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So you people that had issues with the fingerprinting stuff, did you just have to send the receipt to them? I'm just paranoid about sending the receipt to them and nothing else. The Springfield office (closest) is a bit of a drive, so I don't really want to go there if I don't have to.

I'm ready to scream. So I graduated from the nursing program in May 2008 (Kaskasia College in Illinois if anyone cares). Awesome. I'll never have to sit through those classes again. I take boards in July 2008. Awesome. Took less than an hour, 75 questions, passed. I get my paper to apply for my license. Send it off along with my fee. A week later, however, and I get a letter from the FBI saying they can't read my fingerprints. Not awesome at all. The issue is that the paper just gives an address (Illinois Department of Professional Regulations) and nothing else. I try to call the number and I repeatedly get a busy signal. To make it even better, I was told I can't come back to work until it's sorted out. Ugh. I'm HOPING someone else here has had this issue. My question is: What do I need to send them? Another application for license (And where do I find it? Their website absolutely blows), more money? or just the fingerprint receipt?

Anyone? It'd be really appreciated. They don't have to be long answers.

I have to write a paper on nurses opinions about, uh.. nursing. So I figured the best thing I could do would be to get a few opinions of a couple questions: What's your opinion of your career compared to your ideas when you initially graduated? compared to before you started school even. What is the most exciting and desirable part of your job? And finally, what is the LEAST desirable portion of your job?

Agree with the breath issue. People that are against gum haven't smelled their own breath after a long day! I'd rather stick hot irons in my nostrils.

Oh, and it may be a rarity, or not, but I'm happy with it. In regard to benefits, the hospital I work at has paid time off and all that for anyone who works 24+ hours a week. Insanely cheap health care ($1 - $9 per paycheck) with dental, eyes, etc not being much more. They also give you what amounts to free money to pay for the benefits. Any of the money you don't use, you get to keep. So keep benefits in mind when looking for a job. The last places I worked didn't come close to that (I want to say they didn't even offer health insurance to FT employees).

Definitely. When I first started, I really, really didn't like the idea of cleaning someone up after incontinence. I just ended up in the class by chance -- some friends were taking it, I figured I would. These days, I can deal with ALMOST anything. Puke and sputum still kills me.

This is speaking from my personal experience. Most aide jobs I've seen are typically 8 hour shifts, but there are some 12s available. Maybe it's different else where. A lot of places I've worked though are usually fairly willing to let you work as much as you want (and sometimes, as little as you want). Typical pay here (Southern Illinois) ranges from about $8.50 to $10 an hour. Some places have shift differentials, though. In my case, if I work evenings, I get $1.75 more an hour, and if I work the weekend, I get $1 more an hour on top of that.

I have a DRG Cardiology stethoscope, and personally, I'm not a fan. The ear pieces, which are gel filled (neat in theory), are prone to breaking open. The diaphragms are fairly expensive (they don't always last very long), and frankly, I can't hear much with it. It also has a steel coil in it that is supposed to reduce noise, but in my experience, all it does is make it difficult to hold around your neck (it doesn't just drop around your neck like other stethoscopes, it tends to stick out, as if you're going to sprout wings from your chest). So I just ordered a Littmann Master Cardiology. I figure it can't really be any worse than this one, and there has to be a reason why Littmann's are so popular. Note: It's not a TERRIBLE stethoscope, but the flexible diaphragms (they're like a rubber sleeve that goes over the bell) makes it touchy. If you don't hold it just right against the skin, you lose all of the sounds. If you hold it just right, it works. However, I consistently have trouble hearing the apical. It's so muffled that I can't even begin to try to count it. It's like hearing a mouse in the wall -- you can tell SOMETHING is there, but you can't tell much more than that. Let alone if it's regular or if there is any murmur present.

As a student in a rural area that has some larger cities (and hospitals) fairly close by, I've gotten a chance to use both during my clinical rotations. Being a computer nerd, perhaps I'm a bit biased, but I greatly prefer computer charting. I can type much faster, it's a lot more legible (My handwriting is atrocious), and as a student who doesn't always remember to include everything, the ability to just go up and type in what you forgot to include is incredible (As in, I'm charting a head to toe, in that order, and I forget to include the apical, lung sounds, or bowel sounds. Instead of having to write those at the end, I can just scroll up to where it should be and include it. It's less messy.) Best of all, there's BACKSPACE! If I accidentally misspell a word, I can erase it and retype it, instead of putting a line through it. Not to mention, if the computer has internet access and you're completely unsure how to spell a word, Google is only a click away (I make frequent use of that). Also, going back to forgetting something while charting, at least one hospital I've been to has had canned text with their charting. You just fill in the blanks and add what you need as you go. It makes it clean and easy. Granted, it'd be easy to get lazy and just plow through it without adding anything relevant to the patient, other than what is presented to you on the screen, but if I ever get that way, then I'm not doing my job.

Well, thanks to this post, I just purchased a Littmann Master Cardiology AND registered at the site (didn't know there was such a big nursing forum out there). I'm justifying the purchase with the fact that I'll be graduating in May (holy crap that gets me excited and nervous) and the pay increase from CNA to RN will help me recover the $200 cost -- paid for engraving and overnight shipping. I want it here for my last clinical rotation.