Sprocket36

Hi there- I've worked in sexual health for a number of years (and am also an NP student!) so hopefully I can help a bit... In a well-woman check the pelvic exam generally had 3 components: assessing the external genitalia, speculum exam and bimanual exam. Before you are feeling the cervix, you are visualizing the cervix with the speculum. At this point you can see the os and gauge whether it is open or closed (slit-like or a dot), and take your swabs. After that, you insert your fingers to do the bimanual- at this point you are simply assessing whether or not there is any cervical motion tenderness, assessing the size/position/tenderness of the uterus, and assessing the adenexa for any masses or tenderness. So based on that, I guess I'm not really sure why you're trying to feel if the cervix is closed or thick- that seems reserved for pregnant women who are about to labour, and the delivery process (something I have no idea about!). If you're just trying to find the cervix during a bimanual exam, it will feel smooth, circular and firm (like the tip of your nose) and usually be located near the "back ceiling" of the lady parts. Hope that helps a bit, let me know if you have any more questions.

I assume you're wanting to get to the St. James campus where the nursing program is held? If so, you can walk east along King St for 10-15 minutes- George Brown is on the north Side of King street. You can also take the King street streetcar eastbound, and get off between Jarvis & Sherbourne. Don't forget to get a transfer when you pay your fare to switch from the subway to the streetcar.

I started out as a new grad in a sexual health/abortion clinic affiliated with a major teaching hospital. It was a great experience and I learned a lot. Although I knew my focus would always be community health vs acute care, I've never had a problem finding employment since. In fact, I was just hired as an RN at a community health centre run by a catholic hospital. However, I do live in Canada so we're a bit more laid back about this sort of thing... All the best to you- good luck in whatever you decide!

Hi palmpalm, I got into the NP/Masters program at McMaster having 2 years of nursing experience (graduated in June 2007). I met my classmates at a summer orientation and I was surprised by how young of a group we were- I'd say the majority of us are in our late 20s and 30s and don't have decades of nursing experience. If you are thinking of applying, I'd recommend applying to multiple schools as I think some have more applicants than others. In the more competitive programs they may choose people with more work experience. Let me know if you have any questions- I'd be happy to try to answer them!

Hello SandBetweenMyToes, I'll be starting the PHCNP program at McMaster University this September. From the sounds of it, the program is delivered through the consortium to all 9 participating universities throughout the province so I guess we'll be classmates! I'm planning on doing the NP certificate part-time over 2 years (while still working as an RN) and then doing the Masters part of it during the 3rd year. I'm super excited about starting this adventure but also partly terrifed too!! I have far less experience than you (have only been an RN for 2 years), so a little part of me feels "too young" to be doing this.... I think we'll all have challenges regardless, but hopefully it will be a supportive learning environment. What are you doing to prepare for the program this summer? I'm having a hard time getting motivated to do any review, imagining this will be the last of my free time for a while! I am doing the physical assesment workshop offered by McMaster in July... All the best!

Hi palmpalm, I'll let you know hopefully soon! I've applied to a few primary health care NP programs in Ontario this winter, but haven't heard anything back yet. By Sept 2009, I will have had 2 years of nursing experience, primarily in community health settings. I have a BA, and did an accelerated BScN following that. There are a few women I work with who were admitted to the NP program in the past with 2-3 years of nursing experience. Despite the recent funding announcement for NP-run clinics in underserviced communities, there is a number of issues with the training and education of NPs in this province. Within the last few years, the certificate program finally switched to a Masters/NP program. There now seems to be problems with funding this type of program, and certain programs were cancelled. For example, Ryerson University is not offereing the dual Masters/NP programs this year, and their website is stating that RN's who already have a master's degree will get priority for admission to their NP certificate program. After reading about the movement towards doctoral preparation for NPs in the US, it is shocking to me that preparing NPs at the masters level is still so challenging in this province. Not to discourage you, but the NP role in Ontario is still very new and faces a lot of opposition in terms of governement legislation not to mention a few physician groups (ie. the OMA). It's still hard to predicit what the future will be for NPs in this province. There's more information on this on the NPAO's (Nurse Practitioners Association of Ontario) website. All the best to you- I'll keep you posted as to how things turn out!