crisann

Finally, I've hit the point where I only have a few days left of Cosmetology school. Now, it's time to start working toward my long-term goal of becoming a Psych NP. I'm going to have several months between the time I graduate and the time the Spring semester starts at the community college, so here's my question: I have tons of books on Psychology, but now I'm interested in reading more along the lines of nursing. I've briefly searched through the threads about books on here, and read reviews on Amazon. I'm looking for opinions on the best books on a few different topics... 1. basic science review (bio, chem, a&p)/HESI prep 2. care plans 3. med math 4. nursing fundamentals 5. nclex-style testing/nursing-related critical thinking 6. general books relating to success in nursing school I do have some nursing-related knowledge from being a CNA and I love to read, so I thought it would be a constructive use of my time to, for lack of a better way to put it, get a "head start" on learning to "think like a nurse"... Thanks in advance for any and all suggestions

well, ANYTHING you would be willing to share with me would be greatly appreciated... i've "heard" it's one of the best programs in the area and that it's difficult (atleast as far as community college programs go) both to get into and to get through... i guess the things that concern me the most are- if you start with your LPN, you have to wait out the year to go into the RN program... that the instructors don't care? that was the biggie. i guess you guys go to Raccoon for classes b/c the allied health building is "under construction"... if you haven't noticed, i'm really just looking to get an idea of the atmosphere... i'm not originally from beaver county, so...

Elizabeth Wurtzel wrote two memoirs: "Prozac Nation," about growing up with depression and "More, Now Again," which was about becoming addicted to the ritalin she was prescribed when the prozac stopped working for her. My personal faves, Marya Hornbacher's two memoirs: "Wasted," about growing up with Anorexia and Bulimia and "Madness," which details her life, even as a child, with Bipolar I. Really awesome book. When she was young, they kept giving her Prozac, not knowing it was making her Bipolar worse... If you're going to read one though, read both. They really do fit nicely together... And another one, Terri Cheney "Manic," also about Bipolar Disorder Another good book is Jennifer Storm's "Blackout Girl" about a woman's life after being sexually assaulted. Not all of these are about Bipolar Disorder, but they all are about mental health issues, so...

So... being a community college and all, i figured this would've been a popular program and finding information about it would be easy, but apparently not... i searched and got a whole one page of threads relating to this college, most of which were people mentioning being accepted. does anyone have any specific information about the program? i've read everything i can find on their website and this one, but i guess i'm still looking for more details... anyone? thanks in advance.

i agree. I'm in a very similar situation in trying to decide whether to go back next fall and leave my current (stable) position or wait until the economy picks up. I'll be interested in hearing what advice you receive, but in the end, only YOU can decide what's best for you/your family. best of luck

I was thinking about taking a CNA class and giving this another shot. A few years ago, I worked in two different nursing homes (one on 1st shift and one on 2nd shift). Both were terribly under-staffed and, for the life of me, I couldn't figure out how to take care of 10-15 patients in 2-3 hours and still manage to give them the quality of care that they deserve. I didn't want to do what the other CNAs did, taking shortcuts and such. Needless to say, I didn't last. I really want to go to NS and nursing homes/hospitals tend to work with your school schedule and usually offer some kind of tuition assistance (right now, I work an extremely inflexible position, where I'll have NO choice but to leave in order to chase my dreams...), but I also don't want to put myself back into this kind of environment. So, for all the CNAs, here are my questions... 1. How do you finish your am/pm care w/o taking shortcuts when you have 10-15 residents/patients to take care of in 2-3 hours. Is it possible? Everyone used to tell me no more than 15 minutes per room... How do you manage that one when you're doing total care? 2. Has anyone worked for the UPMC system in PA? How are they with CNA:resident ratios? 3. Are there any "branches" of healthcare for CNAs that allow you more time for your residents/patients OR that have residents/patients that are slightly more self-sufficient? I was thinking, maybe, home health or rehab... Any advice/input would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

i understand exactly what you're saying... i have a stable, but inflexible, fulltime 8-4 job making good money, and there are no evening/weekend programs close to me, so i'll have to choose whether to go back to school or stay where i'm at, especially with the economy right now...

Do nursing schools make you get bloodwork done prior to full admission? i'm just wondering b/c out of the three community colleges, i'm only seeing it mentioned for one, yet the rest of the admission requirements are pretty much the same... has anyone had to have bloodwork done prior to being admitted to nursing school? if so, what were they testing for? i assume anything that could be transmitted to a patient, right?