lulu88

I have a friend who graduated from TSU and LOVED it! She still can't stop singing the school's praises to this day! I also attended UT-Austin for my graduate degree. For my undergraduate degree I went to a very small state school in northern Missouri. All I can say is I liked the small school in MO so much better than UT, which was overwhelming at times, even to a graduate student! From my own experience in choosing a college, my advice would be to let your daughter choose. She's the one who will be spending the next four years there, not you (not to be disrespectful in any way). She is old enough and smart enough to choose the school that best suits her interest AND her personality. I would trust her instincts. Hope this helps in some way! Best of luck to you and your daughter!

Thanks everyone for all of your helpful advice! Do they allow students to shadow a nurse in the NICU? I just assumed outsiders were not allowed for the good of the babies. Who should I contact about this? Also, one hospital near me has a level 3 NICU, and the other has a special care nursery. What is the difference, and would I be better off observing in one over the other? Thanks again!!!!!

Thanks Tiki! That was very helpful! One quick question- on an average day, how much time did the OT's spend working with the babies? How long were their sessions? Thanks again!!

Thanks DayRay! That was very helpful! Anyone else have any comments??

I worked as a CNA in both a hospital (permanant job) and in an agency, and I must say there are pros and cons of both. Definitely in the agency, you will make more money, in my case it was about $2-3 extra than it was in the hospital. I personally preffered working in the hospital in a permanant position, but that's just me-it just fit my personality better. I liked the fact that I knew where everything was and who the nurses were. Working for the agency, I always felt uneasy because I could never find anything when I needed it, and that made me feel incompotent. Then when I would try to ask someone for help, they had no idea who I was and always seemed to be too busy to answer questions, which made for some unhappy patients who were waiting on me! I also found that the agency wouldn't always have enough work for me that fit into my schedule, would hardley ever match up shifts that I requested with shift they offered, or they would call 20 minutes before they needed me, in which often that wasn't enough time for me. But this was just my experience. Some people might like the idea of always having a new place to work. If it doesn't sound like an agency is for you, you might want to try being a float pool CNA at one hospital. That would still give you the different experiences, but also allow you some sense of normalcy and you would always know the hospital policy when patients ask you questions. Hope this helps!

I lost my dad four years ago when I was 19. I just wanted to say that the nurses who did mouth to mouth CPR on him (he had just been discharged from the hospital and was at a ceremony honoring him for 35 years of being a college professor), I am eternally grateful for all they did to try to save my dad, and I still remember them today and think of them often. I am sorry you had to see the kids reactions, but please know that you have made such an impact in their lives for taking care of their mother, knowing that someone who truly cared was with her in the end.

HI everyone. I am trying to decide if I should go into Occupational Therapy or nursing. If I choose OT, I am very interested in working in the NICU. Do any of the hospitals you work at have a full time NICU OT? Do you think the role of an OT in the NICU is an important one? Thanks!!

HI everyone. I am trying to decide if I want to go into Occupational Therapy (and work in the NICU) or go into nursing and work in OB. After reading many of these posts, it just seems like a lot of people are burned out and sick of nursing-however, when I read the OB posts, everyone seems to really love their jobs. Is there just something better about working in OB than in other areas of nursing? I just do not want to spend money on a second bachelor's degree and then hate my new job! Any info would be great! Thank you!!

Thanks for your message! I worked in a hospital on the telemetry floor as a patient care tech for 6 months during the one semeser of nursing school. I loved working there at first, but then I became severely burned out because the management treated the techs very badly, and I felt I was in a thankless job, which led me to drop out after one semester. Are you happy in your job? Sorry for the personal question, but I'm just trying to get some honest feedback!!

HI everyone. I am so confused about what field I should go into. I have a B.S. in Physiology, and have been planning on entering graduate school in the summer for Occupational Therapy. The problem is, I have always been drawn to nursing, and even completed a semester of nursing school after graduating from college, only to drop out due to indecisevness. I cannot decide which field to pursue! I know I would want to work in OB nursing, and if I become an OT, I would want to work with kids as well. Any insight into these two careers would be greatly appreciated! I am driving myself crazy trying to figure this out!! THANK YOU!!