kimmeyd

Whoa...what hospital did you work at b/c doing IVs, foleys, trach care, sterile dressing changes are NOT in the scope of practice for a tech and I would not, as a RN, delegate any of those to a tech! Even LPN/LVNs have to go through extra training to do those. I am not saying you did not do them, just saying I won't be going to that hospital!!! SCARY!

Texas Woman's University....#64 top nursing school in the nation and has the largest doctoral nursing program in the world (which we are all going to need if the 2015 NP rule goes into effect...)

If you're trying to figure out which one to do... -RNs (both ADN and BSN) get paid the most (50-80K/yr) but it takes longer to finish the degree & prereqs (about 3 1/2-4 1/2years), and there is also a strict selection process to get into a program. (hospital jobs are easier to find as a BSN but not too bad for ADNs either) Most nurses you see in a hospital setting are RNs. LVNs make around 25-40k/yr and it takes about 1-2 years to finish the program, not a degree only certificate. (in hospitals jobs are difficult to find, easier in home-health or nursing homes) CNA/"Tech"/MA(medical assistant) make around 20-25k/yr and it takes about 6-12 weeks of training. (jobs are easy to find at doctor's offices, hospitals)

I am about to start as a L&D RN in two weeks at a level 3 NICU facility (so we get the high-risk patients) and I also did my whole last semester at this facility in L&D. You're going to focus on a lot on basic med/surg patho and how it can effects a pregnant pt and a pediatric pt. (It can effect them differently.) All the things that can happen to a regular med/surg patient can happen to an L&D pt and a pediatric pt! So if you know your basic med/surg patho you should be fine. If there are things that you are weak on, focus on those beforehand. Also, there are a lot of cardiac issues/abnormalities with a peds pt so focus on cardiac if that is your weakness. If you don't know physiology heart you can't figure out how it is dysfunctioning etc... The instructors should go over the rest in greater detail for you. As far as books, I never bought any, but I love peds and L&D so I never had any need. I'd wait until you figure out where your weaknesses lie first and then spend the money on supplemental books. Best of luck!

I vote yes to staying at your current job and sticking out the 3 months! I just graduated RN school and even though I got a job, it is even super hard to find a job as a RN right now....so jump on that opportunity and deal with the "red-tape"!!!!!

There are a lot of good nursing schools out there, in each state. The problem I would see is that if you apply out-of-state you are facing out-of-state tuition, which can get very pricey and not to mention the core requirements/transfer credits could be vastly different state-to-state. I am from TX and could give you a list of great schools here, but I highly suggest researching your own state's school. CA is a big state and should have a lot of great schools. Another thing, I am a RN and when I was in school most of what you are describing sounds VERY familiar, and most of my friend's who RNs also faced the same situation from different schools. The fact is, you have a bunch of very competitive, extroverted personalities working close together and are "against the evil" nursing instructors. Nursing school is VERY hard and I had a bunch of friends fail out... I am not trying discourage you by any means, it's a great profession and well worth it, but it brings out the mean side in a person if you can't make the cut, and the first person to get the lashing is the nursing instructors, b/c they are the ones "trying" to fail the students. Although not the case, I saw it myself, as you probably will with any nursing school. As you, and I both know, we work our butts of to get into a nursing program, and some fail out. It's just part of it but it makes for a crazy environment sometimes. I am just saying don't judge a school by that. Look at the school's NCLEX-RN pass rate, accreditation etc... This should give you a good gist of what kind of education you are going to get. Oh, and one more thing, I wouldn't look at anything other than a BSN program...it's really hard to get a job without one these days. Keep trying! You'll get there!!! And again, IT IS WORTH all the late night and stress you go through!

I just graduated from an ADN program and was lucky enough to have gotten a job in L&D at a level 3 NICU facility. And yes, I get the exact same pay as the BSNs. But, I also had to sign a contract saying I would have my BSN in 2 years and had a very high GPA. (However, I think I got the job because I was already enrolled for my RN-MSN at a top nursing university.) If I had known what I know now, I would of ABSOLUTELY gotten my BSN 1st!!! I applied to a couple of nursing schools and got in to the ADN program 1st and it was cheaper than spending 3 times the amount, I didn't take out loans, at the universities. My thought process was that the hospital I would get a job at would pay for my BSN (which they are) but I didn't realize until I started looking for a job that most hospitals want BSNs anyway. The recruiter that interviewed me explained hospitals are a business and what makes the business look better makes more $$. Makes sense right? Well, hospitals that have a certain % of BSNs vs ADNs can get "magnet" status (due to higher education levels) which attracts patients/doctors/etc which=more $$! Now, when the economy takes a dip, which we are in one now, RNs that left the workforce come back to work, making new graduate jobs slim...which allows hospitals to get more picky when it comes to hiring new interns for the few spots they do have. Bottomline-GET YOUR BSN 1st. It doesn't make you a better RN, as you will see when you get out there with some awesome ADNs, but it WILL get you a job! Oh, and keep you GPA up in nursing school, because most hospitals want to see your transcript and if your GPA is so-so that is another reason you won't get the job in the specialty you want... Best of Luck!!!

I am in the RN-MSN program at TWU to be a NP. Depending on where you go, a person with a bachelor's in another field can do the post-bachelor's degree MSN program. Otherwise, the standard RN-MSN track is 54hours (as long as you are core complete at another university, otherwise you'll have to take their specific core classes beforehand) in which 32hrs will be spent doing your BSN. So once you get your BSN you will only have 22 hours to go to finish your master's (10hrs of the original 32 are master's level courses that dual as a BSN and MSN level course load). Also, if you are doing RN-MSN you have to be working full time as a RN. So how long it take you is completely dependent on you how many hours you want to take each semester. Hope this helps and good luck!

I took the live Hurst review during spring break and did the supplemental review after I graduated this May. It was really good. The instructor says things to help you remember important info and gives you some good tips. I took my NCLEX-RN today and I had some questions that focused on some of the things she mentioned! (things that I probably knew at some point, but dumped when we got into critical care nursing lol!) I haven't got my results from the NCLEX yet, but I was cut off at 75 questions and I did the PearsonVue trick and got the "pass message". So at this point, I am assuming I did pass. Also, about 20 of us took the Hurst review and so far all of us that have tested, have gotten cut off at 75 questions and PASSED! I studied pretty much from the Hurst booklet and didn't really study too much from the NCLEX practice books, like Lippincott and Saunders, but our school required us to do 100 NCLEX practice questions every week....so I was kinda burnt on those anyways... GOOD LUCK to all of you future RNs out there!!!

I wouldn't say that you need all A's but if I were you, I'd retake A&P I and try to get at least a B. Most nursing schools will look at your A&P grades and there is a lot of people out there applying with A's in those classes. I start RN school this fall and had a 3.41 in my prereqs, but I did have A's in all my science courses and scored a 92 on my HESI. So it does depend on other factors other than all A's, but I would retake the A&P class.... :) I hope that helps! Good luck!!!

I have been talking with some RN friends of mine and they have told me that the hospital job prospects for an ADN are falling. It seems that the hospitals prefer to hire BSNs rather than ADNs. Has anyone recently graduated from an ADN program and had any problems getting a job at a hospital in the DFW area? I just got accepted to an ADN program (Fall 09') and will definitely be finishing my BSN afterward but the main reason I chose the ADN program was to save myself $$. I was hoping of working in hospital and maybe getting them to eventually pay for my BSN... (I have a lot of student loans from UNT). Now I am questioning whether I should just finish my BSN first?!!?

Thanks! That helps a lot! I did get in too, so I am super excited to get this career on a roll!!!

Hello! I am new to this forum, but I have gotten some useful info off of here lately...especially regarding the HESI-A2. I want to be a L&D nurse, and I have applied to the RN program at NCTC for fall 2009. (I find out Tuesday if I made the HESI cut-off. Yay!) But...I have been randomly looking at job postings, out of curiosity, and it seems like L&D positions require at least one year experience. So, my question is, (if anyone knows) how do I get into an L&D position? Is their an internship? Thanks!