Idiopathik

Sorry, forgot to add that I wasn't previously familiar with the consensus model as we hadn't addressed that in this course yet... most of the focus was on opioid prescribing and independent NP practice. I chose FNPs in specialty areas as the topic for my final paper, I appreciate the input!

Thank for your reply! I apologize if I gave the impression I was wanting others to do my work for me, that was not my intent at all, I just needed a little guidance or input for narrowing my searches down. Thanks for letting me know about the Consensus Model... I have been looking into that and it's helpful info!

Hi all, I am an FNP student writing a paper on policy concerning FNPs working in specialty areas. I just need to identify a major problem, outline several policy alternatives for resolution of the issue, and recommend an optimal solution. I am not finding much in the way of actual policies concerning this, it seems that there is little consensus as to scope of practice, training, qualifications / certifications etc. I am focusing on FNPs in EDs just to make it more manageable, but any input is welcome regarding local / state / nationwide policy that you may know of regarding this issue. Thanks in advance!!

I am dealing with some thyroid issues myself - was dx last week with Hashimoto's thyroiditis. No symptoms other than vitiligo spots on hands, all thyroid levels were WNL except anti-thyroglobulin antibody, which was 5X normal. So, it's an autoimmune thing going on, I don't have any other autoimmune problems, and endocrinologist is just going to monitor levels for time being. HTH, are you having any specific issues or symptoms?

i got mine from http://www.cottonscrubs.com. I last saw them on sale for $4.99 there, I think they might be going out of business or something. They are the kind that go over the belly, but I just scrunched the fabric down under my belly and it was fine. They are 100% cotton though, so they do get wrinkly, but they were really comfy too. Good luck!

Hello all - I have a question. I have a 2 year old boy who may need to be circumcised in the near future. I am fine with the procedure itself, but I am very anxious about having him put under general anesthesia. What are the main risks in this age group? Is it more difficult to manage the airway on these little guys? I have not had the consultation with the surgeon or anesthesiologist yet, but I am wondering what are good questions to ask them before I decide to have this done (he has had several problems related to not being circ'd). Thanks for any advice!!

Hi Julee - I started the nursing program when my baby was 3 months old, and I was completely determined that he would have only breastmilk until he was at least 6 months, I ended up nursing him for a year. It is definitely workable, and I found that my instructors were very willing to allow me time to pump when needed. I was also allowed breaks at the hospital during clinicals to pump, and I even got several compliments from staff nurses about my committment to breastfeeding. You definitely have to have a Medela Pump, I got the Pump In Style backpack pump. I would sometimes have to go out to my car or go into the large stall in the bathroom to pump for 10-15 min. Also be sure to bring a good small cooler with you - the Medela comes with a small insulated bag that works well for short periods of time, for anything longer than 3-4 hours you may need to store the milk in a fridge or freezer. I agree though, that it may be difficult for you to begin this so early on, I was able to make the transitions easier on him b/c he had been nursing for 9 weeks already. Sometimes they don't take a bottle well early on, or they take it TOO well, and then won't latch correctly when you're with them. Another thing I may add, I was awake every 1 1/2 to 2 hours during the night to feed, and I co-slept too. He was just a big, hungry baby, and that lack of sleep was by far much more difficult to deal with than pumping during the day. But, it kept my milk supply up, and he now sleeps like a champ, in his crib, all night :) It is so worth it if you are committed and realize that you are in for some work, but that nursing relationship goes by so quickly that it is worth the sacrifices. Feel free to email me or PM me anytime if you have any questions!

I'm a bit late on the reply here, but I will post my experience. I'm currently at UNLV, finishing 3rd semester. And yes, there will be summer classes for our 4th semester - with 2 twelve hour clinicals!!! UGH - I am not looking forward to it, but the summer session is 12 weeks compared to the usual 16 weeks, so they have to cram the extra hours in there. As far as the program itself, it is okay, some of the instructors are wonderful, and some are not so wonderful. Yes, there are high expectations of students, but I think that is a very good thing. I want to graduate from a school with a good reputation, I want to be held accountable for knowing what I should know and need to know to properly care for patients when I graduate. Many classes have a requirement that you get at least a 75% on the comprehensive final, meaning it doesn't matter if you have 90's all the way through the semester, if you flunk the final, you flunk the class and have to re-take. Stressful, yes, but only one person has failed out so far. Might be more after critical care this summer though!!

Well, are you sure your chiropractors went to MED school, as in allopathic or osteopathic medical school? If they don't have M.D. or D.O. after their name, they most likely did not go to med school, but chiropractic school, with a D.C. after their name (doctor of chiropractic). Definitely not the same thing. Just like a podiatrist isn't a medical doctor, but a doctor of podiatry. As for the nurses being the "worst pet owners", I never said that was true, just that it is a very common attitude among vet med people, don't exactly know the reason why, although I suspect it is because an RN will question things more and not just hand over the cash and say "do whatever"... On a side note, I think you all should be aware of a "hot topic" in vet med currently - the use of yearly vaccinations for dogs and cats. Multiple studies have shown that immunizations given in the puppy or kitten series have long lasting immunity, and annual vaccinations are not necessary. There are also negative side effects from all this over-vaccination, namely, vaccination-induced sarcomas in cats, and hemolytic anemias in dogs, caused by immune hyperstimulation. Some vets are taking the high road now and telling their clients about this, though others are not and are continuing to promote and require annual vaccinations. It is the "bread and butter" of a regular vet practice so to speak, it gets people in the door where they can then diagnose other issues like ear infections (would need to be treated anyway, not a bad thing per se), and they can then try to sell shampoos, Rx pet food, dental cleanings, etc. Take away the annual vax and you remove a significant chunk of the clinic's daily appointments. Also, if your vet tries to tell you that the AVMA (vet equivalent of AMA) doesn't have any specific protocols established yet, and there is no harm done, or some other such nonsense, seek another vet for your pets, one with ethics! They all know this is the truth, none of the 30+ vets I have worked with have vax'ed their own animals yearly EVER. Think about it, do humans need vaccines every year for life? Of course not, and neither do your animals!

OK have to put in my two cents on this one, as I am still a licensed vet tech (have been for 12 years) and am 2 semesters away from my BSN. The techs posting those messages have absolutely NO IDEA what human nurses do on a daily basis. They complained that they have to do it all, i.e. radiology, OR tech, phlebotomy, etc etc. That is because, generally speaking, vet med is way lower tech than human med is. They can do more things because each tasks is much less involved. Example - the techs said they functioned as "anesthesiologist", among other things. This is true to a point, as the tech will start the IV, take the pre-op vitals/bloodwork,EKG/, etc. administer the induction (ketamine/valium, propofol, whatever), insert endotrach tube, hook up to anesthesia machine, hook up to monitoring equipment (may vary from just pulse ox to BP/EKG/ end-tidal CO2, depending on quality of hospital) prep and scrub for surgery, position and tie-down, open packs, perhaps scrub in and assist with procedure, monitor anesthesia and adjust level of inhalant prn, recover animal, extubate, monitor for post-op complications. Now, that seems like a lot, but like I mentioned, things are much less complicated. Take intubation for example. It is much easier to intubate a dog or a cat than it is a person. You don't even need a laryngoscope, once they are induced and relaxed you just open the mouth, pull the tongue, visualize the epiglottis, pull that down with the end of the tube, you can (usually) easily see the cords, and slip the tube in. Cats may require some lidocaine for laryngospam, but that about sums it up. Much easier than in people. Yes, they monitor anesthesia to a point, but the DVM is right there in the OR, and has the say on the level of anesthesia. If the doc wants it turned up or down they say so, the tech just does it. The tech may notice the animal is too deep while the doc is busy doing the surgery and make minor adjustments, but again, the doc is right there and has the final say on everything, so it's not like the tech is really an "anesthesiologist", as they love to say... I can say this b/c I have much experience in the field, and have worked my a** off in busy emergency clinics with "ICU" settings as well as regular day practices. Having a critical care veterinary patient is NOWHERE NEAR as involved as a human one, and if you put the best vet tech ever into a busy human ICU their head would spin. I am not trying to brag here, but I am excellent at what I do in vet med, and I am constantly educating myself about new and different protocols and therapies. Just the number of drips alone on some human ICU patients is enough to keep me busy for an hour, trying to sort everything out. To be sure, my vet experience has helped tremendously in nursing school, most of the meds we use are the same with a few exceptions. However, there are waaaay more meds that are used in human medicine that aren't used with animals, and there are many more side effects that one has to watch for in people. Another good example of things a human nurse is educated in is the whole psychosocial aspect of patient care, one that is never dealt with in vet med, as you can see from the content of the postings on the tech message board. I am also tired of hearing about how "much more" a tech has to know because they deal with different species. So what, you learn what you need to know for the test in school, then you basically forget everything you don't use on a routine basis anyway, just like a nurse, just like an MD or DVM, etc. Yes, you know where to draw blood on different species, different methods of restraint, where to give injections, etc. It's not brain surgery by any means, so what if you know not to give a turtle abx in the hind leg d/t the renal portal system. I know that too, doesn't make me a genius or allow me to degrade the human nursing profession.There are TONS of things a human RN knows about caring for people that vet techs don't have the slightest idea of. As for the title of "nurse", who cares if they want to be called "vet nurse" or something like that. No big deal to me, I honestly would hope people (general public) would realize that they are working in an animal clinic and are therefore not human nurses. Then again, that is probably giving too much credit to the public =). And, as far as them saying that human nurses are "the worst clients / worst pet owners", I can vouch for that being prevelant throughout vet medicine. Not that it is true, but that most vets and tech I have worked with have rolled their eyes when the receptionist tells them that "heads up, Mrs. so and so in room one is an RN." Vet techs work very hard for no recognition and pitiful pay, often with little or non-existant benefits. These are the reasons why I left the field. There is no way you can survive on a tech's salary and have a decent house and car, I'm not talking about anything fancy either. Sorry this got so long, but techs really get on my nerves when they say they know so much more and do so much more, when they actually have no clue what human nursing involves on a daily basis. I think there is always a level of intimidation in a vet hosp as well when a human healthcare provider is the pet owner, especially M.D.'s - I've seen it many times.

I've known some students transferred to NSC from UNLV hoping for an easier/more manageable curriculum and that's exactly what they're receiving over there. I have checked out Nevada State's nursing program and have found that theirs is modeled after that of UNR, which is neither better nor worse than that of UNLV, but it just basically boils down to personal preference and learning style. I personally chose to attend UNLV for reasons revolving around technological resources, campus conveniences, on top of accreditation, all of which NSC lacks. I hope my perspective helps. :) I am also attending UNLV, and I couldn't agree more! If you want an easier program that is just getting started and probably has a few glitches to work through, NSC may be ok for you. If you want a good education and to get your money's worth, go for the UNLV program, you won't be sorry. :)