students who are not nurses will succeed in the program either, many nurses with years of experience may not succeed either, they do not put you on "east street" towards a degree and you are not "buying" a degree either. it takes alot of hard work devotion and dedication to persue and comlpete an online degree. there are no instructors or professors to "hold your hand" you are on your instructor and basically teach yourself what you need to know. imho~ you need experience as a nurse to complete this program. yes i am pro-excelsior and proud of myself and others for completing the program, passing the boards and working as an rn's. we (excelsior grads) as a group have previously stated that we havent had any difficulties obtaining positions or functioning as rn's. i was a ltc lpn for many years, i held a position meant for an rn as an lpn and unfortunately the facility benefited by paying me as an lpn and when i applied for my first hospital job as an rn with my excelsior degree, mostly i found that "mgt" was impressed not afraid that i would endanger a patient, nobody looked down on me for having an independant degree either. im the rn i am due to my experience mostly as an lpn, not my degree alone. i would never have been able to complete the program if i hadnt been an experienced nurse. im not commenting on the ca or chiropractic issue. like kim said all programs send bad nurses out into the workforce and i have met a few that cannot draw up a meds correctly or properly assess a patient. good thing i was there ~me and my excelsior degree to stop my new grad orientee from killing a patient with an overdose of insulin~drawn up in a tb syringe. and good thing i intervened (at the familys request) when a new grad left a pt burning with fever for hours and hours without giving a med or calling a doctor~ i did assist in the transfer to icu and honestly i did have trouble sleeping that night !!! :imbar deb rn proud excelsior grad 2001

I think what you are referring to is: black and white Its an oldie BUT a goodie !!! It is a mix of 30 cc MOM with a shot of cascara 5 cc. Unfortunately after all these years I hear now that cascara isnt available anymore ?? Somehow R/T cardiac difficulties in the elderly The last 2 years at the LTC facility that I worked I spent doing "bowel audits" after a BAD survey and a huge problem with OUR bowel protocol. Sometimes you cannot push fluids and some of them dont eat or drink too good anyway. Try colace-pericolace-MOM-lactalose-sennakot-Dulcolax supp or a dulcolax tab maybe. Cant tell you how many impactions Ive seen in the hospital and in LTC facilities-not a good thing at all. good luck

Im with you HEATHER and like lgflamini said, Its NOT worth it This will be my final response (cant resist) and I suggest others do the same. LIZZ~ its amazing just what a wealth of knowledge you are. Im not the only one thinking this Im sure.......... Did someone call you CONDESENDING and a CONFRONTATIONAL BONEHEAD You are way too BRIGHT and know way TOO much to be about so many things to be condesending. Its not condeseding and its not a personality disorder. Dont you all see that this is a very smart person who knows alot of STUFF. Im sure there is plenty that a wanna-be OOPS student nurse like you could teach us old experienced nurses. We are all very impressed with you and your never ending wealth of knowledge on so many topics. You arent RUDE and fresh, ignorant or unknowledgable, spiteful or psychotic, argumentative or mean. You are not unprofessional and inexperienced. You live in southern California and maybe that makes people jealous ?? Im sure that SOMEONE will JUMP to hire you and give you more money than the experienced nurses! You are worth every penny you get................ A confrontational or personality disorder ? I think not !! An inferiority complex or a lack of common sense and COURTESY ? NAH !! ARROGANCE ? NO! You are intelligent and very very friendly bet you have more friends than all us EC grads put together, people must bother you all the time for the right answers to lifes mysterious questions !! dont you all see that we have GOD's gift to nursing here You arent cocky or overly confident, you arent a squeaky wheel or an empty wagon, you should toot your horn and honk as loud as you can ~ you are THE master communicator and its just great that you have found an outlet here to share what you know. Bet you shine in your classes and clinicals. :roll Bet your nursing instructors are just as impressed as we are. Im sure you will graduate at the top of your class with the highest GPA and be the best nurse EVER. Your fan club is growing.........All together now YES MAAM Welcome to Allnurses.com

In 1996 I paid $60.00 to take the A&P exam for which I received 6 credits. $10 a credit~ I give up :imbar

Well said.................lgflamini My worth as a nurse is using what I have learned~however I learned it ~ while working my but off as an LPN or independantly studying for my degree. Heather~Im with you and you said it well. Some people have issues that have nothing to do with what they are currently spouting off about. And you are right on the money that a person who is compelled to argue, wont listen and needs to have the last word and always has to be right is certainly a neon sign of what kind of nurse they will be. Honestly its not the nurse I would want as GOD forbid an orientee, a coworker or taking care of me or my loved ones. Could be intimidation, jealousy, or a personal issues but ignorant, obnoxious comments and put downs IMO are uncalled for; and my resume looks better than yours statements sound childish and immature. :imbar Nobody should ever be discouraged to further their education or better themselves. Nobody should be looked down upon because they went to one program or another. Every day as a nurse is a learning experience from day one in ANY program right till the day you retire. You could go a prestigious university, pay thru the nose and put it on your resume but if you refuse to LISTEN and learn you might just find yourself unable to perform as a nurse when you graduate. Rumors and myths certainly DO exist regarding an EC degree and THIS is what I commented on and seemed to agitate someone. I have experienced rumors, myths, and gossip regarding the program, I sorted it out, put them to rest, completed the program and now I am an RN. I commented on what I have experienced first hand and nothing else. I had a positive experience with this program, however, I would highly recommend researching ANY nursing program you intend to apply to, graduate from and PAY for. I did EXTENSIVE research prior to applying to this particular program and found it best suited my needs, schedule and goals as an experienced LPN attempting to upgrade to RN. My comment about the final answer coming from Excelsior was misconstrued by someone and taken out of context. If I lived in California and there was an issue I would certainly do my best to fully research, investigate, and use every resource available to any obstacles in my way but frankly I couldnt care less about it because I dont live there and NEVER commented about THAT issue anyway. I did comment on the pass rate for the CLINICAL componant of the program and this too was misquoted, misconstrued and taken elsewhere. :chair: wow BTW Here in trendy New York the nursing programs are HIGHLY competative very EXPENSIVE and have LONGER waiting lists. :imbar

guess that someone would be me you did put me (and others) down and you are dead wrong that rumors dont exist. i live in ny and already have my degree and didnt comment about the california issues at all~ just the general rumors about the program i chose not to listen to the nay-sayers like you and complete my degree in this manner and im proud to have completed the program. proud of my persistence and determination to complete the program. i spent five long years listening to rumors and myths and managed to sort them out and obtain my degree regardless of the massive amounts of misinformation out there regarding this program. so your statement is way way off and my "claim" is valid and comes from my personal experiences. if you havent had first hand experience with this topic then please dont comment+ post put-downs. your misinformation, put-downs, and negativity just prove what i have "claimed" in my completely innocent post. i guess the first thing a hospital will do when a nurse puts a patient in danger is to see where they got their degree :roll i didnt intend to start a debate at all just sharing my personal and first-hand experiences with what i will continue to call "rumors and myths" related to the program. i researched the program extensively prior to enrolling, i knew i could study independantly without an instructor or professor to tell me all the answers and point me in the right direction. this program is certainly not for everyone as i have previously stated but if you are an experienced lpn it is a good way to get your degree without fighting/waiting for a seat in a nursing program and committing yourself to a set schedule of classes. empty wagons rattle the loudest

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Originally posted by NursePerson I have been told that OR, ILL, CA, And at least 3 hospitals in Ut. won't hire them due to some of the student not having enough or no clinical experence at all. Anyone else know about this? ____________________________________________________ WHO told you that ? I do beleive it is probably just ANOTHER myth about the program. There are so many rumors and myths that it really could discourage you from applying to or completing the progam. I suggest contacting Excelsior for any and all questions. Their answers should be the final answers to any and all debates. There are study groups available and nurse educators to answer your questions. As an independant student you need to take full advantage of every resource available. DONT LISTEN TO THE RUMORS and keep on taking your exams. Both traditional and nontraditional nursing graduates take the same exam for our RN licsenses. I didnt have trouble when I began my search for a job in a hospital (with LTC experience only and my EXCELSIOR degree) in fact one of the nurse educators where I "chose" to work was impressed because she knew of the program and whats involved. During my weekend, out of the 6 who tested 2 (who were obviously unprepared) failed. Thats about 66-67 % pass rate ? I would say thats about average and depends on the students preparation. A big rumor when I tested was:o "dont go to NY~"they" are failing everybody there" I went and defied the rumor but know of students flying out of NY to test elsewhere. Another debate was about the degree of the bed during an abd. assessment and what area do I get ?? It seemed as if the instructor would whip out a measuring device to check the degree of thebed I sweated this one out because I couldnt lay my lady down the way she was breathing and the instuctor was with me on that one~not an issue at all. You must show that you can safely and competantly provide nursing care to a patient. Maybe someone who cannot get hired due to lack of experience has NOTHING to do with their degree at all. I was an experienced LPN and basic nursing/pt care wasnt an issue for me. If a student is lacking basic nursing knowledge and hasnt EVER touched a patient ~or~ If you are someone who cannot move on without a professor or instructor confirming the right answer~maybe try a traditional program. Another problem is if you are unable to take on the Excelsior way as your way, you must follow their directions and do things the way they have them laid out without deviation. I studied the exam itself as well as preparing for it. I knew exactly what to expect and exactly what was expected of me and I passed with no repeats. :roll Good luck to all who are currently testing............................

I haven't heard of any EC grad having trouble finding a job. I am an Excelsior grad 2001 and proud of it !! I think that I was probably better prepared for the boards then a traditional student. There arent any professors or instructors giving us hints as to what will be on the next exam. There are no gimme's at the CPNE either it's sink or swim !!! You swim alone........... Many people dont understand HOW the program works and there are many myths that arent true. EC students must prepare for exams without benefit of guidence and work independantly to learn what they need to and then pass these exams for credit. Initially I took A&P and Micro, if I was able to pass intense subjects like this I figured I could finish this program and I did. Yes it is a difficult program and not for everyone. Some people feel it is an easy way out and try to rush thru the exams to get to the boards. Not a good idea and most will not stay with it. Two friends of mine started with me and were "scared" off~long before the CPNE. They went to traditional programs BUT we all took the same exam for licsensure. Now we are RN's. One myth is that you CANNOT pass the CPNE without hospital experience NOT TRUE. I was a LTC nurse for many years and I had ZERO hospital experience. I practiced on my LTC residents for my assessments and VS, I passed the CPNE without repeating a lab or even a PCS. I know many EC grads and have NEVER heard of anyone not being hired. When I applied at the hospital last year one of the nurse educators (who herself had an online MS) was very impressed. Maybe there is more to the story. Sure you can complete either a traditional or "virtual" program and pass the boards only to be lost on the floor. My LPN experience is part of who I am today and the RN that Ive become. I am proud to have completed the program. Kudos to those in the midst of it now and good luck to those awaiting CPNE or the boards. Put all the myths aside and if in doubt call EC and get your info from the "horses mouth". deb

This weekend I noticed that we had a "frequent flyer" back on our unit. She wasnt in my district so I was glad about that. I do beleive she is one of these "drug-seeking pts" who may even be "doing" something to herself to cause infections and/or surgeries. I had an unpleasant experience a few months ago with her............. She was in a private room due to an "infection" SP some minor surgery. She was on every narc in the cabinet. MD writes an order for discharge but she refuses to leave. Cant get daughter on the phone she is giving me phony numbers. Son is "drinking" today and cant pick her up. Has to take a shower before she goes, has to have MORE ms and a valium NOW !!!!! It got to the point where she wouldnt let me in the room and had the door blocked with a chair. This goes on for hours and hours..... Supervisor comes and we have to call security. Shes like a bag lady and has a ton of bags in the room, she is now screaming that we cant touch her stuff. She wont leave till she gets her meds. Shes calling a lawyer, her daughter is a nurse yada yada yada.....We pack her up and she is escorted out of the building. Saturday low and behold who has been moved to the empty private room in my district !!?? So I bite the bullet and go in cause her bell is lit. I introduce myself and ask what she needs and the argument begins~the bell isnt lit~YES it is~what do you need~the nursing supervisor~what is wrong~what do YOU think~YOU kicked me out and wouldnt give me my meds last time I was here, I dont think your my nurse today.................. GET OUT !!! So I go call Sup and tell her, think shes heard enough about this woman, who caused such a fuss they put her in that room. I traded with another (float) nurse who had the time of her life that day. Roaming the halls following the nurse BEGGING for meds, sneaking out to smoke, pulling out her IV, she had a list of meds for doc and he refused to order them. Shes dressed to kill wearing tight jeans, big shoes and lifting up her shirt so everyone can see just how red her belly is. Funny thing is there is no psych hx documented on this woman !!?? At first I felt a little insulted, Ive never ever had anyone refuse me as a nurse~ this is a first. BUT Im glad though because I wont ever have to deal with this woman again. I documented word for word what she said and that sup was aware. I just hope shes gone by WED so I wont have to witness her being escorted out again. Too bad for her because Im the smoker who will take the smoking pts out and I REFUSED to take her out with me. Sorry but Im not getting involved and taking her out when she already had a valium and 10 mg of MS.....................no thanks I can refuse too. I just hope they "escort" her out before I go back on WED.

illegal

:roll A Graduate Nurse throws up when the patient does. An experienced nurse calls housekeeping when a patient throws up A Graduate Nurse wears so many pins on their name badge you can't read it. An experienced nurse doesn't wear a name badge for liability reasons A Graduate Nurse charts too much. An experienced nurse doesn't chart enough. A Graduate Nurse loves to run to codes. An experienced nurse makes graduate nurses run to codes. A Graduate Nurse wants everyone to know they are a nurse. An experienced nurse doesn't want anyone to know they are a nurse. A Graduate Nurse keeps detailed notes on a pad. An experienced nurse writes on the back of their hand, paper scraps, napkins, etc. A Graduate Nurse will spend all day trying to reorient a patient. An experienced nurse will chart the patient is disoriented and restrain them. A Graduate Nurse can hear a beeping I-med at 50 yards. An experienced nurse can't hear any alarms at any distance. A Graduate Nurse loves to hear abnormal heart and breath sounds. An experienced nurse doesn't want to know about them unless the patient is symptomatic. A Graduate Nurse spends 2 hours giving a patient a bath. An experienced nurse lets the CNA give the patient a bath. A Graduate Nurse thinks people respect Nurses. An experienced nurse knows everybody blames everything on the nurse. A Graduate Nurse looks for blood on a bandage hoping they will get to change it. An experienced nurse knows a little blood never hurt anybody. A Graduate Nurse looks for a chance "to work with the family." An experienced nurse avoids the family. A Graduate Nurse expects meds and supplies to be delivered on time. An experienced nurse expects them to never be delivered at all. A Graduate Nurse will spend days bladder training an incontinent patient. An experienced nurse will insert a Foley catheter. A Graduate Nurse always answers their phone. An experienced nurse checks their caller ID before answering the phone. A Graduate Nurse thinks psych patients are interesting. An experienced nurse thinks psych patients are crazy. A Graduate Nurse carries reference books in their bag. An experienced nurse carries magazines, lunch, and some "cough syrup" in their bag. A Graduate Nurse doesn't find this funny. An experienced nurse does

One of my coworkers; a CNA, who is around 40 YO, has 2 grown children, got pregnant and began to list her "demands" before the sperm even reached the egg :imbar Her hands havent left her belly since~she holds on to it, rubs it, pats it, and CONSTANTLY talks about it !!!!! The best was our NM took us all aside to tell us that "she" is having a "high-risk" pregnancy so we should all help her as much as we can. (Not like she ever DID work too hard.) What OB doc (in his right mind) would let a CNA actually WORK with a high risk pregnancy !!?? Or was that a lie that NM fed into? Had an amnio and was told to stay in bed X2 d where was she the next day C/O cramps and twinges Q2 minutes ? Of course on the job !! Shes out now maybe her high risk turned into a higher risk.

Key word here ? WORK ETHIC :kiss hard to find and MUST be appreciated keep up the good work.......................