su9032

i'm looking into ull's online rn to bsn program which i believe just started within the last year. if you are in this program, how do you like it and what are some pros & cons? i'm also considering lsu's rn to bsn program so i'm trying to determine which route to take. i'm eligible for both schools in terms of my gpa and pre-reqs. i know that lsu requires students to goto school one saturday a month and that ull is strictly online. i already work at a hospital which will get me the $6500 rate for ull and i think that lsu's tuition is in the same ballpark. other than that, i don't know much about ull's program so just hoping for some feedback.

Hey, I just graduated from CSN in Dec 2011. Several students have gotten hired at North Oaks in Hammond and some at West Jeff from my class. North Oaks seems to move fast between the first interview and start date.

What about applying for a "unit secretary" position at a hospital. At least you could become familiar with a unit and make contacts and prove yourself as a hard worker with good customer service skills. You would also be an internal employee and learn how to navigate the computer system, put in orders, etc. Also, have you tapped into all your personal resources? Do you have friends or family that could tell their unit manager about you and recommend you. Then you could go in and meet the manager with resume & cover letter in hand. Sometimes that works faster than getting through HR.

I will graduate in a few weeks with an ADN and I already have an interview scheduled the day after I graduate for an RN position. I was told not to worry since I've already proven myself as a nurse tech. Also, I have completed all the pre-reqs for an RN to BSN program and they know that I will be getting my BSN.

It depends on the situation. If you take the TEAS and get a good score, lets say 85-90% and above, that's very important. Do you have a degree already, that counts too. I took the TEAS and applied before I took General Biology which is a pre-req for A&P1 and I got in on my first try. However, I already had a degree and a good GPA. You should call the school and speak to the woman in admissions (cant mention her name) and tell her what you have to go on. She will tell you if you should apply. I ended up taking A&P1 & micro in the fall 2009, then I started in the spring 2010. I had to take the A&PII lecture & lab over the summer before starting NACI.

Nolamom, I'm glad that things are improving with the coworkers at least, but it sounds like you are learning a lot. I bet you are learning all your body systems and getting a good review of everything we learned in school. I'm afraid of all those things that you mentioned. As it is, time management isn't my strong point. I'm going to start applying this week. If can get a job and bypass med-surg and just work where I'm a tech, I'm gonna take that. It won't be nearly as diverse as med-surg or tele, but it would still be good experience. However, I still have 4 weeks left with school, and this last semester has been brutal. With all these busywork assignments and all the different instructors, its like a big guessing game trying to prepare for the tests. I'm counting down the days and crossing my fingers that I will get out and not blow the next test or the final.

Oh Nolamom, I just saw this post. I'm sorry you have had such a hard time. I cannot imagine having 8 patients especially when so many of them are total care. I remeber when I had clinicals on that unit, I can only imagine what you are dealing with. "O" is a great company, but you just need to be on a different unit. Have you put in a request to transfer?

I went to a community college for all my pre-reqs, then I went for the ADN. Those loans were $7,000 because I saved money by moving home with my parents so I didn't have to borrow as much. For my Rn to BSN, while working as an RN, I will get $1,000 per semester towards school. I'm goig to a state university so the tuition isn't that high, and I will pay the rest with the money I'm earning at work while I pay off my little $7,000 loan. I may have to borrow a little more money for the BSN, but not more than $1,00 per semester. Why would anyone pay for a designer nursing degree when there are excellent schools for a very reasonable price. We all take the same NCLEX and all become RN's. I have an RN friend who borrowed $30,000, and she is constantly trying to pick up shifts and find extra work because she is she having a hard time keeping up with all her debt..

Stop paying rent, move home into your fiance's house and start planning a wedding and looking for another job. This guy obviously loves you, eventually you will earn money. Look at the big picture. Do you want one child or two or three? I waited til I was almost 35 to have my first and only child, but I would have started sooner if I had been married at a younger age. I would get moving with the family and just look for a job in the meantime.

Actually they did ask about GPA on the initial phone interview and transcripts were required. However, Beejaycee made a good point about them wanting involvement especially students who are officers. All I can say is do whatever you can to get a "nurse tech/patient care tech/CNA or sitter/PCT" position to get a foot in the door. Network during your clinicals to meet the unit manager and give them your resume with a cover letter and letters of recommendation from your instructors. That helped me land a tech job and I'm confident that I will have a job when I graduate. Make friends with a nurse and see if he/she will recommend you. There is just a lot of new grad competition so networking can really help.

Perrty, It's been a few weeks now since my interview, but they asked me where I want to work when I graduate. I said that i really didn't know and that I know that many new grads start in med-surg, but my friend who works in CCU has been encouraging me to go into CCU and that was the reason I had gone in and introduced myself to the CCU manager in the first place. I also talked about my understanding of how CCU would be a good place to work & learn (b/c its more specialized, etc) verses med-surg (more general where I would learn a little about lots of things). That is something that you may want to be familiar with in terms of how CCU differs from med-surg. They also wanted to know about my experience with customer service and dealing with conflict. They asked about my goals and I would be completing an RN to BSN bridge grogram upon receiving my license and i stressed that I wanted to work in the hospital as a bedside nurse and find something stable where I could grow within the department. I wanted them to know that I was in it for the long haul and not just looking for anything. I even told them that I had a toddler (which normally I wouldn't mention), but when asked if I wanted to work days or nights, I said days would be ideal given that I have a small child. I also mentioned my personal experience with my father when he was in the hospital for heart problems and how he loved his nurses and how it really made a huge impact on me in terms of how important a nurses work is and how a patient may not remember everything a nurse does to them, but they always remember how they felt when interacting with them.

Thank you Nursingpower & Jelly221, I appreciate your encouragement and enthusiasm. I just had my first day of orientation and I'm very excited. Thanks again, Su

You may already know this, but I heard that Touro is not really hiring new grads at the present time and that Tulane only hires new grads for med-surg. The Northshore hospital posts which positions are for new grads specifically. A recruiter from Ochsner suggested to a group of us who were looking for nurse tech jobs that we could volunteer or shadow a nurse to get to know unit managers. I don't like the idea of volunteering after working so hard, but these days it may be an option to help you get noticed and get some interviews. With hundreds of new grads applying for the same positions, its easy to get lost in the masses. I wish you the best of luck.

Nolamom, I did email her on Wed & got a response about the physical with an itinerary with a different time than we discussed so I emailed her back to clarify once again. Anyway, I'm finished with the physical so next is orientation next Mon & Tues. When is your orienation?

I haven't had an RN interview, but the nurse tech interviews usually have questions about handling conflict such as upset patients/families, and about being flexible. They may ask you to give an example of one of those situations that you've experienced. I find they also want to know your strengths & weaknesses (always have a positive twist & how you are addressing any weaknesses). Also the famous, "Why did you go into nursing?" What do you like most about it & least? Have you ever experienced conflict with coworkers, clinical classmates, or teachers? They are trying to determine if you get along well with others & whether you can work independently and as a team player.

Eventually, I would suggest scheduling an appointment with the advisors for a couple of the RN to BSN programs asap. In my experience, the colleges want to work with the ADN students/RNs in terms of what will transfer into the pre-reqs. For instance, I needed a 3,000 level humanities and I was allowed to use a management communications class for it. These programs are fighting for the same business in terms of the ADN graduates. You may be pleasantly surprised when you see what you actually need.

I still haven't gotten an email about where to go for my physical or what to bring on Friday so I emailed the recruiter last night. I really don't think she likes me. I also just got 2 more assessments from her "for the position I applied for" even though I've already been offered the job and I'm pretty sure I took theses assessments when I interviewed the first time around for a different nurse tech position. It was with the same recruiter that I'm currently working with, only I did not get a second interview.

Do you have kids? Do you need money sooner than later? Do you need balance in your life and not just eating, drinking, and breathing nursing school? If you answered "yes" to any of the above, I'd go for the less expensive ADN degree. That way you can still have time for your children--don't get me wrong, you will have a full load, but it won't be as intense as the accelerated program, and you can get to work sooner and start earning money sooner. Then do the bridge RN to BSN after you get a job. You will have more flexability in that kind of program so you can go at your own pace. You can also get tuition assistance from many hospitals.

If you are already worried about back pain and you are anything like me, just wait until you begin learning about the different pathos of the various disease processes. You will have many other things to worry about besides back pain. I for instance started to wonder if I had the beginning of coronary artery disease and was certain that I was having mild chest pain during the cardiovascular lectures. Then after learning about diabetes and all the complications, I was certain that I was going to somehow have beta cell burnout from all the sugar I've consumed while writing careplans and looking up endless meds. If I felt the slightest flank pain, I would first think that I needed to use the bathroom, but then my next thought would be, OMG, I may have early stage kidney failure. I was learning just enough to really freak myself out. I would wake up in the middle of the night and knew I must be having arryhthmias and tachycardia and I would get my stethescope to check my heart to see if I could detect anything and then I would get my 76 yr old father's pulse oximeter and put it on to check my O2 sats and pulse rate to make sure I was OK. I went to the doctor and told him about my issues (chest pain, concern about having arrythmias, fear of getting diabetes because of all the sugar I've consumed, etc) and had an EKG, blood work, urine analysis, etc, and there was absolutely nothing wrong with me. The doctor was like, "Honey, you need to learn how to manage your stress." :smackingf Anyway, once I finished my med-surg rotation, I totally calmed down and stopped worrying. Now mental health gave me all sorts of new things to think about, but I won't go into that.:)

Worked Hard & Long, Thank you so much for all your feedback and for taking the time to share what the CCU techs do. I did get the CCU/Step Down Nurse Tech position that I had asked about. I did not even get an ER tech interview. I hope that there are nurses like you who will be willing to show me things along the way. My main goal is to learn as much as possible and have a my foot in the door so I will have a better chance of securing a full-time RN position. Thanks again for your support and feedback. Su

nolamom, Are they gonna do a full health history or is it literally just taking blood & urine. Also, for your background check, did they have you fill out anything about your education? Mine only wanted my work history so I thought it was odd not to ask about education.

jrysgrl, OK, you were dismissed for not making the grades. That is very good news because you can still achieve your goal , it will just take longer than planned. I was going to say the same thing, apply to an LPN program. This happens frequently where students fail out of the BSN or ADN programs and they become LPN's and then transition back into an RN program and do very well. I don't know if you can possibly apply to another BSN or ADN program, but check that out too. Also, I don't know how old that you are, but many people change majors or careers along the way and they end up in school longer than they planned. Just try to look at your situation like that. I'm in school for the third time because this is my 3rd career change. I didn't start nursing school until I was 36 and I will be 38 when I graduate next semester and so technically it took me 20 years to get to this point :yelclap::

thislife, Have you spoken to the RN to BSN advisor at LSU? You can schedule an appointment with her and see what you need in terms of pre-reqs for the RN to BSN program which is only 28 hours. Lets say you need 4 classes, then you could take those over the next year, then goto Charity when you get in. Have you actually applied and gotten accepted into Charity? It's around $1,500 a semester depending on the level.

I can relate to your situation. I decided to goto Charity, I already had a degree so it was a bit difficult going back for an associates; however, I have one more semester left and I'm sooooo glad that I went this route because I almost finished. I've also been taking classes over the summer towards a BSN so after I graduate, I will only need 28 hours in LSU's RN to BSN bridge program. Most hospitals have tuition assistance as far as I know so I'm hoping to get some of the bridge program covered through my job. I already have a tech job so I'm hoping to stay with the company and get an RN job upon graduation since I will be an internal candidate. The manager at the hospital told me that an RN is an RN so don't stress about the BSN despite what everyone is saying. I still plan to get it, but that's what I was told.

Can you share why you were dismissed? I'm assuming that you are now no longer in good standing??? Depending on the situation, will you be eligible for another nursing program? I would call the state board of nursing and see if you can get some info as to what direction to go in. I would call the accellerated and ADN programs and find out if you will be a candidate, also check out of state schools. I would get busy on that and if you do qualify and get excepted, just transfer into one of those programs (like an ADN program) so you dont have to retake pre-requisites. You can always do the RN to BSN bridge program.