ItsTheDude

yes, but as others have stated, would do it much much sooner in life.

it's considered health care experience, but not nursing experience, big difference. however, many newbie rn's don't have any paid health care experience, so it will still help u to have health care exp.

if u don't feel comfortable after the orientation/ojt then don't do it, otherwise, home health can be very easy, it's just you and one patient typically. the patient's family/friends and non health care related issues (them thinking you're their maid, etc) can make hh not so pleasant, just depends on the patient.

it's relative to what else is out there. nursing is still one of the better jobs out there (pay and demand). then consider most nurses only have a 2 yr degree, it's no brainer, go for it.

it's a good school, congrats.

grades don't matter much, if at all. experience is the biggie.

it's just basics, the science part is the hardest, b/c it covers several areas of science.

no hat, no thx.

one of my buds is married to a md, but he isn't a nurse. he worked and helped put her through med school, now he's a house hubby and keeper of the kiddies. she told him he could stay home and be the house hubby/mom or she would, easy choice seeing that she makes multiple times what he could.

i've always worn tennis shoes, all white k-swiss is my fav.

adn's are here to stay, as long as, health care remains private (it's about profit, not care). we're a long way from nationalized health care (all health care workers working the the feds) no matter what the nuts say. truthfully, a bsn is a waste of time is you're not going to get a higher degree and/or don't want to work in areas that generally required a bsn (which is generally government work and other areas).

to the op, i'd really like to know what profession you think isn't controlled by a boat load of rules, regs, law, etc.?

what is the difference? basically, hospitals are where people go to get better/stabilize and LEAVE ALIVE to live life, some die there or go to ltc though. ltc is where people go to live there and die there, some do leave alive though (long term rehab usually). hospitals also have better staffing, etc. what would you recommend? hospital, but it's harder to get a job in one. where do you think is better to work? hospital

nursing is a job, how many people think their job is fun? there's a reason they pay you and it isn't to have fun, it's to do a job. i say this, b/c too many newbie nurses seem to think they have to have fun being a nurse or something is wrong with them and they become disillusioned with nursing. with that said, nursing does have it's enjoyable moments.

i was a lpn that bridged to a rn program (req lpn's to have worked as a lpn for at least 1 yr), so the lpn's were way ahead of the straight rn students.

there's NO national nursing shortage now, hasn't been for awhile. several years back, if you were a newbie rn you didn't really have to find a job, they found you (some employers were like stalkers) and even paid signing bonuses, moving expenses, etc. now days, many newbie rn's have to actively seek employment for months! bonuses and all the other goodies are tough to find these days for newbs and experienced nurses. many newbs are having to settle for pt work or work in areas of nursing they don't like when they finally get a job offer. the future, things are getting better, but i don't know if we'll get back to the crazy days anytime soon (nursing shortage). the economy has to pick up a lot and stay that way for a yr or more. i think obama care will increase demand for nurses too.

congrats!

there are SO MANY ways to be a nurse, too many new nurses bite off more than they can chew, usually working in a hospital. sounds like a doc office, hh, teaching, etc would be a better fit for you.

it's tough, the economy is crapola. i know some nurses like you, many years experience, but they thought nursing was recession proof and could jump jobs like old times. they've all found jobs, but it took some a long time and some of the jobs aren't as good as what they left. my advice, get any nursing job, it seems easier to find a job when you already have a job. i wouldn't write a letter asking for you're old job back, i'd go to the person that can make the decision to hire you and talk to them in person.

it's just a way of saying it's not the standard, monday through friday day job.

to the op, you're the exact reason why i say around 50% or so of male nurses are gay. there's the flamers, then there's the openly gay and then there's those that don't advertise it (some of them are still easy to spot), but others can be hard to spot on the gaydar though (some are married with kids, bisexual is still gay to me). most straight ppl just can't comprehend the manly gay guy, it doesn fit their stereotype. anyways, to those that say being gay doesn't matter: sorry, but IT DOES MATTER if you're gay in every state i've lived in, you can be openly discriminated (job, etc) against because of it. guess what, the religious nuts and gay haters are nurses, nurse educators, and everything thing else under the sun in health care. health care isn't much different from the rest of society, but i do think health care as a whole is a bit more tolerant of glbt ppl.

the reality is you can't ALWAYS have an observer/witness. some employers and co-workers will frown on it as well, b/c other nurses and cna's aren't there to be your babysitter every time you have a female patient. a lot of it depends on who the male nurse is and who the accuser is. i've seen females accuse males of things and frankly most are laughable. some of the guys are flamers, some female accusers are grotesque (a troll wouldn't touch them), etc. with that said, if your employer/boss is unhappy with you, it gives them an easy out to get rid of you. tip: NEVER, comment on how attractive any female patient is or give them extra attention/care. your co-workers will pick up on it and if an accusation happens, you've help dig your own grave, whether something happened or not.

many are hiring (off and on) in the triad (bayada, maxim, many others that i can't think of their names). pretty easy to find a pt job in hh.

congrats.

if it's what you want to do, do it. debt, no matter how large is it can be lived with, it just takes planning and sacrifices at times.