RescueGrrl211

I also took my digital camera with me and took pictures of everything, so I could study at home. I dont know about you guys, but I had a hard time with identifying different tissues, etc under the microscope.. everything always looked the same! It did get better as the class continued.. The only other thing I did in AnP1 and 2 was study, study, study. I constantly reviewed my notes, used the textbook websites, READ THE BOOK (I dont know why people dont do that one more often!!), and had a really great study group with a couple of girls in my class. We spent 3-4 hours every Saturday afternoon drinking coffee and quizzing each other over the lab stuff and the powerpoints. It worked!

If you have trouble getting into ADN/BSN programs you could try to find an LPN program and bridge over. I know some Community Colleges (like mine) do entry into the LPN program based on first come/first serve (or a lottery system). Then you could bring up your GPA and apply to ADN/BSN schools later.. You may have to wait to get into an LPN program but its a good option as a last resort.

Good looking out 86Tornado! I'll absolutely remove that word, I actually didnt even realize I had included it. Ha! Thank you!

Hey guys.. I just graduated from an LPN program and am looking for a job while I wait to get into an ADN program. I applied for a plebotomist position and was sent back a list of questions to send back.. Mind looking them over and giving some feedback? I have never applied for a job before where I was asked what wages I expected, I dont want to sound like an idiot! Thanks! (my answers in bold, and I eliminated the non pertinant questions) 1. Why do you want to work for the American Red Cross in this position? I would like to work for this organization because I feel like being a part of the American Red Cross would be very fulfilling. I became a nurse because I want to make a difference in people's lives and being part of a team that services people in need would do just that. I am also looking forward to furthering my education, and training in phlebotomy would give me an opportunity to advance my skills in nursing practice. 5. What are your hourly salary requirements for our opening? Answers along the lines of "open," "negotiable" or "competitive" will not suffice. I would like to be paid a wage that is competitive compared to local LPN wages. I expect that would be $16+ hourly and also compensated for travel.

I second the above, ATI is what my school uses and its kept my skills sharp as well as had loads of review modules. Check it out!

Good luck!

I would choose the Patient Representative job.. I think it would look better on your resume! In the current economic climate, the more resume padding you do the better.. and customer service experience always looks good to potential employers. I wouldnt sweat not having much practice doing procedures, etc.. Truly, you will learn it all in nursing school anyway!

Just dont do what I did.. and go without! I ended up with 3 ER visits due to severe respiratory infections, numerous doctor visits (depressed immune system due to nursing school related stress anyone??) and a broken ankle. Im now about 15 grand in debt from medical bills! Ahhh! And I thought "No big deal, I can live without it." After medical bills and student loans, maybe I'll be able to enjoy a paycheck or two before I retire!

For me, it was hours of studying! For lab, when we had to identify all the bones, tissues, cat anatomy, etc I spent hours and hours in the lab using the bones/models/etc to study after class hours and occasionally on the weekends when my instructor could open up for us. I also took my camera in once a unit and took pictures of all the bones, models, even the slides under the micorscope (yeah, it really works!) to study at home. It was pretty great. Toward the end of ANP11 the whole class got involved with the picture taking, which saved time, and we all posted our photos to photobucket.com and shared the password. Other then that I quizzed myself using the lab manual, A LOT. For lecture, I had a great study group. It was 3 or 4 people, all of us top of the class (meaning, we had the same goals for grades and everyone contributed evenly). We would go the the local Panera, grab a coffee and spend a couple hours every Saturday talking through all the topics that were on the test.. We asked each other questions, like "Tell me everything you know about about the large instestine and how it works". Then whatever they missed, we would go over it. After hearing this stuff a few times, teaching it to each other when someone missed something, and studying the powerpoints and book, we got to the point where we could pretty much recite the powerpoints. Obviously, that means we got awesome grades! I know how you feel, by the way. My A and P 11 was a summer class, 8 weeks, and my instructor was moving across the country so he missed class regularly going back and forth to his new city, where he was buying a house. It was a joke. But I survived, and you will too! It was hard work, but having such a solid physiology foundation has been a life SAVER in MedSurg! Good luck!

That isnt allowed at my college either.. They want us to take it onsite too, there is not an online option. I agree with That Guy.. Out of all the classes I have taken so far, A and P was probably the hardest and most relevant to my nursing degree. Its really important that you have a good, solid grasp on the material to succeed later on and I cant imagine that you would get that from 2 8-week sections, while most schools require almost a year. Good luck hon! :)

Just my .02.. But I think that working with the existing CNA's would be the best place to start. Personally, (not that I have any valid experience at this sort of thing) I would have a 'come to jesus' meeting and just say, point blank, if you want to keep your job your going to have to step it up. If not, kick rocks. :) Then I would devote as much time as possible with supervising/modeling routine care procedures out on the floor with the CNA's. Some of this could be delegated to the floor nurses, but unless they are on board 100% the RN would probably run into the same cycle as before. The hard part of the RN's job is going to be checking up on the CNA's work and calling them out when they make a mistake, offering to teach them the correct way or, for non compliance or repeat offenders, get rid of them. Hopefully that would light a fire under the existing CNA's butts to get them moving in the right direction... I also would do my best to make sure that I provided the equipment the CNA's needed on the floor and maybe get some incentive programs running for the CNA's who perform well. This might help the CNA's establish a trusting relationship with the new RN. I like the idea, too, of having a "Quality Assurance" inservice every once in awhile.. Customer service really is a huge part of what CNA's do, and if people cant provide good qualtiy care then they obviously dont belong there! I would also start advertising for CNAs and LPNs to apply, making sure to mention that the LTCF is under 'new management' or is doing an 'internal make-over' or whatever. Once the patient care issues are cleared up, depending on the budget, I would start thinking about working on the building.. I work in a top tier facility that has very, very few issues with unsatisfying patient care.. It couldnt be a better place to work, actually. We all groan when we find out that the 'new hire' came from "insert name of nursing home with poor reputation here" because we know that we all spend the first few months breaking the bad habits they have formed there. That was fun!

I dont have anything else to add about your instructor, because it seems everyone else has hit the nail on the head! I do, however, have a suggestion about getting lectures online. I used to listen to/watch Marian Diamond on YouTube during my AnP 1 class. She is one smart cookie from UC Berkely, and I got more out of her lectures then I did out of my own instructor! You can search my topic also, and there is TONS of them to watch.

I like to float around, too. Where I work we have about 120 residents ranging from completely independant to skilled (were transitional assisted living). We split the floors up into 4 'lists' and each girl is scheduled a different 'list' each night. We also have a rotating bath aide, which we all take turns getting scheduled for. I prefer this because Im the type of person that gets burnt out quickly so switching around helps out, and since we dont have a TON of residents we all get to know everyones needs/wants/routine pretty quickly.

In any normal climate I would agree that sucking it up and going in would have been the best bet, but considering I havent been to the Dr yet I decided against it. My college is pretty up in arms over the spread of H1N1, and a faculty member told me this morning that any student with visable signs of flu like symptoms is sent home immediately. I dont know where you guys work, but working in health care while contagious is incredibly dangerous. I seriously hope someone takes initiative and contacts the health department before you kill someone with a compromised immune system. Do you know how many elderly people die each year from the flu?