GrilledCheese

The only difference I've noticed so far is the men squirming more during the male catheterization video. It looked so painful!

Well, I didn't. But that first clinical day was a splash of cold water in the face. :behindpc:

I'm starting to think we should form a club: The Midlife Crisis Former Computer Professional Male Nurse Association.

Hey guys, I was a desk jockey for 15 years, poor exercise habits but not overweight or anything. I got a back spasm in clinical the other week, and then I felt warning signs again the other day. I looked up back stretches and strengthening exercises, but I"m seriously worried I made a bad choice in going into nursing! My instructor even took me aside and advised I stay away from jobs with heavy lifting! I am thinking of sticking it out for the rest of the semester and seeing how it goes. Maybe I'd make a better Physician's Assistant or something. I don't even know what I'm asking here, but any comments on the situation would be welcome.

Just out of curiosity, never having worked with unions before, what sort of fees can I expect to be paying when I graduate?

Her books were part of my inspiration to become a nurse. Recommended.

Student here. Could you give an example of this technique? Sounds...useful.

Let me just add a few things about California, having lived here all my life. The state is huge. It has urban areas, rural areas, and vast, vast zones of suburban areas. The climate can differ dramatically, even within a few miles. There are coastal regions, mountain regions, forests, and deserts. Southern California is sunny all year round, while Lake Tahoe snows all winter (the amount of which is of great concern to ski and snowboard fanatics in all parts of the state). There are liberal areas and conservative areas and apathetic areas. There are places where the culture is museums and symphonies and places where culture is the local mall. In short, it is difficult to make any generalizations about the state, except of course the nurse-to-patient ratio law which is shared throughout. Try to research the specific area you are considering--for example, if you move to Northern California expecting the sort of beach life you see on Baywatch, you will be disappointed as the waters here are freezing! Not that we don't have surfers, but they have to wear wetsuits and keep an eye out for sharks.

You know, I'm in exactly the same situation and I've never gotten a clear answer. I think it depends on who you talk to. If it helps any, I decided on the ADN route and decide what direction (RN->BSN, MSN, other) after I've gotten a feel for the various specialities.

If a grand is your limit for rent, I would avoid the SF Bay Area. In fact, I wouldn't bother with California in general. There probably are some places under a grand a month, but I doubt they would fit your desires for low crime rate and high culture. This is an interesting puzzle. I'm having trouble thinking of anything that meets all of your criteria. Museums are going to be found in large cities like Chicago and New York. You might find mountains, arts and music in some sort of artistic community. For example, I think someone mentioned Santa Fe and Taos earlier, which are like that, however I should point out that the crime rate in those places is actually a bit high. The murder rate in Santa Fe is higher, proportional to population, than New York.* You might want to check out some of those city comparison web sites. *From the FBI's web site, data for 2006: http://www.fbi.gov/ucr/cius2006/data/table_08.html

I had to take anatomy and physiology as a prerequisite. Anatomy really is just a ton of memorization so be prepared to put in the hours with flashcards and such. Physiology is a lot more conceptual, but it's not a class you should be afraid of. It's really a class you should look forward to, because it describes how the body works and that is the machine you are going to be fixing for a living! I am re-reading sections of my physiology textbook while I wait for classes to start because I really want to know that information well. Savor it, I say!

Apologies for derailing the thread, but I have a degree in programming (and much work experience) and I'm switching to nursing, starting school in fall. I didn't know there were any jobs for a nurse/programmer. What does it entail?

If you are nervous, some sample questions can be found here: http://www.testprepreview.com/teas_practice.htm I took it in June and it's not that bad.

I'm in a similar situation. I was a software engineer for fifteen years, but over time I had begun to feel my job lacked all meaning. One day I was looking out the window across the parking lot at a hospital and I said to myself, "I bet the people who work there don't ask themselves if their day was meaningless." I spent two years taking prerequisites at night, then applied to school. I begin full-time classes this fall and I have to give notice at work soon, which is going to be a frightening moment. I'm very glad to hear that it's worth it!