salr

CONGRATULATIONS!!!! What an auspicious day to remember. Good wishes in your future endeavors.

Unfortunately your superior was such an uncompassionate and uncaring person. I can fully understand the inconveniences you are facing as you have to be away from your nursing baby. It can be painful when your breasts become engorged and you just have to pump the milk out. When I returned to work 2 months after I delivered my baby, I had this problem. What I did was I put 1 or 2 leaves of cabbage inside my bra and it helped greatly. Though my co-worker teased me that she might find my cabbage on the floor...lol. I continued to breastfeed my child for another 8 months after I returned to work. The first couple of weeks were the most difficult. After that it was fine. Read this. http://www.hamiltonhealthsciences.ca/PEDL/upload/policy/9030-1.pdf http://parenting.ivillage.com/baby/bbreastfeed/0,,3wxk,00.html

I would just ignore people like that. I wldnt waste my time and energy by letting their actions affect me. We need to remember that these people have problems in their personal lives that they cant handle; so they have to act that way to make themselves important or superior. Just ignore her and when she knows that her rudeness doesnt get on you, she will leave you alone. Dont feel intimidated or upset. She has problems; NOT YOU!!!

Thought I share this with you too. My summer A & P1 class started with 40 over student of which half were repeats. It was very intensive and demanding and half way through about half the students dropped out. So i guess those who remained were mostly repeats or those who were preparing for 4 year degree. Despite of the demands and the tremendous workloads, our class final average grade was 87, which means that many got an A. That was really something, considering the fact that many of them were working. It was indeed an outstanding class...

I did my A & P1 online last summer. It was very intensive and tons of work; 3 to 4 quizzes and tests weekly, 2 lab books, 5 objective Q's for each chapter. It drove me bonkers !!! I was trying to keep my head above the water as I wanted an A. Nevertheless all my quizzes and tests cld only give me an aggregate of 87. With my instructor's grading for the discussion, assignments and lab books, I managed to end up with 92+ and got an A. I made the mark though I nearly died .... lol. I would read the whole chapter once , run through powerpoints and search for notes and quizzes in the internet. Spend a whole lot of time on my studies. So far it has been worth the effort. Always give it all!! Whatever the outcome is not within our control. Good luck !!!

I appreciate you for speaking your mind on this subject. As I have mentioned in my previous post, I have had my share of sarcasms on my accent. They didnt know I know more languages than them. I studied British English since 7 y/o; my parents didnt speak nor understand the language except only words like Hello, Thank You, Bye, Yes and No, so I had to struggle through school mastering the language. As much as I have faced negative reaction from some, I have also received compliments from others. What is the most important is I just got A for my English 1A class.

I don't care whether other people work hard to get good grades or not. What I am concerned is myself getting as many A's as possible as I hope that will give me an edge to get into the nursing program as it is very competitive nowadays. Age is not on my side, I dont have any work experience in this field, I cannot find employers to give me good references as I have never worked in this country. So the least I could do is work hard in my studies, hoping that I will get good grades. More so, in everything I do, I make it a point to do my best. Everyone has the right to their opinion and I give due respect to each of your opinion.

Just to share my experience. I used to work as a Grp HR & Admin. Manager back in my country for years; got all the respect and recognition and a good salary that came with the job. I decided to start all over with a new career after marrying my husband and migrating to the U.S. I attended CNA class to learn the basics of nursing so as to have a good foundation. Well I have to admit that it was a 180 degree turn for me but I know in order to be good in my new profession I have to learn the ropes of the trade and start from scratch. I hv no problem wiping butts and doing the tasks of CNA but the most difficult part is being treated "rudely" by fellow classmates and a few nursing staff during my training. This wld never deter me to walk my journey through college and career path to achieve my goal of being a nurse and probably higher after that. I want to be in this career so bad, i will do whatever it take to get there. This experience is just the beginning; it is a part of the learning process.

I have just finished my Human Anatomy class for summer and will be taking Physiology this fall. It was like summer crashing - 4 chapters x 5 objective questions weekly (1 chapter about 1.5 to 2 pages length); 4 quizzes or unit test weekly, 2 lab books because the instructor wanted us to do the book written by her and the college wanted us to do A&P Lab Manual. It drove me bonkers. I dont know how those who worked got through. I made it through though... that was the greatest consolation. Thought i share my summer class to those who plan to take the class for summer to be prepared just to be safe, esp. if they are working.

http://lrn.org/Content/Quizzes/Qorient.html Took this quiz and got 100%. Thank you so much for all the web-sites. They are definitely going to be a great help for my Physiology and Microbiology too.

Of course, good grades matter!! (IMHO) Me too, I am giving it all hoping to get as many A's as possible to get into the RN program. Doing everything to the best of our ability, whether in our studies or anything we do, is part and parcel of having a positive attitude. It helps us and others too. When we become a nurse, the patients will benefit for we will be making a difference in their life. In the nursing profession, I believe this cannot be compromised for we are dealing with people who need us and our service to them will help them recover faster, feel better, motivate them, console them, encourage them, strengthen them and many more ... it will definitely affect them in one way or another. "I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel." :redbeathe

This is the question I always asked myself, though I already knew the answers. Truly an unfortunate situation. That is the reason why I feel the pressure and the urgency to finish all my pre-requisites asap with as many A's as possibly can. I am in my 40's and time is not on my side. Again, getting a high GPA doesnt necessarily mean that they will give first preference; especially for someone without any health care background. It is tough but I am going to try my level best and pray for the best outcome.

The post by Alexk49 was well said about "foreign nurses". Being a "foreigner" I thought I give my two cents worth of opinion. I applause the nursing profession in this country; the level of academic qualification and training is truly high. I was truly impressed and decided to change my career and go back to college to become a nurse and possibly go further after that. Whether foreign or local, every nurse is required to pass the NCLEX, therefore I dont see any difference between a foreign or local nurse. What is most important is whether they are able to demonstrate compassion. With regards to speaking with an accent... I have my share of experience. I was looked upon like an "alien from another planet", and was ostracized in class. No matter how I tried, I simply found it not easy to get into their groups. It took me a long time before I managed to break that barrier. There was another incident when I posted in a forum on the internet. There was a lady who repeatedly posted remarks and criticisms on every one of my posts. Finally, I gave her a piece of my mind and she apologized. Though these were unpleasent but they could never erode my self-esteem. I might speak with an accent but I am proud to say that so far I have achieved excellent grades for all my classes. In fact, recently when my husband was hospitalized, I met a Korean lady who was an RN who spoke with a strong accent. She was one of the best nurses during the 10 days my husband was there. We could see that she was also the doctors' favorite. She even shared with us her academic success in her RN studies; she was a straight A's student and she told me I could be one if I give it all. I was impressed with her attitude. Everybody is the same; what is the difference is the attitude. Good and bad attitude is what matters.

I am taking online anatomy class for summer and have found this website useful. http://wps.aw.com/bc_marieb_happlace_7_oa/42/10963/2806744.cw/index.html

Just to share my story with you. I have recently decided to venture into nursing. Now I am taking my pre-reqs to get into a nursing school. I share some of your reservations and fears. It is not easy, especially after years of being in a managerial position in HR, finance and admin. Starting from the basics needs alot of courage and perseverance. I admit that I have learnt to adapt during my CNA classes and training at the nursing homes. The hardest part was hvg to put thru racial, age and social group discrimination of a few classmates. I have fear of blood, injuries, wounds and alot of others. I also am not used to handle faeces and urine. Yet I know that I want to be in this field so bad, I would not let these pose any hinderance in my path to become a nurse. I will face any challenge as it comes. Maybe I am a "tough cookie" and hv always adopted a positive attitude of "nothing is impossible" if I put my heart and soul into it. My best wishes to you.