fazeila921

I'm taking my pre-reqs at GPC now. Can someone tell me which instructors are good and which ones to avoid for A&P1, 2 and Micro? I prefer to take classes at Lawrenceville which is closest to my house but i'll travel further out if it will help me to get a better grade. Is it really possible to take those science classes online? somehow i feel like i may end up reading the textbook and not having a clue about what's going on. I'm not too crazy about online classes. If you don't want to put any instructor on blast on this website, send me a private message. I'm registered for Fall A&P1 on Tues/Thurs evenings at Lawrenceville but they still haven't posted the teacher's name so it's like Russian Roulette at the moment.

Georgia Perimeter college has an accelerated RN program. You graduate with an associates degree. It's not really accelerated. You do the same 4 semesters as the regular program but it starts in the Spring and you go straight through the summer so you finish by the following Spring. This is opposed to starting in the Fall where you don't do any summers so it takes 2 yrs. You have to apply by like June for January admission or something like that. Their website is www.gpc.edu and then look for the nursing dept.

I live in GA and am debating whether or not to go to nursing school in GA or in NY. I plan to move to NY in 2-3 yrs depending on that decision. It is easier for me to go to school in GA since I'm taking my pre-reqs now and I would be able to start in Fall 2009 and finish in 2011. If i go to school in NY, I would not be able to start until 2010 and not finish until 2012. A friend of mine in NY who is a hospital administrator said that I could go to school in GA and then take my NCLEX test in NY and then I would not have to go through the whole process of transferring my license from state to state. Is that true? My main concern is that if I get my RN license in GA then a NY hospital maybe won't want to hire me as a new nurse. They will want someone with experience already coming from another state. I do not want to stay here longer than I have to and having to stay an extra year would kill me. I do not want to work in GA at all. What do I do to solve this dilemma?

You can go to www.paycheckcity.com. You can plug in what state you live in or wish to live in and then put in your gross pay, # of exemptions you claim and it will break it down exactly as your paycheck does. It is good for people to compare how much their take home will be if they are thinking about relocating or if they want to see what a raise might actually look like after taxes. Now if you live in NY and work in NJ or vice versa, you may get hit twice with the taxes. I'm not really sure how that works. Paycheckcity.com won't be able to give you the details on that. It assumes you live and work in the same state.

Hello Texas nurses, Any of you have experienced working in FL and/or GA? Is there any difference in the work environments, for example, nurse/patient ratios, overall satisfaction, the pay? I am not a nurse yet. I live in Atlanta at the moment. Which are the better schools specifically in Houston?

Okay, so here's my question. How did they do it? How did they support themselves (and kids) while going to nursing school full time? I want to go to nursing school and haven't quite figured out how the bills are going to get paid when i'm supposed to keep my schedule open for school all day and then study at night. Please enlighten me because i'm planning to go for Fall 2009 if i can get my finances straight.

thanks Rollie. I just wanted to add that i do plan on getting my BSN eventually but want to get working as a nurse as soon as possible, so for me, ADN will be the way to go. My expectation is to eventually become a nurse practitioner. I have no idea what speciality i want to go into.

We all hear about the nursing shortages but in some states, new grads have a hard time finding a job. Sometimes hospitals just want nurses with a BSN vs. ADN. I will be getting a 2nd degree to go into nursing and it's very hard to go back to school in your 30s. I am hoping finding a job will not be a problelm. I will likely get my ADN in Atlanta. If i were to go back to my home state, i've heard there are so many nurses, that hospitals can pick and choose who they want or don't want to hire. So what's it like for new grads in ATL? Will i have a harder time finding work with an ADN? Would it make any difference that i'm bilingual (spanish)? I also would be interested in finding out about the salaries, not the starting salary (that's been covered in dozens of posts) but in how fast and how much does it go up after one year, two years, etc...of experience. Personally i think the starting salaries are really low and i can only assume that it will get better with some experience under my belt. Thanks in advance for your replies.

LMAO....this thread is hilarious! I think probably women that are NOT nurses still fantasize about marrying a doctor. I have a friend that is actually a hospital administrator and she is on a mission to marry one of them. All i can say that she has "hooked up" with some of them, but i haven't seen any real relationships come to fruition.

I think the "problem" is that CA has increased salaries to such a level that it is attracting a large number of people to pursue nursing, and thereby reducing any shortages. Trust me, if you lived in another part of the country, you would have job offers out the wazoo. I'm not a nurse yet but that does scare me as well--to give up so many years of taking classes, etc...and then having a hard time finding a job. It's one of the reasons why i want to go into nursing--to not have to deal with that.

Girl, just suck it up for six more months and then you can start applying for jobs elsewhere. You'll have a steady day shift in no time. You also are probably still trying to get used to the job itself so don't be so quick to jump ship. Sometimes you don't know how good you have it until it's gone.

I've been reading about all of the negativity for quite some time and i have to admit I *WAS* scared to death. I finally contacted a local hospital (i'm in Atlanta right now) and asked if I could shadow a nurse. I did and it was much better than expected. The nurse had 5 patients in acute care. she worked nonstop for 4 hrs straight while i followed her, and she was handling herself just fine. Some good patients, some were a pain in the butt, some family members annoying, pharmacy tech forgot to drop off the meds on time, but nothing that threw her for a spin. I mean, if stuff like that will get you all worked up then you have no business being a nurse. I got a good feel for what nurses do day in & day out, plus i got to ask alot of questions. I'm so glad that i had the opportunity to do so and I would recommend that anybody else considering nursing to give it a try. And on that note, i wish i had a dollar for every post that i've read saying how their nursing school is the worse one or the most disorganized. Read all the posts. Check out different states. Same old tune, and yet, most go on to become successful nurses. People tend to be overly dramatic when it comes to the negative stuff.

Not to go off topic here but you should really reconsider buying real estate right now, whether in the US or UK. Both are in the middle of a bubble and prices are expected to drop. I work as a housing counselor right now and I do hear UK has very similar issues to the US housing crisis. Just make sure you do your homework. You might be able to get a better deal if you wait.

The original poster had a valid question and yet i see alot of cynical remarks on here. the same question has crossed my mind as well. I don't think she meant the $10 per hour literally but basically wondering if salaries would go down if socialized medicine became a reality. I'll be honest, if salaries went down significantly i would pursue another career. It's great in theory to want to do things out of love or a passion, but at the end of the day, we do have bills to pay. I don't think that is a reflection of a person being a good or a bad nurse. In my humble opinion, i think salaries would go down slightly and alot of the overtime would get cut. there would be no more competition between hospitals and salaries would be regulated by the industry. I hope that doesn't happen because I am a career changer, and also have felt the effects of the mortgage/real estate bust and people that used to make 6 figures now can't even put food on the table. Job security is important.

Wow, i didn't know they would put a school on probation after bad grades for 3 yrs. that makes a difference. that sets a trend of consistently poor performance. Geez, and as much money as Univ of Miami charges, they should be ashamed of themselves. I do think that it is a very good idea to call up hospitals or even nurse recruiters to find out what kind of reputations certain schools have. A recruiter will probably be the most candid since they have no incentive to lure you one way or another. I'm going to take that advice myself.

I've read the threads on this site about how bad GA Perimeter's nursing program is. I am taking pre-reqs there now and not sure if I will be going to nursing school in GA (may relocate) but it's still a possibility that I may try to do it at GPC. Has it gotten any better? I'd like to hear from students that have been in the school in 2007. Also, is it possible to work part time if all general studies courses/science are completed and you're only taking the nursing part? And finally, is there a difference between the Lawrenceville campus and Clarkston, like which one has better instructors?

You have a good point, jerrylundergard. also, does anybody know what is considered a low passing % on the NCLEX? That is subjective. I've never been to nursing school but from what i hear, you don't learn to become a "real" nurse until you actually start working your first year anyway. So really, as long as you get a decent foundation in nursing school, you should be okay.

Well if they are on probation for 2 yrs, then most likely you should be safe to finish up before then since you did say you start in May 08. I'm actually going to visit the school in about a week while i visit Miami. I am going to bring this topic up and see what they say, so i'll get back to you on that.

Thanks Sweet Tooth. I keep hearing good things about the instructors over at gwinnett tech. I went to a private 4 yr university many years ago, and i used to sort of look down at vocational schools and community colleges. But after having finished chemistry at GA Perimeter, I know the education is on par with any other school. they may not have all the "extras" that they charge an arm and a leg for, or maybe a reputation, but the education can be the same, sometimes better. I have no idea where i'll be applying to for nursing school yet and it will most likely be in another state, so the whole transfering of credits does concern me. The school is closed right now but after the New Year i will try to get more info. In the meantime, i registered for a medical terminology course there for the winter session just to feel them out and if anything, that will help me get a better grade for when i sign up for A&P.

Hello. I am in the process of taking my science pre-reqs in order to apply into an RN program in a couple of years. I already have a B.A. degree. I took chemistry at GA Perimeter college and that went well. But they are phasing out the Lawrenceville campus and I don't want to commute too far in order to take my other classes (i work full time). Gwinnett Tech is close to my house and they do offer A&P and Micro both at the vocational level and what they call the "associate degree level." Has anyone taken classes here and are the credits transferable to a 4 yr university? I heard from one girl in my chem class that she had a horrible A&P professor at Georgia Perimeter then went to Gwinnett tech and did much better.

Great question! I'm not ready to apply to nursing school yet but UofM was one of the schools that i was interested in (accelerated BSN)..that is until I saw the tuition. Yikes! After already having a degree, I am hesitant to rack up a bunch of student loan debt again. Ok, i'm waiting for a reply. i too would like to know what it's like to work in the Miami hospitals. My choice is between going to NYC or South Florida. The pay in NY is much higher, but so is the cost of living. I know FL is no longer cheap either, but you can still make out better. The part that concerns me is that it's a Right to Work state, whereas in NY, you've got strong unions. That's one of the reasons why the pay is higher and the nurse to patient ratios lower.

Would you care to share some of your thoughts now?

Hello everyone. This is my first post on this site. I've been reading it for some time. I am considering a nursing career (2nd career--i'm 36). I'm afraid because of all the negative things i hear. But every once in a while someone posts some positive things about nursing. I already started taking my pre-reqs (i have a degree so i just need to take the science courses), and in the meantime, i'm doing some research. I saw a clip of a documentary on YouTube titled "The nursing shortage: A Crisis in America Healthcare." The producer is Paula Packwood. It is an hour long video but youtube only shows 3 minutes. I'd really like to see the whole thing. I've tried google doing numerous searches and can't find it. It follows a day in the life of a nurse and i'm really interested in watching it. Please help me find it. Or if you know of other such videos that might help me get a realistic view of the nursing world, recommendations would be appreciated.