jd2nurse

You're definitely not too old! I graduated at 44. Remember that there are many ways to be a nurse. Not everyone has to work in the hospital slinging patients around all day. You can do home health or public health nursing or work in a clinic where lifting is not really an element. It's good to become an RN when you've got a little gray. That life experience will serve you well!

I couldn't agree more. Let's take another example from my own background as a lawyer with 11 years of experience. There are many areas where paralegals perform very much like lawyers, divorce for example. The lawyers hate this because "paralegals aren't lawyers." As a lawyer I can tell you this is baloney. You can have sloppy, lazy paralegals. You can have sloppy, lazy lawyers. Just because someone carries the title of attorney does not make them a superior practitioner to any paralegal. I'm sure the same is true of doctors, NPs and PAs. The title has very little to do with the quality of the practitioner. The reason lawyers talk trash about paralegals isn't because paralegals are "subpar," it's because they see paralegals infringing on their turf. Lawyers fear paralegals, too, because a good, diligent, paralegal provides at least the same (if not better) quality service at a cheaper price. Doctors fear mid levels (operating in the realm of primary care) for the same reason.

How on Earth can you argue that a PA's education is "rigorous" compared to an NP? That's just silly. PAs get 2 years post bachelor's degree. An NP, by contrast has a nursing degree and at least a masters in nursing (but the push now is to have a doctorate). I work with PAs at my hospital. They do not get the kind of holistic training that nurses do. They are trained to be basically a doctor's assistant, occupying a narrow scope of practice with close oversight by a physician. An NP's training, by contrast, prepares them to be autonomous providers, which is presumably why states are increasingly giving them the power to practice solo.

Detractors or no, the handwriting is on the wall. Check this out: [h=2]Nurse practitioner, physician assistant demand soars[/h]

It's an interesting pamphlet. But it's also funny that AACN doesn't even follow its own rule. I just took the PCCN and went through a question book written by them. In the book, they cite their credentials as in the below photo.

Wrong according to who? Every time I see a nurse cite his/her credentials in articles, etc., it's RN first, then degree, then certifications. I didn't know there was a "rule" on the issue. Can you please point me to it? Thanks.

Hey Mr. Midwife! Interesting post. Being a male nurse myself and knowing how touchy things got during my maternity rotation - gender issues - I'd personally be very interested to hear how you have experienced the world of being a male midwife. WOW!

You make a good point, Amy. People should definitely search the site. It takes only a moment and you can save others' time by educating yourself a bit on you find before asking questions. Nevertheless, the original post wasn't making your point. I quoted it here so we'd have it in front of us. The reason people ask someone who posts they passed the NCLEX what they used to study is that it's a natural question to ask of someone who succeeded. And, as I've said far too verbosely already, there's nothing wrong with asking that question. I mean geez. If I pass a test, right now, right here, I want everyone to know: feel free to ask me what tools worked for me. I'll be happy to tell you! :). To save everyone the trouble, I used Kaplan, but as I said I think they're all pretty much the same anyway

You've found an adherent in AmyRN303, maybe. I actually think her example is quite different than the point you're making. Rather than me not "getting it," it appears it is you who don't "get it," because you don't seem to understand what I was saying at all. I understand what you're saying just fine. I just disagree with you and I don't think you're helping anyone. The point of your post was (I hope) to help people, but by your reply quoting AmyRN303, it seems like what you're really interested in is finding people who agree with you. Finding people who already agree with you doesn't help them; it just helps you feel acknowledged. I raise my kids the same way Amy does, but we are not dealing with children here, we are dealing with professional adults in a professional forum. If people want to find out what test prep or study method worked for someone else, fine. So what? The point is that people shouldn't be relying on that method alone. They should do their own research IN ADDITION. Do I feel it's important to write a big post to just go and tell everybody that? No. It seems pretty freaking obvious, especially since we're dealing with adults, not children, as previously mentioned. Let me share an example. When I was in law school (prior career) way back when, we learned how to do our own research, boy did we ever! We spent countless hours doing research. We also learned an important lesson: We were taught that when we started practicing we would be given research tasks by more senior lawyers. We would be tempted to run off to do "our own" research. If, as would be the case often as novice lawyers, we would be researching an unfamiliar area of the law, we could spend a lot of time spinning our wheels. We were taught that instead of running off to hit the books right away, we should spend a few moments talking to that senior lawyer to get pointed in the right direction. Armed with that direction, we could spend our research time much more efficiently...and since lawyers bill by 10ths of hour, efficiency is extremely important. My point is this. Adults getting others to point us in the right direction should not be confused with being lazy or wanting others to solve our problems for us. Please don't bemoan people looking for testimonials about test preps and chide them (yes, your post was "chiding") that "instead" they need to go do their own research. It doesn't help anyone. People should be encouraged to share helpful test taking strategies, study tips and test preps with each other. The more information the better! The more informed people are, the better decisions they can make. If some of that information comes from testimonials, fine. The bottom line is that, as far as test preps go, they're probably all pretty much the same anyway. One just needs to pick one or more, sit down, and put in the work studying the material. In case you're wondering, I passed the NCLEX just fine, which was a walk in the park compared to the 3-day bar exam, which I also passed just fine.

At my facility it's RN, BSN (or MSN)

I'm sorry, but I think your post is completely off base. You should know from personal experience that testimonials are one source of information people use when making choices of any kind. For example, when looking for good study techniques, one method would be to ask successful students what they do, flash cards, outlines, study groups etc. It's a way to gather information about potential strategies. Your post implies that people who ask the question of successful NCLEX takers are superficial, looking for the "magic method" to guarantee a passing score, etc. You seem to imply that these simpletons, seeking a quick fix, will just run off after getting the first recommendation and drop significant $ for the "sure thing." That's pretty insulting. I'm sure, like you, that these people aren't making a snap decision, but just adding testimonials to their decision making process. Moreover, you should be sensitive to the fact that many people have test anxiety issues or just plain have difficulty with standardized tests. Your post did not help these people, I'm sure. I suggest you find other, more valuable things to post rather than going out of your way to unnecessarily chide people.

Latecomer here, but I saw this post and was so infuriated I have to weigh in. This article presents a poorly justified rationale to cover up fear. Maybe nurses aren't doctors, but who says primary care can best be provided by doctors? I don't think this person represents the increasingly more mainstream view: non-doctors are filling a vacuum of primary care left by fleeing MDs--and filling it well. I don't want to spend the time ripping apart the article point-by-point, but I want to register my support for non-MDs, autonomous NPs in particular, taking over primary care. MDs don't even want to do it anyway!

Be careful with the notion you can take the CCRN without critical care experience. See here http://www.aacn.org/wd/certifications/docs/ccrnorpccnexamflyer.pdf

Our facility shows credentials, such as BSN, CCRN, etc. I think it is appropriate to list these credentials for patients, but also for colleagues, to read. I just obtained my PCCN and I'm proud of it. I am happy I will be able to wear my certification on my badge. I see no downside to this practice. On the contrary, showing our credentials in this way fosters a culture that values continued learning, which is a hallmark of nursing instilled in me by my nursing school as I'm sure others experienced in their nursing programs. See also statement re public display of certifications..... http://www.aacn.org/WD/Certifications/Docs/abnspositionstatement-valueofcert.pdf

Hi everyone. Here's my story. I took a job in oncology as a new grad because I graduated mid-year and didn't want to wait for new-grad programs to start in the fall (or count on being selected for one). After spending a year there, tele-certified, ACLS, lots of volunteer experience in ER and ICU, I thought it was time to make my move. After several apps, finally interviewed for ER. Told didn't have enough experience. A week later, up popped 5 openings for new grads....in the ER. Yay. New tactics. Became military flight nurse on the side, TNCC, PALS, 12-lead class. Interviewed ICU. Did pretty damn well as far as I can tell. I rocked their clinical scenarios! Result: Denied. They said in the interview that they were looking for experienced ICU nurses. Am stilll hoping to get a phone call back to get some feedback from the manager on what I could do better, make myself a better candidate. Here's the deal: I'm stuck in the proverbial catch-22. If I'm med/surg oncology and want to move into the ICU, I can't very well magic-up ICU experience for myself to sweeten up my resume now can I? Our facility has no career advancement program that allows nurses to try out other units. After hearing all this, does anybody out there have any advice for me? I'm starting to feel unloved! :) Seriously, I am trying to keep myself surfing the positives, but I'm starting to lose hope.

A very interesting read, so I thought I would pass on: http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/02/11/when-the-nurse-is-a-bully/

Wow, heartbrokenRN! I'm SO glad you shared your story because I, too, have a similar one of my own. I recently started on a high acuity med surg floor and didn't get along with my preceptor. Evidently some folks referred to her as "Godzilla" behind her back--a fitting moniker. She was not a kind person. Plus, there were many times she was just sitting there on her butt playing solitaire on the computer while I did all the patient care. I mean, isn't she supposed to be looking for things to teach me or something rather than just goofing off and getting paid for it!!?? Whatever. Anyway, the preceptor evidently walks on water as far as the manager is concerned, so after we didn't hit it off my days were numbered. After that, I got the microscope treatment. Everything I did was subject to the utmost scrutiny and nothing I did to try to improve was ever good enough. When I was fired (shortly after the end of floor orientation), no specifics were given as reasons. It was just that they felt that I "wasn't where we need you to be." So I supposedly wasn't making progress like they would like, but they couldn't tell me HOW I wasn't making progress. It was just a bunch of baloney. Bottom line is that I rubbed them the wrong way. I worked as hard as I could to satisfy them, always in a professional manner, but I still felt like the object detested. I am buoyed by your post. Now I feel like I'm not the only one. Thank you so much for sharing and good luck to you! :)

Thanks all for your comments. I contacted the recruiter and found out that I can't really get the application process started until about 2 months after I receive my RN, so I can take some time to think this over. I realize I'm considering a life-changing commitment, so I can ponder with that in mind. Still, I really am excited about the prospect of putting my nursing skills to work for my country and in the air, which is where I love to be!

I know there was previously a thread on this "flight nursing in the air force?" but it started in 1999 and so is dated. I am graduating in Dec. 2010 and want to become a civilian flight nurse. I realize I face some hurdles: getting a job, getting critical care (ICU and/or ED) experience, and finally finding an opening. Meantime, I have a cousin in the Air Force Reserve, which got me checking into opportunities there. The USAFR performs Air Medical Evacuation flights, taking patients on military transports (C17's) from various locations across the globe to their next stopping point before reaching the U.S. For example, one route goes, I believe, Kandahar, Afghanistan, to Landstuhl, Germany. Anyway, flight nursing in the USAFR appeals to me because: (1) I ultimately want to be a rotor craft flight nurse; (2) I love to fly; (3) love to travel. I have some concerns, though. I'm going to be getting a new job and don't want to get crosswise with my new employer about missing too much work. We're going to have a baby in February and I don't want to be gone all the time. I'm also wondering how much the patient care experience will be relevant to civilian rotor craft flight nursing. Does anyone out there have any thoughts for me? Appreciate your input!

If your ultimate goal is PA, go ahead and apply to PA school now! :) There's no need to get a nursing degree before you get into PA school. If you're worried about being competitive (lack of health care hours) don't let that deter you. You have a good-excellent GPA, which will help. According to the informational session for UCD's PA program, they will overlook hours requirements from time to time (they accepted one candidate right out of undergrad). Don't put all your eggs in that one basket, however. You could apply to Stanford and Samuel Merritt PA programs obviously. I believe Stanford is much tighter on the health care hour prerequisite, so if that's an issue, you might not be that competitive. Nevertheless, if you're headed for PA, I recommend you try as hard as you can to get into PA school first. Why spend one or two years on a nursing degree if you don't need to? Of course, if you're open to going for your RN as an alternative path, then I'd recommend a BSN program. The ADN programs at the community colleges in the Sacramento area select candidates using the lottery system. Up to now, no preference at all is given based on GPA. I heard a rumor that these programs may be starting to consider GPA (it's about time!), so you should look into it. Still, with the lottery system, the odds aren't good because there are LOTS of applicants in the pool. In the ER where I volunteer, a couple of the ER techs have been waiting for 3 years to be selected and they're still waiting. Each year you wait is a year you could have made money as an RN down the drain. So, you can apply for these programs, but don't count on being admitted. Plus there's the added disadvantage that they award only an ADN. If you're headed to advanced practice, you're probably going to want a BSN. So, I would really aim for a CSU program or go private where you can get the BSN. CSUs are great, except they're frighteningly competitive (check CSUS admission stats online--I'm talking you really need just about a 4.0). Plus the CSU system is shut down to new applicants right now. I know because Sac State Nursing was my "Plan A." When they shut the door, I went to plan B...which is Samuel Merritt University. It's expensive ($37K tuition), but it's an ABSN program, so I will be done in 12 months. You'll need to get two additional prerequisites (pathophysiology and pharmacology), which you can take online. (Check with the school about where to find these courses because they have a list of the ones they deem transferable). Anyway, I hope that helps!

I LOVE this website! Thank you all so much for the feedback. I haven't even had a chance to read through it all yet (studying for a final I have tomorrow). I did want to take a moment to give you all a big THANK YOU, however. :)

I'm starting a 12-month ABSN program in January 2010 and I would like to know what works best for studying in nursing school. In my pre-requisites I have found that reading the book is pretty ineffective and that I learn the material much better by actively engaging with it (study group, flashcarding, watching educational videos on CD, using practice study figures...you get the idea). All ideas appreciated!

Nope. I made my decision. I'm going ABSN! :)

Hi Renee, I sent you an email (on this site) with my home email address. Erik

Thanks! Good luck to you, too!!