Redfoot

This will come off a bit harsh, but I feel you need an additional insight towards your decision. Bear in mind I know nothing about your background or age which might alter my advice. I would focus on becoming a competent nurse, first and foremost. You have been accepted into nursing school, that is all. And Frankly an 84% on the TEAS test is not terrific, and the test is heavily weighted in Northern California at least. Finish BSN school first and do it well and then you can see about PA or NP school. Most PA schools want documented patient contacted hours in the hundreds or more-this is not including nursing school. NP school is IMHO easier to get into, and pricey as heck in many cases. Frankly, going directly into NP school does not make for the greatest of providers, but that is strictly on personal bias and experience. Of my class, the students that could not find a job easily after graduation and had the finances (and not necessarily the best clinical skills) all applied and were accepted to NP school with ease. I will see in 1.5 years if these students were able to find employment as a mid level provider however. I live and work in a rural setting, and with a minimal amount of overtime I match what mid-levels make here, and I am on step 2 of 10 pay scales and only have been here 20 months. I also do not need to be on-call, deal with issues regarding patient overdoses due to doctor shopping, and a host of other issues. Where you live, where you are willing to relocate, the current job market (not so hot for new grads in some areas) will all help dictate where you will end up. And on the note about specialties, I may be of the old school but I feel that most new grads should spend at least 1 year on a medical/surgical floor before heading anywhere else. Many of the hospitals in my area feel the same way. With that said, many times the specialty chooses the person, not the other way around, so keep that in mind during clinical rotations. Whether the cost is worth it to you depends on a variety of factors, and your avenue to repay it. Contact some mid-levels in your area once you are in your nursing studies and they should be able to help you with some of this information, and they may let you shadow. Good luck. -Redfoot

Mya2bRN, Thanks for doing alot of legwork and keeping us informed. I took the test today and got the "good" popup after a 75 question test shut off, and I look forward to seeing my name on that site. I would love to know immediately, but I remember that in 2008 it took 5 weeks for the BVNPT to post my name online for my LPN, so I think can deal with a week or two (until the waiting gets to me ugh!) Thank you, and take care. -Redfoot

No disrespect to the many, many threads on the subject but... I wish to present a possibly different perspective here. I feel like I have been a tape recorder for the following information way too many times recently. My background is guy studying to become a BSN back in 1997. I quickly found that full time status and working 50+ hours a week was not conducive to a proper learning environment. Flash forward to right now. I spent 6 years in the USAF as a medical technician, tested out of my LVn in 2008, and spent the last 1.5 years retaking sciences to get into nursing school, and I have just been accepted into CSU Chico. I was attracted to the program because the nursing staff (actually dept head) actually responded to my inquiries 2 years before I even became a wildcat, unlike every other program within a 80 mile radius (i.e. pay enrollment fees, meet with a general counselor, and take a class here before we will talk to you). But I digress... While taking a bunch of these classes at local community classes I had the opportunity to speak with students from many different professional and educational backgrounds. They have enlightened me, and vise versa. Here is what I have to say. Prep for the BSN requirements for the schools in your state or region. Why? Well, in northern California, the ADN programs were much more impacted than the BSN programs, in some cases by a longshot. Many ADN schools have gone to a lottery system, meaning that GPA was barely a factor as long as you met the minimum requirements, so you may be waiting a few years before getting a chance to get into the program. In the states I have gone to school in, the difference in classes required to get into BSN vs ADN programs was Organic Chem (my nemesis), another 3 credits of psychology, and statistics. Take it upon yourself to look over the degree catalogs so you have documentation and exact class codes. DO NOT trust a counselor's opinion as gold until you are in the program (many members of URI class of 2001 would attest to this). Once accepted, both programs were 2 years from start to finish. I have seen and worked with quite a few people that were waiting for acceptance into the local ADN program, while they could easily have made themselves eligible for the BSN programs as well, giving them 2-3 more schools to to apply to and perhaps gained acceptance sooner. Financial aid is out of the scope of this discussion, and I know that school costs money, so be it. Take the subsidized and unsubsidized federal loans, and whatever other aid that you can. You will be making enough money, and in some cases get the loans forgiven. We are students. We accumulate debt. That is the way of the world. Finally, speak with students that attend the program that you are interested in. There was an ADN school near me that I would not even bother applying to for the simple fact that they required LVN students to jump through way too many hoops, take 6 credits of non-transferable nursing classes just to be considered, and had the reputation for failing students at an alarming rate for dubious subjective reasons-and few of these students I have known to go on to be successful at other programs. I guess what I want prospective students to take from this is that it is not a ADN vs. BSN issue. It is a nursing school issue. Difference in pay is negligible, with a slight upper hand given to BSN in the realm of career enhancement. We all want the best possible education we can get. But we also have to understand that historically when the economy takes a dump, people go into health care. Add to that the fact that nursing has been in the top ten jobs to have as far as growth for the last 15 years minimum, there is a lot of competition out there, many just as dedicated and caring as yourself, and some with advanced degrees. We are all looking for the perfect school and whatnot, but eventually we just need a paycheck and experience. Upgrading your degree is always an option, and in many cases is done part time and online. In my opinion, it is wisest to fullfill the requirements for the BSN programs in your state by taking community college classes whenever possible as well as interfacing with current students and staff in the programs that you are seeking enrollment in order to make the best possible decision and afford you the most options possible. Especially if you are dead set on CNA or NP in your future, you owe it to yourself. Good luck everyone. -Redfoot P.S. When I did a tour at Baltimore Shock Trauma in 2004, the head nurse in the ER was a diploma nurse, and one of the smartest and kindest people I have ever met. We all are nurses first, and the additional acronyms second.

I do not want to sound too harsh but... Does she work at all, and if she does how much does she contribute to the bottom line? Sacrifices need to be made if she wants to live in CT, from what I can remember is either very expensive to live in, or very poor. I applaud your original career, but ministers and the like are not known for their wealth. Do you think that she may feel threatened by your change in careers? Possibly because she wanted to marry a minister, and not a nurse? Are the women that you are surrounded with going to be an issue for her? You have the option to go into a career field with great growth potential and great income, and job stability, with loans that can be forgiven under the right circumstance. Put it all down on paper for her to help her understand the financials, and if that does not sway her in the least, I hate to say there may be another issue going on altogether. Good luck! -Redfoot

One of the best ways I have found to perk a woman's interest in a male nurse is to lay off the break room doughnuts and curl alot of weight. Every now and then I would show up dressed to the nines and smelling nice to pick up a schedule just to remind the ladies that I indeed was a man ;-) Seriously, everyone has covered the bases pretty well. One of the issues I have had to deal with is that the lovely female nurses around me would effectively trash every other female in the building if I feigned interest. They tend to get very protective of us. What the thread needs to go onto is how to break out of the eunic (a.k.a. friend) zone with some of the lovely ladies. Cheers! -Chris

Yes, and Yes. I am an LVN, and I have been able to pretty much take my pick of positions, mainly based upon my experience in the military. With more vets from OIF/OEF separating and getting into the workplace, I think a lot of the employers are getting a good vibe from us. Especially since we have performed at an RN level for some time-and that is the only thing that I have to sometimes explain to people. My license may be new, but i have had six years experience giving care. Generally we are (or have been described as) stable, respectful, trainable, patient, hardworking, and knowledgeable. With the exception of one telephone recruiter who was a hag (and I even got an interview off of that one), most of the call backs have been very positive to interview me. You have to be realistic about the job market, even nursing. If you are looking for that perfect position, you may have to wait awhile. Specialty job offers will not be as forth coming. Do your research-you may find out that the place that you have your heart set on has been on a hiring freeze for awhile, even though they have job postings. Just keep in in your head to live within your means, and realize that your next position will not necessarily have to be your last nursing job of your life. Cheers. -Redfoot

Go for it! Just remember that the enlisted folk are a lot more well trained than the BS you will be fed at OCS. And be prepared for the expanded scope of practice. -Redfot

Howdy. From the USAF side of things, I am not sure how you would position an extra billet on the vessel. Our IDC's have a scope of practice which can at many times eclipse an RN (suturing, prescription of drugs, etc). To me it would not make sense to place nurses on board vessels unless it was a hospital ship. My limited knowledge of naval medicine seems to remember an IDC paired with a PA to take care of most medical needs. Perhaps a Navy nurse or Corpsman can chime in on the matter for you. Cheers, -Chris

As far as the USAF goes, I would hazard to say that there is a 50/50 ratio. The only units that females do not get assigned to are some secret squirrel Independent Duty Medical Technician slots. I do notice however that there is a disproportionate amount or prior service male nurses than female, probably due to the fact that once you make E-5/E-6, you tend to get pulled out of direct patient care. Of course, the AF does not due "combat missions" per se, but this is changing as we pick up more army taskings. Do not let aerovac troops fool you, they are not dustoff medics buy a long shot, though I knew a couple that filed army taskings. I miss my time in the .mil, and I plan on becoming a butterbar once I complete school at Chico. Cheers. -Redfoot.

Check out Rio Salado Community College http://www.riosalado.edu/schedule/Pages/schedule.aspx?search=microbiology&semester=4096 The course includes a lab. I started it, but had to withdraw do to relocation. Good luck. -Chris

AF vet here. The studying and dedication is not the enemy. Staying within your scope of practice can be-no more suturing and otherwise! Also, the 'dedicated service' thing can sometimes neutralize the 'hated of males' thing that can be present with professors.

Food is critical. Places will not deliver, and scrounging is not an option (either no food left, or it was left out all day). Get into a routine. I noticed that when things are slow, that is when something gets missed (weird right?). Calisthenics, if possible, are an awesome way to stay awake. Watch your caffeine consumption at first, or you may have a hard time getting to sleep in the AM (believe it or not). I found that I needed less sleep while on night shift. Try not to screw up your sleep on your nights off. A white noise machine is critical for blocking out the screaming kids and traffic throughout the day. Congrats! -Redfoot

I hear you bud. I will not question your dedication or work ethic, and there have been many comments about instructors pushing you to exceed, etc., so I will jump to my point. Some instructors plain suck. That is it. Without naming the program, there is a school near me that has been known for being extremely subjective in grading, and flunking students based upon no didactic or clinical deficiencies. I have known 4 people that were disenrolled from the program, only to go on to other programs close by and excel. I took and IV cert class in this program, and the instructor actually told me not to apply because the other nurse instructors were 'insane' (she was brought back to teach out of retirement after a few of the teachers were dismissed). Another word of thought-I was making -much-more money as an LVN in California than the community college professors. Has to make you think a little. So no, you may not be crazy, these teachers may not be treating you fairly. If it comes down to it, you may be able to request an educational review of your material if you think you are being treated unfairly. Of course, just give them little to complain or mark you down about, and that could be it. Anywho, good luck bro. -Redfoot.

"Microbiology made ridiculously simple" is a great book to get if you do not already have it. My Microbiologist friend tuned me into it after I told her I was attending the class last September. Micro is bane only topped by Organic Chem. Micro classes are kind of weird, and it definitely depends on the instructor/school. My class had a lot of Vet-tech students in it (50%+), so we explored alot of stuff concerning animal infections. What always kills me is when you attend all the lectures, labs, and read the text, and the stuff still looks foreign. My Air Force medical training and CBRNE training did come in handy concerning Gram +/-, acid fast bacteria, and whatnot. In the end, I lucked out-my instructor flaked and we had a bunch of take home tests. Good luck man. -Redfoot

I do not know, but I will be putting in my app soon. I think Chico is a good option over the various JC's in the area with a 2+ year wait list. Good Luck. -Redfoot LNV, EMT-B, USAF