AuroraRN

Well, I wouldn't work in a facility that expected me to mop the floors!!! Oh, and I wouldn't clean the shower either! I barely have time to take a break myself than to do other's jobs for them! As some before me have said, once you take on another's duties, it is usually then expected that you will ALWAYS do those duties. Just my opinion, though.

I think that it is well worth the time and effort if you are wanting to branch out into other areas of nursing. For example, many case management jobs would prefer that the applicants have a BSN (this is the case in my institution, I can't say anything for the others). Also, if you aspire for management type roles, a bachelors degree may be preferred. I started out as an ADN and now have a BSN, and I have found that I now have many more employment opportunities. It's a very personal decision that only you can make. Good luck. Both degrees provide the training needed to be a nurse.

I must say that I have a "dislike" for nursing school as well. Although I know in the end I will be better off, it's still hard to convince myself of that right now. And, I have always found school very stressful. But for some reason I just keep going back to school. Maybe I just love the torture!! No, I guess I just do not want to limit my job opportunities. And, I also have a friend I have dragged back to school with me also...at least I'm not in torture alone!!!!

The only patients I know that you should avoid are those receiving chemotherapy or who have recently received chemotherapy. This can be toxic to both you and your baby. Pregnant nurses should not work on an oncology unit for this reason. Just be careful because some of these patients can end up on various floors--some chemotherapy agents are passed by bodily secretions, i.e. urine for quite some time after the last dose. That is all I know and I only know that because I've worked on an oncology unit who encouraged those of us who were of child-bearing age and attempting to become pregnant to consider transferring to another department because of these safety issues. Hope your pregnancy goes well!!!

If you have studied and know the content well you should do fine. Just try to get enough sleep the night before the exam. And don't worry if your's cuts off at the minimum number, it usually means you have scored so well that you do not need to go any further! Good luck!!!

Many people who are nurses may not actively practice. So although there are nurses, they have chosen for one reason or another to leave the field. Also, with the high patient loads and increased stress, many "bedside" nurses choose to leave that are and do other things, such as case managment, education, etc. I am one of those nurses who has left a staff nurse position due to the high stress and high ratios. FYI, I'm much happier (and less stressed out) now.

I always give at least 4 weeks notice. You could say that I do not want to "burn my bridges". I live in a very small town and the options are very, very few, so I must make sure that I will be able to go back to those places if necessary. You never know when a great opportunity may arise at one of the places you have left, and not leaving a 4 week notice would look very unprofessional. When I leave a place of employment I also worry about the people I am leaving behind, and I want my employer to hopefully be able to find a replacement for me asap. I've also found that future employers look very favorably on someone who does this, as it is a good indicator that you will not leave them "high and dry"!! Also, most employers are more than happy to wait for you if they really want you!!!

I have been a student for quite some time. I first obtained and ADN degree at a local community college, then a BSN from a university, and now I am still going to school for graduate studies. So, therefore, I have been highly stressed for the last 4 years of my life. At this point, I feel that the support of my friends attending school with me is the one and only thing keeping me there!! There are some things you can do to help. I'm not sure what kind of job you have now, but you could try to only work three days a week or on weekends if it is a nursing type job. Believe it or not, exercise is another great stress reliever, you just have to fit the time in to do it(I know, easier said than done!). Also, it looks like the light at the end of the tunnel is in sight--December!!! It will be worth all of the hard work in the end. As for after school, you will go through a period of time where you are unsure of yourself, but this will pass. Anyways, at least after school there will be no more book studying at home!!! That means a social life again!! Yeah!!

I believe that these type of patients have such unhappy lives that they want to spread the "joy" to others. That makes me feel better anyways. And anyways, some people are never happy now matter how much we give them of ourselves.

I just want to make one statement about the hypocrisies that occur around us. We are allowed to make decisions about the life and death of our unborn children, yet we are not allowed to end our own life with medical help when we are in great pain, near death, and have no quality of life. I know that these topics are in some ways unrelated, but in many ways they are one and the same. We all have our own views on these topics. I just have to say that I cannot believe that in some institutions these aborted babies are left in dirty utility rooms. I could not work in such a facility. Although each person has a certain legal right to make their own choices, institutions must treat these babies with the dignity that they deserve...they are human and to discard these babies as "trash" is inhumane. Just my own personal thoughts on the subject.

Warhawk, I thought I would let you know about the school I just graduated from (RN-BSN). The University of Alabama in Huntsville is a great school to attend. I began my BSN program in Fall 2002 and completed it in Summer 2003 (I'm now in the MSN program). For the BSN program, classes are attended one day per wk (Tuesdays or Thursdays). There is also a clinical component (one day every 2 or 3 wks). Although it was hard, the instructors do want to see the student's succeed. They also have an RN-MSN program. Hope you find the school that is best for you. Good luck!!