mommiof2kids

Any recommendations on Platt, DNI, Concorde?? I'm looking. Need to know the good and the bad, TIA

I have also seen the tide turning in regards to the "nursing shortage." It's been interesting. What is happening, at least in some parts of the country, is that experienced nurses who were retired are coming out of retirement and re-entering nursing. This has changed the dynamics for new graduate nurses getting hired. Most facilities would prefer to hire an experience RN who has gone through refresher training than a new grad because of the monetary investment in hiring new grads. Additionally, trends are showing that new grads are only staying in the field for 1-2 years and are then leaving the acute care setting. So, financially, it makes sense to hire the experienced nurse. In regards to faculty...across the board, faculty are approaching retirement. Colleges (whether public or private) are finding it difficult to recruit new faculty because of the salary. Nurses are nurses first, then educators. It is shocking to go from working 3-12 hour shifts, getting paid for all of your time, to working 5 days a week on a salary, which doesn't capture overtime, missed lunches, weekend time and time spent at home working. It is not appealing to nurses, nor is it necessarily financially possible, to take a pay cut such as what typically occurs in nursing education. Now, educators who work for hospitals make very good money. But to strictly work in the world of academia, plan on taking a pay cut.

I would have to disagree with you. Platt College is accredited by the American Association of Technical Schools. The nursing school is also fully approved by the state board of nursing. Take a look at the school website and look at their information

the school that I am faculty at uses the HESI as a means to gauge how the students are doing, and a tool to evaluate curriculum. We do not use as a requirement to move on to the next level or to graduate. We do not use it as a grade either. I do know that many schools do use the HESI as a grade or requirement for graduation. I think this is deviating from the purpose of the HESI test. It is a tool to indicate success at passing the NCLEX. It can help students focus on their areas of weakness. However, I think that the main purpose that a program can use the HESI for is to evaluate the effectiveness of the curriculum.

giving my first shot as a student nurse, my instructor insisted that I use the 1 1/2 inch needle on a very thin man. So, scared to death, I go in, have the man turn over so I can give in his glut. okay, here we go...put the needle in and hit...bone! the patient said "wow! that really hurts!!" my reply, "well it is a shot and they do hurt".

APS, then RUN RUN as fast as you can!!!

Stand up to that doc! Take a deep breath, look him in the eye and tell him that you don't like the way he's talking to you. He probably doesn't even realize how he's speaking to you. If you don't stand up for yourself no one will and doctors will continue to walk all over you. I've had doctors yell at me for very insignificant things and I look at them and say "when you can speak to me like an adult and not yell then I'll continue the conversation" and then I walk away. They usually feel like idiots and it never happens again. Just remember, no one has a right to speak to anyone in anything less than a professional manner. Not even a doctor.

If you like your job and where you work, stick it out until there is an opening for an LVN. If you don't like your job start applying for another employer. Just be very careful that you are not practicing outside of the scope for a CNA. If you are employed as a CNA then that's what guidelines you should be practicing within. You're not being paid to be an LVN and if you were to practice as an LVN and something happened the hospital would not back you in the event of a lawsuit. I will say this, don't wait too long to get moved into an LVN position. You don't want to lose the skills that you got in school.

welcome to peds!! the best job in the whole world!! My advice, brush up on what a normal assessment of a child should be. Review a pedi book. Brush up on growth and development. This is key in assessing a child. Also, brush up on med calculations and how to figure if the dose prescribed is within the recommended range for that drug. You said you have a daughter? If you treat the patients like your own kids and put yourself in the position of their parents you will do just fine! And remember, this is pediatrics, we have lots of fun at work:-]

I work at platt college in Dallas. We are in the process of getting approval by the Board of Nursing for a 2 year program. Platt College in Oklahoma does have a 2 year program. As far as I know there's not a waiting list. It is definitely more expensive than a community college but you'll be able to start right away. Good luck to you! Welcome to Nursing :-}

I emailed one of my team leaders about a coworker who was talking in patient care areas about very sexually explicit topics. It made me uncomfortable but I was mainly concerned about the patients (pedi) and their parents. All I asked was that she talk to him about it and remind him to not have conversations like that in patient care areas. Next thing I know, I'm being interviewed by HR and my manager. The HR person stated that the facility did not condone this type of harassment. Honestly, I didn't know that qualified as harassment. He did end up being terminated. One part of me felt guilty but the other part of me hoped that he learned from the situation. He had a history of talking about sexually explicit topics and I heard from others that they were uncomfortable. My motivating factor was the patients overhearing it. So, long story short, try not to feel guilty. Sometimes people just need a reminder about what is appropriate behavior. Hopefully she'll learn and will be successful in her next job.

ask lots and lots of questions. don't ever be afraid to ask for help. nurses in the ER work together as a team. that's often the only way to manage a critically ill patient. take advantage of being "new" and volunteer to any and every procedure that comes up. try to find one or two nurses that you are comfortable going to for help. that way when you're on your own, you still have resources that you're able to go to. I loved working in the ER. you're going to have a great time!

since you are union, I would suggest calling your union rep. Anyone violating your email and impersonating you is breaking the law. In fact, it might be considered harassment. If your union is worried about conflict of interest ie.. representing two employees in opposition, then get an attorney. If this person is impersonating you what else is he doing? is he stealing? falsifying records? I'm sorry that you're in this situation. I guess this really brings home the point that we have to be very careful, even at work, with our email. Good luck to you.

I, too, am new to teaching in a PN program. My previous director discouraged the use of ppt. She said we were to only read the lecture material to the class and that was good enough. Personally, I found it incredibly boring, even for me! I do use ppt, depending on the course. I also use alot of group exercises. Often I present a case scenario and then pose different questions for the group to answer. In, fundamentals, I used charting exercises alot! As a class, we would "chart" on the board about a patient that I had invented. This really helped them to grasp what information needs to be included in nurses notes and the correct way to document. In med-surg III, I used alot of case scenarios, games, group activities. I found that this was a great way to enhance their critical thinking. Hopefully, your director will be supportive of your teaching methodologies and you'll find what works best for you!

were you attempting to be sarcastic?

that solution was a "good one"??? give me a break. do you honestly think that the manager is going to follow a nurse around and time them to see how long it takes them to complete a task? get real. oh, and no, I'm not in management. I've just got some common sense.

actually, no I'm not. don't care to be. but i do think that the op's "solution" is juvenile and unrealistic. No manager is going to spend their day following around nurses and timing them on how long it takes for them to complete a new task. If the op wants to be taken seriously, the management is going to want to see data, research...you know...evidenced based practice. so, do the research, prepare the data in an easy to follow format and present it to the admin. but seriously, whining and complaining about it isn't going to change anything, except maybe your blood pressure.

perhaps instead of being a part of the problem you should be part of the solution. Management is often willing to consider a more time/cost efficient way of doing something but they want to see the data to support it. So, come up with your solution, prepare a paper and then present it to your manager. You'd be surprised at how receptive they will be.

WOW! I'm sorry that you feel that way. Perhaps you had a bad experience with a police officer? or had some trouble with the law? Police officers, just like nurses, have good members of the profession and bad. Unfortunately often one bad apple spoils the entire basket. My husband was a police officer for 15 years. Most of the cops that he worked with were above board and just wanted to do their jobs and not get killed. I did meet one or two that were "dirty". that being said, I've worked with one or two nurses who were "questionable". do I think all nurses are horrible? no. Unfortunately, our world isn't perfect and some people make bad choices. This shouldn't change our opinions of the entire profession. Perhaps you should consider the entire situation before you make a statement like the one above.

I began my orientation with other, more experienced nurses. After a few weeks, I was on my own. Once I became familiar with the chemotherapy, protocols, diseases, and families I came to love working with oncology patients. They are an amazing group of families. So strong with beautiful spirits. Of course, Murphy's Law is a cruel reminder that we've become too comfortable with our environment and once again I was thrust into the unknown. I will never forget the first time I met Mary (name changed). She was 17 years old. She had a brain tumor that had come back 4 times over her lifetime. By now she was blind because the tumor was pressing on her ocular nerves. Mary was the 2nd oldest of 5 girls. What a wonderful family they were. So kind but scared of Mary's impending death. You see, Mary was in the hospital to die. Mary's tumor was inoperable and did not respond to treatment. The family held a meeting and it was decided, by Mary's sisters, that they weren't comfortable with her dying at home. I, too, was uncomfortable. I had never taken care of someone on hospice. What if I didn't have the right answers? What if watching someone die was so scary and horrible that I couldn't face being a nurse anymore? Over the next few weeks, I took care of Mary and grew very fond of her and her family. One afternoon I walked into Mary's room to do my assessment. Her mom pulled me aside and told me that Mary had started "seeing things." I asked what kind of things was she seeing, thinking that perhaps she was having hallucinations from the narcotics that she was receiving. Mary's mom proceeded to tell me that Mary had asked her "who are those children in here? Don't you see them, momma?" Mary's mom didn't see anyone else in the room. In the weeks preceding Mary's death, she had more frequent interactions with the children in her room. One morning, it was reported that Mary told her mom "tell that man to go away! I'm not ready to leave yet!" It was then, that we realized Mary was seeing angels and Jesus. What an amazing gift for someone to experience before their death. I took care of Mary the night of her death. She was frightened. She was afraid that dying would hurt. She was scared to leave her parents and sisters. Her mom climbed into bed with her. Lying next to her she told Mary "it's okay Mary. Go with the angels now. We love you so much. Don't be scared." It was the most heart-wrenching scene I have ever witnessed. Mary did go with the angels shortly after that. I feel incredibly privileged to have experienced Mary and her family and their journey to her death. What I once viewed as a scary life event I now view as one that can be peaceful and joyous with angels and Jesus coming to take you to heaven where there is no pain.

I must say that I'm disappointed by this comment. Perhaps, rather than berating a new grad for not "refusing an assignment" the comment could have been, I know it's hard to stand up for yourself as a new nurse. Look at this as a learning experience. I suppose I can see why your user name is mean dragon. let's try not to eat our young, okay? To the op, I hope that you decide to find a job in a different facility. What you have just described makes me think that there's a lawsuit just waiting to happen. You worked hard for your license and it's up to you to protect it. If you continue to work in an environment such as this one, the chances that you'll be named in a malpractice lawsuit are pretty high. I would run, not walk, away from this job. Good luck to you

Just wondering what the average salary is for nursing faculty. I'm a BSN teaching in an LVN program. I've got 11 years experience. Starting salary at my program is 55K. Does that sound right? Or too low?

The school where I'm teaching does not have a student portal. I've been having issues with students keeping up with lectures, and wanting tons of copies of my power points. Has anyone created a website just to give students access to lecture notes, clinical paperwork etc...? If you have, could you provide the link? I'd love to see what's out there:-] Thanks!

Goody Nurse, Please don't take my comments as rude or insensitive. This is just my opinion. I'm wondering if perhaps the class is expecting all of the information to be handed to them? I know that I experience this with the students in my classes. As an instructor this is very frustrating. I provide my students with a very detailed outline, syllabus, course calendar in addition to their text books. All of these additional "niceties" are a supplement to the text. The lectures come straight from the text. The exams are based on the text. If you are having difficulty keeping up with the speed of the lecture request permission to tape record the lecture. Most instructors do not have an issue with this. I have several students that tape my lectures. In regards to being referred back to the book. My suggestion is to listen to the lecture. Review the information in the book after lecture. Then if you still are not able to understand a concept ask the instructor. As for being responsible for learning the entire chapter...this is college. There is a huge amount of information that you will be required to learn and understand. This expectation will continue throughout your nursing program. The rationale for this is to prepare you for your nursing boards. Your instructors want you to be successful! My advice to you, if it makes you feel better, express your concerns to your instructor. However, you would probably be better served by reading the chapter ahead of class and preparing your own outline. Not only will you have a better understanding of the topic being covered but you will also be able to keep up with the lecture. It would probably help you to study with a group of people as well. Most of us survive nursing school with study groups. Good luck to you!

Speaking from a "new" instructor's standpoint, I'd like to address your questions. First, power points are supposed to be minimal. The intent is to highlight the important areas and then fill in with lecture. That being said, it is difficult to keep up without some sort of outline. Is there a class syllabus or outline? Are there internet resources through the school? Most often instructors do lecture from the book. I know that I do. I often refer students to the book if they are unable to keep up with lecture. I'm not doing it to be rude but to help them understand that the lecture material is in the book. I do agree with the other posts in that you should approach your instructor from the standpoint of the problem being yours and not hers. This often allows people to take a more positive approach to the situation rather than becoming defensive. Perhaps the instructor doesn't realize how her teaching style is coming across and a gentle nudge in the right direction is all she needs. This may also be her first course that she is instructing. So, communicate your needs to her but also, cut her some slack.