richkundrn

Vicky, Thanks so much! That was some great information. I feel much more at ease now. When I originally graduated from nursing school NLN was the only option. It's interesting how quickly nursing changes! Thanks Again! Richkundrn

I have an ADN with 8 years experience in L&D/OB, Psych and NICU. I'm currently working NICU in a hospital that is working toward magnet status and strongly encourages nurses to be at least BSN prepared. If I'll be returning to school it makes sense to me to go ahead and go for my MSN. I have a real interest in education and my most favorite aspect of nursing is the teaching component- whether it's been coaching a mom through labor, teaching patient groups on a psych unit, or teaching infant care basics to parents in NICU. I love learning patho- I think that is what keeps me interested in NICU (ALWAYS something new to learn). Also, the thought of 12 hour shifts, with sore feet and an aching back when I'm 2 years from retirement just doesn't appeal to me! So, in a nutshell, there's my reasoning for wanting to pursue an MSN as a nurse educator. Now for my question- I'm researching schools that offer RN to MSN programs as well as the MSN Nurse Educator option. A few of the programs I'm interested in are CCNE accredited, but not NLN accredited. Is there a "gold standard" for accreditation? If you were in a position to hire a newly graduated nurse educator would you have a preference for NLN vs CCNE? From the view of a nurse educator, what are the differences, if any, between working for a CCNE vs NLN accredited program? Do you think my nursing education would differ much either way? I really appreciate your input! Thanks!

I started out in Labor and Delivery and Mother/Baby. I do believe it gives you some good background information, but I really don't think it's a necessity if you know your goal is NICU. Mother/Baby and NICU are two different worlds. In my case I worked Labor and Delivery for several years before I ever considered NICU and when I got into NICU I felt like I needed to go back to nursing school! I wish I had done more med/ surg earlier in my career. Although, regardless of what background you come from NICU is a world of it's own for the most part. In nursing school I think I spent all of two days in the NICU. When I began working in NICU I was amazed at all the different syndromes and disorders I was encountering that I had never heard of! I guess one suggestion would be to find a nursing program that will give you the option to spend a good part of a semester working in an area you'd like to specialize in. Also, if you know that in the end NICU is where you want to work, take a nurse intern job in a NICU while you are in nursing school. Who knows, maybe then you will decide that having the mother/baby experience first is not so important. Good luck to you!

Thanks for the replies! I really appreciate it. It's difficult being so far away and trying to rely on information from family, etc. Dinith-- this last shock he recieved a few nights ago, he was in vfib and it took 22 seconds for the AICD to charge and shock him. It's just so scary to think that this device that has saved his life numerous times might have failed this time around all due to a low battery! Anyhow, hopefully I can get a chance to speak with one of the myriad of people managing his care and get a bit more info. (He's recieving care at a huge teaching facility.. one of those places with the reputation of "kill em or cure em".) If anyone knows of some good online resources where I can get more information that would be great! Thanks!

I'm a NICU RN, which leaves me rather clueless when it comes to my 60 yr old father and his heart condition, so I am seeking some help here. While at the lake fishing Monday night, my father collapsed. He was unconscious for 5 to 6 minutes and when his AICD was read later it showed that he had abruptly gone into Vfib and the AICD took 22 seconds to charge and then defibrillate. He had the AICD implanted 5 or 6 years ago. He's been defibrillated three times since he's had it. The first time was 2 or 3 years ago. He was loading roofing material into a truck in the afternoon (leave it to my dad... ). The second time was this last November. He was at home, sitting in front of the computer.. that time the AICD showed he first went into Afib which triggered Vfib(?). His previous history includes going into cardiac arrest at age 43 or 44 and a few months later having a triple CABG. With this last incident, after being taken to a hospital that could not serve him, and going through an insurance nightmare, what was finally discovered is that he needs to have his AICD battery (or unit?) replaced. The docs believe his leads are in good condition and probably won't need replacement. The cardiologist felt it was urgent enough to go ahead and operate tomorrow, until he was reminded that my dad is on 10mg Coumadin q day. Also, from the most recent reading his AICD is pacing about 90% of the time, due to atrial Fib. I believe his AICD is a dual lead. I'm about 900 miles away from my dad right now and I'm getting all this information from family members who seem to get things rather confused. I have questions about this surgery. Will he be under general? How invasive is the procedure? While the AICD is disconnected do they use external pacing? What are the greatest risks? How soon after going into Vfib will they generally perform this procedure? If for some reason they have to replace leads, what are the risks? Also, with this last episode, his HR was around 100 before he went into Vfib. He was walking back and forth about 50 yards from the lake's edge to his car, loading fishing supplies (although nothing really heavy) into his car. I'm just concerned that his "threshold" for going into Vfib is much lower than it was even a year ago. Last year during hunting season he managed to drag a deer who knows how far (ofcourse, at his next AICD reading he was in trouble with his nurse who asked "What on earth were you doing this time?" :) ) Who knows what rhythm he was in... but it was nothing bad enough to require a shock. My dad is a stubborn old man who says himself that he knows he's living on borrowed time. Even if anyone in the family wanted to try and limit his activities, it would be fruitless. After talking with my sister (who was with him at the lake) we both agreed that if the worst had happened that night, it couldn't have happened in a better place. Afterall, the next night he bragged to me about the big fish he had hooked!!