JoMark06

I would encourage you to talk to a recruiter. They will have the best answers for you. I know with an ADN you can get a commission in the reserves with a requirement to get your BSN to go past Capt in the Army. The Army will pay for further school to obtain the BSN. Anyway, with you already having a non-nursing bachelors, you never know what you can do until you ask!

For all of you who have never worked at a VA hospital...this is policy and it is acceptable to the Union within the VA system. An Annual Leave calendar for the following year is put out toward the end of the current year (exact date depends on if it is for RNs or LPN/PCTs). RNs get 5 wks of annual leave per year, LPNs/PCTs get 2-3 weeks. Only one RN and one LPN/PCT can be off per shift per week. (so 1 RN and 1 LPN/PCT per shift per week). You sign up for the whole week even if you do not intend to take the whole week off. Seniority is based on years of service within the VA/Federal system. A nurse with more seniority can bump other nurses off the wks they have selected. Anyway, unless you are in the federal system, this is a pretty complex system and a lot of civilian nurses find it unfair and hard to understand. Anyway, as the year progresses, you can change leave weeks by switching with someone else, you can drop a week or request a week that hasn't been taken. All of this has to be done in advance of the schedule coming out. The schedule is usually out for a period of 4-6 wks. Nurse managers typically approve these changes without issue but it seems the OP is having difficulty. The only way she can move forward is to approach the union with proof in hand (copies of her requests well in advance of any schedule being posted, copies of the leave calendar, copies of her manager's denial of the request, etc.). And it would help her case greatly if she has co-workers on her same ward that are having the same issues.

Leave time is scheduled a year in advance at VAs. That is the policy and it is supported by the union. However, changes can be made as long as requests are put in before the next schedule is published. If your nurse manager is refusing requests, you need to talk to the union. When you approach your union rep, have your ducks in a row...this means documentation...make sure every request is email and take copies of your requests and the reply you get from your manager to the union rep. The union can't help if there isn't a paper trail to follow. If the union rep isn't addressing this situation, you then need to talk to the assistant nurse exec who covers the inpatient areas. If this doesn't work, continue up your chain of command to the nurse exec and then the director of the VA. Follow your chain of command and document, document document! From a fellow VA nurse who has been there, done that!

Contact the recruiter at the VA you applied to. S/he should be able to give you an idea of what you'll be offered. Of course, the board (nursing board at the VA you applied to) makes the final decision. It will be based on your level of degree, your years of experience and any certifications you may hold. The VA is one of the few agencies where ADN/BSN makes a difference.

I love night shift! Not only does it work for my family...we have 2 school aged children plus my husband is also a nurse and works day shift at a different hospital...but I truly enjoy night shift. Yes, sleeping during the day is hard but I've gotten used to it. I feel on night shift, that while things are fairly busy, I have more time with my patients. They aren't running off the floor for procedures and the family isn't there taking over and demanding much more than the patient does when the family isn't there. I have more time to talk to them, I can provide more effective patient education and I can better address their concerns (things they may feel they can't discuss with day shift because the nurse was too busy). Just my thoughts. Typically new grads start on nights because day shift positions are offered to more senior staff first. Differentials vary by hospital/region. I make $2 extra an hr for 7-11p and $3 extra an hr for 11p-7a with additional differentials for weekend hours.

I have a BS in Exercise Science from a traditional 4-yr university. I went back to school 12+ yrs later and got my BSN through an accelerated program. Whether or not your daughter ends up with a BSN depends on the school/program. Your questions will be best answered if you direct them to the school she is attending/planning to attend. Best of luck to her!

I never said don't apply. All I am saying is that if someone is trying to decide between ADN and BSN for school that they should take a look at how agencies are advertising in the area. The VA where I worked for 3 years prior to specializing and changing hospitals has hired only BSN in the last several rounds of new grad hires (which started with the new grad program I was hired into in 2008.) The only ADNs that have been hired in my time there were not new hires, but were LPNs who already worked for the VA and had gone back and gotten their RN. Also for someone who is an experienced nurse, degree doesn't matter as much as experience...but for a new grad, it matters a lot more than it used to.

It's becoming more of an issue these days. Veterans Hospitals/clinics are advertising "BSN preferred". My current hospital is going with a "BSN in 10 (years)" approach with the goal being an all BSN staff. As I have glanced through job annoucements in other states (my husband is military and we'll be moving in the next year to 18months), I have seen a lot of "BSN preferred". My advice, look at the agencies in your area, see how they are advertising vacancies and make your decision based on that. Good luck to you!

At my hospital I have been floated to another unit so they could have a "free floating" charge nurse. I didn't feel it was fair to my floor to take from our staffing where our charge nurse was taking patients to give them a free floating charge. On my floor (I work on a very busy cardio/thoracic stepdown unit), day shift charge starts the day with only 2-3 patients because they round with the docs in the morning, plus manage transfers and admissions. Night shift starts the night with 3 and often takes an admission at some point during the night. Our ratio is 4:1 but if staffing is bad, we can take 5:1.

Did a 16month accelerated BSN, turned 36 a few months after I graduated.

You'll only need to get and maintain one license...it'll be in whatever state your choose but preferably in your "home of record" state so that you can receive mailings from your licensing agency. When you work in a federal facility your license does not have to be from the state that facility is in. However, you have to maintain your license according to the rules of your licensing state (i.e. renewal requirements, etc.). My husband is also an army nurse (reserves), we live in SC, he works at the local VA Medical Center (federal) and holds a license from the state of GA (which is not a compact state). He is not required to get a SC license unless he decides he wants to work at a local (non-federal) hospital/agency.

I don't think any program, ADN or BSN, gives you "enough" experience with any sort of nursing skill. A huge amt of nursing is OJT (on job training). In my 4th semester practicum I was in an ER setting and that's where I got all of my IV start and basic butterfly stick experience. Then once I hit the floor on my new job I would always try first and if I couldn't get a good stick, I'd seek help. If the other nurse would allow, I would watch their technique and see if there was anything I could do differently to improve my skills.

Some employers will reimburse student loans. Not sure about reimbursing directly to the employee who paid for school out right. You can ask the nurse recruiters at different hospitals/agencies that you are considering applying to.

EKG is diagnostic, telemetry is only for monitoring of rhythm changes.

I was on a med/surg floor at a local VA until moving to my current facility. I now work on a cardio/thoracic stepdown floor and I am loving it. Such a different culture from the VA I left.

Primary care nursing can work with the right RN:Patient ratios. The facility I just left did primary care nursing for the most part. When you have 3 RNs to 19 patients it is near impossible to get everything done for everyone. And in my opinion, that situation just is not safe! My current facility does "team" nursing. We have 23 beds, 2 techs and 5-6 nurses (depending on census). I typically have 4 pts a night with potential to have 5 if needed (but that doesn't happen often). With this set up, I am able to spend more time with my patients. I do as much as I can to help out my techs to include toileting, hygiene care, ambulation in addition to my duties of assessments, passing meds, checking off orders, etc.

I started my nursing career at a facility that used (almost) 100% paper charting, to include orders entered either by a doctor or by a RN entering it as a verbal/telephone order which the doc will later electronically sign. I recently switched jobs to a facility that uses a combination of paper and computer charting where the orders are paper charted and transcribed into the computer by pharmacy (for med orders) and unit secretaries/nurses (for lab orders and other tests). I personally think the orders being entered directly into the computer is much safer. I hate having to decipher the docs' handwriting. It's unsafe and time consuming. When I was given a verbal or telephone order to enter into the computer, I was required to do the same as with any system of taking orders...read back and verify.

I also got my BSN through an accelerated program (I have my first degree in Exercise Phys). Anyway, my program required the GRE and having been out of college for over 11 years, I went with the "GRE for Dummies" book. It was helpful and I scored well on the GRE. I thought it was a pretty decent review and gives a lot of tips for taking the GRE. You can find it and many other review books/courses at any bookstore and online. Good luck to you!

The only time I've worn scrubs to an interview is when it was at my last facility and I was interviewing for another position within that facility. They were trying to get the interviews completed as quickly as possible so scheduled me after a shift. Otherwise, I have always dressed professionally, business casual type...nice slacks, nice shirt/top/sweater.

How do you know the instructor wasn't with him when he administered the med? He didn't say that. What he did say is the he consulted with his instructor and that the instructor in turn consulted with staff of the facility. What right do you have to make such judgmental statements? And to tell him he's not cut out for the floor?? How dare you make that assumption! Nursing has a VERY steep learning curve. Did you hit the floor as a new grad doing everything perfectly? Did you never make a mistake, med error or other? This post is a GREAT example of "nurses eating their young"! And not only did you chew him up...you chewed on a few experienced nurses as well. This website is meant to offer support and advice. Yes, a little tough love is necessary at times too but think about what and how you say things before you hit submit! To the original poster...while our ultimate goal is to avoid them, med errors are common, they do happen. The fact that you feel guilty is a good thing. It ensures that you will learn from this mistake. I wish you the best of luck as you start your nursing career.

Thank you for the question, FootballmomaRN! And thank you for the information, LanieMe! I start orientation for a cardio/thoracic surgical stepdown unit on Monday (1/31) and I am very excited! I have been doing med/surg (mostly surg to include cardio/thoracic) since June 2008 so I feel like this is a good move for me! Good luck, FootballmomaRN!

I say apply to all and apply for all the financial aid you can. In the end, if you decide the ADN program is more affordable for you right now, then go that route. There are RN-MSN bridge programs out there that will allow you to get your NP later on when you are ready to take that step.

I say go for it! I am 2 1/2 years into my career and I've been on a surgical floor since finishing orientation in a New Grad program. I have to disagree with the person who said you can't know already if you don't like med/surg. My orientation program required that we spend 4 wks on each ward (2 medical, 1 surgical). I knew immediately that I didn't like the medical wards and that I loved surgery. I'm getting ready to specialize even further by moving to a Cardio/Thoracic surgery step-down unit. I also disagree that leaving your current position now is a bad idea. Nursing is a wonderful career because of all the varied opportunities out there and if one is not a good fit, find the one that is and do it before you become burned out and bitter. Anyway, by entering a new grad residency program, you will have TONS of orientation/training. Because of your experience, you even have a slight leg up on your fellow new grads who are entering the residency straight out of school. Good Luck!!

I am going from med/surg to a stepdown unit. I have 2 1/2 yrs of nursing experience and was chosen (so I'm told) over several new grads. So it depends on the hiring manager. You bring a wealth of knowledge and experience with you and likely will not require the length of orientation a new grad will. I say apply whenever you see a position that interests you. All they can do is say no. Best of luck!

There have been recent discussions about this exact topic. Click on the "tag" for CPR below your post and you can find a couple. My advice is to check with your facility/agency and make sure they accept online recerts. My facility will not accept online as there is often no return demonstration/hands on portion of the course.