NP_student

good link: http://www.uhms.org/portals/0/Safety%20Documents/EJUHM_Vol6No4_pages_115_120.pdf other reads: http://www.mdsr.ecri.org/summary/detail.aspx?doc_id=8126 and http://www.springerlink.com/content/g2t37v47u0754161/

http://medind.nic.in/jab/t05/i1/jabt05i1p44.pdf Doesn't really answer your question, but this paper states: Electrical Defibrillation : In a hyperbaric chamber defibrillation is controversial, because of possibility of poor skin contact, arcing and risk of fire. Large metal environment may predispose attendants to shock. Chambers needs to be decompressed prior to use of a defibrillator. Moreover the latency of bubble formation and onset of decompression sickness symptoms is sufficient to allow a brief excursion to 1 ATA for defibrillation, with subsequent return to previous pressures. My husband is an engineer for a defibrillator manufacturer, and states that there are no AEDs intrinsically safe from arcing. However, he will verify this tomorrow...

The NP's I work with make over $50/hr + benefits. As a staff nurse after 10 yrs of licensure (comparable to the NP's), I now make $40/hr per diem (no benefits; started at $24/hr + benefits). Seattle area.

You have great experience, so I'm unsure why your application was rejected. However, the other applicants are likely just as strong. I bet you will gain acceptance into at least one of the programs from which you are waiting to hear. About letters of recommendation, sometimes references will provide a copy if you ask. This obviously doesn't work for online submission, though. Good luck to you! If you don't get into NP school, the CRNA makes much more money (even 200K around here) & PA school is also a great choice. I would have chosen PA over NP just to avoid so much nursing theory.

I was rejected the first time, but got in the next year. What I learned: 1) Talk to your admission committee. Ask them directly why you were not competitive. Ask for ways to strengthen your application. Thank them graciously. They will probably give you several clues in how to get in. Some schools want to make sure that you really want to be an NP, and thus want to see persistence in applying. 2) Make sure your essay matches what they are looking for. For example, if the website focuses on research and service work, make sure these are the focus of your essay. Scour the website for clues. Look at the kinds of research conducted by faculty. They will contain hints for your essay. 3) Do not use primarily physicians for your letters of recommendation. Make sure you have nurse leaders, too. Provide to your references a resume & one-page description about yourself and why you want to be an NP. Use key words from the SON website. A big reason letters of recommendation are rejected, even if written by important people, is b/c they may not provide enough information to indicate that they know you well enough. The admission committee wants to see that you match their school mission statement precisely -- so make sure your reference describes how you are a good fit. 4) Take a course w/in the school of nursing. Even if you went to a prestigious school, this SON may reject you if you did not obtain your BSN there. All schools think theirs is the very best. Show you can do the coursework, make an "A". The best thing is to directly ask the admissions committee which course they would recommend. 5) My school does not accept applicants w/out research and volunteer experience. Publications help, too. Maybe the school to which you applied has the same bias. If so, look for some quick volunteer opportunities that allow you to work w/ under-served groups, or move into research nursing. Take a volunteer position that allows you to demonstrate leadership skills. Or, find a job as an RN working w/ a researcher affiliated w/ the SON to which you will apply. This would give you a killer reference, too.

Jasil, those are valid gripes. However, you can't judge the entire profession from what your wife is experiencing in her current program. Additionally, her education is not going to stop after graduation from this particular school. She will always do continuing education, and learn much on the job. I'm in NP school & have attended several classes w/ MDs. My program includes bacteriology, immunology, virology, physiology, several courses of pharmacology, statistics, epidemiology, tropical medicine, etc... I am even able to take a gross anatomy class w/ the med students. Also, admission into my program was very competitive.

What a horribly unfair situation. That sucks. Sometimes I don't understand this profession. Nurses (including mgmt) can be horrible to one another. Personally, I would rather submit my letter of resignation. If you are fired, you will have to state "yes" to the question "have you ever been fired?" on future job applications. That could affect you for many years. It will not be difficult to find another job, so there is really no reason to collect unemployment.

yikes, I had no idea that there was a 5 yr limit for the NP exam, particularly since the school itself OK's 6 yrs of study. I'll look into it, thanks!

Hi. I'm an adult NP student on a slow part-time track in a highly ranked program. I am taking part-time courses each quarter, and will not graduate until 2013. Clinicals start in Jan 2012, and I work only very occasionally as a per diem clinic RN. I had graduate level physical assessment almost a year ago, and do not currently use these skills on the job. I worked as an RN total for five years prior to starting graduate school (ie. 3 yrs med-surg, 1 yr ICU, and research). I am worried that I may not graduate feeling competent to start NP practice. My nursing courses feel very shallow and incomplete (ie. nothing comparable to medicine!), and due to taking courses part-time, I will be learning the material over a total of 6 years. Since most of what an NP does is learned on the job, can I trust that the necessary skills will be learned through clinicals & then evolve through actual practice? Or should I alter my approach to schooling somehow? Any recommended independent reading or other advice? Thanks.

exactly. the admission counselors will usually tell you exactly what the school is looking for.

U.Washington, if you're applying, wants to see lots of volunteer experience in addition to good grades. International experiences, especially. Try beefing up your volunteering, working w/ the underserved (ex. homeless population). Also, spend a year or six months working in research in some capacity if you cannot obtain a healthcare position. Work as a research coordinator perhaps, or even in data management with a CRO? Or as a research assistant in a lab? Schools want to see good grades, but in addition you need to have a portfolio that sets you apart. What makes you interesting? Go ahead and apply, but if you don't get into a program, spend the next year voluteering, participating in research in any capacity, and working with people directly in some way (even as an advocate via volunteering -- does not need to be clinical).

are you happy about the decision to become an np? or would you have changed any prior career decisions, if you could?

I feel the same way. I just started classes this summer, and now suddenly find myself not enjoying this. Since grad school was my goal for many years, I have no idea why I'm now so lackluster about it. Is it really worth it to become an NP? Do they really love their jobs? Anyone regret becoming an NP? That's what I really want to know right now. Plagued with doubts. Yet seriously dislike bedside nursing, so can't imagine staying one forever.