sonia211

Honestly I have found that it is best to aim for higher than required in NP school. I use the the topics listed as a guide then I go off and research free videoson YT and other sites. I also look for notes and sites that make the relevant info easy to comprehend. I have a better understanding when I learn the same information multiple ways such as videos, notes, study guide I made, etc. I then make up test questions and see if I fully understand the material or did I just memorize a bunch of words. The goal is to remember this stuff long term not just for the test. I have kept my GPA at an A avg however I keep reviewing the important information regularly long after the class is over. Hope this helps

No you cannot transfer to a Canadian school partway through because their admission requirements differ from the US. Of course this is something you will need to research yourself as you may find a different answer. Yes you CAN take online classes for a US school however you will need to come BACK to the US for your clinicals which cannot be avoided depending on your speciality.

It is easier to complete your schooling in the US and then transfer your NP credential to Canada. Also depending on the province there are fewer recognized NP specialties in Canada.

Now that this bill has been passed let's talk about the vested interests. AMA = greedy mafia Physicians love California and for the most part make insane amounts of money. They are greedy beyond a doubt and constantly want their hands in our cookie jar. Most MD's I know of are leaving Primary Care to pursue a specialty where the money is good and yet they will not let us be independent even in Primary Care. AB890 was authored by Assembly member Jim Wood (and others) to discourage NP's from leaving CA because they were "turned off by the state’s restrictive approach". Question arises if Physicians continue to block our efforts to ease the demands placed on Primary Care (which many Doctors are not interested in serving due to low pay) then how are NP's going to move forward. This bill appears to be a circuitious exercise with the AMA to keep Nurse Practitioners practicing under supervision. If they keep this up NP's will continue to leave this state to go to a Full Practice state leaving the Primary care area to suffer.

Learning is a journey NOT a destination!

I over-prepped for my NCLEX. I would suggest you do the same. Schedule the date 2-3 months out and then start studying daily. I used to take a bunch of test questions daily to see where my weak spots were. Then I would spend the day studying and reviewing those areas. I highly recommend the Hurst review online. The study material ranges from online to an actual conference that you can attend. I subscribed to the online portion and watched the videos over and over again. Then I studied using the study guide offered by them. It was one of the best courses I've ever taken.

I am the OP. I commented on page 20 as to my updated status. Please check.

I have made the change to a new position as a Nursing Supervisor and I love it. Now I get to help floor nurses in ways that I wished my manager would help me out. I never thought that I would like this position so much. They gave me an office however most of the time I'm on the floor with my nurses. I would not go back to bedside nursing if they paid me double. I truly am happy now!

We all need this.

Honestly there are different reasons for everyone. I have to say as long as I stay focused on what my true reason for becoming a nurse was I can continue to enjoy my job with as much if not more enthusiasm than when I first started. I have switched dept a few times and continue to challenge myself by trying to learn more and keep up with the pace. I find that when I am getting bored doing what I am doing then I look for a new challenge either within my dept or outside of it and this keeps me content. I luv seeing a smile on my patient's face after having reassured them of a procedure. It gives my job meaning to know that I've made a difference (however minute it may be) in someone's life.

I like what you have to say but then again every personality is different. Everyone has to find their own niche. I know nurses who have moved through many many different depts, informatics, Dr. offices, etc before they found what they liked. In the end this life is a journey my friend not a destination.

Ummm . . . if Nursing satisfaction scores are factored into the EO designation model how come no one asks for our input??

I used to work on tele floor where my work cell phone would ring constantly. I could never use the restroom in peace let alone take a 30 minute "off the clock" lunch break without being interrupted. Now I work in ICU and have 2 patients that are my responsibility. I have a work cell phone still but its more bearable now. If the phone rings nonstop interfering with my nursing duties then I dump it somewhere till the end of my shift. The thing I have learned about bedside nursing is that I am NOT trying to be super nurse anymore. Now I just want to get through my day with Patient Safety in mind and my own Health intact. I no longer feel guilty saying I need a bathroom break or lunch break because my health comes first otherwise I cannot take good care of my patients. There is a huge myth that nurses need to care for everyone else but themselves. I don't believe this is true because otherwise you will end up in that hospital bed putting an end to your career. I don't know why everyone belittles nurses who say they want to take care of their own needs first. . . there is no harm in that as long as your duties towards your patients are attended to also. Ever since I learned this lesson I have become a better nurse and my patients appreciate me for it.

I am a bedside RN in Critical care at a hospital. I work 3 days a week so this leaves me time to do a side business to help supplement my income. Now if only I could figure out what to do . . .

I have been out there interviewing for different Critical Care positions and I am just turned off by the low salary that everyone offers me with my Critical Care experience. I am thinking about doing a side business to help supplement my current income so that I can pay off my student loans. My question to you wonderful nurses out there is can you please give me some ideas for what I can do in terms of a side Nursing gig. I want to open my own business which will help me make my bills while I do my full time job. My background: Bachelor of Business Admin BSN Critical Care experience I am at a loss as to what kind of business I can run on the side given my education and experience. I do NOT want to open up a home health agency, SNF, hospice etc. I would like to do something that does not require a $100K investment to begin. Thank you in advance

This is 1 of the many reasons I have been looking for different Nursing jobs AWAY from the bedside. It has become obvious to me that nurses are no more than assistants to Drs. We are held responsible for all kinds of ridiculous things which mgmt thinks helps save money. We recently got another email from our CEO telling us how budget cuts could mean wage cuts for all of us in the future. However its funny to note that mgmt does NOT get included in any of these salary cuts. Instead if anything they always get a raise to help encourage them to make the hospital moooooore money. Mgmt has Noooooooooooo idea what we do at the bedside and they don't care as long as the hospital continues to make money we mean nothing to them. If firing a nurse makes for better customer service they don't mind because they know that there are 15 new grads waiting for that job. Funny thing those new grads don't even last 1 year before they turn around and enroll in NP school to get away from the bedside. We go to school to learn so much and do more than this yet we have become a task-oriented profession who are not allowed to think or act autonomously. It is very depressing. My hospital pays low and doesn't treat their staff too well so when they have a high census and call nurses to do extra shifts NO ONE shows up. I am only here for the experience but now I too am looking to get out of bedside. I already told my manager i am tired of bedside nursing and am going back to school to do something different. She told me you're smart and can do it so go for it! She knows what bedside is like and totally supports my moving forward.

~*Stargazer*~ Thank you for understanding the context of my post. Well said!

miaragonese, 42pines, mclennan, Thank you for all your kind words. I appreciate the support. msgirl68 I received your message but my account doesn't allow me to send private messages, however you can email me at [email protected] and I will reply.

Angel, May I ask what do you do now?

First off: Thank you to all who replied. I appreciate all your responses. 2) Thank you applewhitern as you ECHO my sentiments EXACTLY. 3) I am sorry that I offended people by my use of the word slavery. 4) My intention was not to get into "which job, country, etc, has the worst working conditions". BTW I have yet to find a Bedside Nurse who truly loves her job. All the ones that stand up and say they love it are NOT in Bedside Nursing. Thank you to all of you who gave me the advice to try other Employers (union based) and possibly other specialties in Nursing before quitting this profession. You are right I may find something "I love" where I can work in a decent environment without the BS. I am going to try it out!

I am probably going to offend some of you and I apologize in advance for that. However I really need a safe place to vent my frustrations about nursing and this is the place. A little background: I have a Bachelors in Business. I worked in that field for just under 8 years. I liked it but it was starting to get boring and I felt I needed a challenge. I got my BSN and started working as a nurse for a big hospital. I didn't expect it to be all roses however I have to say what I have found in this profession has quickly turned me negative. I have been in this profession for over 2 years now and while I know that isn't long I have to be HONEST and say that I don't feel that I can honestly make it in this job. Here is what I have noticed about the roles a nurse plays: to administration: cogs (yet they don't want to pay the price required to keep us so they keep increasing our task list, Responsibilites, documentation requirements, etc while not increasing our pay) to Dr: waitress/slave to families: waitress/slave Every job I have done went by satisfactory meaning I have never been written up or even had a verbal warning given. In this job people get written up for stupid stuff and no one thinks to give verbal warnings. The amount of demoralization that takes place on new grads is profound and now I understand why the smiles on new grad faces quickly turn sour. Every Dr I have s/w told me the same thing which is "get out of nursing or go higher fast . . . but do not stay in it" Thus the message is clear that this profession needs a Major rehaul. Policies change on a daily basis (No Joke) and there is no effective means of getting the information across to all employees such that NO ONE has any idea what is the proper way of doing anything anymore. Everyone I've asked has a different idea and the new policy is not always on the intranet. The more nurses I talk to the more I realize they are not leaving this profession only because they do not have another option. The ones that do take it QUICK! I keep hearing people tell me that nurses make such great money at the bedside but I have to say Nurses earn every single $ they make NO JOKE. We are expected to work tirelessly without taking bathroom breaks, lunches, etc. There is no regard for our healthy while all focus is given to patient safety. Now I know why nurses burn out at the rate that they do. And after all is said and done the amount of responsibility and liability that a nurse carries is starting to increase. We live in such an age of Entitlement where people want the best care and they do NOT understand the stressors that are forged upon nurses such that if you don't bring them their cup of tea on time they get upset with you. I thought about pursuing my MSN in the clinical arena however after much deliberation I realized despite the fact that my desire to help people is strong I don't want the amount of liability that comes with it. I am working on getting out of it. Although I do feel like a failure because I will always remember that I wasn't able to make it in nursing. I have spoken to other new grads about this and they feel the same way in fact a lot of them didn't even finish 1 year bedside nursing before they turned around and enrolled themselves in NP programs to get out of this dreary profession. Please feel free to comment on this post. . .

my best advice would be to take any job you can get for the moment. if it is in a hospital "all the better". after 1 yr of employment you will no longer be considered a new grad so you can start to apply elsewhere

I have an esthetician license with my RN license. I would suggest you go and take a chemical peel class through one of the skin care manufacterers like PCA. Here's there link http://pcaskin.com/ Let them know that you are a licensed RN and they can set you up with the class. Then I would suggest reading up on the different types of peels such as AHA, BHA, enzyme masks, etc. If you have any further questions you can let me know.

Hi Bobby, Being a CRNA requires you to work with patients in the OR. If you want something that is maybe more investigative have you tried looking into Forensics Nursing? That seems like a good option where you may only need to do the minimum of bedside care. Good Luck!

claire I like what you wrote. I have been doing research on nursing in canada. I am looking to move there sometime in the near future. while researching canadian nurses work conditions online I came up with several negative articles. however your post gives me hope!