CinnScorpStudent

New York Health Care Employees Won't Be Forced To Get H1N1 Vaccine...For Now http://wcbstv.com/breakingnewsalerts/mandatory.h1n1.vaccine.2.1252672.html

To me, powerpoint is the worst possible way to learn material. It might be great for that "nintendo" crowd but I don't see why I should bother to attend a single lecture when all they do is read the slides I've already read and then hand out a multiple choice test we're supposed to spit out information on...in my opinion (and history shows this well) people learned much better when a professor came into lecture, grabbed a piece of chalk (or dry erase, that's acceptable) and started scribbling at a HUMAN pace (not clicking through slides) and when something wasn't understood, you'd see a few hands....lecture stops, questions are asked / answered then you move on. Case in point, last quarter had a prof that used nothing but dry erase, every lecture, not ONE powerpoint slide. She skipped parts of the book material that simply wasn't relevant to her tests and concentrated on real problem solving...ACED the final exam with 100% (go me!) but...next sequence of class (II) new prof....ALL powerpoint slides, 6 hours worth so far just to cover what I just aced on that final exam, there were over 90 slides, (ok....what's important here....was like watching an infomercial) and a quiz given at the end...the quiz was multiple choice, I was totally LOST !!! Now, how can I get a B on material that I had just recieved previously the ONLY 100% in my entire class on a comprehensive exam that was all problem solving, NO multiple choice in a classical setting to getting a B on a fricken' multiple choice test where TONS of material (about 7 slides out of the 90 were even relevant to the quiz) was thrown at me? Seems to me, this is an online class that you MUST attend in person just to have a body there to be paid to teach one how to repeat (not THINK or LEARN) about the information being presented....I'm highly disappointed at the lack of cohesiveness in the department for allowing one professor to teach true thinking skills (and I learned a lot last quarter) and another to just blow off what should be their JOB and present this useless crap! Powerpoint education is furthering the dumbing down of education, catering to the lowest common denomenator in classes. My "B" by the way was far above the class average...low C's...unreal ! They call this college these days? Give me the old school type and a hot mug of coffee and I'm ready to go, powerpoint is lazy, disorganized teaching at best, at worst it confuses those of us that wish to actually learn what our subject matter is instead of just passing tests.

Exersize, yoga, tai chi, meditation...balance. Avoid slipping into food, TV, or anything else that resembles what is cleaned from the posterior of the individuals that we care for. Take your own advice, what would you tell a patient that asked the same question?

I plan on the CRNA myself (now I see why it's so competitive) and after that I'll go for a degree in Poetry because hey, let's face it, who doesn't want to keep deferring those student loans? Of course I'll need the degree in Physics to figure out how to make the Earth spin slower so I can manage an extra 8 hours a day for sleep, and then there's the Accounting degree to figure how to go offshore with all my cash....what an open ended question ! Got me thinking on Spring break, thanks...

Because we have to impress the girls, everyone knows it's the size of your GPA...geesh

Mine will be 2 weeks M-F, 8am-4pm, and I've lightened my load for this quarter at my main campus to 8credit hours for pre-req nursing, evening courses...this should be interesting, and mildly draining...

Fantastic attitude, are you a fellow Ohioan? Where are you going to school? Cin"cinn"ati here...

Regardless of what you end up doing in life, getting that GED will boost your confidence level and lead you into opportunities you never thought possible. I've seen this personally many times over with those I've encouraged to take that first step into acheiving their goals. As a business owner, I'd hire an ambitious GED grad over just any regular high school kid that was handed a diploma for just showing up at what people deem "high schools" these days. They had more drive and determination.

Something I did while in a performance major (in a different life many many years ago) was perform with my college ensemble (classical guitar music) at many retirement facilities and nursing homes....I'm sure there are groups like this that would be acceptable to come and play, or other artists/students/etc... that would like to share and get experience themselves with an easy audience before they hit the main stages er' life....high schools, local colleges might be looking for just a venue to showcase talent and engage this type of environment. I really enjoyed playing for the folks and even had some that knew the music we played, sparked a "memory" or two...also it was a learning experience for me to appreciate the realities of what is our modern day elderly community.

I'd be ok being a "sister" but I feel more comfortable in my own underwear...lol :wink2:

I'm back in school for nursing at 42, doing a CNA/PCA program at the same time next quarter just to get some experience "in the field" to pick up added info and a little bit of $ to live on until I get my BSN...it's never too late.

"You must be the change you wish to see in the world" ...and..."There is no path to peace, peace IS the path"...Mahatma Gandhi

I've had 2 instructors older than I, 1 the same age and 1 (chemistry) much much younger...and I can say that every single one (cept' my chem teacher, she doesn't know what to think...haha) has given me the encouragement and respect that I wish I had 20 years ago in my college studies. It's been a few weeks since I've added to this post but I'm still pulling my A's, still study like I'm already working a job and I think it's our experience in life that gives us somewhat of an advantage over some of the younger cohorts in our field of intended study. For me, social life is secondary to my goal, married, divorced, have kids...so I'm beyond those thoughts of "upcoming" distractions, have this strange semantic, noetic knowledge that comes from nowhere that guides me through the "huh?" parts of lectures and my focus is very intense. I only wish I could somehow speed up my courses into a program designed exclusively for me, but I'll just accept that it's not my game, I'll accept the challenges before me and one day I'll be "sleeping" on the job...providing my clients with a comfortable in and out of what I know from personal experience (one of the reasons I'm doing this) can be one of the most stress filled times of their experience in the realm of procedure. I remember my nurse anesthetist, the ONE that calmed me the most in my emergency procedure, the one that I woke up to calling my name and bringing my family in and explaining that everything was AOK, the one I asked...how can I do what you do?...little did I realize at that time (a few years ago) that this is exactly where my desire has lead me. To do what he did. I feel that I'm at the beginning of a long journey, a quest for becoming the next incarnation of my being, a new dream being realized through my own thoughts and actions that is leading me into this new path. I'm very happy I found this forum because it only strengthens my resolve to know that I'm not alone in this quest to better myself and engage humanity in such a way that can have such a positive impact on another's life in a way I could have never done in the direction I was heading. Well, that and there's a ton of security, money, and backslaps along the way !!! I AM still human after all, my EGO needs only moderate stroking...lol Good luck, good studies and good grades to my fellow dreamers...Cinn man

A revisited post, humor certainly wasn't lost on most of the crowd and I can see the effects of "Reefer Madness" is still winding its way through the American psyche...I wonder if those in opposition to the "alleged" nurse oppose the scripts of lab weed in a pill form that is still on the charts? What amazes me (as a believer in a creator (non-religous)) is that people will go so far out of whack on defending or opposing such a harmless plant yet there are plants out there that really do kill, mame, disease humans....yet I've never heard of the DEA or local law enforcement rounding up these hemlock patches that Chief Dr. X's wife has growing in her own garden because they're "botanicals" and not "agents of death"... I think we all agree on one thing...."high nurse in clinical setting...no"...but let's also face reality and agree "drunk, high on script, too stupid for our own good, engages of acts of moral depravity...etc...no"...where does it end? Unless someone is stumbling onto the floor as long as they know what they're doing, perform their duties and don't make mistakes due to their personal lives, what does it matter? There's a guy I know (that shall go nameless...to protect the truly stoned and really a major threat to health of the entire human race) that works for a major defense contractor in the realm of nuclear physics, grad of Carnagie Mellon - MIT - the big shebang...this guy hasn't drawn an oxygen filled breath since high school....he's now semi-retired, consults when needed and still smokes pot like it's his best friend...so when I see a thread begin with a "should I become a tattle tale" over this, it just makes me think of how pointless and Gladys Kravitz our nation has become on this issue. To those that still don't get it...there are FAR BIGGER boogiemen in our reality than those we create for ourselves at the master's bidding...

A comedian once said...."if my guidance counselor couldn't guide themselves into a better career, then do I want them guiding my career"?...with that said, see if you can do any volunteer work at a local hospital or long term care facility (looks great to a college and subsequent employer) and get a feel for what you really want to do in this field. At your age the possibilities are endless for what you might actually end up doing be it nursing, medical degree, surgeon, research, engineer that designs artificial hearts, etc....get my drift? I'll tell you what I tell my own children...."find your passion and THEN shoot for the highest star in the sky and never give up"...who knows, you might be the one that turns the tide on cardio-related disease ! I would advocate what others here have said about talking to an advisor at a local college instead of just your counselor at school (as good as their intentions may or may not be) but even with an advisor, YOU decide what you want to do and don't let them guide you into spending money you don't have to to fill the college's coffers with uneeded credit hours that you'll pay for when you don't want nor need the courses...there comes a point where you will be the only one looking out for you albiet it's very nice to find a forum such as allnurses that I have also found very usefull for insight and opinions.

Politicians to decide what treatment doctors can provide based on $$$ http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601039&refer=columnist_mccaughey&sid=aLzfDxfbwhzs

This thread has been enlightening and charged on both ends of the spectrum, but to tell you quite honestly, as a "on the wait list" for clinicals student, it really just makes me wanna get high again before I enter the realm of spy vs. spy .... isn't there somewhere in the program where they teach things such as this link : http://www.smart-publications.com/articles/MOM-mechoulam.php Where they discuss how the human brain has it's own set-up of cannabinoid based substances much like the endorphines, yes OMG ! we make our own morphine too ! type of transmitters/receptors? Even DMT (N,N Dimethyltriptomine) is produced by our brains when we sleep (Dr. Rick Strassman, "DMT: The Spirit Molecule: A Doctor's Revolutionary Research into the Biology of Near-Death and Mystical Experiences" 2000) which is considered by the DEA....the most potent hallucinogen known to man....hmmm, OK, it's what gives my dreams that edge I seek when I sleep....guess I should be "busted" or kicked out of my program as well for being human? I am, by all neurochemical processes producing this very illegal drug everytime I sleep... I think nurses in general need to just chill out, relax a bit and realize that some of the drugs that LEGIT docs pump into the bloodstreams of thousands of people everyday are FAR more harmful than some student nurse smoking a joint of MJ....the PROOF is in your own texts, can this be any clearer? The modern day witch hunt is the "outing" of the ones that don't conform to the cultural norms and that's all that is needed to quell the pros and cons of this debate. Those who dare to step outside the cultural "norm" are "criminals" yet those who engage in a script of doc prescribed drugs are somehow AOK with the crew....this logic escapes me. Doesn't anyone realize the anesthetists were self-drugging fly boys of their day? They literally put their lives on the line with unknown substances to further your education but somehow people feel threatened by some student nurse smoking a joint which illegal or legal YOU know (or should know) from your studies is simply a political move by those that haven't the slightest clue or respect for science and the truths that it bestows. As an average, I see more people concerned with others smoking pot than I do see their concern that our countries possess nuclear weapons! What value system are you on? Caring? or towing the party political line that has lead us into a world of violence and carnage that can only be masked by the efforts of those of us that wish to heal? Fact is, there's a time and place for such things...on the job, no, same goes for alcohol and driving, flying a plane while intoxicated (I know some pilots and trust me, you don't want to know) and many other examples we all could throw out to the crowd. At some stages of culture our values and norms get out of whack, the laws on MJ are just that....out of whack, considering what's promoted during prime time advertising by pharma....btw, those aren't the SIDE EFFECTS..........those are the EFFECTS, the treatment is the only "side effect" of a majority of those meds...this is why they sell them to the American public next to the toilet paper ads on TV. One is creating while the other is wiping up the mess of legit drug dealers. I heard one ad the other day I could swear was an SNL skit making fun of the company, but no, sadly, it was a real commercial.

If you're thinking cardio, look into Christ Hospital on Auburn Ave. They openly boast about their cardio care on everything remotely press related, I've heard great things from their nursing students as well. The fact that I was born there doesn't bias my opinion...:chuckle

John, it's guys like you (and other posters here) that give me encouragement (at 42) to get this RN to BSN to CRNA ball a rollin'...I'm a former classical guitar major, turned business owner (my own business thank God) and after 20 years away I'm finally back in school and doing all those pre-reqs and enjoying every minute of it....although I don't envy your commute! wow...I almost feel guilty being 5 mins from my campus here in Ohio...I've got my own hurdles to overcome though I suppose, as does everyone else....I'm looking to make some friends here as well and utilize all the cyber-advice I can handle...

This post ranks right up there with a recent email......your financial aid package has just been approved !!! Seems like a "perk" that was left out of my advisor's run down of "what to expect" from my career in nursing...

I've had great grades with Viagra and Cialis but they didn't count towards my GPA or credits.... My secret is Omega 3-6-9's, a good steaming pot of Starbucks (home brewed for $ savings of course) and a weird "meditation" style approach to my studies which helps focus on the individual task at hand. Proper nutrition is essential to "mind power" but we're all dealt the brain we've ended up with at any given point that has it's limits set by environment, stress, cognitive function and overall what's been fed into the machine. "I think the brain is most wonderful organ in the body, but look what is telling me that."....Emo Phillips

I could have asked the same question, thanks Whispera. One additional note, if you have a Half Price Books store in your town, you might want to check there first, before I started this quarter I had seen some terminology books and even picked up a couple of Med/Surg and Bio-Chem books there (that were probably $150-200 orignally) for only $10 ea....2005 editions to boot ! I'm assuming the structure of the atom hasn't changed much in the past 4 years unless I missed a memo...

Considering that legally prescribed drugs kill 300% more Americans than illegal drugs combined : http://rinf.com/alt-news/business-news/prescription-drugs-kill-300-percent-more-americans-than-illegal-drugs/4837/ and marijuana has killed ZERO, a student nurse smoking a joint is the least of the medical establishment's worries.... Would I want a high nurse as my caretaker, no, then again, I don't want one that's hungover from the previous night's alcohol binge either...after dating a few nurses that drank, that's more of a concern than a STUDENT nurse engaging in a relatively harmless substance. Cannabis was a prescribed drug, here is a link to some medical history: http://www.marijuanalibrary.org/Dr_Mikuriya.html The origin of this thread reminded me of "Reefer Madness", for the record, no, I don't use marijuana, however I do support the use of medicines that (not withstanding the political hogwash and outright lies by the establishment's findings) are useful to patients and have no negative side effects. Then again, where would big pharma be if people could grow their own pharmacy in the windowsill of their kitchens?

I'm new here but have you tried taking Omega 3-6-9's? They're cheap nutritional supplements that seem to work well for me when I get into that brain fog. A straight dose of Cod Liver Oil works well by itself, also a very inexpensive rememdy for memory enhancement.

This question is one I asked myself 2 months ago, "am I too old"...which was answered by my advisor at college, "I was a RN at 19 and didn't get my BSN until I was 45, so NO, you're not too old"...and so I filled out my financial aid forms, crossed my fingers and was back in school this past Monday. I had attended college in an unrelated field 20 years ago, never finished as I was simply too young and more interested in the experience and social contacts of college rather than the degree. Now, at 42, I've been married, divorced with 2 teenage children, been running a business for 15 years and felt that I needed to apply the disciplines I've learned to a brand new field of study that not only gives something of myself to my fellow man but I'll be honest, seems to have security and career advancement in a field where you're only bound by the limits you set for yourself. A Chinese proverb stated "If we don't change the direction we are headed, we will end up where we are going"...for me, that direction offered no challenge, no tangible contribution to society and had no real security looking ahead to when I would retire (not to mention the upcoming monetary contributions to my own childrens' continued educational needs). So, here I am less than a week into my pre-nursing prerequisites and I'm thrilled ! Unlike years ago, I could care less about the social aspect of school, I actually sit in the front of the class, I'm prepared and focused on the lectures, I'm clearing the cobwebs and for the first time in a long time feel like I'm DOING something positive. Doubt I fell arises from a fear of the unkown, self doubt without investigation into that unknown creates a reality, once dismissed, this doubt can be focused on the task at hand which is to overcome the challenges we've set for ourselves to reach our goals. With that said, hello to everyone, this is my first post. My goal is to get into nursing school, become a RN and then BSN (heavy on the sciences) and then decide.....CRNA or med school? Still haven't figured that one out yet...but I'm ONLY 42!