jemride

Hello to all, I have been thinking a lot about the Teri Schiavo case. As I am sure a lot of have been. Although I would like to get an advance directive, I am clueless about how to get this done. I have looked around online and most of the services I have found seem sketchy to me. I was wondering if anyone here could enlighten me? How does one go about getting an advance directive and is there a website/service that you recommend? I have also heard that this process can be expensive but I think that was in regards to a living will or trust, which by the way, I am not sure how it differs from an advance directive. As you can see I am fairly ignorant about all this stuff. I would like to start educating myself so that I can share this with my patients and friends in the future. Thank you all for any input. Jemride

OMG hbscott, you are my role-model! !

Acclerated BSN at Mount Saint Mary's College in Los Angeles, CA. I start this May. I'm excited and terrified.

To mitek and Cay: I too am a surgical tech (for the past 8 years) and would not recommend it as a career. Although, most of my colleagues seem content with being techs for the rest of their lives. I have changed career paths several times in those 8 years from wanting to be a PA to a CSA and finally graduated with a BS in Computer Science 2 years ago. Only to find that I hate that field. I am currently finishing my prereqs (down to my last one: Physio) and will begin an Accelerated BSN in May. Anyways, it seems to me that I have taken the longest path possible to decide that I would like to be an RN but it was worth it and I have no regrets aside from the fact that I am 8 years older and still in school. The moral of my story, if there is one, is that if someone is stuck between becoming a CST or an RN then become an RN and save yourself some time. I do not mean to sound like I am putting down CSTs because it has been a great experience for me and a great stepping stone. Its just that a CST is greatly limited and at times greatly overlooked and unappreciated. jemride

I personally cannot recommend any school in particular, but if you are looking for a list of schools, then here is a good website: http://www.certboard.org/crnfa/cert/rnfa_pgms.htm Hope that helps. jemride

We also have to date all fluids in our warmers and they must be disposed of after 72 hours in accordance with JACHO. It is something that JACHO looks out for during there inspection. They told us just yesterday that temperatures between 110 and 120 are acceptable. We have JACHO at our hospital all this week. JOY :angryfire ! !

Wow, orrnlori, I think you just described my dream job ! Thank you for you post. :blushkiss

Hello to everyone. I am a scrub tech and I am about to begin an Accelerated BSN program this May out here in California. My intentions at this point are to get my BSN and then become an RNFA. This is just the plan for now for I have only been exposed to the OR on an L&D unit for the past 8 years. I was wondering if you have any suggestions for me as to whether my experience will be a plus or a hinderance in my pursuit of my FA diploma. After reading Baley's post, I am a little concerned. I am aware that after my nursing program I will be exposed to most major departments of nursing and that might change my mind as to what I will want to do once I am through with school. I just want to see what might be instore for me further down the road. Thank you for any input. jemride

The school I am applying to also required 2 religion classes. At first I was annoyed by this idea but I knew there was no way around it. I took the 1st one during the summer and I am currently enrolled in another one this semester. I am pleased to say that is has been a positive experience for me and I would even go as far as saying that nursing students are missing out on some valuable information if do not take a religion class. The 1st class I took was a philosophy class and it was very spiritually based. The teacher did not preach to us in anyway but he did make it clear as to how important spirituality is to people and the impact it has on our everyday life. It is amazing how many misconceptions I had about various religions before I took this class. I believe it will make me a better nurse allowing me to connect a lot better with patients of all walks of life. The class I am currently taking is more of a historical approach. Not nearly as intense as the 1st one, bur bearable nonetheless. If you do end up taking these classes I hope you find them as enlightening as I have. Keep in mind that this is coming from an agnostic person who I found out are called mystics in theology. Hope this helps. Good Luck. Jemride

Wow, thank you people for the cool links. I can't wait to share these with my classmates.