alem992

First thing that happens is the NIHSS and then the CT SCAN. They would not receive any aspirin prior to getting the CT because they could have a hemorrhagic stroke. If they meet the critrea meaning a high enough number on the NIHSS and there is no evidence of bleeding , and their symptoms started less than 3hrs ago then they would get TPA. If there score is low, or they don't meet the critrea for receiving TPA then they would just be admitted and a complete work-up would be done, MRI, ECHO, DOPPLERs, X-Ray, Lipid profile, Dysphagia Screening and they would be put on aspirin and simvastatin. Hope this helps ...

INOVA does accept Associate Degree nurses, the only positions that they want BSN nurses is in pediatrics (NICU, PICU ) I think IMC and Med-Surg ICU (INOVA-Fairfax) are the only ones hiring new graduates at this time.

I don't know if GW has changed it's policy about only hiring BSN graduates, because when I applied in December I was offered an interview and I only have an ADN. The big thing with GW is that they want you to have graduated with a 3.0 gpa, they go through your transcript prior to setting up an interview. I currently work at Inova-Fairfax and there is just a huge hiring freeze going on. I think VHC also has a hiring freeze, because all the new graduates that were offered fellowship positions in February were not allowed to start.

I took the Exam on 2/12 too, I even posted on this thread that day. I live in Virginia and found out by 9am the next day that I had an active license. I can't imagine waiting as long as you guys have, that is horrible. My prayers are with you guys. I hope you both pass so you never have to deal with this again.

I took my exam this morning and my exam ended at 75. I was pretty okay walking out, But now I don't know how I feel. One minute I think I passed the next minute I am horrified by the idea of failing and doing this all over again. There were some questions that I knew and some that just seemed to keep coming back. Had a lot of Priority, SATA, Psych and Meds. I feel like some of my questions were lower level, but I don't know. It sucks waiting!

Nova's nursing program has really expanded over the past couple of years. I think that they put the 2.5 gpa to screen out people who usually fail the first semester, not because the enrollment space is limited. If you have a 2.5 gpa, I think you will surely get in.

I wouldn't do a LPN program if I were you. It's just not worth all the money that you are paying to get the degree. Most hospitals don't accept LPNs and out on the Units LPNs don't get the same respect or money as RNs. I would just do what ever I have to do to get into NOVA's program. The degree is well worth it and so much cheaper :).

I took NAS 161 and 162 at the Alexandria Nova w/ Ms. Nguyen. That lady was one of the best teachers I have ever had in my life. She broke everything down to the simplest form. Her accent is really thick and a lot of people don't like her for that, but you eventually get use to her accent. She is a really nice lady and will do everything to help you learn. This really helped me during nursing school because I had a really good foundation of anatomy and physiology. One more thing she gives you a weekly quiz, so you do have to keep up with your readings.

Congratulations! I can't wait to say I passed~must be an amazing feeling!

There are papers that you are required to write for NUR150, NUR254 &NUR 255 but they really aren't that big of a deal. You also have to turn in careplans during each clinical rotation and the psych rotation requires you to do little reports/journals/recordings. But all of these things are not things people fail at or have a difficult time with but they are time consuming. The most difficult part about the program are the tests and the finals. You will do fine just keep up with your studying, make friends and keep your eyes on the prize.

You should always give two weeks notice before you leave a job. You don't know where life is going to lead you and you might need a reference or something from that job later on in life. So just suck it up and give that two weeks notice, it might be worth it down the road.

My advice for studying for the finals would be to just know the big things about every topic learned during the semester. You are not going to be able to go back and study everything. So just know the big things about each one, like the main symptoms, nursing interventions, drugs and side effects. I would concentrate more of my studying on the last lecture, because all of that is new information. The day before the final, try to get with a study group and just go over the things you learned during the semester w/o using any notes. And during the final, just remember to watch your time and make the best decision. Good Luck!

well, you can try and desensitize yourself to it by exposing yourself to a little bit of blood at a time. You can start off by looking at pictures of blood and moving up to actually looking at real blood. It's going to be difficult getting through nursing school clinicals with a fear of blood, so good luck with getting over your fear.

Congratulations! I will be graduating on December 15 :). I can remember being on the prenursing student forum trying to soak up as much information. It was only three and a half years ago but it seems like forever. Good luck with your degree!

I switched to nursing because I hated my previous job as a manager. I hated going into to work, I hated my staff and I hated what I was promoting. It was no way to live. I think you should stop worrying about everyone else and figure out what it is that you do like and go do that. I would hate to have someone who hated nursing taking care of me.