dandk1997RN

I just wanted to clarify, for future readers, that the program at Samford is an FNP DNP program.

Sent you a private message, FL-FNP.

FL-FNP- I'm trying to gather a few of us together that will be starting the DNP-FNP program in January. I'm going to send you a message.

I don't know about the asking a doc thing as I didn't have to do that, but I sent email thank yous to all three people who wrote my recommendations. One had a particularly difficult time because the computers at my hospital don't have upgraded software and she had to try for days and finally did it from home. This happened while I was on vacation and it was under a tight deadline, so I got her a little pouch with a couple nice hand soaps- just a small gift for her tenacity. Finally, when I found out I got in (yesterday) I sent them all another email thanking them for the role they played in helping me get accepted.

To answer my own question...finished up my MSN-Ed at WGU earlier this year and just found out I was accepted into the Samford University DNP program. So it does really happen.

Just verifying that indeed, the assessment is no longer required of licensed RNs. I got an email saying I needed to do it, but having seen this thread, questioned my enrollment counselor about it. He said they are in the process of changing the verbiage on the website and automated emails. So thanks to the poster who save me a couple hours. :)

Disappointed to see nobody has any thoughts on this. Guess it will remain a mystery to me.

So I'm going out on a limb here since I think this is maybe an oddity, but I'm curious if any of you psych nurses have any input on a situation I encountered last night. I'm a cardiac nurse, so this isn't my forte- my only experience with panic attacks is my personal history of them. I had a patient last night who was admitted to the hospital last week with SOB, diagnosed with CHF/pulmo HTN, possible SIADH...among other things. Pt has a psych history of SI with two attempts, depression, anxiety, and former sedative addiction, had been refusing psych consults. The pt was on several psych meds (for depression) prior to admission, which were all d/c'd within the last few days- I'm not really sure why. The only thing still ordered was PRN benzo for anxiety. The pt had two panic attacks during my shift. The pt was very anxious at baseline, has been since admission, and got the benzo after the first attack. The second was about 5 hours later, too soon for a second dose. Both times it occurred when the pt had just sat up from a lying position, and the pt stated to me that things were fine until the rapid position change. No history of vertigo, no dizziness/light-headedness, VS stable...and the patient says this happens every single day. I was able to calm the pt down by coaching through breathing exercises, and showing the pt how to use the button to raise the head of the bed to assist with slowing the pace of the position changes. Thankfully, the pt has agreed to a psychiatry consult. I won't be back till later this week, at which point the pt will unlikely be on my cardiac unit. Has anybody ever heard of this? It seems bizarre to me that panic attacks might be related to position changes, unless the pt has vertigo or maybe platypnea (or, I guess, orthopnea in cases other than this.) Any thoughts at all? I would love any and all input. The pt has a lot of strictly medical stuff going on...I'm just wondering if they might be causing this odd (to me, anyway) psych manifestation.

Thanks so much for your thoughtful reply. I think I will apply to both the other school and to Frontier's bridge program and see what happens. My gpa from this degree is pretty competitive, so there is chance I can get I to Frontier- might as well try and see what happens. :)

Please forgive typos- using my Kindle and still adjusting to it. I am so torn. I'm an older new(ish) ADN (AAS) RN - 39 & 2 years intermediate cardiac telemetry experience with prior healthcare supervisory experience, BLS, ACLS,and studying for my PCCN, but currently no other national certifications. I am still rebuilding my life after a natural disaster 3 years ago. I have a great deal of experience with online education, I do well with it, but I don't like having to rely on other students to get my work done. As in, when I was doing pre-reqs for my nursing program, it drove me nuts waiting for other students to finally post in the last 24 hours of a module to be able to post the required minimum responses to earn the highest grade for the class. For these reasons (money, time, limiting my frustration when feasible,) WGU seems like a good option for my BSN and possibly MSN (education, likely, since I don't like management based on prior personal experience. This will also give me a fallback option for when I get older. ) I know I will be limited by WGU's GPA policy, and the fact the I live in New York severely limits my schooling options. But I also know other people have gotten into Frontier with WGU degrees. I would be saving probably at least a year and $15-20k by doing WGU-BSN/MSN--->Frontier PMC (and possibly DNP AFTER either option.) Does anyone know how competitive Frontier's FNP programs are? Personal or anecdotal experience with these programs? How "good" is Frontier's program, in your opinion (not that I can afford to be that choosy.) I'm looking for any/all input- thanks!!!

I as army. General discharge because of an injury- I chose not to fight it because I was young and stupid. Nobody cares at all about my discharge. I have never had employment difficulties because of it. Best of luck to you.

Coming back a year later to say I am loving nights. There are certainly times when I am tired, but I was so miserable before I was always tired. I now often have 5 or 6 days off in a row. I easily transition back and forth between day shift no-work schedules and my night work schedule. Sometimes I do go too long without sleep to enjoy family affairs (dd's soccer tourney after a long work shift, for example,) but only when I have the night off. I am also enjoying the higher shift differential (which was almost removed due to reorganization, but which we were able to keep in the end) and not getting different patients every single day (since most nurses on my unit work twelves and I was going to work in the middle of a shift.). So...thanks again for the input!

I don't really understand this reply. I believe we are all trying to be constructive. Unfortunately, the truth of nursing school can crush the excitement of a goal and hopes. I remember the excitement I had when I decided on that second career path and ran with it. I don't think any of us means to destroy your ambitions, but I'm sure some of us wish we had gone in with our eyes wide open, which I why we offer up our insight to you. I've BTDT with people trying to educate me about a situation they had experience with and feeling frustrated by their responses. All I can say is sometimes they were right, sometimes not. Maybe we are all wrong here- go out there and show us we're all wrong about your situation and become the best NP, husband, and father you can be (no sarcasm there- get out there and prove us wrong then come back and gloat in 7 or 8 years.).

Sorry- I didn't mean why I want weights is not about education- I meant it is almost never about medication, as in dosages. That typo was too confusing not to be addressed. Good luck with your goals.

Please forgive typos- I'm on my phone right now. I want to preface this by saying I should probably just keep my opinions to myself, but I'm going to go against my better judgement and put this out there. You may have noticed most of us aren't addressing your actual question. I don't think anyone means to be discouraging, but I see several red flags in your posts that concern me. What follows is not meant to be cruel, so please don't take it as such. Nursing school- 2, 4, or 6 years- is almost definitely going to hinder a relationship long before it ever gets a chance to make it better, particularly one strained by demands of getting into school NOW and threats if divorce if this doesn't happen. I won't comment more on your relationship as it is not my business, but just know I have the most adoring, patient, and loving husband and child, and nursing school was definitely very hard on our relationship. We had almost 15 years of marriage and TEAMWORK to fall back on, though, which I why we did okay. The other thing I personally feel compelled to address is patient education. This is only for the nurse to do, as Esme said. Your answer about weights, for example, would definitely NOT be what I tell my CHF patients about weights. If you, as a CNA, told me the pt ha a question for me about daily weights, I would jump on the opportunity to teach them about fluid overload, cardiac output, diet, efficacy of treatment, and how they should be caring for themselves after discharge, among other things. Why I want a weight is almost never about education or food intake. I can't speak for where you live, but where I live, you are LEGALLY not allowed to do any patient education. I believe Esme pointed this out to help you protect yourself from future liability. That is certainly my endeavor. All this being said, I do wish you the very best and hope you are able to fulfill your dreams. Sorry- I have no answer for your original question.