harborview

Hi there, I'm a very indecisive second-degree-seeking pre-nursing student. I have awhile to figure things out, but one of the avenues I'm exploring is OB. I really decided to go back to school and become a nurse because of the birth of my son. I'd love to be a IBCLC, but working in Labor and Delivery or in the Mother/Baby unit sounds pretty cool too. If I did want to focus on getting hours for the IBCLC exam, do you think the mother/baby unit would give me the most? How many years do you think it would take to accumulate enough hours? Is there a faster avenue (even if it is upaid?) My other question is about the well mother/baby home visits nurses do? Under my insurance, when my baby was born, I was offered a visit at my home from a nurse. Are those agency nurses, or do they work out of the hospital? Are any of them lactation consultants? Thanks in advance!

You're sense of entitlement is astounding.

Hey Meriposa--I treid to PM you but your box is full! --Here is my question: "Honestly, I sometimes wonder if I wouldn't be better off in a float pool somewhere. There is a community hospital in the suburbs, 10 minutes from my house- they pay 35/hr for the first three 12 hour shifts per month then it jumps to 45/hr. Too bad they aren't hiring right now!" Hey question for you! What hospital are you talking about? I'm a pre-nursing students and I'm all over the place when it comes to what specialty area or type of job I want. What exactly is a float pool? You just float around in a hospital as needed? Oh and what hospital are you talking about in the above quote? Do you know anything about AAMC? I live 10 minutes from it. Thanks so much!

Do you mean like auditing a lecture?

bump! There's got to be more of us!

I'm wondering about all of the different ways nurses can work a 40 hour week or a 20 hour week if you are part time. For instance, do you do a 12 hour shift each weekend with 2 8 hour shifts during the week, etc.? Does it vary week to week? Do you get to choose? I'm especially interested in what you do if you have children in school. I'm just trying to get a feel as to what is typical (if there is such a thing). TIA!

You're right. Its a personal decision. Fortunately, I am in a position where I can put it off for a couple of years. I can't get that time back with my son while he's little, and I can afford not to work.

I'm pretty excited as this will be my first course on my path to becoming a nurse. I'm taking it online at AACC (my community college), but there is a lab on Thursday nights. Anyone else taking it this spring? I ordered my texts online ( A LOT cheaper then in the bookstore by the way!) and have started to look over my lab manual. The first section is about measurement and significant numbers. I'm kind of going over and over something about expressing figures in exponential form to get rid of ambiguity about the significance of zeros after an integer, like in 200. Its a little confusing, but I'll figure it out.

Hi Shana! We're in a similar situation, and I've been doing a lot of research. I have a degree in another field and I'm a stay-at-home mom to a six month old little boy. I'm not assuming you know as little as I did when I first made the decision to pursue nursing, but I'll give you a summation of everything I've learned so far. You can get an AA degree at a community college, and take an exam to get your RN, and start working, or get a BSN at a 4-year college and take your exam. If you've already taken many gen-eds, you may be very close to satisfying all of your prerequisite courses and therefore be close to being able to apply to an AA or BSN program. I live in Annapolis, so I just know that my county's community college does not offer an evening/weekend program, so I just can't do it. Howard County CC has an evening/weekend program, but I've heard that if you are out of county, you are very often wait-listed for the following year that you apply. Look on Essex CC or Howard CC's website to find out which gen-eds you've already taken, and which you may need to take in order to apply. Although I have a degree, I am still short some prerequisite courses and am taking them now and planning on applying to a BSN program. I still need Chemistry, Human Growth and Developmentnt, Nutrition, Microbiology, and Human Anotomy I and II. At community college, you can take these classes at night and/or online. I decided to go the BSN route, because it would take me the same amount of time to complete a BSN after my prerequisites as it would to complete an AA after my prerequisites (plus, the only CC close by that offers evening/weekend is out of county). Stevenson College, formerly Villa Julie college, offers an evening/weekend accelerated BSN program. It is the only one I know of in the area. UMB has an "online" RN to BSN program, but again, it depends on how many of those gen-eds you have satisfied. It may not make sense for you, as it didn't for me, to pursue you're RN first. Stevenson seems expesive, but you should know that there is a Maryland nursing scholorship that pays 3,000 a year as long as you agree to work one year for every year it is awarded. Also, several hospitals in the area have loan repayment benefits. There is a post on this board about a couple of them...I think the original thread was about starting pay for new grads. Best of luck to you! I know I'm excited to get started on this path.

A teaching hospital in my state offers a 12 month fellowship. Just wondering if you typically get paid or is it like an internship where you don't get paid?

Oh, crap. I just read here: http://nursing.umaryland.edu/programs/ms/non-degree.htm that you can only transfer in 6 graduate credits. Snap! Hmm. I wonder if they let you attend part time.

I feel silly about asking, because it really is far down the line for me, but I wrote a post (it hasn't been posted yet for some reason?) last night asking about time commitment and CRNA school with young children in the mix. If I decide to pursue this, I have the option, since I'm getting my BSN at UMB, to take 6 credits of grad courses as an undergrad that will transfer to a grad program (core courses). They also recommend that to strengthen your application, to take graduate level physiology and pharmacology before applying (both part of the program). Anyone else try to lighten the load by taking some courses as a non-degree seeking student first?

Is there anything I should do, or decisions I should make as a nursing student, that will help me find an ICU job as a new grad? There is a possibility that I may pursue being a CRNA down the road, but even if I don't, I think I would learn a lot and gain a lot of confidence as an ICU nurse. If I get an interview, should I not mention the possibility of anesthesia school? Thanks!

I don't know. I'm reading the typical day thread, and I know its only temporary, but 2 years is a long time to live that way when your babies are little. I'd be basically going from a full time mom, to a part time student when my son gets to preschool age, to a full time ICU job once he's in kindergarten (but that can be worked around his schedule) to THAT! Wow, I'd never see him! I expected AS would be a FULL time job, but not a ROUND THE CLOCK job... Any hope for someone who MUST spend quality family time or should I choose another specialty? I'm feeling so deflated.

What is a CRRN? Clearly, I fascinate you if you have to go look up my old posts.