goingCOASTAL

Family considerations may have me considering a California move in the next 6-12 months. I'm currently in the Houston market, and am wondering which areas more closely resemble the economic climate there (salary, real estate, crime, etc.)

The Houston area is still hiring anyone with a license ... a lot of people who need general hospital experience for other things (grad school, specialty niche, certifications, etc.) will come and do their time and move on. No reason why you couldn't...

I've been a nurse for 17 years, and all of it has been in the South (mostly urban areas, though). When I started, I was still "in the closet" professionally for the first 3-4 years, and it wasn't until I was in a larger city that I was more open abo...

I am in the process of enrolling at WGU, which, if you read their story, will probably be the leader of the pack of online educators in the next 10-15 years because of their innovation in education technology, and because of their extraordinary value...

I graduated last year, so I'll attempt to answer most of these for you. Pros and Cons of UTA RN-BSN Pros: 1) It's still relatively cheap, although the price does increase every year. If you skip a session, your next class will be at the market rate....

Every accreditation and certification known to man has an expiration date. UTA is the largest nursing school (physically, and online) in the state of Texas, and I'm most certain there are people who have the job responsibility of not losing any of t...

This class was a bit intimidating ... I think it was the second class I took after Professional A&B. The textbook was boring as Hades, so I made sure I focused on understanding the definitions and terms for the different types of research and th...

I finished their program a year ago ... yes, there are assignments due EVERY week. It's really only "self-paced" in that you don't have a physical classroom to be in across campus at 2:25pm. Most of my classes had assignments due by the end of the ...

very interesting that you consider $6,000 a year as "expensive." i have my adn and bsn from two state schools, and with tuition hikes by the legislature here in texas, wgu is now cheaper than my tax supported alma maters. additionally, the "competen...

If you seriously want to someday master the art of managing nursing (administration), you first need to learn the art of knowing and understanding and managing the stress your staff will go through for most of their career. The best nursing administ...

A BSN degree really prepares you to be more of a consumer of nursing research than an ADN degree, which just prepares you to perform professional nursing. You do not get Nursing Research, or a holistic in-depth approach to all of the facets of nursi...

I would go for something more general (RN) that will allow you to get a broad experience initially, then specialize in an area you're comfortable with later. With specialized health degrees, there can be less "wiggle" room when it comes to specializ...

I would highly recommend getting your BSN. The nursing "shortage" is turning into a "graduate glut" - a lot of Houston area hospitals are no longer hiring new grads, and when they do, they're focusing on BSN students. I've heard the same thing abou...

I just finished their program in May, the RN-BSN completion program, and I really learned a lot. The reason I chose that program over places like Phoenix, etc., was because 1) it's from a traditional university, with a REAL nursing school, and 2) I ...

Yes, this is a very "emotional" subject. I've been an ADN nurse most of my career and have recently obtained my BSN. I once believed - as most do - that there is no difference, but I saw the writing on the wall, as one has already stated "BSN-only"...

emt made some good points, but a lot of hospitals have stopped hiring new ADNs. Hospitals are also becoming very competitive regarding quality standards, and many of them are ramping up for magnet status - which requires that the bulk of your nursin...

There certainly are cheaper venues ... if you're worried about cost, take some more time and consider some other schools you haven't applied to yet. I was able to finish my BSN for less than $7,000. With your desire for an MPH, I take it you have so...

I've been a nurse for 16 years, and this debate has gone on longer than that. I've been an ADN nurse for most of that time, and have recently completed my BSN. While my experience as a nurse helped making going back to school much easier than it wa...

Sounds to me like your patient (if he was elderly) was experiencing the "Geriatric cascade" - which is where older adults can succumb to frailty and a downward spiral JUST from laying in bed constantly. Was just learning about it in my RN-BSN classe...

Nursing isn't the only part of a hospital that requires management. Theoretically, you could follow the Operations track and work to become a Chief Operations Officer, or Chief Financial Officer ... both which are more likely to lead to a hospital C...

Congratulations on your upward mobility track! I have no idea about a nursing facility career track (nursing home, LTC facility), but I know if you're wanting to expand your horizons in hospital healthcare administration, there's a few different cho...

BSN-only in hospitals is something the ANA has pushed for for 25-30 years, but why hasn't it happened? Because community colleges were pushing out much-needed RNs by the truck-load ... it absolutely wasn't feasible. Today, with the recession and the...

I think the debate should change from "who's a better nurse" to "change in job security." I don't care what the ANA says, in a lot of areas in the US, there's no such thing as a "nursing shortage" anymore. There is a glut, and now employers get to ...

The difference is because hospitals have to maintain their own credentialing with the state, CMS (Medicare), and JCAHO. While physician offices often do some of the same stuff, most of the clinicians there actually don't have to be licensed at all -...

It really depends. I've heard the Med Center is mostly BSN only, but Houston is a REALLY large town, and I know a lot of happily employed ADNs ... me being one. Of course, I see the writing on the wall, an am nearly done with my BSN track (and yes,...