Talon

How in the world are we EVER going to be viewed as healthcare PROFESSIONALS when patients and families complain about CRAP and the fools in management disrespect us and constantly throw their nurses under the bus by giving credence to this garbage by writing up their nurses?

I am an RN from the area. Don't have any particulars on either program, however, just know that the area is already very flooded with RNs and finding employment is difficult. Best wishes in your endeavors.

Many, many nurses have not gone to "really good schools." However, we worked hard, passed NCLEX just like those from those "good schools," either are new grads looking for that first job, or us older, nurses with experience that may not be as desirable such as LTC, Hospice, you get the idea. So, what are we to do? Remain unemployed nurses and pray that we can find some other type of employment? You actually have "good candidates," you just need to stop the elitist attitude, and give the rest of us a chance.

No shortage here in Northeast PA. Fifteen yrs of experience, laid off from previous job two yrs ago, still no nursing job and have been steadily applying. Six universities in the area pumping out new grads with an already huge over supply of RNs. No hope in sight of landing a nursing job here.

Fairyluv, it's NOT YOU!!! The vast majority of nurses who are doing their jobs correctly have this problem, especially in LTC. There is simply not enough time to do the job period, and since we are responsible for everyone else's job, we're especially screwed. This is what drives the good nurses, the ones who have consciences and truly want to help out of this hellhole "profession". Wish I had an answer for you and myself as well as I have two feet out of nursing at this point. Good luck.

OP--no good advice, but know that you are not alone. I'm in the same boat, in my late 50's. No responses to resumes, a few interviews which never go anywhere. I just keep trying, and apply to every position for which I have even the smallest amount of experience. HR isn't stupid and they can piece together experience and education and get an age approximate of the applicant. It isn't fair, it's how it is. Best of luck in your job search and keep us on AN posted.

Wow! So very sorry that that was your experience of nursing, beginning in school. However, I can't say that I am surprised; welcome to nursing! Take some small measure of comfort in knowing that many, many nurses have had similar experiences and you are not alone in how you feel and handle this. I hope that you are getting the help that you need for your depression. I've been an RN since 1999 and can tell you that all areas of nursing are stressful for all the reasons you read on the AN forums. You didn't indicate whether you are working in a non-nursing position, but since you still have a desire to practice, maybe some type of a per diem position would be beneficial. It would enable you to take a few shifts here and there to "test the waters" without any pressure of a commitment. Wishing you the best in your decision.

Hi Smassingale. Math that you need for everyday nursing is basic: multiplication, division, addition, subtraction. You'll use this for calculating/checking drug doseages. Most pharmacies, wheather in hospital, or suppliers to LTCs, usually indicate the doseage for tablets, or the infusion rate/hr for IVs. It's your job to check on that prior to administration. As far as the sciences, you'll need to have a good understanding of microbiology--what organisms are infecting your patients, how they infect, drugs that are used to erradicate them, etc.; pharmacology--how & why the different chemical classes of drugs work and on what diseases; anatomy & physiology--how & why the different body systems work and how they work together; pathophysiology--what happens to the body in different disease processes; general chemistry--what its all made up of. Everyday nursing is heavily weighted on the sciences. You'll need all that in order to understand what is going on with your patients in terms of disease process, drugs that are prescribed and why they work, why certain diagnostic tests are ordered, etc., and be the eyes and ears of the docs. It is the sciences that I always found fascinating and loved. Again, best wishes with your career desicion.

OP-not to discourage you, but to give you a little perspective. I was a legal secretary/paralegal for many years. Never felt good enough, like the rest of my friends with "professional" jobs. Pay wasn't that good, etc. Always loved the sciences and wanted to help people, fast forward, went to nursing school. Got my Associates Degree, passed NCLEX first try, and went to work in this so-called hell hole "profession". I've been an RN since 1999. I've worked in many different practice settings, in many different areas of nursing and its all been incredibly stressful. As a nurse, you will be faced with horrible, unsafe staffing on a constant, daily basis and you will not have any control over this. You will be dealing with patients and family members who really do think that they are entitled to demand anything they want out of you and management will always side with the "customer", even if that means you losing your job. You will not be "right", the customer always will be. You will have to deal with bullying co-workers who will be just as stressed, if not more than you, and take out their frustrations on eachother. And you will have to deal with your own management forever throwing their nursing staff under the proverbial bus, just because they need a scape goat and they can--there is always another nurse out there to take your place thinking "it will never happen to him/her". Also, read the posts and see how many new grads as well as us seasoned nurses are unemployed and have no job prospects on the horizon. I lost my last job in a LTC facility a year ago. I had been there for two years, great reviews, no patient complaints. Management decided that they no longer needed per diem nurses, their regular staff would pick up open shifts so after two years of being per diem and essentially working full time for them, three to four shifts a week, I was told out of the blue that they had a new policy and regular staff would now take all open shifts. The economy is bad now for EVERYONE. There are many different avenues you can take as a paralegal and many different practice areas you can become involved in. You can work for a large firm, or a small group of practitioners. You are helping people by assisting the attorney in solving legal issues for clients. You won't have to go through thousands of dollars in tuitition, books, uniforms, supplies, etc. only to graduate and find out the hard way that there aren't the number of jobs out there for nurses that the public thinks there is. You won't have to find out the hard way how very difficult it is to be a nurse for an entire career--the stress and working conditions are terrible, and yes you won't be immune to these problems. Honestly OP, I wish I had done my homework and had people talk the truth to me way back when, before I went to nursing school. The path through school is incredibly hard, the path afterward is even more difficult. Think long and hard about staying in the legal profession before you jump ship for supposed "greener pastures." Wishing you best of luck in whatever path you decide to take.

Others may tell you to stick it out, things will get better with experience, try another area of nursing, "find your niche"--nonsense. This is what has become of the nursing "profession". This is what life is like for so many of us. I'm envious that you have a way out of this hell! Best of luck and let us know how you are doing.

Please know that you are not alone in how you feel about bedside nursing. It's never about how much you were able to accomplish during a shift and how well you prioritized, but ALWAYS about what you didn't do. It's ALWAYS about everyone else's priorities not getting met, but it's YOUR license on the line. After 13.5 yrs as an RN, I'm out too, never to return. Wishing you much good luck on your new path. Let us know how it turns out.

Yes, we all went to nursing school and many wish that the reality of working as a nurse were different, you know, like in many other professions where people are actually treated as professionals and can voice their opinions without retribution--BUT NOT IN NURSING! The op did not deserve to loose her job.

Hope I'm doing this correctly, first time I'm posting... Had a very similar thing happen to m e working hospice several years ago. I too was fired as "I was not a good fit". I was devastated and had 10 yrs of experience at the time. L oosing my job had nothing to do with my nursing abilities and did not involve pt care. It had everything to do with the sick games played in healthcare. iI was blacklisted and unable to find another nursing position to this day. I'm sorry you are going through this. Good luck however this turns out for you. Unfortunately, this is the reality of the nursing "profession"