hcer4507

I would forget the bachelor and get the associate degree instead. You'll be making around the same amount of money and you can always take an associate to bachelor program. Nursing is one of the best paying jobs you can get for just a 2 year degree.

The HESI exam is used to weed out the nurses who wouldn't pass the NCLEX. If a nursing school doesn't get about a 90%+ passrate on the NCLEX for a couple of years then they could eventually lose approval with the board of registered nurses in the state. So in an effort to raise NCLEX test rates, some schools will never let a nurse graduate without passing the HESI exam with at least a certain score number. Because of the HESI exam, schools that would have 50% NCLEX pass rates would be getting 90%+ pass rates but only 1/4th of the students would graduate. The HESI test greatly helps nursing schools to get good first time NCLEX pass rates even though they should be shut down immediately.

What specific stance are you referring to? I'll try and guess what it is. My first post was simply a hypothetical question on why don't employers start lowering wages for nurses. I pointed out nurses got good job outlook, good wages, and good benefits that can be had for only 2 years in nursing school. I think RNs get paid WAY to much for what they do and wages need to be cut in half. While you might be a ex-nurse after this happens, I bet you that it would still be difficult to get into nursing school. There could still be about the same amount of nurses getting admitted in to nursing school even if wages were cut in half. I don't understand why a hospital getting 70+ applicants for one position decides to keep wages where they are. The hospital should be lowering the wage to meet demand for the job, it's economics 101. When the hospital lowers the pay for the job, then less people should apply for the job. The hospital should continue to lower the wage until there is 5 applicants willing and able to take the job so in the end the hospital would decrease SGA expenses thus increasing profit margins. I don't understand why management at many hospitals don't see this as a great way to increase profits? How could wages still be this high?

Just for the record, I'm not advocating the lowering of RN wages :wink2:. I myself would hate it if wages were to fall or stagnant before I get in the field. I believe the reason why wages are high and there are a dearth of nurses is because (almost) every nursing school in the nation is either jammed or competitive to get in which shows that there isn't enough nursing schools to train nurses for jobs. If there were more accredited nursing schools then I'm sure that there would be a greater supply of nurses. Want to know why I'm becoming a nurse? I'm doing it completely for the money. What other job provides good benefits, job security, good salary, and good job outlook? I didn't want to become a nurse but I couldn't find another job that provides so much for so little. As for overcoming the stresses of nursing, I shouldn't have a problem with that. I simply won't have compassion for patients and live my life as normal. If I wasn't there then the patients would still be screaming, suffering, and crying with another nurse. I'll get things done while other RN's hold a patients hand for 30 minutes or wheel a patient on a wheelchair outside to be picked up by family members. I went to a hospital and seen it with my own eyes, a RN wheeling a patient to the parking lot and wait there for about 10 minutes! What a waste of resources when someone that has a lesser wage could be wheeling that patient! Why does it matter if you hold a person's hand before they die, they'll lose memory of it anyways. I've seen RN's talk in the break room for a while and one time even host a birthday party for the nurse manager, hard job right?! I would never become a nurse if the salary wasn't enough. If hospitals lowered RN wages by $5-10, I bet you that nursing schools would still be packed and there would still be the same supply of nurses coming. I see many on here saying that they would quit nursing if wages were lowered, is money a primary reason that you (a nurse) got in the profession? I've looked over the dropout rate statistics and still decided to be on the path towards getting in nursing school. No point in working towards something then quitting. I will not be grossed out by anything or quit because of it. I won't be intimidiated by crazy patients. Once again, I do not care at all about patients and will just do what I'm supposed to do as a nurse which I think will keep my stress level down. I can't wait to get ahold of a $70,000/yr salary after just 2 years in college . Refer to me as "his/him" in your replies since I'm a man :).

I've seen on here that a hospital wouldn't even accept experience gained at a hospice for a RN. I doubt working as a CNA counts as experience with the few tasks they perform. A CNA doesn't do paperwork, give pills, IVs and all that stuff. I would become a CNA myself but jobs for CNA are so scarce that I'm not even going to waste my time. If you leave your CNA job I doubt you could get another one for income.

I would rather compete for a job also. I wouldn't worry about lower wages for RN happening, not even the tech sector lowered wages much during the time that lots of jobs were cut. RN wages posted strong percentage gains again this year compared to other jobs. Tait: The company hired mostly inexperienced c++ programmers and graphic designers that graduated from college for minimum wage, it was some company that made games. I don't know if it's still in business, but think about how much more that could be done when you hire 3 inexperienced programmer verses one programmer for the same cost. Lower quality? If you could hire 2 RNs working for half as much, I think quality would greatly improve when a registered nurse is assigned to half as many beds. I hear so much complaining on here that nurses are overworked and can't provide the full care that they can being assigned to so many beds.

After looking at the countless rants of nurses who can't get a job for months on here and seeing nearly all job listings for nurses requiring experience, I went on to conclude that getting a nursing job now isn't easy. Why don't employers keep lowering the wage until there is only 1 or 2 applicants willing to apply instead of the usual 70 to 80? Don't you think an employer could get away with a job offer for $32 an hour for a RN instead of $33 an hour? Why not offer $8 or $10 an hour?? RN are working for FREE via internships! 33% of nurses at hospitals are nothing more than internships, free labor. The clinical experience at colleges means absolutely nothing. I bet you that a hospital can still get RNs if it paid $10 an hour for wages. On the news a while ago I heard of a company hiring programmers at MINIMUM WAGE, they had NO PROBLEM getting programmers willing to work for that much with no chance of pay increases. If you are an unemployed RN, wouldn't it be better to land a job as a RN for $15 an hour rather than be jobless? On my way towards becoming an RN I've already encountered an obstacle. It's IMPOSSIBLE to get in anatomy, physiology, or microbiology. All classes were completely filled as soon as they were available to a group of students. I went to every class to petition and most of the time there were 3-4 times more people petitioning than people registered for the class. I will never get in those classes since I'm already working full time. Students taking more units (classes) last semester are the first allowed to register for classes. Students like me who struggle to get in a single class will always be the last allowed to register which means the classes I need will be closed. I'm not stupid and know I need to attempt to pass my classes with "A's". I'm getting a little discouraged when I'm not even given the opportunity to take the classes I need and when RNs can't find jobs at this time.

I don't see anything wrong with the kind of sexual harassment accusation against the CNA. How could the CNA know if the wife did not want to be with the CNA without him first asking her? Besides, isn't it easy to get out with the wife while the patient (husband) is in a hospital bed ? If unwanted "sexual advances" happen when a man calls a girl to ASK if the girl wants to go meet somewhere, then how could the man know before calling that his call to ask the girl to go somewhere would be unwanted? I'm not a psychic either so I would not know either if asking a girl to go somewhere is unwanted without asking. I don't see this as a big deal.

Have you taken a sedative or anesthesia yet to get you to go to sleep? I find OTC sleeping pills to be ... a little weak for nurses.

I think that there is already an over saturation of inexperienced nurses in my area. What I am betting on is that people will live longer, nurses part of the baby boomer group will retire, and the baby boomers will need to go to the hospital/hospice more often. I'm set to attend fall 2009 semester at a community college to complete prerequisite RN courses.

I don't understand how a virus replicates inside a single cell helps you with everyday nursing. Tell me what and how specific action a nurse has performed on the job as a result of having taken microbiology class. A nurse is not able to diagnose patients with c. dif since they are not doctors. If a nurse is not able to diagnose that condition then most likely a doctor did so, a doctor should also come up with treatment options. So a nurse knowing of microbiology (I think) doesn't seem to help, the treatment for the patient should be set in stone already. All the nurse would do is administer treatment on the patient with c. dif, I see microbiology not helping here. I'm not a nurse, but I'm seriously considering pursuing a nursing career.

I've looked over microbiology syllabuses online and my conclusion was that microbiology does not help working nurses to much. Chemistry should help you understand the chemical reactions taking place in microbiology. Someone please tell me what learning how viruses replicate inside a cell helps with doing paperwork or giving medicine as a RN. Writing essays in an english class also helps greatly when your performing CPR.

I seen people post on here that LVN's make at least $15 an hour. Yet I can't find a single lvn job that pays good. Here is an example of a LVN job paying minimum wage AND requiring experience! ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- job #1: http://jobview.monster.com/Licensed-Vocational-Nurse-Job-Laguna-Beach-CA-US-82002092.aspx Full Time, Days and Nights 12 hour shifts. Relevant Work Experience2+​ to 5 YearsSalary35,000.​00 - 46,000.​00 USD /​year---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ok 35k a year sounds great right? WRONG! $8 an hour x 12 hours a day X 7 days a week X 52 weeks a year = $34,994 a year. If I search other cities I can't even find a job opening or lvn/lpn. It is extremely hard to land a job as a LPN/LVN. You'll make far more as a construction worker, plumber, lawn mower, etc...

Should I even try to become a RN? I am hearing that the bare minimum GPA needed to get into a nursing school to get an ADN/BSN is about 3.7. Getting a "B" in any prerequsite will pretty much guarantee that you won't be accepted anywhere in a 4,000 mile radius. As for the fortunate students who somehow got a high GPA, they need to wait a good 2-3 years before getting a single one and only phone call to get admitted in nursing school. Miss that one phone call because of a bad cell phone battery then you need to get back in line and go wait another 2-3 years (or 4 years) to get in. After miraculously becoming a RN with a ADN *only* 7 years after you took your first prerequisites you try to get a job with the requirement of you being a RN or LVN/LPN in a 100 mile radius and don't get a single call back for months. If you do win the powerball by landing a job then you will enjoy a nice paycheck to pay back your 100k student loan after getting spit on, yelled at by everyone, doing double/triple shifts, and trying real hard to hold your excrement for hours because the call light(s) keep going off so you need to be in 5-10 places at once. Sounds great! I want to become a nurse!

If I want to become a RN, what path should I take? From what I read, there are three paths I could take to become a RN. I could take the required prerequisite courses for a nursing school at a community college and then try to get in a nursing school to get an associate or bachelor's degree for a RN. Or I could become a LVN and then take a LVN to RN bridge program. I really want to avoid the high gpa requirements needed for prerequisite courses before going to nursing school. My high school gpa was about 1.3 to 1.4. I was so lucky to get my high school diploma, I got only one C out of 7 classes I was taking during my last semester there! Anyways, I got a few questions about the LVN to RN bridge program. I live in orange county and was wondering if the prerequisite courses required to become a ADN/BSN apply to the LVN to RN bridge? I hear that a GPA of at least 3.6+ needs to be obtained to even hope being accepted at a nursing school. If prerequisite courses are required for the LVN to RN bridge then would I still have to get a very high GPA on the prerequisite courses?