fnp2b369

i think it's wonderful that you took your concerns to your manager and that she agreed to adjust the start time so that the mandatory meetings would be on-the-clock, paid time. That's the way it should be, IMO (and according to the labor board, state law, federal law, but I digress). I didn't mean to come off militant and angry, I just don't like it when I perceive that I'm being made to do something "for the good of the group" or "because you should" or reasons of that nature. I really would want everyone to get their raises and would work towards that goal together with my coworkers, just not as unpaid, volunteered time. Whew, glad that's settled, LOL!! Back to our regularly scheduled programming 😘😘 Anne-Marie H, RN, BSN

i think it's wonderful that you took your concerns to your manager and that she agreed to adjust the start time so that the mandatory meetings would be on-the-clock, paid time. That's the way it should be, IMO (and according to the labor board, state law, federal law, but I digress). I didn't mean to come off militant and angry, I just don't like it when I perceive that I'm being made to do something "for the good of the group" or "because you should" or reasons of that nature. I really would want everyone to get their raises and would work towards that goal together with my coworkers, just not as unpaid, volunteered time. Whew, glad that's settled, LOL!! Back to our regularly scheduled programming í ½í¸˜í ½í¸˜ Anne-Marie H, RN, BSN

I am not at work for "everyone," I am at work for me and my patients. You are attempting to guilt your co-workers into attending unpaid meetings which is manipulative behavior. I could care less how my attendance affects anyone else's paycheck. If a meeting is mandatory it need to be paid time, period. And until EVERYONE gets on board with that, pay raises will be affected. Like another poster said, this type of behavior would never fly at a union hospital. Instead of trying to guilt your co-workers into attending mandatory meetings off the clock, why not support them by not caving to unreasonable demands from management? Sorry if I sound harsh but I absolutely cannot stand being manipulated. I don't stand for it in my personal relationships and I don't stand for it in my professional relationships either.

Thanks, I appreciate that. I like to think I am a good OR nurse. Yes, I know more about the OR than you do. That doesn't mean you know less than I do. Conversely you know more about ICU than I do, but that doesn't mean I know less than you do. What it means is that neither of us is conversant or skilled in the other's specialty. However, that doesn't make one of us know less or more than the other. Both of us possess highly technical skills and the great breadth of knowledge that only working in a specialty for many years brings. However, having said that, it doesn't mean one of us knows more than the other, it just means our clinical skills, likes, and propensities vary widely. What I don't like is, like I said, nurses who make out Med/Surg as the end-all, be-all, necessary first step towards anything else. I'm what's commonly referred to in OR Land as a "Goldstar OR Nurse" meaning I've never done anything else. When I was in my ADN program I got so tired of hearing, "You need AT LEAST 2 years of Med/Surg to do that!" that I swore on stacks of bibles I'd never do it, and I was successful. I was bound and determined to adjust my nursing career to my wants and need, which seems very reasonable, IMO. If you think about it, men do it all the time and they never seem to get caught up in all this catty BS. When men are aggressive in their careers, it's usually seen as a sign of strength. Too often, when women try the same thing, they're labeled as ******* or worse. It's a good thing I don't get hung up on labels-I know who I am. I will adjust my career to suit my wants and needs, not anyone else's. I have the right to be happy, satisfied and fulfilled in my professional life and I'll do what needs to be done to achieve that goal, which by the way, does not include kowtowing to outdated, archaic, sacred cow theories. I don't know everything; there are several staff nurses and nurse managers I look up to as mentors and advisors. When I have a question or an issue I speak with them and ask them for advice but at the end of the day, IT'S MY CALL. I did not become a nurse to bow down to old biddies and do what they think I should do. I don't tolerate that in my personal life nor will I tolerate it in my career. Nor will I apologize for practicing the kind of nursing that appeals to me. I have nothing against Med/Surg. I think it can be a fine place for a nurse to start. In fact, I think the days of new grads being able to step into the specialty of their choice may well be over and most new grads will have to accept that fact. Just as many hospitals are starting to demand BSN's as the entry to practice, they will also most likely limit specialty training to those nurses who have put their time in the trenches, IMO. And that's a shame. In my previous OR there were a number of us Goldstar OR Nurses and we all did great, just as new grads can also flourish in ICU, NICU, L&D and other specialty units. Med/Surg can be a great thing, I'm just saying it's not the ONLY thing, or the only way to be properly prepared for specialty training. Thanks for reading. I appreciate your comments and insights. Anne-Marie H.

Really? I beg to differ. I went directly into the OR after I completed my ADN program and passed boards. I've spent nearly 20 years there-I've never worked a day on my license that wasn't in the OR-and I've never felt I knew less than another RN or that I'd somehow narrowed my professional horizons. I was just accepted to a very prestigious and high-ranking FNP program, they certainly don't seem to feel that my decision to specialize makes me "know less" as you put it nor has it narrowed my future choices in any way whatsoever. I applaud you decision to work med/surg, I just get weary of RN's thinking it's the absolute end-all, be-all to a bright nursing future.

Landing your dream job and going to grad school have almost nothing to do with each other. If you want to go to grad school then just go. I am working FT and am about to start grad school FT, an FNP program. My life will SUCK HARD for the next 20 months but nonetheless I am putting myself out there and making it happen. I am initiating change in order to effect the change I wish to see in my life. There are two quotes that I believe wholeheartedly in. "Be bold and mighty forces will come to your aid", by Goethe and "God helps those who help themselves." Grad school could actually be a great distraction for you right now, given the present sucky circumstances. For the record I think your boss is a liar and a tool and that she totally back stabbed you. That really sucks and you have my complete sympathy. I had a former boss who made my life a daily torment until I took the initiative to transfer and make myself happier. Having said all that I also think it would be a huge mistake to leave before you (a) have at least one year of experience under your belt and (b) before you are fully vested. In this economic day and age vestiture is very important don't let your hurt feelings (which you have every right to have!) get in the way of that. So you're not passionate about your job? Start grad school and make something happen for yourself. With an MSN under your belt it would be difficult, if not impossible, for the hiring powers that be to pass you over again. I hope you make a decision that feels right and is also good for your future, both has a nurse as well as a worker. Good luck! Anne-Marie

I had no idea the VA had a mechanism in place whereby techs could earn their RN. This is very interesting, could you tell us how that works? Also, I thought all VA RN's had to have their BSN???

Hmmm, I have to disagree with you there. All this "put your time in the trenches" is nothing more than a sign of the times, IMO. When I graduated from my ADN program in '97 I swore on stacks of bibles I would be a direct entry into the OR and I made it happen! I got a FT position, my OR training program paid for AND a 10,000 bonus. I was just commenting on my situation the other day and how nursing may never see a return to those prosperous times. Now the market is so saturated that employers are cherry picking only the very best candidates and setting completely unrealistic expectations such as 2 years in med/Surg which is complete BS. I wish our OP the best of luck, to be passed over for new grads sounds like a slimy situation indeed. If I were in her shoes I'd stick it out until I were vested because that's a pretty important thing IMO and then leave the SECOND after. Final note, if our OP worked in a union hospital this never would have happened! Food for thought... Anne-Marie H, RN

I was an LVN, immediately bridged to an ADN program afterwards and earned my BSN online through UoP. Therefore I am able to speak from firsthand experience and can say without a doubt my BSN program was way harder than my ADN program. My ADN program is very highly regarded and has a pass rate in the high 90's yet, during my time there, had almost zero community health requirements. I'm starting my FNP masters program next month and fully expect it to be more challenging than my BSN program. And I'm sure my doctoral program after that will be even more so.

Agreed! Until the BSN is the minimum requirement for entering nursing we will never truly be viewed as professionals, IMO.

Very well said, PyridiumP! No school in the nation has the legal authority to determine the total number of clinical hours of its students. The state BON's have the sole authority to set the minimum of clinical hours necessary to graduate from a school of nursing and be eligible to sit for the NCLEX. AND, all RN students, be they diploma (I've heard a few programs still exist), ADN or BSN earn the same number of clinical hours. Remember, to the BON, a nurse, is a nurse, is a nurse. They are not allowed to set different standards or grant special privledges to NCLEX candidates with different degrees. I have been an LVN, an ADN and a BSN, and now I'm a grad student working on my NP. When I'm done with my masters I intend to go on and earn my doctorate in nursing. Having said all that I can honestly say that yes, all new grads start off wide-eyed and scared, regardless of their degree. And, the more education one earns, the more opportunity for financial gain, as well as professional respect. Having started at the bottom of the ladder and worked my way up I feel that the minimum entry for practice should absolutely be the BSN. Med/Surg units are rapidly becoming a thing of the past and patients are expected to be ill and recuperate at home. To optimize that dynamic the RN needs basic courses in community health and epidemiology, which most ADN's get little to no exposure to. I went to a very high-ranked ADN program with NCLEX pass rates in the high 90's but we had ZERO exposure to community health principles and practices-I had to learn all that in my BSN program. I have about 25 years to work before I retire. I'm hopeful that by that time RN's can somehow manage to get it together and unite as educated professionals under a single entry of practice. Until then all the squabbling over which degree is superior only makes it easier for management to impose their bs on us all. Remember, if we're too busy fighting each other we're too busy to fight management for what we and our patients deserve. It's a principle as old as the pyramids... Peace í ½í¸Š

I have no problem at all with RN's who see bedside nursing as a bridge to a better career. I've been an OR nurse for nearly 20 years now. During that time the work has steadily gotten so much harder and so much faster that I don't want to see myself rushing around when I'm in my 50's. I am almighty tired, physically and mentally, of running around like a chicken with its head cut off for unappreciative surgeons and managers. I was was recently accepted into a prestigious NP program and am looking forward to doing and being more as a nurse than I've ever dreamed of. I've wanted this since I was 17 and I'm 49 now... I'm also very much looking forward to making a little bit more money for easier, more civilized work. Besides, I'd rather pay off exorbitant school loans till I die than get ordered around by the surgeons for the rest of my career. Surely you don't begrudge any nurse the right to steer his or her career in whatever directions they see fit, do you? Let those who want to be at the bedside stay at the bedside. Likewise, let those who are determined to move onward and upward do so, without judgement.

Hi FNPhereIcome, I will be applying to the Winter 2016 cohort starting in January. I am a little nervous about my application, I have a 3.75 from University of Phoenix. Is that considered competitive for the school/program? I am a super-strong writer so that's in my favor as far as the goal statement goes. I also spoke with (MODERATOR EDIT OF NAME) and she's a doll! She explained that the online program in 100% online with no campus time required. I live in Silicon Valley which is about 35 miles south of Oakland but it's still a big plus for me as I intend to keep working FT until clinicals start, at which time I'll go PT. As far as clinical placements go (MODERATOR EDIT OF NAME) explained that all the student needs to do is identify a site or sites that would be acceptable and that Merritt is 100% responsible for the placement after that point-they don't even want you as the student to contact the site at all, but just to identify it. I work at Kaiser so I'm super hopeful that I can do most if not all of my clinicals there. Of course she pointed out that they can't guarantee any specific site but I'm still hopeful :) Any comments or info would be much appreciated! Thanks :)

I called Georgetown just a few days ago and spoke with an admissions advisor-what a disappointment. The advisor was unable and unwilling to share even the most basic of information with me. I asked about the median GPA's of admitted students, how they calculate the science GPA and how they set up clinical placements. She just told me over and over that she was "only an admissions advisor" and that her job was not to provide the information I was asking for but to help me "make the strongest application possible." Excuse me, but why should I pay all that money and subject myself to the stress of a video interview if I can't even get some basic info? I'm not going to apply to a program if I won't be a strong applicant. My cumulative GPA is 3.75 which is more than respectable but I was a little worried about my science GPA. I took Anatomy, Physiology and Micro and got an A, B and C respectively-I'm not at all sure how that would stack up. I then gave Samuel Merritt University (SMU) a call about their online FNP program and the experience was totally different! The woman I spoke with was warm and welcoming and made me feel totally at ease. She answered all my questions and when I had a very specific one about clinical placement she sent me an email only 10 minutes later with the answer. She also sent me an email with about a dozen links which lists absolutely everything you could ask, including median GPA's of admitted students, breakdown of faculty education (percentage of those with DNP vs MSN) and tons of other stuff. Also, there are NO campus visits! I live in Silicon Valley so going up to Oakland (35 miles north) wouldn't be a great hardship, but it's still a big plus. The cost is $69,000 which is only about $10,000 cheaper than Georgetown but the vibe and welcoming attitude is 100% better. Also, they only use the cumulative GPA :) I am excited about applying and hopefully attending the online FNP program at SMU. It's not the WHNP program I was hoping for but not having to fly to DC, not having to attend live video lectures (seriously, how was I going to fit that in with my schedule???), and them being so warm and welcoming has left me feeling good about my decision. As far as Georgetown goes, well, it would have been a dream to attend such a prestigious university but I really didn't appreciate asking for very basic information and them reacting like I was asking for proprietary, confidential, restricted information. It's GPA's we're talking here, not missile launch codes, lol. It almost makes me feel as if they have something to hide... SMU, here I come! Anne-Marie

I found out about Frontier on this forum and have been very excited at both the thought of going there (WHNP) as well as all the good things others have had to say about the program-I don't think I've heard a single negative comment. My question is, I went straight into the OR out of nursing school 11 years ago and have never done any other nursing. While I do have significant experience on the GYN service, all of my experience is in the OR which sometimes, by some people, is not considered "significant" as far as patient care goes (don't get me started!). D you think this will hurt my chances at Frontier? Thanks for any and all comments and advice!