Tree5981

Hello, Are there any schools that hire for teaching online courses if you have an MSN and not a DNP? I've been looking, but don't see many. It looks like I may have to obtain my DNP if I want to pursue this avenue. Thanks :)

What a beautiful story. I love hearing these stories. I picked oncology mostly because my mother in law had lung cancer and passed away from that as well. I was so angry at the way she was treated in the ER by the nurses. I promised I would never treat anyone with so little compassion. Oncology patients are very special to me. I treat them all as if they were my family. I enjoy the journey I take with them through their disease. The emotional aspect can be a lot to handle when you get attached. But there are some patients that touch your life in such a beautiful way and stay in your heart forever. Also, oncology nurses are the most compassionate, patient, kind, and understanding nurses I have ever worked with.

Chemo gown, chemo gloves, mask. I work on an inpatient unit.

I am a night owl and I do find that the first night is the hardest as well. I find it easier to work 3 nights in a row, and it allows me to switch to a day schedule on my 4 days off so I don't feel like a total hermit. Otherwise, you feel like you are doing nothing but sleeping all the time. I have black covers to black out the windows so I can sleep better. I also take zzzquil if I have a hard time falling asleep after work and I can't wind down. Tree

Our ratio max is 1:5, but when I was on a regular med/surg floor it was 7 patients max. I agree it is unsafe. I believe you are allowed to decline as another poster mentioned.

Hello Everyone! I am currently enrolled in the RN to BSN/MSN track. I have one more semester and I will have my BSN. Hopefully I can shed some light on this school for you and answer some of your questions. There are no tests at all. This was the main reason I went to this school. It is all discussion questions and writing papers. Some of the classes are structured where you write papers throughout the 10 week course that are completely separate papers. Then other classes have it where each paper builds up to one final paper. It is a lot of researching and writing, but I work full time and take 2 classes at a time and it is doable. Someone mentioned "fluff" classes and I can sort of relate to what they are saying. There are a couple of classes that seem redundant to other classes I had previously taken at Capella. Mainly the subject of cultural sensitivity and competence. I had 3 classes already where I had to talk about a specific cultural group and what diagnosis they are most prone to, the barriers they face in healthcare, and write about how a nurse would deal with this situation (ex. patient teaching, sensitivity, communication, etc.). Besides papers, there is the occasional project. I had one class where I had to do a physical assessment on a person and have someone watch me do it, and sign off on the papers. Another project was called a "windshield survey" where you drive around and look at a specific community and write about what you see. The great thing about this school is they give you templates to help you with your papers and projects. They ease you into writing the papers and give you links to help with proper formatting. One of the things I dislike about the school is the tech support. I felt that they weren't very helpful at times. I had a couple of instructors who I felt were never "present", but for the most part I have had great instructors throughout the program. The biggest appeal to me for going to Capella was the fact that they transferred all my credits, and I didn't have to take extra pointless classes at the local colleges and drive there. I really didn't want to take chemistry, statistics, and other required classes. In doing so I would have had to take a bunch of extra classes to take those classes, costing me the same amount of money to go to an online school and finish within a 1 1/2 years. Hope this info helps. Tree

I felt this exact same way when I started oncology. The drugs are overwhelming and it is a lot of information to take in. Just give yourself time to get used to it and slowly over time you will be surprised how much you learn. For me, the best thing that helped me was just taking it one patient at a time. I was able to better remember the regimens, side effects, and diagnosis when I related it to a specific person. When I remembered that specific patient it helped me to remember information about their treatment plan and the side effects they had with it. Hang it there, it gets better I promise! Tree

Hello, We had a patient that got pregnant while she was receiving chemotherapy. She received adriamycin, which is highly toxic to the fetus and causes deformities. She was informed of this fact and was torn about terminating the pregnancy. Eventually she decided to terminate. This is a different scenario than you may be looking for since she was already in the middle of chemotherapy while she got pregnant. Adriamycin has been shown to cause birth defects, but if a patient is a earlier stage, they have other options such as surgery and other chemos.

Will you be applying for the full time or part time track? I did the part time track and worked full time. It was doable with my work schedule.

I am starting in September and I have heard good things from friends that are currently enrolled too. It seems very convenient and my enrollment process so far has been very smooth. I'm excited to hear how you like it once you start! I'm anxious to hear more about this school and wanted to find more people who are interested in the master's program too. Keep me posted on our progress. :)

You have to call 217-782-8556 to request a fingerprint card. The line is busy a lot but keep calling until you get someone. I got the fingerprint card by mail and then went to Fingerprint Pros. If u want lives scan u can only use the ones on the list that Illinois provides you with but they are all in Illinois which does you know good unless you are there. The longest part of the process is getting the fingerprint card and getting your school to fill out the education form. Hope this helps :)

I have a nevada license too and applied for Illinois. It took me a few months but I had no issues getting an Illinois license. The hardest part was getting them to send me a fingerprint card. They mail you information on what forms you may be missing. Once I sent the incomplete forms in I got approved pretty quickly. Mine took a while because of I procrastinated on the fingerprinting.

When I graduated from nursing school I got an internship in oncology that was funded through a government grant. I think there should be more programs like this out there for nurses. It is a great learning environment,, and got certified in chemo. It gave me the tools I needed to be a better nurse. Obviously, our government has an enormous amount of debt, but hopefully in the future there can more internships for new nurses.

I had that problem too. I just had to keep calling over and over again until I finally got through They sent my fingerprint card shortly after (about 2 weeks). So just keep calling until you get someone.

I work in an outpatient facility and it will be closing in 2 months. I only have 8 months experience. I can tell you that the job hunting situation is looking pretty sad for me as well. In response to the previous poster stating that there are more than hospital jobs, this is true. But I can tell you there are far more job postings for hospitals than there are for outpatient facilities...trust me I have looked EVERYWHERE. I have applied at both outpatient and inpatient...even out of state. It seems to me that its who you know. As someone previously stated, if you can give your resume to a friend that can give your resume to a manager that can help. I've known people who have at least gotten interviews this way. That's what I'm doing now since the 100 places I have applied have not responded. I agree that this is very frustrating. I feel that there should be some more programs (ex: internships) that help mold and train new grads. The only reason I have a job now is because I landed an internship. It has taught me a great deal and gave me the opportunity as a new nurse to learn in a good learning environment. Unfortunately, it will be ending sooner than I hoped. But the point is, you gain so much experience this way! There needs to be more internships!! I understand it costs hospitals thousands to train people, but in the long run it benefits them. Hang in there, don't give up, and don't listen to any negativity from people on here!

I have lived in Las Vegas for almost 9 years. I moved here when it was booming and it was very easy to find work. I hated it the 1st year I moved here but it grew on me. Unfortunately, the job market has changed drastically since the economy has gone down the toilet. I know it is bad everywhere, but we our job and forclosure rate is the worst from what I've heard. But, anyway here are my pros and cons about Vegas. PROS: The weather: granted it gets over 100 degrees in the summer it isn't humid and its beautiful weather otherwise. Entertainment: There are many things to do besides the strip! There are many places to go camping, California is a close drive too! And if you do decide to see a show and have a night on the town there are plenty of great shows to see. Diverse backgrounds: You will meet so many diverse people from all over the country. Scenery: There is nothing more beautiful than seeing the mountains every morning when you wake up. Just gorgeous. 24/7 town: You can literally buy alcohol anywhere, anytime. CONS: NO JOBS!!! Even with experience it is very tough to find a nursing job in this town. Choices are limited and its WHO YOU KNOW! Not a place for kids: and not just because of all the adult entertainment. The education system is the worst for children! Hard to keep friends: As previous posters have mentioned, people leave town left and right here. It is hard to keep friends since everyone is moving out of here. Bad food: I don't care what people say, the food here is bad. I'm an East coaster...so maybe I'm just really picky about my Italian food....but it is bad here. Traffic: Another one that someone previously mentioned. And there is always constant construction. We have one of the highest car insurance rates. People cannot drive here! Every place you live has good and bad. I wouldn't recommend for someone to move here now because of how bad the job market is here, but I still like it here overall. Vegas will always have a special place in my heart. Unfortunately, I am looking to get out. I am looking for another job since the company I work for is going under and I will be unemployed. After countless resumes and applications...still not even an interview.

I know that some states I looked into offer a temporary license and its cheaper.

I am endorsing from NV to IL....but I am applying for a temp license as well for IL. Does anyone know if that takes forever too? I'm trying to give myself a good 6 month window because I know it takes long.

I've done this too!! hahaha love it!

You are NOT the only one who feels this way. I have been a new grad for 7 months now and I see a huge difference in my confidence already. It slowly gets better. Not a day goes by that I don't feel stupid. Even though we feel inadequate, just know that for every time you feel this way you are learning something new. I too have moments where I think maybe I made the wrong career choice. But it's the patients that remind me of why I chose this field. I had a bad week at work almost to the point of crying, but there were patients who smiled when they saw me, gave me hugs and it really made my whole week better! Focus on these little things that make being a nurse so special. All the other stuff you will learn and will fall into place. Try to get your 1 year in and then try a different area of nursing. Once you find your niche I think you will love it :) And when you feel like crap vent on this website LOL It helps to know that you are not alone in this crazy new grad world

I personally don't like 5 8 hr shifts. I don't like getting up early every morning 5 days in a row. Plus if you need to get personal stuff done during the week you have to take PTO. However, the upside is we get holidays off. Honestly though, I would rather work 3 12's. I enjoy having extra days off. But everyone is different. I know that nurse's with children like the 5 days because it works out better for their schedule and they have off on weekends with their children.

I agree with this completely. And to add...she states "Many (not all) patients with chronic pain need limits so they don't monopolize your time". Say what??!! Patients with chronic pain shouldn't be limited! If anything, you should let the physician know that the medications they are getting are not working! Maybe suggest a longer acting pain medication. We as nurses should let the physician know if the current pain regimen is not working for the patient. They may A) be on the wrong med or B) need a change of dosing.

I agree with this completely. And to add...she states "Many (not all) patients with chronic pain need limits so they don't monopolize your time". Say what??!! Patients with chronic pain shouldn't be limited! If anything, you should let the physician know that the medications they are getting are not working! Maybe suggest a longer acting pain medication. We as nurses should let the physician know if the current pain regimen is not working for the patient. They may A) be on the wrong med or B) need a change of dosing.

I don't understand the point of withholding pain medication. I once asked a hospice pharmacist "so if they are a drug addict would you still withhold giving them pain medication?" and he replied "no". And I 100% agree. What would be the point? I wouldn't want the patient to go through withdrawal. I don't see the point of purposely trying to torture the patient. Even if they were addicted, withdrawal has significant side effects as we all know. And if its killing the patient you are worried about, it takes a significant dose of morphine to do so. As a previous poster mention 2mg of morphine and 8 mg of dilaudid isn't that much.

Not sure where you live but I know it has taken some of my fellow new grads almost a year to find a job. My personal opinion is that gap won't hurt you since there are others out there who are still waiting to get jobs for months just as the previous poster has stated. I think it's a great idea in the meantime to maybe add to your resume. Go get your ACLS or do some volunteering and community outreach! I know we have programs in Vegas where you can volunteer and give immunizations and flu shots in the winter. It looks good on a resume and gives you some practice. Congrats on your pregnancy! :yelclap: