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Follow your dreams. You know what nursing is all about. A BSN may be required for most non-bedside roles in a hospital, but there are many non-bedside roles for any RN outside the hospital. Home health, hospice, dialysis are just a few. (Dialysis pays VERY well.) Don't let the negative responses get you down. You can do it!

I would do what you want to do. And I would not disclose it to a potential employer. It's not a conflict of interest, and in my opinion, none of their business.

Wow! You have been placed in a very bad position. I graduated last May and have been working in a hospital. There have been ups and downs to be sure, but I've never been told anything I felt might put my license in jeopardy. I would try to find out if the problem is just your preceptor or the organization as a whole. Since she is so open about it, I suspect it is the organization. I don't know what she is telling you to do differently when the state is around but I personally would not cut corners that could place my license in jeopardy. I would do things correctly every time, not just when the state shows up. It's the only right thing to do. Unfortunately, you might have to find a new job. I would certainly do that over compromising my ethics and risk losing everything you worked so hard to obtain.

My school told me that with Kaplan, if you consistently score above 60%, you should pass NCLEX. I was scoring in the low 60's with my high score being 72 and my low being 53. I passed NCLEX last July after 75 questions. You should do fine. But stressing as you are isn't going to help. During the test, take your time and think through each question. You will see things you have never heard of before. Remember, some of the questions are diagnostic and don't count toward your result. You will not get them all correct. Just relax and let it happen. I know you have a job riding on the result, but if you fail it, the world won't end. You can take it again, but based on how well you are doing with your practice tests, you shouldn't need to. Good luck!

I encourage you to finish your degree. You are so close. I am a second career nurse. I was a manager and director working in the call center world a few years ago. I loved the work but was laid off too often so I went back to school. I graduated last May. I have seen some burned out nurses. I have also seen some that love the profession. I have seen some working conditions I don't like. Other perks are great. No career will be perfect, but in nursing, you have so many options and you will always be in demand. I definitely won't be a floor nurse forever. I intend to complete my BSN and return to managing people. You will find your niche. Don't give up now.

Just got the answer. It's $447 per credit hour. Ouch! But it's cheaper than Chamberlains $590! Schools charging this much is an outrage.

How much per credit hour for JU?

We are constantly charging the COWs. Lack of charge is only one part of the problem. I have gotten into the habit of plugging my COW in during each stop in a room. I like your suggestion of bypassing the manager. I will contact IT myself and see what they suggest. Our glucose machines are also frequently broken. I work for a not-for-profit entity but they own 30+ hospitals so it isn't a small organization. To me, this shows a total lack of respect for the nurses.

I am a new nurse. I have been working at a large hospital on a cardiac/pulmonary stepdown unit for 6 months. One thing that strikes me is the computers that the nurses use, both COWs and computers in patient rooms, don't work consistently. This is appalling to me. My COW locks up, the battery dies, it refuses to scan, or randomly reboots throughout the night. I change COWs and have the same things happen. I have similar problems if I use the computers located in patient rooms. This really slows me down. I have a lot of work to do anyway, and computer problems just needlessly add to my frustration. The patients see my computer problems. This paints a bad image for patients. I tell management and they don't seem to care. Nurses who have worked there longer know nothing will be done to fix it. In my prior career, I have seen facility managers fired for failure to maintain equipment, but in the hospital I work at, nobody seems to care. My question is this: Are all hospitals like this or is it just my hospital that doesn't care if the equipment I need doesn't work?

I graduated in May of 2012. In July I started as an RN on a cardiac pulmonary stepdown unit of a large hospital. It has been tough but I am getting it. I have been offered a job as an RN in a nursing home that will give me 80 hours per week instead of 72 and $4 more per hour. It will also be a day shift as opposed to an overnight shift. I am torn. I would like the additional money and the day shift but I am worried that a nursing home will do long term damage to my career. Are my fears justified or unfounded? Your advice is appreciated. Thanks!

I am a new RN. I am also a 46 year old man. I graduated in May, passed NCLEX and started work in July. I started in a new nurse bridge program that was basic but nice and informative. I worked in several units before ending up on a cardiac/pulmonary stepdown unit. I have been there 90 days. I still feel as though there is a lot of knowledge I am lacking. About 2/3 of the other nurses on the unit are great. They offer support and are very willing to answer questions. The other third are condescending and just plain rude. Giving report is the worst. I work hard to prepare for the report. I try to anticipate questions. I give more information than I typically receive. It feels like an interrogation. They inevitably ask a question I don't know the answer to and then they sigh and say things like "Don't you think that's important to know?" For example, I told the oncoming nurse my patient had an aortic valve replacement. She asked if it was tissue or mechanical. I didn't know and she made me feel stupid. She could have used this as an opportunity to teach why that was important to know instead of being mean. Sometimes I wonder if this is personal, if they don't like men, or if it's just because I'm new. Whatever the reason, it's getting old. Any advice?

I only asked people if what I was seeing was normal. All the negative and hateful remarks surprised me. I know I am trained to do the "CNA work". Yes, I called it "CNA work". I took a job on a unit that has CNA's. I was never told I would need to do "CNA work" for an entire shift several times a month. I don't mind doing everything they do during the course of my day doing "RN work". I understand that's part of the RN's job. I don't want to do "CNA work" all day long. I don't consider myself better than the CNA. CNA's have a very hard job and are not paid enough to do it. I have a great deal of respect for them, but I don't want to do their job. I am also qualified to sweep the floor and do maintenance work. I don't want that job either. As a second career nurse, I am qualified to do a great many things. I chose to be an RN. I want to do what RN's do on a daily basis. That's what I went to school to learn. If I wanted to do the CNA's job, I would have saved a lot of money and time and gotten a CNA job instead of going to college. For those of you who answered my inquiry without harsh remarks, thank you. Your input is appreciated.

I am a new nurse and was wondering if this is a standard practice. When my floor needs to use a CNA to sit with a patient, they often have an RN take on the CNA's job for that shift. The RN no longer does any RN work for that shift, they only do what the CNA would do. Their pay stays the same but their duties change for that shift. I have great respect for CNA's. They have an essential and very hard job, but I don't want to be one. That's not what I went to school for. Is this a normal practice?

I am in Fundamentals now and doing well. I start Pharmacology in a few weeks. The class before us freaked out with an instructor that would not allow you to ask questions. A third of that class flunked. I am told the basis of Pharmacology is a ton of memorization. What tips do any of you have to make Pharmacology as smooth as possible? I am told the book Straight A's in Nursing Pharmacology is good. I'm also told to get flash cards. If so, which ones? Do you recommend a specific drug handbook? What other words of wisdom can you provide? Thanks!

I'm a 43 year old man who has been a manager in a call center for many years but have been laid off twice in the last three years. I am considering going back to school to become an RN. I have several nurses in my family, including my mother who is now retired but has done many things in nursing and loved most of it. Nursing appeals to me primarily because nurses seem to always have work. This would be a radical change for me and I am little nervous about what I might be getting into. I'm reading a "Change Your Career" book about nursing and it is answering some questions. Is there anyone out there who has done something similar that might have some words of wisdom? Thanks!