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Cussing seems to be cultural. My mom, a Texas native and WWII veteran, used cussing in general conversation. She was smart and kind, but this was her style and sense of humor. I can imagine her cussing during an interview. Her children use a little more restraint. When we moved from East Texas to Western North Carolina I discovered my fellow nurses considered curse words inappropriate. I modified my behavior to suit them but enjoyed finding a few friends who also cussed when it was necessary.

I followed the NPR series also. The CDC PhD one continues to haunt me. She was trying to irradicate healthcare disparity and become one of the statistics.

I took your survey, but wish it included n/a. I skipped the questions that did not apply. On years of experience, you list one. You didn't become a PhD-prepared professor with one year of experience. The bullying I experienced was as a veteran nurse. From student reports, I believed a fellow instructor played mind games and bullied the students. They tearfully shared their stories. I was asked by a department head to tell all. She had also heard the student's concerns. She confronted the fellow instructor who turned her attention toward me. Her bullying was non-verbal, but I didn't choose "physical" which sounds violent. Her behavior didn't make me resign, but it was one of the factors which influenced my decision.

My first job out of LVN school was on the pediatric floor. It was interesting and challenging. The most memorable cases were patients with Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma, Sickle Cell Anemia and third-degree burns. I would find out about the unit and what their usual census includes: respiratory, cardiac, trauma, diabetes, etc...I'd prepare for "How would you respond?" questions. If you are staying in the same facility and have worked with some of the physicians or ancillary personnel that visit their unit, I'd mention that. Have you taken PALS recently? Reviewing the material before the interview would put you in the pediatric mid-set. If you haven't taken PALS I'd plan to and tell them. Have you taken any recent continuing education classes dealing with pediatrics? If so, share this. Remember you got the interview which means they like the sound of your credentials. You've already made a positive impression.

Our skills lab from the old days was pretty primitive, but I later worked as an instructor with a high-tech one. Chloe, I believe was the childbearing one. Your example sounds different. We had a lot more play time. You are right. It does bring out the acting skills. The funniest part was when you asked a student to be a patient and they hammed it up. The one-way mirror would bother me. The no-talking instructor sounds like something we'd do for check-offs, but that would occur after the student had many opportunities to practice. The lab was open after class for those who needed additional confidence building. You have an imagination! Every time you read something you envision the characters, the setting, etc. However, you may not enjoy acting. This is something which may increase your appreciation for simulation lab. Do you know how we practiced bed baths? We bathed each other! Luckily I had a friend in the class, a study partner/co-worker. Talk about embarrassing! Do you know what I like best about you? Your humility. Your anxiety makes me believe you are taking the job seriously. An arrogant, I know everything attitude is a dangerous thing for a new student. Your insecurity means this is important stuff and I want to get it right. Once I heard this comment in the simulation lab. "If a patient asks the student nurse, 'Have you ever done this before?' he/she can say yes." And as you've probably found out in clinical many procedures are easier on patients than the mannequin. Good luck with your studies and I hope the simulation lab becomes more fun for you.

Following the school shooting in Parkland, Florida, The Guardian featured this quote from, Shannon Watts. Watts is the founder of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America and the mother of five. "This mass shooting was at least the 290th shooting on school grounds since the start of 2013, and at least the 17th in 2018. Since 2013, at least 100 Americans were killed in school shootings, and at least 231 were injured. These shootings underscore the larger problem of gun violence impacting children. In the most recent year of available data, more than 1,600 American children were killed with guns, and nearly 7,000 were injured – an average of 23 children shot every day." My husband, a retired nurse and I applaud National Walkout Day. We'll let the children lead us. We joined the group Everytown for Gun Safety and will participate in a #MarchForOurLives event later this month.

In public health department we had a service which picked up our sharp containers on a scheduled basis. Your health department might be able to help since you probably know them through immunizations. If you, or a nursing student you are mentoring, need a project, how about a safety policy to address this?

I am pleased your sister had a promising career and was so well compensated. Do you know what my mother said when I was considering nursing school? She said, "You are too tenderhearted." Like that's a deficit. I graduated high school in the late 70s and started nursing school in 1981. I never considered nursing a dead end job, in fact we're among the most trusted professionals. You are correct about the submission. We stood up when the doctor came to the desk and surrendered our chairs. Some wanted you to make rounds with them and carry their charts. Seems pretty comical now, like the nurses didn't have anything better to do.

Your superintendent's words were very moving, Becky ESRN. Thank you for sharing this.

I went to ADN route and later taught at a community college. It amazes me that 3.5 and 3.6 aren't seen as outstanding. Does everyone have to have a 4.0? I worked with a woman who had a situation similar to yours. She was a lab tech and provided excellent care. I thought if they'd interview her they'd admit her to the BSN program. Your odds of being admitted to the ADN program may be improved, but don't count on straight A's. ADN programs are like summer school, more condensed. Some of my ADN students had Bachelor's degrees in other subjects and were very troubled by their less than perfect transcripts. It is those pesky tests with all the distractors. Plus the instructors are under pressure to make it more difficult. The ADN program is judged by the percentage of students who pass NCLEX. Having a low percentage can land them on probation. They attempt to weed out the students who aren't like to pass the exam. You are correct. With your ADN and passing NCLEX score you will be an RN and can jump right in to a hybrid BSN program or better yet, your MSN. I wish you success.

My motivation is to do the chore I like least first. When you get that out of the way everything else is easier. My least favorite chore is CHARTING. Maybe you did that electronically while performing the assessment? Are there medications to pass? I'd pay attention your most efficient co-worker and follow his or her example.

I worked as a nursing assistant while in LVN school because I needed the money. I later was hired by the hospital that housed our nursing program. I worked as an LVN while pursing my RN and continued to work in the same department after graduation. Prior work experience improved my chances of employment because I knew the people interviewing me. It made NCLEX easier because I'd taken care of patients.

How about continuing education courses dealing with OB? You could also teach childbirth education or become a doula. Is there a local midwife who would allow you to shadow her? I accidentally ended up in the Family Centered Care Unit. I'd worked Med-Surg and ICU as an LVN, but needed a more flexible schedule to pursue my ADN. The OB director was willing to accommodate me. OB wasn't something I'd considered in school, but I stayed and loved it probably because of my wonderful mentors. Approximately half of my career was in OB, and I'd do it again in a heartbeat. I wish you success.

I considered the military, but an older brother talked me out of it. I'm pretty much a pacifist, so my career probably wouldn't have lasted long. A wise friend says we need to spend our days doing something we enjoy so much we lose track of time. Another recommended doing something that makes more of you. I like offering hospitality to guests and feeding them. Owning my own business is too much headache, so I'll say managing a tea room or coffee shop. Customers cold eat healthy or splurge, but everything would be fresh and delicious. Our health department sanitation score would be excellent. Thanks for asking. This was fun.

I am very proud of you. The best care provider may not be the best test taker. We all know brainiacs who can ace a test, but have the bedside warmth of a turnip. I admire you for pursuing your goal and staying the course. That took courage. If you hadn't you would always regret it.

Your job sounds wonderful. Digging in the dirt is therapeutic. Have you considered a private duty assignment? One of the longterm care facilities I visited had private sitters, assigned to one client. I hope you will keep your license.

I was introduced to Meyers-Briggs at a women's retreat and found it helpful. I didn't make note of the letters, but it helped us understand each other, the ones who think like us and the ones who drive us insane. I'm a bulldog, "Get out of the way, let me do it." The dreamers and engineers who draw a diagram and ponder the idea for a month make me want to scream. My impulsiveness offends them. Another personality test you may find helpful is the Enneagram. I started a new job as a Parish Nurse and my boss, the preacher with a mental health background, had me take it. It gave us a foundation for our working relationship. We also did the Enneagram at church. The Episcopal priest explained it isn't our rights or wrongs, our personality flaws, nothing we can blame on our parents. It is simply who we are and why we react the way we do. It was cool.

The first part of the Serenity Prayer reads: "God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference." Your article validates my advice for friends who are hurting. Take care of YOU. People we love are struggling. We can't tell them, "Run, get away, leave that marriage, change jobs, ignore those toxic relationships, etc..." What we can say is: prioritize your needs. It is a gift to receive gratification as a caregiver. The world needs us which fulfills our need to be needed, but we forget to tend to the person in the mirror. I enjoyed your article.

I am sorry you are living this nightmare. I have no solutions, but love imagining the individual who could walk in as say, "Knock it off." Who would he listen to? My psych experience is minimal, but I remember a physician telling me this. I was excusing a patient's behavior because of their bipolar diagnosis. The physician said, "That's not bipolar. He's being an a**hole." I hope your patient takes his business elsewhere. This is one where you exclaim, "Thank you Jesus!" when you hear he's been discharged.

pncgrady, MSN, You are saying creating a uniform baseline education is a problem, but you believe all nurses should have a BSN? You think turnover is a problem because we need performance based incentives and bonus structures? We are from different worlds. I was poor. My single mom could not afford to send her children to school. The eldest paid his own way. The middle child had a football scholarship. I was in a co-op program in high school, working 1/2 days. I was engaged and married straight out of high school. I soon divorced. The reason why would make excellent lyrics for a Country and Western song. I started as a night student business major. I debated the military or nursing school and started in LVN school. It was a good school and a good match. Upon graduation I thought, "I'm doing the same work as the RN, their pay is better." I worked full-time nights and obtained my ADN. It was available, practical and affordable. My BSN I got around age 40, my MSN around 50. We've lived in rural areas. There were no incentives or career ladders. My husband is a CRNA. We were never dependent on my income. The salary cut I took when we moved to the mountains of North Carolina from Texas would curl your hair. We were living in a beautiful part of the world, but high school graduates had a tough job finding work. The furniture factories and textile industries were closed down. There was some tourism, but jobs were scarce unless you worked in fast food, at the prison or for a local feldspar plant. What would you have the young, less privileged, high school students do? What about the ones like me who weren't ready to travel and may not have been university material? What is your level of respect for community colleges? I have mixed emotions about requiring a BSN for nurses. You are going to exclude the working poor. I can't address your 4-year degree vs. my hybrid one. It was fairly new and some of it was fluff. One friend said, "If is as if they consider us backward and are trying to civilize us." It was a moneymaker for the college. Nursing is a respected profession. I applaud our increased autonomy and recognition as more than the the doctor's handmaiden, but if your opinion is based on nurses needing to study nursing theorists, I will have to disagree.

Thank you. I will. I see you were a Parish Nurse. Me, too. When we sold our home we owned four Labradors. They are on the journey with us and keep it interesting. December and January along the forgotten coast in Florida was wonderful. We'll hang out in Texas for the remaining cold months and head toward the Pacific Northwest this Spring. Many describe it as the most beautiful place in the U.S. We're excited.

I am sorry you are miserable on the cardiac floor, but the manager who placed you thinks you have some snap. Which area appealed to you during clinical? What is it you enjoy about passing medications? If that isn't stressful you must have good attention to detail, be methodical and capable of good time management. Are you being too hard on yourself, doubting your ability to provide safe care? I applaud you for being anxious around life threatening arrhythmias. Thats what good nurses do. I often thought of myself as a professional worrier. Would it help to find out how others think you are doing? I am impatient and want to be proficient in everything I try, but that never happens. This is a quote from a talented performer, "The professional has failed more times than the beginner has tried." Do you have a co-worker or supervisor who would listen to you and give you some feedback? Maybe they felt the same and could reassure of your value to the team. I hope you find your niche.

My thoughts and prayers are with your friend. Your requests say, "I can't control the outcome, but this person matters to me, and I wan't everything to be O.K."

Your article is convicting. It is downright goofy to want to work in a "cool" setting. It is like everyone in high school saying they plan to major in marine biology or something. We've all known and respected those nurses who felt a real calling to care for those who aren't in the prime of life. Do you think it is because we recognize our day will come? Part of the preconceived negativity is that nursing homes are always hiring. We assume they have a high turnover because they staff so scantily. I will always be grateful for the nurses who cared for my strong-willed mother who lived 1,000 miles away from us. She behaved poorly and never would have put up with such antics from her children. For example, they didn't have the food she wanted on her evening tray. She called the local grocery store and said, "Can you please come help this home? They seem to have run out of food." She made similar calls to the hospital when her nebulizer treatment was late and even to 911 when her call light wasn't answered promptly. I called the staff to apologize for her mistreatment of them. This one gracious nurse with the patience of Job said, "You know, I believe her intentions are good. She is trying to remain resourceful, but there is so little left in her life that she can control." I was grateful for this longterm care nurse's wisdom and compassion. Her words come back to me when I encounter the cantankerous.

The funniest things that come to mind: I worked as a nursing assistant during LVN school. We took report and jotted notes on a little pad with the patient's information on it, name, diagnosis, vital signs, intake and output, the usual stuff. My patient was in the bathroom. I looked on my paper and said, "Mr. Librax, are you doing o.k.?" He said, "Yea, I'll be right out." About that time I realized I'd called him by his diagnosis "O.D. Librax." He'd overdosed on Librax! Needless to say I thought I'd die. This young, handsome fellow came out of the bathroom smirking at me. I made the mistake of telling my brother about the error. That was in 1981. My brother still sends me notes signed "Mr. Librax." Next, I worked in Labor and Delivery. The doctor's locker room and bathroom was adjacent to our lounge and a direct link from delivery and the postpartum floor. It was standard procedure for us to knock on the door and walk right through. On this fateful evening one of our physicians was sitting on the throne with the door wide open. I walked in and he cried, "Maaa..Mary!" I apologized profusely. He later told me the thing that bothered him most was that I didn't turn around, I just kept going. I was on a mission. Its not like a big deal for nurses to be in the bathroom with people. Attending the delivery with him later that evening was a little awkward, but we got past it.