JulesRN10

Well, I have officially died and gone to Nursing Career Heaven! I recently started a position as the Staff Development Coordinator in a Long Term Care Facility. We are a 200 bed facility with a staff of 260 FT and about 80 PT/PRN employees. The plan that has been approved is that the area that used to house an outpatient clinic is being remodeled in the spring to become the "Education Wing". Today, the Administrator came to me and asked what I would like my classroom to look like...the furniture, the type of technology we will use, how many people I anticipate in the classroom at a time, and how to create a functional space for routine in-services, CNA training classes, community CPR training, New Employee Orientation. These classes could range in size from 3 or 4 to 40-50 people. The main classroom is large enough to hold 40-50 people at once, but where do I begin looking for types of furniture, set up, things of that nature? I have never been involved in a project of this size or nature, so any input would be greatly appreciated! We both agreed that we would like a smart board for starters. There may also be dry erase boards and a projector. I will have a separate office as well as a dedicated storage room and another mock resident room for training. After that, I am lost! Any suggestions?

I have a pt who is a relatively healthy paraplegic, about 55 yrs old. He has a non-healing/ stalled wound on the left buttock since October...had cyst removed late October. Wound vac placed with good, although slow, results until March. Wound vac removed, went to wet to dry dressings TID. Stalled again. Went to Dakin's Solution BID. Stalled. Added honey dressings BID. Stalled. Alternate Dakins/Honey dressings, continue BID changes. Dr is considering a muscle flap. My concern is that if we do surgery, with the slow healing we have now, if we have surgery, we'll have a larger wound that is not healing. There is no slough, no s sx of infection. MRI completed, shows bone is free from harm. I am at a loss...anyone know of dressings, additives, something to do to help get this wound headed in the right direction? I've suggested hyperbaric chamber, pt has no way of getting to the closest available for the length of time needed for successful treatment. Help!

Congratulations!!! I know that has to feel so great!!! I will definitely be looking you up soon...might need some WGU pointers!!

I am so thankful for my counselor...got most of my stuff in, but have kind of slacked off. She called me a couple of times in the beginning to answer my questions, but for the most part has left me alone unless I call her....not what I expected, but better! Hoping to get started in Jan/Feb...better get in gear!!

I entered the program in September 2009 with the nursing courses, A&P and Micro to complete. I finished the nursing courses by Feb, FCCA in March then applied for CPNE thinking I had plenty of time to take the 2 science classes then focus on CPNE. Ended up getting an Aug date for CPNE in about 3 weeks time...talk about pressure! I went on to take Tina's workshop in Pennsylvania (DO IT!!!) in June, finished the 2 science classes in July and passed the CPNE in Aug of 2010. Was it easy? Nope. But, I went in prepared...I knew the critical elements backwards, forwards, upside down and inside out. Knew how to write a care plan "their" way, and was focused, confident and had my game face on. I went to Racine and had an absolutely wonderful experience. By my second pt on day 1, I knew that I was going to be okay, but I also knew that I had NO room for mistakes. In the end, all the instructors congratulated me on a job well done. They told me what a pleasure it had been working with me, they could tell that I had worked hard to prepare. The hours and hours I spent learning it all paid off...definitely wasn't easy but was definitely worth every minute!!!

I've been speaking with someone at the school recently, deciding if this is where I'm going or not...the Nutrition and Biochem requirements are fairly new, I think she told me in the last 3 or 4 months. Previously, if you had an AS, you wouldn't need those, but they've "upped the standards" so to speak. I'm hoping those will be the only requirements I haven't met, but I got my LPN from a vocational school, then AS from Excelsior....just waiting on all my transcripts to be evaluated to see how far out I am...

so, now i'm nervous about ec and the bsn, i just enrolled in rn-msn because it was easy to just stay put. i know i may need some upper level gen eds, but i'm hoping that's all...arg! so, are they not as lenient with accepting credits for the bsn as they were with adn? i felt like i got pretty good transfer credit there, i don't have any previous degrees, but lots of credits! oh, i hate waiting, and classes start monday...i'm supposing at this point, i'll just bite it and go on. i've heard good things about the program overall, just hoping not to spend too many thousands more in education before i die!!

excelsior is a lot of information to take in, and i probably won't get it all out, so help me out peers! first, excelsior provides an opportunity for professionals, such as lpn/lvn's, emt's, paramedics, rrt's to gain an associate's degree in nursing. not a "traditional" online program, you test out of each class. there are 8 nursing exams, the fcca, and the cpne. for the nursing exams, you download the study guide (syllabus for the class), study the suggested material using the suggested textbooks, or other study material and schedule your exam at a pearson testing center. whatever grade you get on the exam, equivalent to a final exam in traditional classes, is what you get in the class. the questions are nclex style, multiple choice. you can finish a class in a couple of weeks to a few months, just depends on how you dedicate your time. when you finish the nursing classes, you take the fcca. it is something like nursing delegation...you are sent a packet for this and you have so many days to finish it and send it back to them. it is the only solely handwritten component of the program. once you are within 10 credits of completing all the requirements of graduation, you can register for the cpne. this is clinicals. there is a study guide that will become your best friend and worst enemy it is a 2 1/2 day pass/fail exam that includes lab stations: iv push, iv piggy back, im or sq injection, and a sterile dressing change. you will also have 2 adult and 1 pediatric "test" (pcs). you will be given 1 patient at a time and 2 1/2 hours form start to finish. you will have to write 2 care plans, which will then be accepted or denied by your instructor. if accepted, you will implement your assignment, then write the evaluation of your assignment. if you pass each of these, congrats! if not, you can fail each lab station 1 time and 1 adult/1 peds pcs one time. fail 1 of those a second time and you fail the entire exam. you can take the exams/cpne a total of 3 times before being asked to leave the program. there are several testing sites across the nation, pa, ny, oh, wi, tx, ga...certain hospitals that excelsior has teamed up with to provide us a facility. just for reference, i completed the nursing program including micro and a&p in 1 year. i know several people here who finished quicker and lots that have taken more time. it all depends on you! i was a single mom to 2 kids, worked a full time and a part time job while i did it...glad its done, but would do it again in a heartbeat! don't be afraid to ask questions, that's what this website is for!

i completed the program, including a&p and microbiology in 53 weeks. this was for all of the nursing exams, fcca, the 2 science classes, a workshop, and cpne. i chose mpac first available, registered for cpne in late april, got my date the first week of may, passed first try august 15 and graduated in october. wasn't easy by any means, but what nursing program is? and now i'm getting ready to start my bsn...think i'm a glutton for punishment! good luck!!

I used my Mosby's for the FCCA, maybe one other text book, I can't remember...but it wasn't anything I had to go out and spend more money on :-)...as for CPNE, I used the Study Guide religiously, the skills kit, which was worth every penny I spent on it, I made note cards out of the critical elements that went everywhere but the shower with me (should've laminated them!) and I used the Perry & Potter skills book to reference all procedures that I wasn't 100% sure about. And, I know it's more money, but if you can swing it, I went to Tina Logan's workshop...there are several that were great, but the workshop experience just kind of pulled it all together and gave me a better understanding of what they expected of me when I got to the real thing. And I started sending care plans to Excelsior asap, that was the hard part for me! Good luck!! Julie

I live in a small community where everyone knows everyone. After a lot of unprofessional coworkers and many lectures hospital wide about professionalism, I just don't participate in the Facebook/MySpace world much anymore. Even with my privacy settings set pretty high, it's too risky that the friend of a friend could be too savvy and get what they don't need. Besides, is my status of "Getting up and going to work today" really so life altering to anyone that it needs to be announced to the cyberspace world? As for stalking-like patients, yep, it happens, like I said...small town, not hard to track ya down if they want to bad enough. Our facility only puts our first name and last initial on our badge, but like another poster said, the patient "has a right to know who takes care of them" so even if you don't post your name on your badge, it is printed ALL OVER their discharge paperwork! Tried to change that, to no avail. I guess since we live in small town America, "IT" doesn't really happen here. Hoping it doesn't in order for a change to be made!

glad to help....it does seem like a money pit, especially toward the end...but, those letters behind your name....yep! priceless! let me know if i can help in any way....it's so much easier with a support system!

have you looked at tina logan? took that one....loved it! it was tough, but she knows her stuff! her website is necworkshop.com and it comes with several weeks of careplans as well. she's in pennsylvania, if the travel is any easier. and sheri taylor is awesome too...i've heard great things about her. i have a friend doing some online stuff with her right now, and she likes it. it's not cheap, but i finally decided that i could spend about $1000 on a workshop/travel or i could spend $2000 to retake the cpne...passed in august on the first try, no repeats! good luck....let me know if i can help in any way! julie

are you working full time in icu? i work 3 12 hour shifts at my hospital and moonlight with pediatric home health. the company i work for is awesome about working around my full time schedule. in return, when the bottom drops out at the house, i jump in as much as i can for the short term. maybe you can do some part time stuff, or travel nursing. you can get your feet wet without big long-term commitments. i know how hard it is to choose a specialty, and i'd say it's okay if you're not ready to commit yet, but if your gut says go, i say go for it if the job seems like a good fit. do some homework, ask questions. can you job shadow for a couple of days? what's the pay and benefits like, and what are your job expectations. make a list of pros and cons, and jump in! good luck!!!

help! i have worked for a pediatric home health company for a little over a year now, earned my rn and am considering taking a promotion with the company to do case management. never done anything like this, so i have no idea what questions to ask, what kind of salary to request, and whether or not this would be in mine and the company's best interest! i live in central missouri, the company is small, takes kids with home health needs. i work part time, and would continue that. what little i know about the position is that it would include monthly visits to the clients, and possible iv visits, blood draws, etc. i would be able to set my own schedule, as i also work full time at the local hospital. any advice? love the company, excited for the possibility of a new challenge, but want it to be right for everyone...also don't want to ask for too little money, or too much....help! thanks! julie