is5512

How do any of these facts have to do with "mean nurses?" "Mean Nurses" say it's never their fault.

There are people in the world who disagree with me. I could even go so far as to say that there are "bad people" in the world. But to suggest that the behaviours of such people constitute an excuse for me to lie cheat steal and backbite colleagues is utter and complete hogwash. If there are Nurses who justify such reptilian conduct by saying "I'm a jerk because the corporation is mean," then I would rather die in a Wal-Mart parking lot than have them within 100-miles of my bedside.

With all due respect, Ma'am, the economy and the corporations etc are doing us a favor. They are helping us identify who has integrity and who does not.

Nurses are most definitely Not Mean. The only people who would say so are: 1) People who haven't been around long enough to know, and who cares what a bunch of new kids think anyway, 2) People who have been around too long, and who cares what a bunch of burn-outs think anyway, or 3) People who have so many personal problems that they can't see that They are the ones who are the source of the meanness. What are really irritating are the people who fit in all three categories at the same time. If the issue keeps coming up, then there might be the teensiest of possibilities that there might be some truth to it; and instead of getting all defensive about it, maybe we should try to fix the problem and not the blame.

...but, just out of curiosity, if all the Nursing Schools charged the same thing per credit hour and had the same admission standards, would you still choose Ivy? Would anyone? --- and I totally agree with you about people only in it for the money. I hope the apparent evaporation of jobs scares all the suckers and carpetbaggers off.

Had I stayed at Ivy, it would have been free, start to finish; such are the benefits of being "low income" (translation: "dead broke".) I had the grades, but wanted things I didn't find in their program - for one thing, I'm too old and mean to put up with a snotty professor. Push around some kid if you want; I don't play that game. My advice? Find the place that can give you what you need, understanding it ain't gonna be cheap.

Yeah, the disappointment stings a little bit. But honestly: Would you Really want to go to Ivy Tech if the tuition wasn't $20 (or is it now up to $30) per credit hour?

Hey Kiddo! I transferred over from Ivy, as have a coupla classmates. You are absolutely correct that it is ju$t a $midge expen$ive (especially given that I would have gotten thru Ivy for free). I'm a special case because I made the switch out of spiritual conviction, (yes, I did have the grades to have made it in). I've got some classmates from the Ft Wayne area and from elsewhere that came because it was (then) easier to get into. I've got some classmates that did the research and found that our program smoked everybody else's. IPFW is another option, and I pop in as a Guest Student there sometimes. What do you want to know? (pm or e-mail is fine, btw)

There are a few things you'll need to consider: 1) Meeting those criteria will indeed get you bumped up from Pre-Nursing to Nursing Major. However, there are generally more Nursing Majors than there are slots in clinicals for those majors. I do not get the sense from the school that those slots are filled strictly by GPA. I could be wrong on this point, but it seems to me their thinking is something along the lines of, "Student B is sitting at a 3.7 but just got here. Student C is a 3.65, but was here a semester earlier and won't give up. Send Student C The Letter." ...and by the way, an A from Ivy Tech makes people giggle here. 2) It is So easy to die at USF. There are some really bright students who were a semester ahead of me that are now my classmates. If you score a C in Theology or Algebra, you did something dumb. If you fail to get an 80 in Patho, Micro or anything that starts with NURS, then you are a "Failed To Progress." a habit of that, and you might wanna check out their Arts, Business or Education programs. If you fail to smoke the Math exam on the second week of Fundy, you'll be teetering on the edge of the cliff; know I/O and conversions inside and out. I would be glad to have you as a classmate, but you're in for some hard work, friend.

All these threads about the Preceptor From Heck scare me...especially since the PCH seems to be accompanied by Screaming Doctors and Abusive Co-workers. Ok, these "diamonds" can be found anywhere. But, I asked a Prof the other day which hospital I Really should try to get into. He mentioned "X" because of their training program and "Y" because of their culture of caring. It makes me wonder: Do some hospitals (or schools) have inherent cultures are breeding grounds for these types of people? How do you spot these cultures before you make a huge mistake and commit to them?

Well, I wish you all the best in your pursuits. And it would be nice if I had The Insight that made the whole world make sense. But it's still at The Nagging Suspicion stage. Something doesn't...quite...seem...right. Let me offer another example: In three different classes over the past week, the Prof was plodding through the material, then went off-script. "You may see a patient present (X). It has been my experience that you might want to suspect (Y) as a cause." One went so far as to say that stress would be the number one killer in our society, and offered suggestions on how we deal with it personally and clinically. In each instance, students began grumbling, "That isn't going to be on the test! Why is he/she wasting my time like this?" Is college now about GPA and a program slot instead of about learning? There are certainly greater problems in the world. There are certainly better credentialled people to deal with the problems. I choose to use neither fact as an excuse to shut my brain down. What few cells are left deserve to have an active end-of-life experience.

and That was great advice, Ma'am; thank you for that. For whatever it's worth, it was not that long ago I was a patient myself, and I stumbled across The Five Words I could say to almost any Nurse that would guarantee a smooth relationship: Yes Ma'am; You're In Charge.

So what are the imperfections and what are possible ways to correct them?

I raised the question. In response, there have been a few thoughtful answers. There have also been a few knee-jerk answers like "I'd rather have a smart uncaring Nurse than a dumb caring one." So I ask how many dumb ones we really do have? No, I would never suggest that the state of Nursing today is not perfect. The Emperor's clothes are just fine. And no, they don't make the Empress look fat at all. Honest.

Very well: shall we now go "there"? Should we instead be discussing the fact that Nursing is being damaged by too many clueless Nurses? That the NCLEX is far too easy to pass by using dumb luck?