delabeaux

Welcome to the dumpster fire that is Healthcare in the US. Many in your shoes may think the way out is to get your MSN and flee the floor. Unfortunately, schools are pumping out MSNs in every specialty except anesthesia faster then you can say "paycut". Now the MSN market is saturated with inexperienced, underqualified RNs fleeing the floors, and happily taking 65k a year as an NP to 'get away'... to a job they'll be burnt out on in a few short years.

Thanks! This is what I"m looking for... looking to maintain my RN license for informatics but my current state requires hands on hours, which I don't get working remotely in informatics. Will look into these.

I'm wondering if there are states that don't require residency to get licensed in that state; I've looked at a few but the info is vague beyond visiting all 50 state's Board of Nursing / Depts of health!

Amazing. Perhaps we spew so much therapeutic communication to our patients, we save none for our peers? I see nothing wrong with venting. You get heard, and while it likely means nothing, its gets gears turning. Some of the issues the OP poses are part(s) of the reasons I volunteer as an RN only for the time being. Graduating with a 4.0 I was offered two jobs, an RN job, and an IT job. IT is my passion, healthcare was my job-choice. I chose IT, and I'm glad I did. In the health-system I'm in, I get to hear about previously guaranteed hour nurses get called off, having to use vacation time to meet FTE, short staffing, frustration. This at a magnet health system, malcom-baldridge health system. All this means nothing with unhappy staff. The changes Obamacare has pushed through means, ultimately that the nurse pays. Payment is made in cut hours, short staffing, frustration, forced to use vacation time to make up cut hours, disrespect. It better be damn worth it for the additional 50 million new healthcare customers. Anywho... As many have pointed out, the wonderful thing about nursing is it's breadth! The possibilites within are nearly endless. It can be coupled with almost any niche, IT, writing, speaking, teaching, exercise, nutrition, law, medicine, science, almost anything. For those of us with second degrees, we can use that to our benefit. For those of us tired of what the OP alludes to, we can find other niches within nursing, or create our own! The possibilities are endless!

And because of this (OP), droves or nurses are going for their NP thinking it's the way out, not realizing they're creating an NP excess. NP jobs are becoming like new grad RN jobs, hard to find, paltry pay etc.

If you REALLY have nursing as a passion, do it. You may make less, you may work more. It doesn't matter if it's your passion, because you won't be 'working'. Now. For reality. If it is not 100% what you will absolutely love, even if it means less pay and more work, then you need to seriously consider this. Obamacare has made it so that new grads are jobless or working mutiple part-time jobs. Obamacare has made it so that at hospitals where you would have had 4 patients during the day and 5 at night, you now have 6+ during the day, 7+ at night. Obamacare has made it that once you were guaranteed 40 hours a week. Now you go home when there is 'too much staff', and you use your vacation time to fill in your off hours. Obamacare has made it so that hospitals nationally are overworked, understaffed. Obamacare means that ultimately, the nurse pays for it all. More work. Less staff. Job uncertainty. Thus, if you come on over, be prepared, and if it is your life's passion, none of the above will matter. I looked for an RN job for 2 years after graduating with a 4.0, top of my class, and a previous degree, also with a 4.0. I now volunteer as an RN and work at a large health system in IT. I hear on every floor the dissatisfied RNs who are getting sent home, who don't have CNAs, etc. Thus, I re-itereate, if it is your passion, none of the above will matter, but be prepared for reality.

Post graduation, post passing the NCLEX in 75 questions, I used the Hurst Review, and only studied the end-of-chapter questions in Saunders.

This is true. However, I am extrapolating from previous experiences as a CNA in a local hospital. Being a male CNA, 99% of what I did was sit with violent, aggressive, combative and abusive 1 to 1 clients... alcohol withdrawals, drug withdrawals, dementia, and head injuries. Sometimes this was ok... cute little old ladies, more often than not, however, it was the 6', 300# man who thinks you're in house and his hitting at me, and the nurse is not restraining the client because they don't want to deal with calling the doctor. I wen't from making $21.00 as a CNA to $9.00 in my current job... still at the hospital. It was worth the pay cut, and I actually like work now. Before, I would fear calling into work; I don't now. I tried to make it fun, but when you're getting abused, literally, it's hard to see the silver lining in that. When I did get the 1% of my time on the floor, I loved it... even if I was the only CNA on the floor with 25+ clients. Thus, in my opinion, a positive attitude is indeed necessary, in any profession, but it will only get you so far. There are those CNAs who enjoy dodging fists, I was not one of them! I will of course be applying for jobs that aren't my first choice, clinics, community health etc, because I've had positive experience in these areas in school...

Awesome! By the way, you can call... assuming you have Federal Loans, (and possibly with private loans), and get extended forebearance/deferments for up to a year or more! I only know that as my wife (a nurse), had to do that as well! I agree on your post. I work in a hospital, in a non-nursing role. The only new grad's I"m seeing getting hired are CNAs who have been on their floor for 4+ years. I recently did my preceptorship at my hospital (I've worked at for 6 years now). I was told by many nurses not to expect a job there. I can see myself working part time there to keep my foot in the door and doing something else part time, volunteering, etc until I can. It's good you're enjoying what you're doing at the moment!

That is heartening. However, I see so many nurses taking jobs that they will simply hate, just to get their year in. Having worked at a job I despised, I must say, that is something I cannot do... I can't see doing a job I would despise for the ulterior motive of getting a year experience (I'm not implying the poster is doing this, but it is common advice to we students). Ultimately, the client will suffer if we are unhappy in our position. Thus, once I start my search in a few months, it will only be for the areas I will be happy. Perhaps care is affected by the providers disposition.

It is a standard admitted to by the ANA. My associate studies end in a year. Since we're getting off track and trying to quantify this conversation to my education, my Bachelor studies finished 2 years ago, in microbiology, my 1st associates in biology was 2 years before that, concurrent with an associates in chemistry... Having attended a less than adequate ADN program, and having talked to 10+ people in the local area from 3 different areas that were experienced nurses and weren't happy with their experience, I wanted to find an adequate program.. Granted they're great now, but they weren't when they began. So, no. PA isn't my measuring stick. It is many other NPs, and other healthcare providers. Which is why I made the original post (this is getting repetitive, is it not?) The ANA recognizes that many schools are producing less than adequate providers who must be remediated. There surely are programs that don't require this. I'm looking to find them. You can defend the inadequacy of nursing until you're blue in the face, and that won't change the fact that the ANA itself recognizes national educational needs for improvement. So. Did you graduate from a competent NP program? If so, post here. If you'd like to argue in circles... then I guess post here too if you're bored and really have nothing to contribute...

Lol. Now this is getting silly. Let's just be frank and admidt that there are $hit NP programs out there. Furthermore, one CAN go straight from BSN to MSN-FNP. Schools are slowly changing it, but it's a fact. An NP SHOULD out-preform a PA as an ENTRY level provider. But they don't. Even with 'years' of clinical experience, schools are still graduating NPs who do not know the first thing about being an NP. Which is why I had the first post. While I realize there are many, many poorly ran NP programs, such is the case with undergraduate RN programs, I am looking for programs that focus on competence and not $hit theory that really is about as meaningful as your above post. It is not about 'confidence'. That argument is really underselling all nurses, claiming they're scared and just can't handle it. Really? If that's the stance and outlook you want to take as a nurse then so be it. If anyone is confident, it SHOULD be the nurse with 5+ years experience. Surely that trumps any length of clinical time any PA has had. But it doesn't. Nursing is not a mid-level practice. While the experiences may be helpful, they're still nursing experiences. Why schools think that 1.) this makes up for less time, and 2.) they can focus on theory instead of actual care and produce incompetent providers is beyond me. This is not some mystery, so to think so is to fool yourself. On NPR 4 months ago, they had the directors of the ANA and other top nursing organizations on Talk of the Nation. They expressly acknowledged the lack of education and clinical experience NPs graduate with and they stated they are 'working on it'... they also had several PAs and MDs call in to comment on it. So, the one's 'crashing and burning' are new grad NPs. Why? Because their schools failed to teach them what mattered. Yes, it does 'eventually' even out, after the NP gets a year or two of catch up. This shouldn't be the case. NP schools should be producing qualified providers, not NPs who need two years of clinical remediation because they had crap for schools and clinicals, but boy can they tell you about the 'Theory of Caring'. So, again: My original post was looking for NP schools that produce competent NPs. However you want to rationalize the majority incompetence that even the ANA validates as being factual is up to you... while the ANA is 'working' on getting better clinical hours and didactics, I'm looking for any schools that are there already. So, to those who are aware of them, post away. To those who are offended at reality... see the above post!

I studied Kaplan for the NET (Nurse Entrance Test). I found 40 errors, typos, things that were plain wrong. While it had minimally good information, the fact that I paid for it, and it seemed not to be edited was beyond amazing. I've started the Kaplan 2011 NCLEX reveiw. I've thus far found 3 errors, and poor rationales supporting their work. My school pays for us to access Kaplan online tests and provides a week-long review course at the end of the semester. Same situation, errors, little to no rationale. Having graduated from a university that demanded attention to detail and had little sympathy for unedited work, this is instilled in its students. Furthermore, it should be expected from a company that prepares students not only for nursing, but medicine, dentistry, law and more. Having a reputation for uncorrected errors, faulty information and poor rationales that might as well say, 'because we say so', one is left with little other thoughts for excellence when considering the company...

I'm using, Saunder's Comprehensive 5th ed, Just ordered PREPU NCLEN-10,000 and LaCharity's delegation 2nd ed. I graduate in December (10th). Our school has a Kaplan course... some student swear by it. I personally HATE kRaplan. Their texts are ridden with error, their online tests are poorly written with crap rationales, and I foresee this being the case for the week long prep course, but I guess I'll attend anyway... Suggestions or am I solid? I plan on studying 100ish questions a day till I graduate, then 6-8 hours a day for a month after, then NCLEX!

If you're talking about Duke: http://grad-schools.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-health-schools/physician-assistant-rankings Then no, they don't overtly require organic chemistry 1 and 2... they imply it though: http://paprogram.mc.duke.edu/Admissions/Prerequisites/ "To fulfill the remaining biological science course prerequisite, the PA Program recommends courses in genetics, cell biology, molecular biology, embryology, histology, or immunology. " Having taken genetics, cell biology, molecular biology and immunology, it's safe to say that you would be hard pressed to find a university... especially Duke, that does not require ochem1/2 and calculus for any of these classes. It's simply too important to the base of these classes to not have the o-chem foundation. And yes, I can see, having taken these classes, how a PA might think differently when considering pharmacology, drug interactions and biochemical process whereas a nurse may not. Yet, as I have already stated above, it doesn't matter. The research shows that the care between EXPERIENCED pa's, np's, and docs is unremarkable when comparing because the results are the same: adequate high-level care. I'm sure there are a lot of PAs that couldn't give a crud about the sciences and are more into the moment of pt. care. Same goes for nps and integrating theory... and there likely are those who do as well... and still... doesn't matter .