coder

sarcolemma...where are you going to crna school, if you don't mind sharing?

I was an alternate and was chosen for a spot in the program a few weeks prior to start of classes. I had the highest gpa throughout the program, so don't feel like you are less qualified than any of the students who were already accepted into the program. Not bragging, just want you to know you can do it, too. Best of luck!

PopeJane: I'm not going to insult you for why you would choose to go to nursing school; I'm a nurse, and I'm not offended by anyone who is considering nursing for job security, pay, etc. I don't think there would be many nurses, or other professionals, who would keep working in their full-time job if they hit the big lottery this weekend. The majority of working people are working because they need money, but most do try to choose a job they think they will enjoy at some level. Just remember that anything that pays well is going to require some sacrifice on your part (including school in this case); I think all jobs involve people that you may not like or enjoy working with. And to be honest, nursing is very demanding in all aspects, and there are a lot of different personalities to tolerate in this line of work. I just wanted to make some suggestions on other health care career options, since you seem to lean toward the sciences, want a job with security, etc. 1. Dental hygiene. up side: excellent pay (about $5 more per hour than nurses around here), there wouldn't be a lot of time for chatting on the patient's part since you say you're not a people-person, they're in demand, good hours, many dentists are even closed on Fridays). down side: you're cleaning teeth all day, potential for repetitive motion injuries, dental hygiene school is demanding. 2. Ultrasound (or radiology). up side: usually one patient at a time, potential for good hours, money can be just as good as nursing. down side: i'm sure school is demanding. Those are two health care career options besides nursing, that if I had to go back and do it over again, I'd actually consider right along with nursing school. I think you would really do yourself a favor to shadow someone (or more than one person in case you end up shadowing someone who is burned out or unhappy anyway) in jobs you're interested in and see for yourself what they do. Ask questions. Try to choose something you think you could do every day of the work week without hating it. I wish you luck. :)

I was premed as well, had a career outside of healthcare, then went to nursing school. I think there are a lot of previous "pre-med's" that take the NP, PA, or CRNA route. I'm focused on heading the CRNA route. You might want to look into these further, shadow someone in each of these positions, etc. before you make a big change. Somtimes I do look back and think 'what if?' (who doesn't); but I am coming to believe the CRNA route was the way I was supposed to go. Good luck!

Has anyone here chosen tampa or davenport as their clinical site? If so, are you having the same issues as some of the other posters with too many students in the room, doing the work of nursing/surg techs? Just curious.

My feet swear by Birkenstocks (leather ones with straps on back of heel). They aren't the most stylish, but my pants hang over them. I used to wonder why so many people wore these shoes a few years ago...now I know. My feet are tired at the end of the day, but they don't ache like they did with tennis shoes. I originally bought dansko's but returned them before wearing them out; just didn't feel like they would be a good fit for my feet/lots of walking.

Agree with some previous posters, THERE IS NO NURSING SHORTAGE; JUST A SHORTAGE OF NURSES willing to work under conditions set forth by hospitals. I feel like the hospital forces me to put my license at risk every day I walk in...too many patients per nurse, signing off for LPN's patients when I barely have time to take care of my own (let alone getting time to even lay eyes on theirs), techs that won't accept delegation, management that won't address issues, more and more paperwork,etc. I've been a nurse for almost a year and looking forward to getting out of the hospital environment. I worked too hard for my license to allow the hospital's greed to put my accomplishments at risk. Just my opinion...

Lakeland Regional Medical Center used to have a weekenders only shift with a differential of about 30%. That has now changed. The weekender shift is now weekends plus one day during the week, and I'm not sure how low the weekend diff dropped, but it's nothing near 30%. Resp therapists just got a 10% raise. RN's start out around $22/hr. Hope that helps.

Don't know anything about it, but also interested in knowing more if you'd share. Also, how'd you find it (agency, etc.)? I'll be looking soon for opportunities outside the hospital and appreciate anything you've learned that might be helpful in my job search. From reading these boards, sounds like a lot of others would be interested too. Thanks :)