noahsmama

I agree with the other poster who said that you likely already know the answer to this! Sounds like you're happier in your part time non-management job right now. And although I'm sure your husband knows you well, you know yourself even better. His statements may say more about his own preferences than yours. If I had listened to everything anyone who knew me told me about myself, I wouldn't even be a nurse right now, and as far as I'm concerned, becoming one was one of the best decisions I ever made in my life! However, the issue of having to move 4 hours away is something you'll need to work out with your husband. Is he ok with the move, or is that perhaps why he's raining on your parade? Do you have to move 4 hours away, or can you perhaps get a better job in your current area? Given that you're being offered these jobs without even seeking them out, you could probably find even more options if you were actually looking. Good luck with whatever you decide!

This varies a lot from one community to the next, so your best bet is to ask your future employer this question. It also depends on whether you'll be doing home visits or working in a clinic or office. For home visits, at least where I live (Oakland CA), a suit would be overkill, but jeans might be a little too casual. I would go for khakis or dress pants and a nice shirt. If possible I would cover the tattoos (where I live most clients would not mind the tattoos, but some might). Office attire would be similar. If you're going to work in a clinic, I would probably wear scrubs, but again, check with your future co-workers on this. Good luck!

This depends on where you live. In my area, hospitals (including the big ones) will only consider a new grad for a NICU position if they did their nursing school preceptorship in a NICU - and OP has said her nursing program does not offer that option. And even for the new grads who did do a preceptorship in NICU, they STILL want you to go through their new grad orientation program.

Thanks for an interesting article! I do have a question. You mention in your article that having individual liability insurance could potentially make a nurse more likely to get sued. What I don't understand is, how would the insurance company know which nurses do or don't have their own insurance? Thanks!

The cell secretes the exotoxin into its environment. It's manufactured inside the pathogenic bacteria, which then releases it outside the cell. I'm not sure why this doesn't make sense? Cells manufacture all sorts of substances which they then secrete to the environment. In the case of pathogenic bacteria, those secretions are toxic. Endotoxins are lipopolysaccharides that are an integral part of the cell wall. They aren't just "hanging on" to the side of the cell, they are part of the cell wall. Hopefully that's more helpful than my last post. :) That's all I've got. Good luck!

It's been years since I took micro so I can't answer out of my own knowledge base, but here's what looks to be a good comparison: BSCI 424 Pathogenic Microbiology -- Exotoxin vs. Endotoxin Hope that helps! Good luck!

48 when I started an accelerated BSN program, 49 when I finished, and almost 50 when I started my first job. Am now 54, and very happy with my new career!

If I were in your shoes, I would request a hearing before the 60 days is up, and I would hire an attorney to represent me. I wouldn't assume that if they tell you to wait a year to reapply that that means your re-application will definitely be accepted -- it might not be. Better to address the issue head on by getting your BRN to make a ruling on it. That's my $0.02. Good luck!

I agree -- you should take General Chemistry. Not only will you be better prepared, but if you don't happen to get in to your target nursing school and want to apply to other nursing schools, many nursing schools require chemistry with a lab. so it will be more likely your chemistry class will be accepted as a prereq if you want to apply to other schools.

I agree with FreethinkloveRN. I would never approach someone simply because they appeared sick, unless they looked so sick I thought they might be about to pass out. And in that case, my first step wouldn't be to try to take their vitals, it would be to ask them if they needed assistance, and maybe help them to sit down somewhere and then call 911. In fact, calling 911 would always be my first step if I saw someone who appeared to be in distress. Since I don't generally carry a blood pressure cuff with me and have no idea how to estimate a BP by palpation, nor do I generally carry a thermometer in my back pocket, the only vitals I would be able to take would be heart rate and breathing rate. After calling 911, I might take their pulse or count their breathing rate, especially if they appeared to be having heart or respiratory issues. I once called 911 because I was having heart palpations. I counted my own pulse at 240 bpm (!). I shared this info with the 911 operator, but she told me she had no idea what that meant. The paramedics didn't seem to believe me until they checked for themselves (which I guess is appropriate, come to think of it).

There's nothing wrong with wanting to make money, so please don't apologize for it. I also wouldn't worry too much about getting stuck in one career path at the age of 26. I successfully changed career paths at age 48, I'm sure you can do it at 26. If you really want to go to med school, then please don't decide you're "too old" at 26 - lots of people start med school at that age or older (sometimes much older!). I think there's plenty of ways to make money in a nursing career too, especially starting at such a young age as 26. Finish your ADN, get some experience under your belt (the fact that you're already working as a tech should help your job prospects), then do an RN to BSN or MSN and start pursuing management positions. That's just one path; I'm sure there's plenty of others. I really don't think you should be worrying about getting stuck. Whatever you do, just be sure to do it well -- the best way to get a new, better, job, is to have a solid record of good performance and good references from your previous jobs. Good luck!

Absolutely yes! Second best decision I ever made in my life! (first best was becoming a mom!)

Most people with MSNs work as nurse practitioners (NP), which is different from working as a nurse (RN). NPs can diagnose illnesses and prescribe medications, RNs cannot. They're generally paid more than RNs too. If you have an MSN but you are working as an RN, not an NP, the salary is generally going to be the same as any other RN. At the hospital where I was hired as a new grad, nurses got paid the exact same amount regardless of degree type, and I think that's the norm at most facilities. If there's a difference in pay based solely on your nursing degree type, it's generally small.

Hi RTay64, I am a graduate of an accelerated BSN program (12 months) and have a PhD in a different field (Chemistry). No one ever suggested to me that getting a bachelors degree in a new field was "going backward", and I think it's silly to suggest that it would be. How is going on to a completely different field a move "backward"? In fact, when I graduated, a friend asked me if it felt "anticlimactic" to get a bachelors degree when I already had a PhD in another field, and I responded that graduating with my BSN was way more meaningful to me, because it was going to allow me to work in a field that I really wanted to work in. As for entry level MSN programs, these might be a good choice for you if you know you want to be a nurse practitioner or some other kind of advanced practice nurse. However, it sounds like your interest is in becoming an RN. In that case, an accelerated BSN program may be a better choice for you. If there are no accelerated BSN programs in your area, you might be able to transfer into a traditional 4 year BSN program and complete it in 2-3 years if they give you credit for your previous course work from your previous bachelor's degree. I know someone who did this and completed a traditional BSN program in just 2 years. Talk to the admissions departments in local schools of nursing or look up their requirements online to find out what their prerequisites are. Also, some have a "recency" requirement for prereqs (i.e., they'll only count courses you've taken in the last 5 years, or 7 years, or whatever their limit is), and others don't (the school I went to had no recency requirement and I was able to satisfy prereqs with courses I took as many as 25 years ago). So, find out about the recency requirements too. Another thing you should know -- you can get an RN with an ADN, but having a BS or even MS in another field plus an ADN is NOT the equivalent of having a BSN. Depending on what area you live in, many employers these days prefer RNs with BSNs, so having the BSN may help you in the job market. There are also some types of RN positions where a BSN is required -- in my state (California) you must have a BSN to be a public health nurse, or a school nurse. So, although you could also apply to ADN programs, there are some advantages to having a BSN.

Is there any way you can hang in there for 5 more months? It will be easier to get another job with at least 1 year of experience at your first job. Having said that, I started applying for my second nursing job after only 6 months at my first nursing job. I did list my current employer on job applications, but I checked "no" in response to the question about contacting your current employer. I explained somewhere in the application that I hadn't yet informed my current employer that I was considering leaving, and wanted the opportunity to do so before anyone called them. I did still get a few interviews -- I have no way of knowing though if I missed out on any additional potential interviews -- I don't think I did, but can't be sure. I do think you want to list your current employer though because even having 6-7 months of experience will improve your odds of getting another job vs. no experience at all. But if you can hang in there another 5 months, that will look much better. I started getting much more responses back to job applications once I reached 1 year of experience, and was able to transition to my current job after 1.5 years in my former job. As for what you say on the application for "reason for leaving", keep it short and simple. Something like "wish to relocate", or "career advancement" should be fine. If they want more detail, they'll ask -- I think they mostly just want to know you weren't fired or forced out of your previous job. Good luck!

I don't see how working as an RN for two years makes you a failure. You tell them the truth, which is that there weren't any jobs when you graduated, so you went somewhere where you knew you could get a job. No shame in that. Even though you hate your current job, you don't need to tell them that. Tell them all the positives of your current job -- there must be some, even if it is only that you've learned to deal with difficult people in challenging circumstances. And don't feel bad about the rejections, which are sure to happen -- you only need one job. So, keep applying till you land one. The more flexible you can be about location and specialty, the better -- it will be easier to get your second job as an NP than to get your first. (I'm not an NP, I'm an RN, but I believe this advice applies to pretty much any field). Good luck!

I think your manager is right. It's unrealistic to expect that you could lighten the mood or find a magical phrase to comfort a family when you're giving them bad news. All you can do is be as honest as possible about what to expect, and then LISTEN, and answer any questions they may have. If they're too stunned or upset to have questions at that time, let them know that you and the other nurses will be available if/when they do have more questions. I don't think there's much else you can do - "therapeutic communication" doesn't mean you make the pain go away, it means you're there when they need you.

My dream is to be RETIRED! -- and to volunteer very part time at a local free clinic. Financially I've got a loooooong way to go till I get there!

If your goal is to be a school nurse, not a teacher, I would look very carefully into your state's requirements for school nurses. In California, where I live, you have to have a BSN to be a school nurse. I'm pretty sure that an ADN plus a BA in education is not considered the equivalent, even for school nursing. I could be wrong -- just wanted to suggest that you really need to look into this for your own state before you commit yourself to a path that might not get you where you want to go. Good luck!

I did my BSN at Samuel Merritt University. No, it was not online -- you can't do a BSN online unless you're already an RN and are doing an RN to BSN bridge. If you're becoming an RN for the first time, you have to do a whole bunch of clinical hours to graduate.

In 34 states, the term "nurse" is a protected title. Not just "registered nurse" or "licensed practical nurse" but "nurse". If the Ultrasound tech is practicing in one of those states, she is violating the law. If she is practicing in one of the other 16 states, she is still, IMO, misleading patients, though in those other states she may not actually be violating the law.

I was 49 when I graduated nursing school, so I can definitely attest to the fact that 20 is not too old! My advice is to find out what the prerequisites are for your local nursing schools (each school has slightly different prereq's, but there's a lot of overlap) and start taking classes. It's great that you're a volunteer firefighter, but if you can find time for an additional volunteer gig, consider volunteering in a hospital too -- this will give you an opportunity to observe nurses and what they do (just make sure you'll get to volunteer in patient care areas, not just the gift shop!). I also agree with previous advice that getting your EMT first might be a way to go, given your interest in emergency services. Go for it -- you have nothing to lose!

I already had a bachelors in another field. I applied to both accelerated BSN programs and ADN programs. I had no idea how useful it is to have a BSN, and just got lucky and got accepted to an accelerated BSN program first. I had no clue that most hospitals in my area prefer BSN nurses. I also had no idea that I would fall in love with public health nursing during nursing school, or that you need a BSN to get a PHN. In other words, I was enormously lucky and just fell into it. If I had gotten the ADN first, I would have had to do the RN to BSN bridge to work in the field I work in today.

In nursing school they taught us that if you don't document it, you didn't do it. I think a corollary should be, if you don't document it legibly, you didn't document it! (or in the case of a physician, you didn't order it!). But yes, going to all electronic charting/orders will eventually solve this problem.

I tried posting a response to this once and my computer glitched on me -- hopefully this time it will let me post. I am a graduate of a 12 month accelerated BSN program, and I totally LOVED nursing school! In fact, if I could only find someone to pay me to go, I would have happily been a student for the rest of my life. I love to learn, and you definitely learn tons in nursing school. I honestly didn't think the classes were SO terribly hard either. Clinicals were challenging just because it was such a new experience for me, but I loved those too! Nursing school is what you make of it. If you enter with a positive attitude, it can be one of the most enjoyable and rewarding experiences in your life. I hope you love nursing school as much as I did!