Nuru99

In the beginning God covered the earth with broccoli, cauliflower, and spinach, green, yellow, and red vegetables of all kinds; so Man and Woman would live long and healthy lives. Then using God's bountiful gifts, Satan created Ben and Jerry's and Krispy Kreme. And Satan said, "You want hot fudge with that?" And Man said, "Yes!" and Woman said, "I'll have another with sprinkles." And lo and behold they gained 10 pounds. And God created the healthful yogurt that Woman might keep the figure that Man found so fair. And Satan brought forth white flour from the wheat, and sugar from the cane, and combined them. And Woman went from size 2 to size 10. So God said, "Try my fresh green salad." And Satan presented crumbled Bleu Cheese dressing and garlic toast on the side And Man and Woman unfastened their belts following the repast. God then said, "I have sent you heart healthy vegetables and olive oil in which to cook them." And Satan brought forth deep fried coconut shrimp, butter dipped lobster chunks and chicken-fried steak so big it needed its own platter. And Man's cholesterol went through the roof. God then brought forth running shoes so that his Children might lose those extra pounds. And Satan came forth with a cable TV with remote control so Man would not have to toil changing the channels. And man and woman laughed and cried before the flickering light and started wearing stretch jogging suits. Then God brought forth the potato, naturally low in fat and brimming with potassium and good nutrition. Then Satan peeled off the healthful skin and sliced the starchy center into chips and deep-fried them in animal fats and added copious quantities of salt And Man put on more pounds. God then gave lean beef so that Man might consume fewer calories and still satisfy his appetite. And Satan created McDonald's and the 99-cent double cheeseburger. Then Lucifer said, "You want fries with that?" and Man replied, "Yes! And super size' em!" And Satan said, "It is good." And Man went into cardiac arrest. God sighed and created quadruple bypass surgery. And Satan created HMOs. Amen

Hey Mini A couple of things 1/ Make sure you get the Canadian RN exam prep book It has about 360 questions and their answers with rationales that are similar to the ones which you will see on the main exam. 2/ I also used a web site called certinurse.ca. This has practice questions which are supposedly similar to the board exams http://certinurse.ca/ I don't think its the greatest site because you tend to memorize answers and not always understand the rationale behind them. I thought I would give you the link anyway because there are some people that I have spoken too that do like it. It also is the only site where I could find the legalities of Nursing in Canada. (I must warn you thought I did find it a bit patronizing ) 3/ Like I said in my previous post the main problem with nurses like myself (worked in adult ICU for 8 years) is that we tend to have specialized in one area and the exam looks at all areas of nursing. This may not be too much of an issue for you as you are fresh from your degree and thus you knowledge is still fresh. peads maternity and mental health for example were areas I hadn't worked in since graduating so I had to do a bit of revising in those areas. When I did eventually sit the exam the majority of questions were very psycho social orientated. Anyways this is another website which may be helpful http://my2.bcou.ca/register/zwskfcls.p_getcrse The above website is a link to BC open learning university. They offer courses for nurses who were trained abroad and are planning on taking their board exams in Canada. The one of most interest to you may be NURS 371: Registered Nurse Exam Prep You can do it online so you can start taking it now. It also doesn't cost as much as some of the other courses available. Having given you all the above info I really feel that with your background the only thing you most likely will need is the prep guide (save your money for the move) Just get acquinted with multiple choice questions. I hope this info helps and let me know if you need any more help. Nuru P.S if you are going to Ontario check out the college of nurses website there's a new item called the readiness test. http://www.cno.org/reg/nonmemb/reg_exams.html Also the CNA (Canadian nurses association) has some recommendations. http://www.cna-nurses.ca/default.htm

Hi all, I must admit its kinda nice to see that more brit nurses are coming over to Canada. I moved here in January from London and it has taken me some time to get used to the system. In response to the the question 'was the CRNE hard?' Not really. The only thing which I did find a bit difficult was that the exam appears to be designed for new graduates who generally have a wide generally Knowledge. I had been working in Adult ICU for 8 years when I took the exam so that meant I had to do major revising in things like peads, maternity and mental health. In terms of qualifying for the exam. I think it depends on the province that you are applying to but I know for a fact that by 2005 all the provinces willl be requiring that you have a degree. I already had my bachelors so this wasn't so much of an issue for me. The proccess of registering did take a long time and I would advise anyone to do as much as possible before they got to canada (i.e send of all transcripts and appropriate references before you leave England). Having passed the exams their may be some agravation in getting jobs, I don't think this is so much of an issue in the bigger towns though (I live in Nova Scotia). If anyone wamts any info on preparing for the exams pm me. I have some web links I can pass on. Seriously though if you are coming from the UK and English is not an issue the exam isn't that hard. Do prepare for it though as some of the ethics and laws (e.g advance directives ) are different. Hope this is helpful

hi everyone, just wanted to thank everyone for their advice.:) i've decided to buy the laura gasparis vonfrolio book but not the tapes. from what you guys are saying they sound great it's just that a friend of mine gave me some of her video tapes which she got from the aacn. they are in lecture form and take some effort to concerntrate on but they are a great in guiding me (they're also free). i'm aiming to take the exams in august so wish me luck guys. :wink2:

I'm not a CRNA but I've had a couple of phone interviews for jobs and for my post grad Bsc. The one advantage of the phone interview is that you can have all your materials about the school in front of you. E.g when they ask you why this school? or what do you know about this program. You can have highlight of points that you want to address in front of you. Main thing though is to listen to the questions asked. It's amazing how much talking we do without speaking. Someone also told me something which sounds kinda funny but seems to work. Dress up for the part. If you feel proffessonal it also comes across in your voice. Hope all goes well and LOTS OF LUCK

We use dopplers and are in the process of introducing PiCCO. I haven't used PiCCO much but I must admit I'm more inclined to use them than swans.

Hi Su.XXX I'm glad the links helped though I must admit I'm disappointed you didn't get any more help from the CNO (College of Nurses of Ontario). I'm based in Nova Scotia at the moment and I work part time for an NGO that is trying to formulate a program of support for internationally trained nurses to prepare to sit the CRNE. Ontario is supposed to be the province that is taking the lead in this so obviously they haven't got it right yet. I just thought I should add another link for you. It is for the CNO and has a step by step approach to getting registered in Ontario. I noticed that they have changed some of the requirements e.g you didn't have to be a canadian citizen to sit the exams before. If this is a problem just remember not all the provinces require this and if you decide to sit the exams elsewhere you can always transfer to the province that you want. Link from College of Nurses of Ontario http://www.cno.org/international_en/index.html P.S I haven't been to Heidelberg only Berlin and Bautzen. My hubby and I are planning a trip to Germany next year and hopefully Austria too. I just really loved it there. Thats one of the things I miss about living in London (I used to live in the UK). Europe is so close and everytime you have a couple of days of you can go off and explore.

In addition to what Topcat suggests alot of hospitals have websites with a link listing job vacancies. You can then apply direct to the hospital and specifically the area you are interested in. Also I think it helps to have a cover letter and resume ready. The good thing about hospital websites is that you can get the name of relevant personnel and address your cover letter to them. (stops you from being just another resume). Nuru

Hi bulletproofbarb, I don't know if this will help but have you tried the library in the RCN. Maybe you can take a photocopy of the relevant page.

Hi I'm a graduate of King's College Hospital so I'm definitely biased on this. Just to be fair though I'll try and stick to facts. When I did my training in KCH it was linked with the university of London. I got clinicals mostly from the hospital itself but also Bromley (did an elective there in A and E ) learnt a lot from there but the atmosphere was a bit strained at times due to an internal class war (bear in mind this is about 10 years ago though). Went to Farnborough for the mental health component and Guys for the maternity clinicals. Its kinda of hard to recommend based on my own experiences because such a lot has changed since then. I remember at the time there was a lot of RGN vs Diploma nursing "discussions" if you know what I mean. I don't think anyone does the RGN course anymore now (could be wrong). I loved the hospital though I also think its great because they are very pro continuous education which means that when you finish your nursing you can easily top up to a Bsc (I'm assuming you're going for a diploma here) or do a speacilizing course which the hospital pays for in return for a years work. Other positives are because the is a very multicultural community in camberwell, you get to see a lot of things which you would probably only read about in other areas of London e.g Tay sach and sickle cell disease. The faculty were very supportive when I was there and there was a lot of emphasis on facilitating learning rather that lecturing. I hope some of this helps. N P.S Don't like South Bank :chair:

Hey Su.XXX, Wellcome to allnurses.com. What part of Germany are you from ( I loved Berlin). I wonder have you contacted the nursing board in Ontario yet. I did my canadian RN exams in Jan of this year and passed first time. There's a couple of things you can do depending on how much help you feel you need. 1/ Make sure you get the Canadian RN exam prep book It has about 360 questions and their answers with rationales that are similar to the ones which you will see on the main exam. 2/ I also used a web site called certinurse.ca. This has practice questions which are supposedly similar to the board exams http://certinurse.ca/ I don't think its the greatest site because you tend to memorize answers and not always understand the rationale behind them. I thought I would give you the link anyway because there are some people that I have spoken too that do like it. 3/ I'm not sure what kind of training you have in Germany but I came from England and the main problem with nurses like myself (worked in adult ICU for 8 years) is that we tend to have specialized in one area and the exam looks at all areas of nursing peads maternity and mental health for example were areas I hadn't worked in since graduating so I had to do a bit of revising in those areas. Anyways this is another website which may be helpful http://my2.bcou.ca/register/zwskfcls.p_getcrse The above website is a link to BC open learning university. They offer courses for nurses who were trained abroad and are planning on taking their board exams in Canada. The one of most interest to you may be NURS 371: Registered Nurse Exam Prep You can do it online so you can start taking it now. It also doesn't cost as much as some of the other courses available. What ever you do decide though please contact the board of nurses first and they can guide you in what you may or may not require to sit the exams. I hope this info helps and let me know if you need any more help. Nuru

Hey Suzanne4, How does it work if you already have done your NCLEX exams and are licensed. I have a license for NY state and I worked there for 2 years in 1999 TO 2001. Do you still need to do the CGFN's in order to apply for the green card or is there a different route you need to take. I'm just qurious I guess. Thanks in advance for the info. Nuru

Hi all , I'm kinda new to this forum but have been reading and learning alot from all you guys. I've been working in ICU for 8 years now mostly in the uk but also 2 years in the US, a year in East Africa and now in Canada. I really want to sit for my CCRN board exams. I was wondering does anyone know of an online review course which helps you prepare for the exams. I am licensed in New York state so would most likley be doing the CCRN boards there. Thank in advance for all your help. :)

Hey Mwene, I used to live in the uk but am now living in Canada. Still miss london though. I used to work in London in UCL hospital and I loved it there. Housing is really expensive in London and we used live in Kent so we could afford a halfway decent house. Actually thats one of the reasons why we moved to Canada. Like I said I don't work there any more but I only left 3 months ago so if there's anything you need to know I would be glad to help in my limited capacity. Nuru

Hi, I am a foreign trained nurse who used to work in the U.S. I can tell you right now that not only did I have to pay for my Bsc on my own ( I was a Registered Nurse in New York state with a diploma) but I had to pay for it at a rate that was over twice that for U.S citizens. I also paid for my own NCLEX exams and visa processing. I worked hard to pay for these. I remember at one time I was working so much overtime to pay for these that one day I was in the supermarket on my day off doing some shopping and realized that I really felt strange. I then finally realized that the reason I felt so strange was because I wasn't wearing scrubs and was out of uniform. I am proud of where I am today. There were times when things did get hard but I have never blamed anyone (most certainly not any group!!!) for any problems which I have had. I have been spat at in elevators on my way to work because someone felt that someone of my complexion shouldn't be in that hospital. It made me angry but I didn't think that the whole of New York State behaved that way and so I didn't blame the whole state never mind the whole country!!!!. globalRN I read the following post from you "I am disappointed that when foreign nurses were used as scapegoats, or when their collective character/background were impugned there was very little response from this board" I would have definitely had something to say sooner but I only just found this thread now. I think that you should be proud off all the hard work you have put into becoming an RN. You most certainly have my respect. ( I worked for my degree too but I didn't have a family to care for at the time). We all have worked hard to get to where we are and we all (I am sure have had to make sacrifices ) but to blame a group for all your woes is not only dangerous it's stupid. Especially when it is based on here say.

Hi, My name's Nuru. I've just moved from the uk to Canada and have recently started working in an ICU in Canada. I've been doing ICU for about 8 years now but this is the first time I'm working in Canada. I wonder if they are any other uk ICU nurses working in Canada and how they are managing with the different system. e.g prescence of the respiratory therapists, techs to do ECG's etc. I personally am finding it very hard. If someone has been living here for a long time and adapted please let me know how you did it. If not, it would be great just to know that I'm not the only one. Nuru

Hi Eddie, I think the turnaround time depends on which province you do the boards in. I did mine in Nova Scotia and got my results back in just 2 weeks. The exam is multiple choice and it's written (I'm afraid). I think Ontario has the longest turnaround time and I've heard it can take up to six weeks to get your results. P.s Happy St. Patricks Day to you too (so nice to have someone else celebrating).

I think you are right UFB. kaplan only do review classes for the NCLEX not the canadian RN.

Hey UFB, Have you thought of joining the CARE (creating access to regulated employment) program. It's specifically aimed at preparing foreign trained nurses to pass there canadian RN's and it also helps with finding employment on passing the exams

Hi ferfer, I have 20 ibs to lose and am starting on a diet called SMD (scarsdale medical diet). It's usually always worked for me as long as I stick to it. Have you heard of it? Because it works quickly I tend to be encouraged and stick to it.

Hi, I'm kinda new here but I felt that because of what happened to me recently I have to stand up for the EMS guys. I'm a nurse who works in the ICU and as part of the job we do transfers from small hospitals to our ICU. A couple of months ago I went to pick up a real sicky patient you know the type ARDS on pressure control, 80% oxygen, chest tubes, inotropes, yadi, yadi, yadi. Anyways we usually use our private ICU ambulance and a doc, nurse and the driver normally go together. So anyways here is how it went, got all my equipment ready for the retrieval (vent, drugs, pumps etc), the doc I'm going with is great so no personality crashes took 3 hours to get to the hosp, two hours to prep to get back (you know x-rays, changing drugs, see he's stable on new drugs then we set of to our hosp. In the ambulance the doc and I did all our checks and we were talking about being hungry or something and then we were talking about how it had taken longer than we thought but at least we know he's stable. Next thing we know we both got thrown up (both of us had our belts on and it hurt), the stretcher got thrown of its railing, the ventilator fell on the lab of the doc (he was at the head and I was sitting on the side) , the monitor fell on me and I can tell you I really thought we were going to die and (i still feel guilty about this) but for just a fraction of a minute I thought to hell (sorry am I allowed to say that here) with the patient what about us (the doc and myself). What can I do to get us out of here. After what seemed like ages the ambulance stopped and the doc (who I have never heard swear before or since) says "what the f*** happened." I was shaking like there's no tomorrow and next thing i noticed that the ET tube was still in the patient but disconnected from the vent and his arm looked broken. I was about to bring his arm up (it was stuck between the stretcher and the wall) when the doc says forget that lets do the ABC's. We then kinda got into auto mode. I don't know the exact sequance of events but someone outside called another ambulance we got on with stabilizing the patient firemen came, more nurses came, more docs came to help took the pt to a closer hosp. I was baging, doc was drugging, someone else was lifting and somehow we got into another ambulance and to the hosp. We finally got the pt in the ICU and stable. The reason why I say I have to speak up for the EMS guys is that through out this they were the only ones who said to us (the doc, myself and the driver) "are you all right" they were the only ones who treated us like accident victims and not just there to carry on giving care even in the hosp that we took the patient to there was one point where we were so tired (started work at 7am and it was about 4am when we reached the hosp) I was bagging in auto mode. The hosp we went to I'm sorry to say was horrible and treated us like we intentionally disrupted there place at this hour. They offered no help when we needed things like ABG's done, fluids had run out, drugs about to run out etc. I remember at one point I had absently said I left my phone in our ambulance and I really wanted to call my hubby did they offer the phone? Oh no. The EMS guys acutually went back and got it together with some more of our things. They made us cups of coffee and tea. One of them fed us. One of the guys got the ER doc to examine us. I'm sorry but I personally can't fault EMS we all have bad days and say horrid things (I'm sure I've probably done it myself) but give the guys a break. They work hard and I for one can't thank them enough. Nuru

I'm so glad to hear about all you guys talking about breast reduction (I sometimes feel like I'm the only one). I was a DD when I was 14 and absolutely hated it. I've been thinking about breast reduction since I was 15. I was worried about the breast feeding thing but also I guess I thought I was having it for vanities sake rather than for any medical reason and somehow that was wrong. I love running though and my biggest dream would be to be able to run without having to strap myself with a Geri (geriatric) bra as well as bandaid. I did try to lose weight (lost 20lbs) but all that did was change me from a 36 E cup to a 32 E cup. You won't believe how hard it is to get a bra my size. How much is the reduction anyways? I'm 33 now and I'm still thinking of having it done.

Hello all, Thanks so much for all the info + advise you've been giving me. I did a bit more digging in the "nurse resisdency" program and basically it comes down to this. According to them The Residency Program is an educational program designed as a career ladder for RNs. There are 3 levels to it Level 1 which is the certification part (Takes 4 years to complete with 3 years being a clinical component and the last year having a theoretical component Level 2 which is the credential i.e BSN program And Level 3 which is the MSN program Apparently each level credential represents advanced training as a Healthcare Practitioner. This is part of an email they sent me "Upon graduation, Certified Healthcare Practitioners typically earn between $75,000 - $120,000 USD while specializing in any of the following areas: *ER *Maternal/Child *Med/Surg *Neonatal ICU *Oncology *Peds *Perinatal Regardless of what credential level you choose, your Arlington University Scholarship will cover the cost of your tuition, books, supplies, uniforms, computer, as well as providing you with a yearly $2,400 USD Health Insurance subsidy and a TAX-FREE living expense allotment of $30,000 USD annually. During this time you will also receive a yearly housing subsidy ranging between $18,000 and $24,000 USD depending on the cost of living in the area where your residency takes place. Arlington University's academic year consists of two semesters totaling approximately 10.5 months. The remaining six weeks are vacation periods where you are free to travel the country or go home and visit friends and family. The residency program works off of "rolling admission". Upon acceptance into the residency program you will receive a personalized course schedule and calendar outlining the start date for each of the two semesters required per academic year. Since, Arlington University has Residency Programs starting in most of the major cities through out the US we give our candidates the option of telling us what area they would prefer to perform their Residency in. Having spoken to one of the "course leaders" I've found out that the program is aimed mainly at Canadians Yes you do have to sign a contract that says you have to work for hospitals 1 selected by them as them (but they say they have several to chose from) 2. you are tied to working for them for a least 4 years 3 To remain eligible to receive scholarship funds, Scholarship Recipient must maintain a full-time student status 4 To maintain full-time status the student will complete 168 clinical lab hours per month within the clinical lab setting (that's over 40hrs per week is that normal) There's a list of 10 furthur conditions which you have to sign including penalties of not completing your 4 years level 1. The scholarship is funded by the Healthcare Practitioners Scholarship Associates Fund (HPSAF) and conveyed to Scholarship Recipient through Arlington University. Needless to say I'm not going on that program. I already have a Bsc don't want to spend 5 years getting another one. I was just curious when they said that the health care practioner had more autonomy than a NP and hadn't heard of that particular title before. Thank all for the info. Double thanks for the info on checking out wether the university is an approved school of nursing and UW site.

Hi all, I'm a nurse that works in ICU. I've been thinking about going to the U.S on and off lately. Recently I got some correspondence from Arlington University about a nursing residency program. Apparently it is 4 years long and at the end of it you have what they call a Healthcare Practitioner Certification. I spoke to the admin about the program and I keep getting the feeling that it's too good to be true. Apart from the fact that they pay all your tuition fees, moving fees and housing they also arrange your visas. I have been planning on doing my Nurse practitioner course but according to the administrator a Healthcare practitioner certification would give me more autonomy and the ability to work on my own. Can anyone tell me what a healthcare practitioner certification actually is (I Mostly grew up with the UK system of nursing). How does it compare with a Nurse Practitioner. I Also don't understand how it relates to a Msc. Thanks tons for all your help in advance. :)

I agree that it doesn't matter how old you are. I was 18 when I got into nursing school I think I was pretty mature but I was also a bit judgmental. Maybe being mature means being less judgmental and thus more accepting of people. I think the thing that determines how good a nurse is you are (apart from brains, patience and determination) is how accepting you are of people. I don't think it depends so much on your age as on your attitude.