JSBoston

What about going to all hospitals and asking their nurse educators? What about nurses who drive around educating on a product like LVADS? (Not sure if they need a masters? but it's teaching either way)

Why don't you work on the floor while going for your BSN? I did that and glad I didn't wait. By the time you are finished with the BSN you'll have experience and will be ready for the MSN

How much work is necessary for the preceptor (when the student obtains a msn education degree)? For those who have finished a practicum or precepted a student completing a practicum, I'd looove a little advice! I'm just taking the first orientation class at Walden

I am just starting my MSN education degree at Walden... can you explain the difficulty of obtaining a preceptor for the practicum? I almost understand the difficulty of finding on with trying to obtain a RN or BSN, but for education? What about educators in the hospitals you work in?

I am starting at the end of June too! For MSN education... I am starting the 1 credit orientation course at the end of this week, because I didn't want to take it with the first real 3 credit course in June. I just finished the 0 credit orientation to the website class too

Why don't you keep a per diem position and see if you can work the required number of shifts (many times it's 2 weekend shifts/month or something like that)... if you can't find yourself able to do that then quit, but at least you won't have to apply for another job. It might be a good idea if it's where you work right now, so you're familiar with it.

Very interested in this thread! I haven't started classes yet, but I will be started at Walden in June for MSN Education. There was a lot of debate with me between education and NP, and finally decided on education. I also really wanted to be in a brick and mortar school,but I'm not sure where I'll be in a few years. There have been really great reviews on Walden from Allnurses.com which was my deciding factor to take the plunge with an online school.

I think the tympanic temperature is the least accurate of all! But that's personal experience. I'm not sure what would be best to tell the students... I also believe rectal is the best/most accurate, but most patients will refuse that- 2nd best IMO is oral, but can not be as accurate with drinking/eating. I think one of the most important things is consistency to see changes in temps. Using the same thermometer.

When I was in an LTAC/Rehab hospital (for profit)... I worked 12 hr nights, sometimes I had 4 patients, sometimes up to 7. It depended on acuity. We had intubated vented patients, trached and vented/weaning patients, LVADS, cardiac drips, CPAPs for pt's with horrible CO2 levels, telemetry, major major wounds and even more demanding families in denial. Sometimes there were some nice nights, and sometimes I left in the mornings feeling totally destroyed. It usually depended on if the families thought I was their 1:1 slave or if the nursing assistants were off in the basement of the hospital with pillows and blankets sleeping. Or just boldly sleeping at the nurses station. I finally moved out of LTAC/Rehab after 3.5 years of it and I'm SO glad I did. Acute hospitals have their own issues with staffing/budgets and whatnot... But I'm wayyy happier now that I'm out of rehab.

I was actually just thinking about posting a question about this same thing... I just applied for Walden's MSN education program. I've been talking with my Med/Surg instructors in the mornings before I leave work (I work night's)... I'm not sure I'm quite ready for that, but I've also been looking at the Red Cross' nursing assistant programs to teach, possible CPR/BLS just to do something educational. But I'd like to eventually move onto clinicals and assist with classes. I'm also worried about getting a job after school is over too.

Hey Walden Students :) I've been looking at online schools and there are a few scholarships listed for each school, which is nice and all, but I wonder if anyone has been successful obtaining outside scholarships for grad school. I know there are TONS of scholarship sites out there... but has anyone received a scholarship award towards their grad school - like Walden? I'm all about putting in the work for free money like scholarships towards grad school, but I also don't want to waste my time either. I don't know if it makes a difference in being awarded scholarships if it's for a for-profit school like Walden.

One of our last surveys had a negative rating and the comment: "I wasn't allowed to eat, I only could have IV nutrition"... I can imagine there was a REASON, so we had a strike against us for THAT??? ugh

My husband and I together pay double that! We had zero help for school and also had to take out private loans. And out in Boston, we have about 1/4 of what a lot of students have out, many we know have over $400,000 from BU or BC, Harvard etc and don't pay their loans because they are unable to

A nurse I used to work with always said, "I'd love this job if it weren't for the patients"

It's a bummer that they are trying but aren't able to cut it... definitely the CNA needs some more education or training. In my history of working with CNA's, I've had WAY more problems with there being zero effort by them and having to kill myself to make up for their laziness. I'd much rather spend the time helping someone who CARES and is trying and having a hard time... then those who do their best to go as slow as possible so the nurses will do their work for them.

You're probably NOT going to get a LOT of responses "immediately", for the hiring process of a specific hospital... why don't you call the hospital itself and ask instead of writing a post? I love all nurses.com, but sometimes it's best to ask the source.

I've worked for a for profit hospital and now I work for a magnet hospital... I'm not sure if being on the east coast has anything to do with it, but I found a huge difference between the two. But then again, I think for-profit hospitals are quite corrupt, just from my personal experience. Getting into a non-profit one will be an improvement.

It took me just over a year to not feel like total crap about my shifts at work and feel semi organized. And then still I have nights where I don't know what the heck I'm doing, but I write everythingt down on my sheets. I do feel like working nights as a new grad gives you more time to be a nurse and think with your head instead of just passing and passing and passing meds and and talking to the families.

I LOVE being a nurse (most of the time) but if I could go back in time, I'd do PT or OT. I used to work in an LTAC and I would literally KILL myself and not eat my lunch until I got home from work. Every second was pure stress and there wasn't enough of me to go around. We had a TON of pt/ot at our hospital and they did work hard, but they had scheduled times with the patients and they always always had lunch together as a group, while I didn't have time to pee. They had time with the patient's progress notes than I did. The main negative about them IMO, is they had to step out of the room when codes happen and I like to be around for learning and helping the patient.

I would probably try this in the Correctional Nursing section, and the Psych Nursing section... wish I could help more!

omg you guys LOL

I walked into my pt's room the other night and his trach mask over his nose... good thing is was more for humidification than O2... I could've burst out laughing, but my poor alert and oriented pt just sat there and didn't complain

I'm sure most of what you say is true... I just started a few months ago at a magnet hospital. Coming from a for-profit hospital and another hospital I only lasted 9 months which was part of a huge network in Boston...That SUCKED... I feel like where I work now (magnet) is MUCH better than where I've worked before. I'm sure being magnet is less of a factor, but after the hell I've been through at other facilities, I don't really care lol... They can throw the magnet status around all they want if I'm happier and my coworkers are happier

What kind of nursing were you in that you left? Was it critical care/ICU/ER? How long have you been a nurse? I've recommended LTAC's before to nurses on these forums, and I'll do it again with you. They aren't the ideal places to work IMO, but the skills you'll learn are amazing. The patients are VERY sick most of the time, still coming out of ICU's and medical floors, have histories a mile long, but are more stable than critically ill patients. You'd practice everything under the sun, and with them more stable, you'd be able to connect the dots, practice tons of skills and improve! It was your husband that said you shouldn't be a nurse???? IS he a nurse too??? I mean no offense to your husband, but unless he's a nurse too, he needs to shut his pie hole! Most of our spouse's have NO CLUE what it is we do and how hard we work. I started out in L&D, and it was a terrible experience. Small rural hospital with 30 deliveries a month and 6 NEW GRADS (should've been a big fat red flag huh?), I was brought into the manager's office twice, she told me I wasn't picking up things fast enough... well hello... a month without a delivery? What do you expect!!! I was told I could work on another unit the hospital, and I ended up quitting and moving across the country. I thought L&D was my passion in life, and I was soooo depressed and thinking I was not good enough to be a nurse. Getting into a LTAC with a good orientation with good basics was the best thing I ever did. And what do you know, there's only ONE of the original SIX nurses I started with in L&D still working there, and they all quit within a few months of me. DON'T let other people get you down, you just need to find a better place that will work, I wouldn't recommend just leaving bedside nursing if you don't want to.

I've been thinking about ICU nursing... higher acuity but focused on 1-2 pts... but they are hard to get into... even with experience with vents, tele, lvads etc