AccelBSN04

To add to the last post, the most recent quote (about a month ago) I got from a recruiter at FH for a new grad is $18.10. ORHS pays $17.60. IMO, shift diffs are better at ORHS. No sign on's anywhere. I do know that if you want to do the critical care orientation at FH, you owe them 18 more months of work. They consider the "$20,000+" they spend on you to train you to be a critical care nurse like a sign-on bonus I guess. If you leave before that, you owe them money. I think that's a bunch of malarky and I won't work there for that reason when I graduate. But ORHS may do the same thing; I don't know. You have to probe quite a bit to get that info from the recruiter. They know that policy is a deterrent, so they try not to advertise it.

How many of you have private liability insurance (e.g. not through your employer)? Can you share why you believe it's important to carry it and any tips on what to look for in a provider? Thanks in advance!

I work at APH as a clin tech right now before I finish my BSN later this year. It's a great facility and expanding very quickly. They are currently building a huge addition to their urgent care facility, going from "urgent care" to level I trauma center in the next 18 months, and thus almost tripling their ED staff. The pay is a little less than Florida Hospital but I think the differentials are better. Base pay for a brand new GN is $17.60. Not sure what the midpoint is, but I know it increases a decent amount after your first year or so. Their computer system leaves much to be desired, but they are upgrading it to a Windows-based system in the next 9-12 months. Overall, I think it's a great place to learn. Staff are extremely friendly on every unit I've been on. I did my peds clinical at Florida Hospital South and thought it was an ok floor, but APH has impressed me more. Hope that helps answer your questions!

I'm still confused about the make-up question. Can you clarify?

Anyone have any opinions on the best/most comfortable shoes to wear while working on the floor? My New Balance walking shoes just aren't cutting it. I love my Birkenstock sandals, but don't know about their "professional" line of shoes. Anyone tried them before??

It's frightening to me how blinded people really can become by their bigotry. One of the couples at my church is black, husband is an MD and wife is an NP in the ER. They were on a flight to Europe when one of the male passengers (white) fell unconscious d/t a massive MI. Flight crew asked if anyone could help and they obviously both stood up to offer their assistance--could this guy get more lucky?? Amazingly, in the midst of screaming hysterically, the guy's wife refuses to have two "n***ers" touch her husband! Everyone was horrified and actually pulled her away so the couple from my church could work on him. Luckily they had a defibrillator on the plane and were able to keep him alive until they landed but supposedly, he later died. We were all dumbfounded when they returned home and told us the story. Just the fact that they didn't take this lady out after they stabilized her husband amazes me. I guess I thought we had progressed farther along in our ethnocentric thinking than we really have...

I can only speak for UCF, as I am currently getting my BSN there (2nd degree). UCF does consider your overall undergrad GPA, but they especially focus on how well you did in your prereqs. There are about 30 hours worth of prereqs at UCF and both sociology and statistics are included. If your other prereq grades are in low B to C land, I would consider taking them over, but that's entirely up to you. If you have an otherwise pretty good GPA (>3.5), it may not be a big issue. In my opinion, Statistics, A&P, Micro and Chem are the top 4 worth trying to get the best grade possible. UCF is of the opinion that past performance is indicative of future performance. I have heard that the generic program receives upwards of 400 applications for roughly 90-100 spots. Since the accelerated program just started this past May, I'm not sure how many applications they received. We do have about 30 students in the program though. If you have other questions about UCF, you can pm me and I'd be happy to answer them as best I can.

It sounds like everyone is recommeding the BSN route, and I'm going to add to the list. I too already had a BS and work experience when I decided I wanted to be a nurse. The logical choice for me was to pursue another BS degree. Luckily, I found an accelerated program which has allowed me to complete my BSN degree in 15 months instead of 2 years (actually my program is only 1 semester less than the generic program, but we go straight through the summers). Even if I didn't have the option of an accelerated program, I would've chosen the 2 year generic BSN. I just couldn't justify getting an ADN when I already had a 4 year degree. But that's just me. Nonetheless, I think it would serve your purposes much more to get a BSN if you intend to go the mgmt route.

Acclerated BSN at Univ. Central Florida in Orlando. Will finish in July!