CheeseLover24

Has anyone here worked for them as a RN? How is it to work there? How are they regarded in the community? Thanks!!!

Hi everyone, I am a RN (with a BSN) in the midwest. I currently have a good job where I live but I DO NOT like where I live. My husband and I really want to move to San Diego--we've been there a few times and have some of our best friends out there (and I LOVE it there!). I will have 1 year of experience by the time we move this summer. I have been reading the posts on here and I am getting discouraged....is it really that hard to get a RN job in SD? I just looked at sharp's website today and they have 99 RN positions posted....I don't understand how there are no jobs when there are so many posted? My husband has a good job and works from home so he can keep his job after we move. But I don't want to throw away all my years of education and hard work just to move and be unemployed. Can someone please advise me on this? Thanks in advance for your help!

Hi everyone-- Wanted to get some opinions on this one: I went back to school for nursing as a second degree (1st degree was in liberal arts). I had to go back and take some of the nursing school pre-req's for the BSN program-- A&P I and II, Chemistry, Biochemistry and developmental psych and I took those at our local community college. Mostly due to cost and our local community college is also a big "feeder" into the university where I went to nursing school so I knew all the classes would transfer. I got all A's in those classes. My BSN is from a large nationally recognized very good nursing school. I did take pharmacology and pathology at the university (for my BSN) and got A's in those classes as well. Now that I'm thinking about maybe CRNA school in the future, how are those science classes taken at the community college going to look? I did get A's but I'm afraid graduate schools will not hold as much stock in those. I suppose I could re-take the classes at a university, but is there a point in retaking classes that I've already taken and gotten A's in? Another way I've looked at it is that there has to be quite a few nurses that have gone the ADN to BSN to CRNA route and in that case all those students must have taken a bulk of their science classes at community colleges too, am I right? I would appreciate your thoughts! Thank you!

I just graduated with my BSN and I am now 29 years old. I spent A LOT of time thinking about what I wanted to do for my career. I had a previous degree in liberal arts--I thought about going back to school for a MBA, accountant, nursing, a million different things. I told myself--ok I'll take the CNA class and if I totally hate it, then I'll at least have an inkling that nursing isn't the right direction for me. But I did like the CNA class. Then I started volunteering at a local hospital and that gave me even more evidence. My next steps were to take classes at our local community college since I had never taken A&P, chemistry, etc. I found that I did really well in those classes and thought they were interesting. You can kind of ease your way into these things and not have to make a big decision right away and go from no experience in healthcare at all to being a CRNA. There is a big gap between the two and a lot will happen along the way that may or may not change your mind. Now that I am done with my BSN I am still unsure what I ultimately want to do with nursing....but I start my ICU job next month!

I just graduated from nursing school last month, but while I was considering where to attend nursing school I also considered going to a school similar to the one that you described--it was an accelerated route to a RN and it also locked you into your master's selection. I actually chose to attend a better university's BSN program (without deciding on a master's right away). I am sooooo glad that I chose to get my BSN and not have to make the decision about my master's degree right away. They say hindsight is 20/20 right? I hope my hindsight can at least give you some perspective! Before I started nursing school I thought I wanted to go into Peds, but after my experiences in school, clinicals and more work experience I realized that the adult ICU is where I want to be--and that is where I'm starting my new nursing job next month!

I am in nursing school right now (I graduate in May) and yes I would have to say it is extremely mind numbing. I am in a well regarded BSN program and although I have had to take some pretty hard classes (pharmacology and pathology--and the PA and pharmacy students were in those classes as well so I know they weren't B.S.).....about 50% of my classes are "fluff". We have to take some "legal forces in nursing" class next semester and my psych nursing class is so easy its a joke. For this reason I'm concerned that if I go for NP (or DNP) it will be a lot more research and fluff classes. It seems like the schools just want you to take all these classes so they can get more money or something. That is why I'm interested in CRNA, because its more hard sciences and I feel like I'd learn a lot more.

There is a woman in my nursing program who is 62....so I say go for it!! One thing I like to think of is that the time is going to pass no matter what, it just depends on what you do with it.

I am also in nursing school right now (BSN program) and I am struggling with deciding between NP or CRNA. I work in an ICU right now as a nursing assistant and I absolutely love it. If I did go for NP I think I'd go for an acute care NP program. I think the DNP programs have really changed my thoughts on school also, because you can do NP part time and work part time but then you are stuck going to school for like 5-6 years part time. I think after a couple of years that would get to be a huge drain psychologically (at least for me!). CRNA school would be super hard, but at least you get it over with in 2-3 years and then you can get on with your life. Sometimes it seems premature to think about continuing my education while I'm still in nursing school, but then I think about having to prepare for the GRE and also some CRNA schools have chemistry, physics, etc classes that I'd need to take to even apply. So you really have to plan far in advance. Anyway, I guess I don't really have any advice but I just wanted to say I'm in the same boat as you!

I was wondering how feasible it is to have kids while going to CRNA school? I got started in nursing school a little later in life (I graduate in May '09) and I will be done with nursing school when I'm 29 years old. I have been happily married for 2 years now. I know that I'll need ideally about 2-3 years of ICU experience to get into CRNA school. My question is, should I have a kid during that 2-3 years while I'm working as a nurse (before CRNA school) or should I wait to have a family until after I'm out of CRNA school. The thing is that I'll be 35-36 years old when I start having kids if I wait until after CRNA school. (I am a female by the way, haha). I know there is a limited amount of time that a woman has to have kids.....so I don't know what to do. Ideas??