quiet_one

To be completely honest you will not find out if you are 'cut out' for nursing until you have graduated and are working on the floor! However you have seen a glimpse of nursing with your CNA experience and seem to have enjoyed it. I would encourage you to just survive this chemistry class. Over christmas break get your hands on a dosage calculations for nurses book (I learned from 'dosage calculations' by gloria d. pickar) however any book that teaches you the basics step by step will do. If you can find out which one your desired school uses that would be ideal....could be one less book to buy in the future You could also buy an older edition...the math doesn't change! Work through the first couple chapters. After you chem class is behind you and drug problems don't seem impossible...then make the final decision on attending nursing school!

Thanks seasoned....I'm finished :) Robbind I feel that all of the coursework was very straightforward. Each class uses a grading rubric that is easy to follow. There were many weeks when all I did was make two substantial postings and I got full credit for them (although be sure to use a reference in at least one posting each week). My courses through devry required I log in and post on 3 separate days. As far as writing papers it really depends on your instructor, but if you follow the rubric and include all parts in your papers you will do fine. Use your resources and contact your instructor if you have questions! My classes that were credited were approved prior to admission, with no changes. Good luck to everyone starting classes oct 25th!

medsurg nurses at my facility are not required to have ACLS certification! BLS yes, but the advanced stuff is done by the code team 99% of the time at my hospital (even though I am a medsurg nurse that is ACLS certified). Also rapid response would not have been called if these nurses knew exactly what to do (this is not a routine problem for them), rapid response usually arrives within a two minutes at my facility, so during that time I generally find myself trying to get vitals, crash cart and fully assess the situation and when the patient is in capable hands I page the MD. And yes medsurg nurses 'all too often' do not know exactly what to do when a rapid response is called...when that changes there will not be rapid responses!

First off congrats on your job offers, they both seem like they would be great and your years of experience and education are definitely reflected in the offers.... but i'm gonna give you my anyways. I would go with the VA position. I have heard wonderful things from people that work at a VA hospital, the benefits are obvious! I would be wary of option B simply because you will be salary and alot of travel will probably be involved (btw, will you be compensated for mileage? or have a company vehicle?) either decision sounds like a great opportunity...good luck with whatever path you choose to take.

I have less than a month until I complete my BSN with Chamberlain and it has been a great experience! I would suggest this option to any of my RN friends. For me the money was a huge concern...as you mentioned seasoned, 15000 is alot and without any debts from my ADN I was hesitant to take on this amount. However I compared chamberlain with many other programs (local and online) and chamberlain was the shortest program and considering the costs, time involvment and courses required of other programs cost pretty much evened out for me, so why not finish in a year with a school that I had a difficult time finding negative reviews on :) and I did not receive any grants, just loans. (not exactly sure what the government nursing education grant is though)

hmm...I haven't really heard anything about the shreveport/bossier hospitals giving preference to NSU grads....I would really want to speak with the specific hospitals before I factor that into which school I attended! I will say that my graduating class from panola had no more difficulty getting a job at their hospital of choice than other new grads! I think the main reason there are not as many panola grads at these hospitals is the graduating class size and also many of the students live in texas and aren't even looking in louisiana!

Well I guess i'm not the only one with a lousy schedule! The schedules are posted for a month (new schedule is only put up 1-2 days before it starts!) I really dislike this current schedule..I work 8hr night shifts 5 days a week and somehow I have managed to get EVERY weekend and I have no more than 1 day off at a time! Plus this thanksgiving week i'm working 6 days (still have my regular 5 next week though!). The schedules don't even make sense, one night there will be 6 nurses the next night 3....leaving us under or overstaffed! I am a full time staff member and when I was hired I was told that I would have to work my scheduled weekend every other week..but apparently only day shift has a set rotating schedule...nights is a whole other animal. Why don't they set a schedule...we are fully staffed on nights! lol, I feel a little better after venting :)

There is not really a place to work that is 'best'...although I would strongly suggest you start looking at your local colleges that offer programs (also don't forget to go to the state board of nursing to see what that schools pass rate is..you don't want to spend time in a program only to be unprepared for the NCLEX!) I personally chose the associate degree route to save money, I attended a community college so the tuition was cheap compared to universities that offered bachelors degrees. If you are wondering an associate (asn) or a bachelors (bsn) will both prepare you to become an RN, asn is 2 years and bsn is 4 years. There are not any immediate benefits of having bsn, but it is a good thing to have for advancing your career if you wish to be something other than a staff nurse.

Hi Jahost, I think it is great to ask questions to get a better idea of whether or not this field is a good fit for you! My biggest suggestion would be to get your CNA license and work a few hours a week, or shadowing a nurse for a day. Although being an RN/LPN does have some different responisibilities you will get a good idea of how 'nursing' actually works (and you will be a much better nurse with CNA experience..imo) I chose nursing because 1.)I have always wanted to work in the medical field 2.) I enjoy taking care of people 3.) paying for nursing school was feasible. I can't really think of any hardships I have had to face (other than nursing school, lol). I have found this career to be rewarding mentally, i love learning and there is ALWAYS an opportunity to learn...definately does not get boring! The pay is good and the job is stable... 'comfortable' financially which is a blessing. I am a fairly new RN and there are differences in responsibilities (and amount of training required) between an RN and LPN...I personally don't feel like going into these, but there are lots of posts on this topic if you dig around a bit :). Finally, I know the future of nursing will be greatly influenced by this health care bill that is currently being proposed...i mean healthcare run by the government if done poorly could make nursing a nightmare! Although there will not be a shortage on people that need nursing care with people living longer and 'baby boomers' aging, because of this I still see a bright future in nursing.

I try to stay organized (not always successful:) I started out carrying EVERYTHING know to nurses in my pockets :) but now I have come up with a fairly good system for my pockets. first of all I have a badge that clips on with a retractable string. in addition to my name badge, i also have several badges with helpful tips that i use frequently (like order of tops for lab draws) and numbers i need to remember. I also keep my key to the linen room and my pen light on my badge (really want to get a small sharpie too) I also carry around a clipboard (one with a flip cover so i can cover up when in a patients room) this has all the important phone extensions and doctors numbers that I use...i'm always adding to it! I keep my 'brain' here too :) I have a scrapbook tote that I keep next to my computer in the nurses station with everything I need that I don't use all the time (like 5 diff color highlighters, my pocket reference, all my colored pens, breath mints, extras of all my pocket items etc.) In my pockets I rotate items from this out as the night progresses to items I may need, like each time I round I write my info in a different color ink..I only need my expo marker and eraser cloth on my first rounds...sometimes I know I will be needing extra gauze or paper tape when I go in the room. Some items that are always in my pockets are: sharpie, alcohol wipes, a flush, tape, pen, scissors, telemetry stickers, and a pair of gloves. I have found this works well for me since I can usually anticipate if I will need any other items before I leave the nurses station.

All I have to say is this last month or two has been crazy.... so far i've - taken an nclex review course and acls in the same week - graduated nursing school (May 15) - got my ATT (June 5) - started working as RN applicant (June 6)...was a tech before on the same floor - took nclex (June 26) - my RN license posted on state bon website (today :) now i'm moving in two weeks and getting married in two months...so its gonna be the end of the year before this slows down some! Despite the craziness of life atm, I'm loving work! I am surprised how fast I am catching on...didn't think it was possible to actually remember information about more than 3 pts! :) (although still need experience in many areas...but at least I know I can do the basics ) There are many days I come home frustrated know that I could have done better, but so far I have been able to learn from those days. btw...studying has been such a big part of my life the last few years it was no problem to put in 6-8 hours a week to study for the nclex.

Ok, so I don't really have the answers to all your questions....but I am also considering joining the air force (after my rn-bsn is completed). If I joined I would be facing similar situations since I plan on starting a family in the next few years. So I will put in my if you don't mind :) First of all call a healthcare recruiter (they will try to 'sell' you on all the benefits...hey its their job, but you can call with a list of questions to ask..I never felt pressured during my conversation ! They will be able to answer the more specific questions for you. As far as being away for a long time, the answer is yes...prob somewhere around 3-6 months at a time, although this will probably not be constant (and may never happen). But as far as I understand you will not likely deploy in your first year and then you are put on a deployment schedule where there is a set number of months you are eligible to be deployed...so if they are deploying nurses in your unit during that time you will probably go. But the other times your schedule is not up, you wont be deployed minus a disaster/wartime etc.. (certainly verify with recruiter). Being raised around military families,working on an AF base, and my soon to be Mother-in-law being a colonel and having a family while in the military. I can honestly say you would be hard pressed to work for any company that values family as much as the military! (btw...I have NEVER met a person that regrets their experience in the military...regardless of the time served and # of deployments!)

I took my NCLEX at 2p, it works better for me since my mind doesn't wake up until at least 10a! I guess you need decide when you are most focused and alert...and honestly a week will probably not matter much if you have already been studying (could even be one week less of test anxiety). Good Luck!

Took the NCLEX yesterday...I only had one question but it told me not to enter the units and it also told me exactly where to round to (two decimals was what I got). Bet they are all pretty straightforward like that. Hope that helps some.

I took my chemistry, AP1 +2 other classes in the same semester ...could work part-time (no kids). Then I took micro and AP2 + 2 classes the next semester...no work (still no kids:) and to be honest I was stretched very thin, but I managed to pull A's in all but 1 course. Be prepared to spend alot of time in the science labs! Although i have to agree with rhodygirl, it was great preparation for my nursing classes...actually was a pretty comprable workload. I would say go for it and best of luck with whatever you decide!

I agree completely...the rumors about both schools are unecessary and for the most part untrue (although was unfortunately my deciding factor..so I only applied to Panola and I have had zero interaction with NSU other than some info on the RN-BSN program). After being in the panola nursing program and local nursing community I have come to realize you will work very hard and get a good education from either program....so your decision should not be on which is a better nursing school but rather which is a better fit for you! I will continue to check this thread so if anyone has any specific questions about panola I would be happy to tell you what I know :) btw....forgot to mention in the previous post, if you plan to go to panola it is much to your benefit to take your pre-reqs there (it really increases your chances of getting accepted)..but really doesn't matter where you take your co-reqs.

Well my opinion is slightly one-sided :) I chose panola college...I too had heard the rumors about losing accredidation and the difficulties getting into clinicals. Not really sure how true those are, but I don't want to take any risks when it comes to my education (the high NCLEX pass rate was definately a factor...last rumor i heard it was 95%). I will say panola college has an excellent program..I am about to graduate and in the final hour I can look back and say it all had a purpose (though it seemed kinda crazy at some points). My biggest complaint is there is alot of driving involved...the college is about 45 min. from shreveport and 50% + of my clinicals were in longview (1h 15min) since NSU does get most of the clinical opportunities in the shreveport area. I do however feel that I have received a solid foundation in nursing and I can't imagine any instructors that are more open and willing to work with you (they are so great you don't feel like just a 'student' to them, they actually want to see you do well)...can't really ask for more from a nursing program! btw...I am considering going to NSU for my RN-BSN :)

I try to do a little bit of NCLEX study each day...usually 20 or so questions. I also plan on increasing that for about a month after I graduate. and as far as finding generic drug names you can usually google them...or if you are at clinicals and really cannot find the correct name and you need to give to a patient call up pharmacy...they have to know it all :)

PC, a community college in TX , 2 year ADN. minimum grade to stay in the program is 75% and if at anypoint during the semester you make less than that on an exam you must do a test review with the instructor. If you fail to reach a 75% at the end of the course you must request readmittance into the program from the director of the program (also think you have to write a paper on how you will succeed in the course). The program itself has very high standards for its students, we to have to make a 100% on or dosage calc (by the fourth semester...think it starts at 80% and progress up through the semesters) We are also tested over skills, the first week or two of school...stuff we have to learn on our own. We also have to take the specialized hesi exams each semester and pass with a 900 or better. also if you don't pass the comprehensive hesi, you must take a 4 week remediation program after you graduate to get your GN! Not even gonna talk about the standards in clinicals :) As a result my school has a very high pass rate 97% (really good for our small size :) I think that the best part of our program is the ability (and sometimes requirement) to speak with the instructor regarding the test material. If for some reason you and your classmates are falling below the passing mark (82 does seem rather high) you may want to discuss with your instructor and see what they would suggest you do...their job does kinda depend on the reputation of the college and they may not want to jeopardize that by lowering the pass score...but they should also want to increasethe pass rate and help their students :) Good Luck

I have to agree with the above posts....saunder's should be a requirement for every nursing program! I also buy the prentice hall reviews and rationale books for each of my classes, it gives alot more material than just the saunders book and offers hundreds more questions on the CD covering a specific subject! Also do at least 20 NCLEX style questions each day..it has helped a ton with my testing and has actually decreased the time I spend reading the textbook! Zees, There is not a big difference between the older and newer copy...I have an older one (2006?) and the only big difference is I think the newer one has color pages..and maybe a few minor changes, but really nursing hasn't changed that much :)

I feel your pain...it is almost over!!! Not really sure what Ohio's issues are, but maybe you could do some general ones like low-income families access to heatlh care....smokers or smoking cessation programs in ohio, pregnancy...do they all have adequate access to care....as for making it a skit, get a few of your classmates together and just have fun (the more heads you put together the better), exaggerate everything but don't lose your content..trust me your class and teachers will enjoy a good laugh in this high pressure time! Good Luck with your project...don't worry this will seem like no big deal in 8 weeks!

Definately fluid and electrolyes...you also may want to look at possibly getting your CNA (6weeks) and maybe taking a monitor tech class to learn your cardiac rhytyms (huge part of this semester for me!) Depending on your experience...I know I had none entering NS, and wished I had! Good Luck and take advantage of all the time you have to prepare :)

I would add a professor as a friend on facebook...although I really don't post any personal info I wouldn't want anyone to see, it is still the internet! The school I go to is small and really laid back and the professors already know pretty much what is going on in your life, that being said I haven't even searched for any of them on facebook...I wonder how many actually have a facebook?

I use a simple calander printed of microsoft word, and I put everything down (especially weeks when I have alot going on). I used to be able to remember everything I needed to do off the top of my head, but now that i'm in my 4th semester I think i've fried my brain...I even have to schedule sleep sometimes! I also make alot of to-do lists. I keep the calander and lists in a three ring binder and include all my important papers (syllabii, class notes, important clinical papers I can't forget, and I even keep mapquest directions to all clinical sites I haven't been to before) I keep that with me pretty much all the time. It really is all about finding out what system works best for you, several of my classmates use google calander, but I don't always have time to update stuff on a computer...so paper works best for me :)

Each day is very different, depending on the patients you have. What works best for me is to bring a paper to clinicals with times 0700-1700 (or whatever your clinical times are) The first thing I do after i receive report is to fill in when they are going to procedures that day, what time they need to be given their meds, meal times. From there I put in an initial assessment of the patient within the first hour of being there figure in the daily activities such as hygiene requirements...etc(i make sure there is at least one thing that brings me to the patients room each hour, even if its a quick look in the room). I then know what the patient will be doing and you can chart between those times. Good Luck, you will find a system that works for you!