haitwun

Introduce myself as nurse practitioner to all my patients and I have never called myself doctor. Yet, people throw the doctor title on my name. From medication refill requests, medication bottles patients bring in, lab results and imaging reports...they all give my name as Dr "my real name here" MD. My prescriptions and all my documentation clearly states NP. I've been out of school for a year now and I've noticed this occurs quite frequently. This is not a question, more of a rant.

The most important thing to remember is don't panic. Most people who fail do so because they panic when they see queestion #76. Stay calm. Focus on the task at hand. The NCLEX can be especially difficult if English is not your native language. Pat yourself on the back for simply making it this far.

NP certificate programs are long because given the amount of material covered, you will need much time to become competent. Even when you complete the program, you will still feel unprepared for the task of practicing. Don't worry about the length of the program. Find one that you like and work hard at it. It was humbling for me when I started my NP post masters certificate because unlike my classmates, I already had a masters degree. The workload and the vast amounts of material quickly made me thankful that I had a whole 2 years to get it down.

The job isn't any different at night. You get a lot more admissions, though... Personally, I had difficulty staying awake. I still do! That is why I knock back a Monster energy drink every night. It isn't the ideal thing to do but you do whatever you have to in order to accomplish the mission.

You can do both. Serve in the marine corp reserves and go to school while you do your one weekend per month. I was in a similar situation where I was in the army reserve and going to nursing school. It all worked out.

I noticed all the administrators and CEOs of the various hospitals I have worked in only carry a MBA but no healthcare experience at all. With them, it is all about cutting costs and maximizing profits. It would be nice to have someone in senior leadership with a healthcare background.

They don't have AAA or roadside assistance?

I have had patients who specifically request a male nurse. One patient said that in the 3 days prior to me taking care of him, he felt neglected by the female nurses but the male nurses were more attentive. I had a middle Eastern patient who requested only male nurses because he could not be touched by any women for cultural/religious reasons.

Get your MSN, it will be worth it in the long run. Please do not go the LVN route. Your prospects for employment will be slim. Check out University of San Diego. It is one of the top nursing schools in the nation and the campus is gorgeous. http://www.sandiego.edu/nursing/

I am in my forth semester, ready to take the NCLEX in two months. I have worked so hard throughout this program and scored well on the practice tests that I know the exam will be easy. The problem lies in the current job market. There are thousands of nursing students who will be completing their programs this fall and we will all be competing for a limited number of new grad positions. Last month, the local community hospital had a hiring fair where they sent out roughly 300 invitations to local nurses to tour the facility and interview. 300 invitations sent, 2000 applicants showed up. The line to get into the building stretched around the building. Once in the building, the line to see a charge nurse snaked around in the auditorium like a line for an amusement park ride. It was madness. The more rural hospitals two counties over have warnings on their websites urging people not to send resumes. Their resume pool far exceeds any job prospects. Out of state job markets look no better. Many students from the previous year still have not found work and have moved onto other things besides nursing to scrape a living. The future looks bleak. It looks like I have been busting my butt for the last 2 years for nothing. Does anyone else feel this way? Does anyone else know how to get a hold of some sertraline?

You will have welcome week, followed by a week off. Actual classes start the following Monday. Expect to be on campus 4 days a week, all day. You start clinicals around week 7 or 8, halfway through fall semester.

There are very few of those. In the class of 2013, there were only 4 of us who were direct admit. The direct admit kids do not get a one on one interview. Instead they chat casually with the faculty over a free lunch which is still kind of an interview. Congrats to all those who were accepted. Be prepared to sacrifice a lot to be successful.

Sounds reasonable. You have to really know your anatomy to be successful. I am glad to hear they are letting you take the course again.

We were required to buy uniforms through the school because they said hospital staff at clinical rotation sites have to be able to identify us as students. Plus, official school uniforms have the school's logo on it. It cost me $137 for 2 sets. It included two tops and two bottoms. The white coat was another $40. I figure this is an unavoidable cost so I don't feel too bad about spending the money.