Sarcolemma

oh i just saw this on one of the articles you posted "Equine Advocates, Inc. Permission to reprint MUST be requested - that includes for the Internet!" made me laugh....

hahaha *deep breath* hahahaha thanks cat show lady, next time i get a tib fib i'll tape a couple cats to my leg there's so many flaws with that article you could throw a tar covered cat at it and 10 of them would stick to it there is some evidence for EMF stimulating bone knitting, but to extrapolate that to cats? really? did you ask for permission to reproduce that? it includes the internet (lol)

I'm in month 8 right now - 2 class days 3 clinical. we have another 4 months of class, then its full time OR for the next 14. I have a very supportive wife who more than does her fair share, working and taking care of our baby.....that more than anything else has probably been the biggest help I have to say that your situation definitely sounds more difficult than mine, with 2 (young!) kids that you're having to deal with by yourself, on top of everything else. I don't know if you're a single parent or not, but having that added really can make the stress mount quickly.

I'd have to agree in that it seems that there's an unusually high amount of obese people working as nursing assistants. I was a CNA.......I'd say at least 60% (maybe more) of the people I worked with were obese, with probably 30%+ being morbidly obese. Mild exercise does not excuse an otherwise sedentary lifestyle with poor eating habits, smoking, etc. I can only speak on nursing home aids though, as thats where i did all my time. Based on level of education required, pay grade, and my own biased observations from working as one full time for 6 years, it seems CNA's (generally speaking) represent the lower income/educational/poverty level demographic, complete with all the inherent risks - including an increased incidence of obesity - which has been well established in many public health studies.

ok we're not gods, and IMO most of what people are describing seems to be a little extreme maybe i'm just lazy, but here's my take: -i get 8 hours of sleep a night. more on the weekends if i feel like it -i'm up at 430 on clinical days, in the OR by 545. i'm always the first one there. my classmates get there at 630. -i study on the weekends. i've only studied during the week about 2 times since the program started 8 months ago -i spend lots of time with my family and my baby (e.g. every day) -i have friends, and i see them socially -apparently half my class got trashed on St pats i have a 4.0 with more than half the academics done. i'm not exceptionally bright, i got a 2.8 cum undergrad. everyone in my (small) clinical group has a 4.0 as well. the clinicals can flay you alive, no matter how awesome you think you are. that depends day to day on your preceptor. it will be far worse than what you experienced in undergrad.

i know for a fact they couldn't care less if you have a GED. If anything, it will make your BSN more impressive. i would recommend a 4.0 in your college classes to emphasize the fact you've truly changed, especially with a record, however small. More importantly, once you're in school, build close relationships with your instructors. be the first at clinicals and the last to leave. go the extra mile. they'll repay you by writing a recommendation for you, testifying to your commitment. and let me tell you, it is totally worth the effort.

if you resign then thats almost an admission of guilt. i'd fight it. if it was 4 months ago it's odd that they'd just bring it up now your license is not in danger unless there is objective proof. allegations don't mean squat. and, there's always the chance maybe you did withold meds. Med diversion is easy, and not out of the realm of possibility statistically speaking, especially in nursing homes. just saying.

i completely disagree with wannabesedated. in clinical practice, they're utilized in exactly the same way (generally and practically speaking). It's the educational philosophies that are different. Nursing academia obsesses over the semantics and minutiae, but reality is reality. it's been argued about ad nauseum. and just to ward off the defenders of the realm....yes, in many states NPs can practice independently. Moot point, since most don't.

to add to what others have said PACEP.org is a free site that will completely run you through hemodynamics from basic to super-advanced if you have the patience for it. Video lectures, pre and post tests. it focuses on pulmonary artery catheters, but the concepts extend far beyond that to general ICU practice/critical thinking. if you do it you'll be far above and beyond anyone at your level, or many people above your level.

in student terms: preload = pressure inside the heart during diastole (resting phase) -starling curve. to a point, the more volume sitting in a chamber, the better a heart works afterload = pressure the heart has to overcome to squirt blood out of the ventricle -anything that causes resistance. from a malfunctioning valve to tight arteries to standing on your head.

IMO pursuing the LPN is a waste of time and money. With your background you could easily get into an ADN class and be done in 18 months (or much less) going full time, and would leave you with a lot more flexibility in job opportunities (and earning income). As someone posted above, doing LPN --->RN bridge would take much longer than straight ADN, and (I think) you'd lose more potential income by doing it that way. It's a common misconception. take it from someone who's climbed the ladder from nursing assistant on up to MSN you're a guy who knows how to work hard - don't sell yourself short with the LPN if you're planning on bypassing it almost immediately anyways.

us news and world report puts out a ranking of crna programs every year thats basically a popularity contest. google it and look it up

I wouldn't worry about jobs as a CRNA. check out gaswork.com for just a taste of who's looking for CRNA's. Right now the demand is much bigger than the supply, and with the baby boomers coming, along with certain healthcare revamps, the demand is only going to grow. as for the timeless "is it worth it" question...the answer is an emphatic YES. most people that idly say they want to be CRNA's don't actually stick it out and do it, for one reason or another. If you bulldoze towards it, you have a great shot at accomplishing it. Here's what I did (I was accepted 2 years out of school): Get your CCRN ASAP (remember - its hours worked, so you can feasibly do it in under a year). Start studying for the GRE/take it NOW. Get your PALS NOW. Take classes in IABP, LVAD, CVVHD NOW to put on your resume. Join the rapid response team. FLOAT TO OTHER UNITS/ER to put down on your resume NOW. First and foremost, don't just say you're going to apply. work at it and do it. most people never get beyond the talk stage.

no big deal......giving someone water is fine....... my 2 biggest mistakes: -hanging/bolusing a whole bottle of integrillin instead of albumin (as a new ICU RN) -as a student nurse: during clinicals i was in a room with my preceptor and a doctor - he told me to give "five of cardizem" to a tachy patient. so i gave 5 ml...25mg. Patient was fine, thankfully. i thought i was dead meat though. the key is to be honest when you make mistakes. don't try to cover it up. you'll make another mistake in your nursing career. and it will be much worse than giving someone water, i promise. anyone who says they haven't made a mistake that could have potentially harmed a patient is lying through their teeth, or hasn't been nursing very long. the trick is how you handle it afterwards.

yes i love it, it's completely worth it, and i would absolutely do it again if i had the choice between it and something else