Steph in Boston

Hi all! I just recieved some great news last week: I am 6 weeks pregnant! I am going to be finishing up school in Boston until July, but then I am moving to the Asheville, NC area. Does anyone know of good, sound, midwifery practices in that area where I might go to for care? My sister is already doing some leg-work for me, as she already lives there, but I just wanted to see if you all have some advice. Thanks! Steph

I just got a really good idea this morning: has anyone heard of someone spending summers in Alaska, then traveling to Hawaii for the winter? This seems like it could be an awesome setup for a few years...! Steph

I will be starting work as a CNA for the first time this August, in a local nursing home. This nursing home has various levels of patients, from low to high functioning. Can someone who has already been down this path prepare me for what to expect? I am doing this for a year, maybe two, before going to nursing school (hopefully the second year will be working in a hospital). I hope to end up in psychiatric nursing at some point, and maybe also become a nurse practitioner. But I want to learn about and experince nursing from the "bottom up" (no pun intended...ha!) before I commit to school. Thanks! Stephanie

Hey Ted, Thanks for the advice! It is so great to hear from two nurses that are satisfied with working at Fairview! I was worried about that little hospital for a while, worried it would close soon. But it is such an asset to the southern Berkshire community. I lived a few blocks away from Fairview a few years ago, and was living alone and came down with a bad case of pneumonia. It was all I could do to get myself to the Emergency room there -- I was so thankful not to drive to BMC! My Dad also worked at the North Adams hospital for five years, and we lived near there for a few years. Even though it is about the same size as Fairview, nurses were dissatisfied, unionizing, and on strike a lot. Apparently they were angry about being understaffed. Do you have any similar problems at Fairview? Be well! Stephanie

Hey Missy, I did go to MMRHS! But I also "dropped out" in my junior year to go to Simons Rock. By reading your bio, you are 11 years older than me, so I guess that we couldn't have gone to school together. But I bet if I saw your face, I would recognize you from around town! I am living in Boston now, going to school. Good luck with your interviews! And say hi to the Berkshires for me -- I really miss it out there! -stephanie-

Hi there, I grew up in Great Barrington, and always thought Fairview was a nice hospital, although I know they are always having trouble with funding, and threatening to close. How are things there now? And where in CT are you going? To another hospital? -- stephanie --

Any MA nurses here work at Fairview, BMC, or North Adams hospital? I am from the Berkshires, hoping to become a nurse soon! How is working in the Berkshires as a nurse? I need to know in case I decide to move back home to work and live... Thanks! Steph in Boston

I have an interest in becoming a CNM once I get my BSN. I like the idea of working in a small practice with other midwives and an MD. I was hoping to find out what sorts of situations some midwives out there are working in. Hospital? Private practice? What I described above? And what do you like/dislike? What is your ideal? Thanks!

Orrnlori, I hope being a cna is the right thing for me to do. I get different responses whenever I ask people if being a cna will give me a decent preview of nursing life. Some say yes, others say not so much. But I figure it will give me a better idea than if I were even a secretary at a hospital or working as a waitress somewhere. It's the closest I can get! I wish I had a calling to be a nurse, but really I have never felt what people describe as a calling. Nursing just seems to include all of the factors that I would like to put energy into. I am a bit intimidated by some of the posts on this website, outlining numerous frustrations that so many nurses seem to share. It seems that the entire field is in a state of major transition, and that is always a difficult time to start new... Thank you for your response! Stephanie

Orrnlori, I hope being a cna is the right thing for me to do. I get different responses whenever I ask people if being a cna will give me a decent preview of nursing life. Some say yes, others say not so much. But I figure it will give me a better idea than if I were even a secretary at a hospital or working as a waitress somewhere. It's the closest I can get! I wish I had a calling to be a nurse, but really I have never felt what people describe as a calling. Nursing just seems to include all of the factors that I would like to put energy into. I am a bit intimidated by some of the posts on this website, outlining numerous frustrations that so many nurses seem to share. It seems that the entire field is in a state of major transition, and that is always a difficult time to start new... Thank you for your response!

Hey! I have not yet applied to nursing schools, but both Simmons and Johns Hopkins are on my list. I also live in Boston. I have three friends who go to Simmons for liberal arts, and they find it challenging. One of my friends is already working on her MAT there, and is satisfied with the program. Although none of this is nursing related, I think Simmons is a solid school. I also applied there for undergrad, but did not go for reasons I cannot remember. People in admission were also very very nice to me... Does the size of the program make a difference to you? I think that if it came down to choosing, I would go with the smaller nursing program size because of more individualized attention. Good luck! --stephanie-- P.S. I am getting my CNA certification before I apply to schools, and am going to work as a cna in Boston for a year.

I read about a case that I believe occured in the 1990's when a registered nurse gave a suffering cancer patient a gradual does of painkillers in order to help ease her into death. They called this technique "snowing" and the article claimed that it happens more than most people think. The nurse was tried for murder when it was discovered what she had done. She maintained that hers was an ethical decision, and that she made the right one. I tried to find a link to the case online, but was unsuccessful. Now that I think about, I think I might have read about it in a book about nursing... --stephanie--

What about nursing do you dislike so much? If you hadn't gone into nursing, what do you think would draw your interest? I have the broad goal to devote my life to helping other people get through lifes' struggles. Being only 20, and at the beginning of my "career" I think this is a good foundation. Currently I work with people with mental illnesses who are transitioning back into independent life. I love this work, but I am also intrigued by the medical aspect of caring for people. I hope that my love, idealism, and personal vision are fulfilled by nursing. I am curious as to how you went through with nursing school, only to discover that it wasn't for you? Did you have the wrong idea about what nursing would be like from the start? I am asking these questions because I am very hopeful that I will like nursing through the CNA experience. But there is that fear that I won't... Thank for answers! --stephanie--

Ok, that is good advice. I have to apply for the two-week one, and they only accept a select number of people. But the nice thing about the nursing home 4-week program is that I can walk there from home, so that makes it easier. I think I will turn down the Red Cross idea, because of the time commitment, cost, and the fact that I have "heard" that it is not such a great program. Thanks for the advice! --stephanie--

Which would you choose for a CNA training course?? I am faced with these three options: An 8-week course with the Red Cross that costs $595 A 4-week paid ($10/hour) training course, 1 week in classroom, 3 weeks practical, in a local, large nursing home. OR A limited-number (5 trainees) two-week training course at a Rehabilitation Center for the Aged. I am leaning towards deciding between the last two, because one pays me and the other is only 2 weeks.... but is 2 weeks enough time to learn to be a CNA? Thanks!! Stephanie