Fly Guy JB

Well, they aren't completely off base. I get frustrated with the never ending litany of "what is the fastest BSN program with the least amount of work required" posts that show up in every feed. These speed craving students have been seeking the same speed and distance learning options in NP programs. If we look at the history of NP programs, these were designed for tenured nurses in their discipline to advance their practice and to reach more patients. Today it is the fast track to leave the bedside for the nurse who hasn't been at the bedside for very long. So, what's the answer? Overhaul the entire nursing education system! Of course, but they have been trying to do that since the 1960s with limited success and no real plan in the making. Demand has increased and educational institutions have jumped in to meet the demand without necessarily having a track record of successful training of NPs or even registered nurses in many cases. Many of these late entry into the market schools, as the article points out, have a nearly 100% acceptance rate. Does anyone think this is reasonable? Does setting up your own clinicals seem reasonable? Does getting someone to sign off that you are A-OK even if you've had less than rigorous clinical experiences seem safe for you or your patients? Can you catch up once you start your assignment, maybe. But in our meat grinder of a healthcare system more often than not the newly minted NP is expected to hit the ground running a race they are often unprepared for by either experience or training. I am the last one to not encourage nursing education or growth, however, these so called "diploma mills" are churning out graduates who may be less than well prepared for their next role potentially endangering their licenses and patients.

Good afternoon, I serve on a system wide (1 L1 trauma ctr /6 community hospitals) committee to re-imagine our Nursing Career Ladder that has been in its current form for ~20 years. All the hospitals are Pathway or Magnet designated. We need a plan that continues to encourage our RNs to increase education and certification to meet goals. Other than these metrics, what is your hospital/system doing to encourage professional growth. Do you have clear cut areas of growth set out (committee work, community service, unit education, etc)? Or, is your career ladder more of a make your own adventure? I am looking for anyone who is having great acceptance by staff and meeting professionals development goals to assist nurses in carving out their career path and being recognized by their health system and peers. If you and your health system are leading the way in this effort, please respond, I'm excited to hear your "secret sauce.”

Got it a week ago (Pfizer #3). No previous Covid infection. The reaction was pretty much like shot #2. Fever, aches, headache x 24 hrs and then I was fine.

Do we want nursing to be less female-centric? It doesn’t feel like it. Few men teaching in nursing schools. Despite the experience of nurses above, there is a certain amount of discrimination in OB sections in school, interestingly, as someone pointed out the percentage of male physicians in OBGYN has no correlation with the amount of male nurses in the same specialty. Though I will be excoriated, the name isn’t inviting for men (please don’t try to make the argument that “nursing” isn’t a female signaling title), though I knew what I was getting into it isn’t inviting for many men as evidenced by men staying away in droves. Policemen, firemen, etc were forced to change their titles and their female ranks swelled. I may be part of the problem, I have often described myself as, “not that kind of nurse.” I have always been in areas that are, as described by others, male friendly areas (administration, emergency, flight, CCT). I didn’t go there because I was excluded elsewhere, I just felt more comfortable in these areas. What do we do to make the profession more attractive to men (and women) as we are short of nurses in many areas with the projection that the shortage will only get worse. Emphasize the valuable nature of the work, stop referring to it as a calling (we aren’t priests and nuns), emphasize the good schedules and pay, the transportability of the profession, and the ability to change specialties and advance into leadership, education, or advanced practice specialties if one desires. Disclaimer: My opinions are my own and do not reflect the opinions of my current or previous employers.

It’s interesting that you pose the question this way in the same month the Washington Post provides this headline: https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.washingtonpost.com/health/the-big-number-women-now-outnumber-men-in-medical-schools/2019/12/20/8b9eddea-2277-11ea-bed5-880264cc91a9_story.html%3FoutputType%3Damp Women outnumbering men in medical school is a big headline, <20% men in nursing, who cares? Should we be seeking something near equal parts, or as you assert, who cares?

I give this recommendation to most of the people who ask... I work for a hospital based program that uses Air Methods as our vendor (they provide helicopter, pilot, and mechanic) our Hospital provides the medical crew. Look around your area for an air service, most services have ride along programs, it gives you both an opportunity to see each other for "fit". It's nice to try to ride along early and make sure it is what you hope it is. You'll usually need 3-5 years in a busy ED or ICU. My program allowed me in with ED only, but as we do 80% inter facility calls I was not as prepared as I could have been had I had some ICU experience. Here is the brochure from Air Methods, the largest provider of air medical in the US. This will give you a basic "feel" for what you need to get started. All programs have their own requirements, but they are all fairly similar as the programs seek to meet national certification standards. https://www.airmethods.com/docs/default-source/default-document-library/so-you-want-medical-e-single.pdf?sfvrsn=7c469c95_4 Here is another great site with very practical resources and information for someone looking to get into air medical. EMS Flight Safety Network | The people who keep air medical flights safe. Watch the ECHO page Training Overview — East Coast Helicopter Operations or their facebook page. They do a prospective flight crew academy to help you prep for this job.

Darn skippy! Keeping up with flight certifications, especially if you work strattling state lines, can feel like a full time job in itself.

Darn skippy!

Even if the ads say ED or ICU, unless the service you are looking at has mostly scene work, go ICU. After 20 years as a paramedic and 8 years as an ED nurse, it was a steep learning curve to proficiency in a mostly inter facility (as most are) service. Not that it couldn't be done, it just required a ton of work on my part. Best of luck!

Love it! I didn't start nursing school till I was over 40 (darn near dead according to the OP) at 50 and change I work the ED and now flight nursing. I worked (and work) more than the younger Nurses and, in most cases, run circles around them. Maybe it's just my work ethic, maybe I'm just a Viking...

Yup, I didn't, knowingly, take a vow of poverty. This is a business proposition. I provide you with a service and you pay me a acceptable wage. If either of us fail that contract, we are free to move on, no excommunication needed.

Location: Metro Philadelphia Experience: 8 years as RN, MSN ©, multiple certifications Specialty: CCT Facility: Urban, Academic, Level 1 Trauma Center Pay: NON-UNION Tier 2 RN - $40/hr + 10 % diff. nights Live in the suburbs so housing is fair, travel is longer.

If you are looking for $100k anywhere but CA you want to give some thought to APRN. CRNAs starts way above this level and NPs are close w/o OT. Other than that, go to a metro area union hospital. Cost of living will be higher though. I have made >$100k the last few years as an ED RN & Flight RN with LOTS of OT!

Excelsior College doesn't have a chemistry requirement but does have a prerequisite or co-requirement for statistics during the research class. Hope that's helpful!

OMG! Despite the unfortunate actions of a single nurse, this system is draconian! If NJ, et al would participate in the compact this system would be far more streamlined. They were just fine taking my money...immediately deposited! To tell me that that this is a 2-3 month process is not positive for business and certainly not for those who wish to work in this state.