mhawkins38

The AANAC Annual Conference is actually in San Antonio, TX and I would totally recommend taking the certification training through AANAC. I was a DON and totally burned out as well. Took the class in late August, certification testing in October and I am now working as an MDS Coordinator. I like this much better though the stressors are different, I don't have all the extra baggage I brought home with me every night as a DON :) Good Luck!

I took all my classes through Edukan and then did the online LPN to RN program online through Pratt Community College. After graduating with my associate's degree I went on to enroll at Troy University's online classes to finish pre-reqs for BSN. Now I am in the RN to BSN online program through Boise State University. Everything I took through Edukan has transferred without difficulties. I loved the instructors that I have had thus far at all of the schools. The ones at Edukan were very helpful. My suggestion to anyone taking online courses is to dialogue with the instructors! They all provide their email addresses and PHONE numbers with their "office" hours. Most even give the online students their home numbers and were very nice the few times I had a problem and had to call them at night. I am looking at Boise's Masters program as well. I will have my Bachelor's degree completed by August 2011. Just in time to enroll for the last stop on my journey!

Had a rt BKA come back from hospital and saw pedal pulses charted 2+ bilaterally. They are doing amazing things with prosthetics these days:bugeyes:

27 for LPN; will be 44 for ASN in November and 46 for BSN; plan to have MSN by 50!

One thing it doesn't seem like anyone is taking into account is that during a pandemic, hospitals would not be the only care areas. School gyms, churches, any area with space will be converted to care areas. As for getting paid during this time and continuing to work during an episode, where is that going to take place? Most areas will be shut down. School would not be in session. Non-essential businesses would not be open. I understand the fear, I really do, but the only way to get through any crisis is with everyone working together. I live in a small town with all-volunteer Fire/EMS. If half of those people succumbed to a pandemic, there would not be enough personnel left to transport or care for anyone or respond to anything. Infrastructures of cities would be affected by lack of key personnel running the systems. Electric companies do not run on their own, nor do the wastewater treatment facilities, phone companies, gas companies, petroleum companies, trucking companies to move the goods and products we count on. Think about the sanitation engineers. The streets of New Orleans could end up looking like yourtown, USA. No one to keep the waste in check. Isolate yourself from other people. Good thought but how do you do that? In reality you come into contact with thousands of people everyday even though you are not physically in their proximity. If I interact with 30 people today, I will be exposed to whatever those people may be carrying. Now consider that those 30 people interacted with 30 people and those people interacted with another 30. Just in this short scenario, I have been exposed to whatever 2700 people have come into contact with. That's just me. Now consider that if you have a husband and say 2 children...triple that number. That's just exposure to people. Now how are you going to limit exposure to the birds? Ducks, chickens, sparrows, wrens. A CDC doctor gave a lecture and I learned that the virus is not passed to pigeons. Their feces is too high in nitrates. Interesting. I guess where I am coming from is that I will do what I can, without thought of pay. A pandemic will level the economic playing field. It doesn't care how much you make or how much you work. As far as spending time with my family and caring for them...I don't know. My head tells me that in such a situation, if they were sick I would want them to be closest to where care was being given. Established centers would recieve treatments and supplies before private residences. I know in my heart I would report for duty to my family, friends, neighbors, colleagues and anyone else who needed me. Not to work.