Franjcamp

American Association of Neuroscience Nurses (AANN) The association of neuroscience nursing. This will help you in your quest. My favorite websites as a stroke coordinator are National Stroke.org, AHA/ASA (American Heart/American Stroke Association), NINDS([COLOR=#1122cc]National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), and the BAC([COLOR=#1122cc]Brain Attack Coalition). All are great websites chucked with information.

Our stroke association is looking into this also. This is from the American Board of Neuroscience Nurses: [h=1]SCRN Test Dates and Deadlines[/h]The SCRN Examination will be offered in computer-based testing (CBT) format during two examination windows, May and September. Applications must be received (not postmarked) at the ABNN office by the below deadlines. [TABLE=width: 500] [TR] [TD]Exam Administration[/TD] [TD]Registration Deadline[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]May 1-31, 2013[/TD] [TD]March 31, 2013[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]September 1–30, 2013[/TD] [TD]July 19, 2013[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD][/TD] [TD][/TD] [/TR] [/TABLE] Access the Candidate Handbook and Application for more information. If you are an AANN member or a CNRN, do NOT create a new log-in to apply. Please call customer service at the number below if you do not have you password. The CBT exam is administered by Iso-Quality Testing. Iso-Quality testing offers more than 200 locations around the United States and internationally. View a list of all CBT locations. Each testing center's schedule varies based on availability, so if you have a question about a specific location, contact Iso-Quality Testing at 866.773.1114.

I would like to relate that though I was sweating it I have found a nice job as a stroke coordinator. Though a masters degree was not a requirement it didn't hurt to be 60 with an MSN to secure a job I wanted. There is still nirsing after 60. .

One thing I want to bring to the attention of nurses who are looking at taking jobs which pay less. Social Security is set up where your monthly social security benefit is based on the last five years of employment. What I am saying you may have made 70,000 a year for 30 years, but if you drop down to a low paying job say making 15,000 a year for the last 5 years you work, the government bases your social security benefits on the 15,000 a year. They only consider your last 5 years of employment when doling out those checks. Back to discrimination: I find it ironic that places are not wanting to hire older nurses who are generally a fountain of information, but the federal government requires us to work till we are 66 to get benefits and 70 to receive full benefits. I guess it is a way to save money by killing us by forcing us to stay in the job market doing strenous physical work. (Thats meant to be a joke folks, or is it)

Do you know of any case managers who are CNL's?

I just graduated from this program two weeks ago. To carry the title of Clinical Nurse Leader you must take the CNL certification exam which consists of 150 questions. I take mine this Friday. If you do not pass, you will still have a masters degree in the area, but not considered a CNL. The CNL is an advanced generalist. There are definitons and comparisons on the AACN website or just type in http://www.aacn.nche.edu/cnl/CNLCNSComparisonTable.pdf A clinical nurse specialist who is an advanced practice nurse, a CNL is an advanced generalist. Go to the AACN website and go to the clinical nurse leader section. The next website is http://samples.jbpub.com/9780763776312/76312_CH01_Harris.pdf A word of advise...if you live in the Midwest look at the state directory for CNL s. My state only has 22 and a good portion of those are educators who have taken the test to teach. If you are on the east or west coast you are likely to find positions in the CNL field. In the Midwest they are not being used as CNL's, but as other fields such as resource nurses, coordinators, directors, risk analyst, outcomes managers etc. A (+) note is the VA says there has to be 2 CNL s in every VA facility across the US by 2014.

I worked for the same facility 3 different times. Always considered an asset until I quit this last time after having surgery which has giving me a weight lifting limit for life. I furthered my education to a MSN in hopes that I could secure a job as a resource nurse or nurse educator. I have interviewed more than once for different positionwith this company and they chose others over me. One I am 60. The policy in this facility is if you work a cummulative of 25 years you are eligible for life-time insurance, and eligible for their retirement programs including long term disability. I think they can only except me as a floor charge nurse. I find this very disheartening. I have student loans out of the wasoo and have gone on several interviews with local companies, but have not heard back from them. I currently work at a critical care access facility 12 hour shift on a prn bais. This shifts are killing me. The whole purpose of obtaining a MSN was to continue to work at a less physical stressful position. My thoughts are as long as you want to work the floor as an older nurse there are jobs out there, but I am not sure transition is so easy.

This is a concern for me also. I just finished my Masters Degree at 60 and am looking to transition into nursing as an educator or case management position. I have been called into interviews by my previous employer of 20 years, 4 different times and was not hired. I was told recently by one of the employees who is several years younger she was forced to take a UR position cause the company felt she could not cut working on the floor any longer. I currently work at a critical care access facility prn on 12 hour shifts. They are killing me physically. Never thought much about my age being such a big factor. Apparently my mind is intact or I would have not been able to maintain a 4.0 in my graduate program. I was told by a friend who is a CEO of a rehab agency that my credentials should prevail, but he also was honest in saying that he is cautious in hiring anyone over 55. I wish you the best of luck. You may find yourself moving to attain your goals. I guess we just need to consider ourselves as oldies but goodies.

You'll do fine.

Time management is your best friend. All new nurses have to learn to become organized and to prioritize. Watch how your preceptor organizes her work. One week isn't much time for orientation. Our hospital's orientation is 8-12 weeks. Look to see what tools they have available. There are also worksheets online which may help. Most mistakes regarding patient care occurs at hand-off. So make sure your report to the next shift is thorough. As far as percentages...most often it is the new nurses who find the fast pace of the hospital is not their cup of tea. I have seen very few fired in my 25 years at the hospital.

I did not read the original thread, but I just want to reflect on my life's experiences as a nurse who has worked in the same hospital 25 years. I saw nurses who were in their forties and by the time 25 years passed, they were tired and frazzled and truly did need a change of pace. Sometimes 25 years doesn't have to pass to need a change of pace. I have been full-time, part-time, PRN and have worked 3 floors and some other jobs while I was on PRN status. Maybe she was just burned out. I went PRN once because I didn't like the nurse manager I was working under. When a nursing position makes ones life miserable, its time to bail. Nothing is harder to work with then an individual with a negative attitude. You are right to wish her luck and hopefully she will be happier.

For the past several months I have had my name on lists for CNL positions. Not a day passes where I do not recieve at least 1 to 4 job notifications in the field. Granted the positions are hot on the east coast, Nevada and California, but Ohio and several of the central states have recently started listing openings for the position. I receive most of the notifications from Simply Hired and Indeed.com. There are positions out there. I agree I think it is sad that the role of CNS has not been given proper credit. I live in rural southeast Missouri and the local hospital is just now starting to utilize the role of CNS. They have had several CNS's on staff but used them in administrative positions instead of their intented role. Just like everything else in nursing, this area is way behind times. I do not see the role of CNL being utilized until after I retire.

I did not mean to sound unappreciative of education, but I value my past experience in the field of nursing also. Many nurses will admit they graduated and didn't have a clue as to how to function as a nurse. I will admit for 20 years I did not understand why nurses pursued higher degrees. By the end of my BSN I realized how much I hadn't learned in my ADN program. Now that I am coming to a end of my MSN program, I am proud to say I have learned so much. A higher education is definitely worth pursing.

I totally agree with that statement. Recently I made a comment on one of our discussions in my MSN program that I appreciated any good nurse whether she be RN or LPN because experience was the key to performance and one of my professors made a snotty remark that if that was true then why bother with a higher degree. EXPERIENCE HAS ALWAYS BEEN THE BEST TEACHER.