Me, SN

JohnRebel, I'm not sure if you are IN the field or looking to go to a college, but you are misinformed. Beckfield College is accredited. You CAN get a license in ANY state after graduating their ADN program and fulfilling the state's requirements for licensure. How do I know? I have a license and so do most of the graduates who graduated with me and before me. Furthermore, there probably isn't a hospital in the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky area that does not have a Beckfield College graduate employed as an RN. This kind of misinformation circulates every year. When I first started going to Beckfield there was talk going around by other students saying Beckfield wasn't accredited. They are under CONDITIONAL accreditation because their program is still relatively new. It takes many years to get full accreditation. But they ARE in good standing and they are on track for full accreditation. I mean, if you don't want to go to Beckfield, don't. Beckfield RN graduates are real nurses. Either that, or I'm being paid and given credit for being an RN when I'm not. lol

I know the feeling. I looked up the topic because I was curious if this was just a regional thing or something the country is dealing with. My search led me to your post. I'm in Kentucky and we're dealing with similar circumstances. Only there were two hospital chains in my area and one bought the other. After the merger they slapped on a hiring freeze for new grads. Then in December they lifted the freeze, but ONLY for those who are PCAs and CNAs at that hospital. I'm sitting in the same puddle: Sigma Theta Tau graduate who passed the boards the first time around with the minimum number of questions and several impressive letters of recommendation by not only college faculty, but members of the hospital's staff, and I think we graduated around the same time too (I graduated Sept 18th). Yet I couldn't even get a job at a nursing home in order to fulfill the 120 hours direct care in order to apply for reciprocity in Ohio. To add insult to it all, almost everyone I graduated with has a job. They either worked at the hospital where the hiring freeze was placed, or they applied for their licenses in Ohio. I hope you get a job soon. I hope I get one too.

This is an old thread, but I found it searching for information on when Beckfield might be adding the bachelor's program, and if anyone else finds it, I feel like I need to say a few things too. I graduated from Beckfield's ADN program. Yes, I felt there were times that some students got advantages that others did not. But those were isolated incidents that pertained to a certain teacher and a certain clinical instructor. If anyone got a hard way to go it was those of us who were singled out in the OB clinicals. Those were terrifying times for a handful of us. BUT, when my circumstances were looking bad and some unforeseen things happened, I TOLD those who needed to know (including the DON and the clinical coordinator) and together we worked out something so that I had the opportunity to pass. Otherwise I would have certainly failed. They talked about it with me in private and never mentioned it in the presence of other students. I might add that I was NOT a teacher's pet or one of the students who blatantly tried to gain favor like those who brought the instructor coffee and those who tried to learn more about the instructor's lives outside of school. (My lips are pink, not brown, if you get my meaning.) But I did WELL in college and I passed the NCLEX the first time around. It was hard. It really was. Personally, I don't think everyone's cut out to be a nurse. I'm sorry if anyone's offended, but being a nurse isn't just about how much you care (though caring has a lot to do with it). You have to have some intelligence and you DEFINITELY need a good work ethic. You also need to realize that those who try to one-up you, have snotty attitudes, kiss butt to the higher-ups, and are looking to correct you if ever you're incorrect (and NO ONE is perfect) exist IN THE FIELD. You'll work with nurses like that. Personally, I let them be. I didn't work that hard to gain favor with people who meant nothing before I enrolled in college. I did this so I could better myself and my family. If you can't deal with the bad eggs in nursing you might need only to reassess why you decided to be a nurse. Anyway, I'm a proud Beckfield College alumna. I knew everyone there and they knew me. I couldn't imagine having gone to a bigger school where I was a number instead of a student.

NOW THAT IS SPIN! BRAVO! You only highlight what you want to pick apart in an effort to deem me ignorant. Did I not also say that we should be doling out masks?! Anyway, vaccinating HCW isn't enough to prevent a dz that will most certainly spread in our petri dish EDs where WHO KNOWS what is all over the furniture and the whole environment. And where do most patients enter the hospital? The ED, of course. Hospitals are setting up tents in order to prevent flu patients from being in the ED and infecting the immunocompromised patients who come in with emergencies. But what about those who THINK they have the flu and don't? Patients infecting other patients is always going to be a big concern too. If I'm vaccinated for the flu, and I pretend handwashing isn't a big deal, the patient is still likely going to get the flu if I've been around infected patients. And yes, the CDC tells the general public that handwashing IS the most effective way to prevent the spread of infectious disease. IMO, I think we're fighting a futile battle. Like trying to rid a home with a bug infestation using a shoe.

I'm a NEW nurse and I'd leave in a second if the job were easier or less messy for the same or slightly more money. I only went into nursing because I needed a career choice, I'm married and have a young daughter, and with all that, it would have been impractical to pursue medicine. So if you know somewhere I can make nurse money for non-nurse work, SIGN ME UP!

When I think about that test I am still a little puzzled. 75 questions, almost all of them on the same topic, and I passed. But I walked out feeling like there was no way they could have accurately assessed my competency with those pathetic 75 questions. Oh well. I'm an RN. lol

I will not be getting the H1N1 shot this year or ever barring someone placing a gun to my head. And I WOULD give up my license if it were an ultimatum. I was forced to receive the Hepatitis vaccinations in the military when I was young and ignorant. I get the PPDs because I've decided after much reading I'm not in much danger from a PPD. I selectively vaccinate my daughter as well. She does not get flu shots nor will she ever get the chicken pox vaccine. If she were a less healthy child, I MIGHT reconsider depending on the morbidities in question. I've had the flu several times in my life and (frankly, without caring what anyone else's opinion on the matter may be) that I would rather deal with the illness that could come and go than to risk something that may or may not be a lifelong problem. I actually did see something on the mainstream news about a nurse who cannot perform as a nurse anymore due to a vaccination rxn. I can't remember which vaccine she had taken, but she did have a neurological problem afterward (probably complications from GB). Personally, I am not risking my life for ANYONE I take care of and I do not care if that makes me a bad nurse or not. If the problem lies in communicating this disease to others, China had a great way of dealing with the same problem during the bird flu epidemic...masks for everyone (and not just at the hospitals or health care facilities, either). Perhaps instituting precautions like more sanitizing agents at establishments catering to the public or masks seeing as it is airborne, might help prevent the spread of not just the H1N1 virus, but the seasonal flu as well. If you want it. Get it. I wouldn't force anyone NOT to. But I don't want it and I don't think I should be threatened with the loss of my livelihood because I choose a different treatment route. Afterall, I AM a client sometimes too and therefore should be given the same autonomy as any other client. I would GLADLY wear the N95 mask instead at all times. I practice excellent hand hygiene and I would think that the CDC would more highly value my near-ritualistic hand washing over my acceptance of a vaccination under forced pretenses...you know, seeing as they taut the frequency and quality of hand washing as being the MOST effective way to prevent the spread of infectious disease.

I wouldn't advise on debinding your books. I can't tell you how many times I've needed to look in the index for something or pulled information from a section we weren't necessarily working on at the time. Plus I think I'd pull my hair out if I were studying and had to find all the parts of my books! For the people who are image conscience...you probably wouldn't survive my classes. I have wanted to kick myself for leaving books at home that I didn't think I'd need. Go to Walmart, pick up a bag with rollerblade wheels (not the canister looking ones because they will squeak after a while and that is EMBARRASSING when you roll down the hospital hall with a squeaky book bag). Likely you'll have to wear some ugly uniform most of your time in school anyway...at least I did. Think how sexy it looks to wear that RN or LPN badge and forget about how you look right now. :wink2:

From my own experience, I found that I wasted a lot of money in trying different things when the simplest things worked the best. I wouldn't waste money on a PDA. I bought the one my school offered with the Pepid program. I found the Davis Drug guide and a lab manual had more information and I didn't have to remember to charge them before clinical...I had enough to remember already. Get a carry-on style bookbag or just use a carry-on for a book bag (the ones with wheels). Yes, you'll look like a dork. BUT, you will save your much needed back from carrying pounds and pounds of nursing books! Invest in comfy clinical shoes. You will be so glad you did, even if your uniform is ugly to begin with and wearing goofy-looking shoes only adds insult to injury. lol Get a stethescope you can really hear out of. I went so long listening through the bell because I had a cheap-o stethescope with a crumby diaphram. It really hinders the learning process. Get one of those clip boards that have conversion data (like pounds to kilos) and scales (like Glasgow Coma scale or Morse Fall scale). They are a quick reference sometimes that can help you in a pinch. Most importantly, HAVE FAITH IN YOURSELF!! You will likely come to a point where you think about quitting because you're not sure if you will pass or not. At that moment, don't go to the director's office and withdraw! Dig deep and remember who is counting on your success and that you can do anything you put your mind to. You never succeed unless you take a risk and try.

A long overdue update on this post: I didn't say anything. She did try her hardest to fail me, but I was persistent. She suggested I attend more clinicals than I was required to do and though nothing was ever, EVER as dreadful as spending more time with that insane woman, I did it for the sake of passing. I ended up with an "A" in the class because I aced both the midterm and the final/ATI. My teacher for the lecture (the clinical instructor's good friend) did her best to keep me from an "A" as well by giving me the lowest possible grade on my process paper though when my peers and I compared our work, we all believed I had done a superior job (which was an effort to prove that I should pass). However, every single one of them received a better grade than I did on the paper, yet I was the only one in my clinical group to get an "A" in the class. I do feel like I was a coward and morally I should have done something, but I sit here 58 days from graduation thankful that I am this close even if I did have to trade my ethical beliefs in for my associate's in nursing. I did learn a valuable lesson early and without fatal consequences and I NEVER administer a medication without checking and rechecking the MAR. So my awful experience may have saved some lives in the future.

I've been skipping my non-nursing classes, and getting the assignments for those non-nursng classes from other students, then turning them in via email to cut down on the time I have to be at the school. Not to mention my HORRID clinical experience this week. I don't know about "burned out", but I'm definitely exhausted.:smilecoffeeIlovecof

I knew she was in the wrong. I feel INCREDIBILY HORRIBLE for giving the patient the medication without checking the MAR because I knew I should have. If I could go back (and I know I can't) I would have refused to give the medication without looking at the MAR even though she was yelling at me. I am just seriously TERRIFIED to report her. She is the ONLY instructor for clinicals this semester. So it's not as if I can be reassigned. If nothing is done about it immediately, I am surely garanteed to fail this semester. Since she's been a nurse for over 15 years, she knows more about how to turn things around to make me look like a bad student who is just upset and looking for a way to get back at her. She even failed a girl I know this semester for asking her to observe her while she removed a Foley because she had never performed the procedure on a human being. The girl didn't want to mess anything up (not that it's a complicated procedure by any means, but on the floor it's hit or miss if you get to do one skill or another and she was comfortable with it). How would I go about contacting the board of nursing? There is a WHOLE CLASS who witnessed her clocking in. I have the patient's name, the date, Kate's real name, and I wrote down all the specifics through teary eyes as soon as I got home in case I got in trouble. But I don't have the medical record number because I'm not allowed to take any identifying numbers or names of patients (I just remembered the patient's name and wrote it down when I got home). I have 17 days until I either pass or fail this clinical. I wondering if I should just wait. (Though I feel like if I do, I am doing wrong by HER patients.) Also, several of the other students had witnessed me crying on the unit. I'm already afraid that the rumor of how she treated me is going to get around and she'll think I did it. I think I'm going to walk like I'm treading on glass for the next 17 days.

I go to a private ASN school that sort of recycles its instructors (you have most instructors twice.) I had a seriously BAD experience with a clinical instructor I have had as a teacher in another semester. I never had a problem with her before, she complimented me and I even received the highest scores in her previous class. Well, the other day, I was at a clinical site and I'm no stranger to clinical rotation! I have done WELL every semester. So this instructor, we'll call her Sara (because Dear God, I'm even terrified that she might read this BOARD!!) hands me my assignment and like usual, I go about my normal routine. After about 15 minutes, she is breathing down my neck and yelling at me that I'm not finished with this and that and the other. I've only been on the floor for 15 minutes and I have more than one patient (by the way, I did prioritize and started with the patient who was the biggest concern). She's yelling about my documentation because I didn't do it the way SHE does it. She's making me NERVOUS while I'm signing off on the MAR because she thinks I should hurry up. She has only TWO students on the floor: another girl and me. But she is following my every step and telling me I'm doing stupid things wrong like the order I'm making the patient's BED! But it gets worse...a medication error is made. For one, I don't have access to the medications. For two, Sara got them and handed them to me. And for three, Sara didn't allow me to check them against the MAR before administering the medication--she said "HURRY UP!!" when I attempted to grab the MAR to look. So, while I should have refused to give the medication without checking, I was terrified Sara was going to fail me (she has failed other students for less). So I gave it. It was double the DAILY amount the patient should have received. Another nurse (we'll call her Kate) caught the error because Kate saw that I had not signed off on another med (Sara took two of the same medication tabs instead of one tablet of each medication.) I read the back of the package and signed off on what was handed to me. When Kate was talking to me she said, "Didn't Sara hand you the ____ and the ____?" I said "No. Sara handed me two tabs of ____." Sara heard me talking to her and put it all together. She pulled me into the back area and screamed at me that it was my fault for not checking the MAR when she wouldn't let me!!! Then to cover her you-know-what she gives the patient the dose of the missed medication. Normally, this wouldn't be an issue, except that the double dose of other medication with a normal dose of the missed medication could cause HUGE problems. Then she says "IN THE REAL WORLD, we would have to write an incident report." DUH! Clinical IS the real world!! My patient is a living human being! I'm terrified about having to go to clinical next week to deal with crazy woman. I can't go to the director of my nursing program because back when I was in her class, she locked a friend of mine in classroom when everyone else had left and screamed at her until she cried. Then she told my friend, "If you talk to ____ it WILL get back to me." More or less, she has threatened reprisal. One girl I know went to tell the director today that she clocked in at the clinical site while she was teaching because she works at the clinical site. I'm counting down the days, but I'm afraid I'm going to fail and I can't talk to anyone about it at my school. I don't know what to do. I'm afraid to ask this woman any questions for fear she will start her routine of treating me like crap. I just don't know what to do.

It's not hard. Just time consuming. Anyone who spends sufficient time studying the material will get through it. It's when you don't have a lot of time that you struggle: moms, dads, the employed, etc.

No, I do not have you confused with Bicster. I quoted Bicster, addressed the "quip" (read: insult) that he made, and then I addressed your assumption that I am generalizing. But whatever. As a nursing student, I don't have time to waste being irritated with anyone, and I shouldn't waste my precious free time. Edited to add: THIS post was in response to LiveToLearn's post that I had confused her with Bicster. The latter half was in response to Bicster's continuous posts that I am dumb, or stupid, or whatever he called me...I don't care to quote him.