trent

ours is called the ECU (enhanced care unit)

No educational program alone can prepare someone for the "real world", no matter what they are studying. Only the real world can prepare you for the real world. What we need to do is to stand up for new grads/new hires on our units and insist that they be given personalized orientations with supportive supervision and feedback.

As others have stated, most costs associated with hospitalization are covered under our provincial health plans (some exceptions I have seen are the cost of splints or braces and medications not covered in the formulary that the patient's family may be asked to bring in or supply, although the pharmacy will attempt to provide if the patient is not able). The biggest issue I have had is that I moved 2 years ago and still have not found a family doctor. I am on multiple waiting lists. The local walk in clinics are open only a few hours a day and have a long list of services they will not provide, including referral to specialists. It is "new grad" time, so hopefully I can find a GP this summer!

Where did you do your master's? I'm starting to think about doing mine and I would love to know where you went and why you liked/disliked it. Also, has anyone out there done a joint NP/Master's program?

Durham College in Oshawa hosts the (?only) online critical care course in Ontario. It's a new program started this year. It's designed to be finished within 8 months at your own pace, so far with September start date only. http://www.durhamcollege.ca/EN/main/future_students/cch.php

Kamy, I have to say that I really did not do that much studying. There were a few things that I knew I needed to brush up on (especially pediatrics since it wasn't much covered in my program), so those things I covered by reading textbooks. I felt that my program did a pretty good job of preparing me for the exam by stressing critical thinking. Critical thinking seems to be the big focus of the exam, so you need to be able to analyze the question before you answer it. I did a bit of review in a study group with some classmates, one of whom had brought the Mosby's Canadian study guide for the CRNE, and went through the CRNE Prep Guide about three times. My school posted some NCLEX-type questions for us to try, and I did those too. The night before the exam, I tried the CRNE Readiness Test online, and then got a good night's sleep before the exam. Most of the exam is case based, and communication between the nurse and others (patient, family, physicians, other health professionals) is stressed. The exam is not meant to discover what specific things you know, but whether you have learned how to apply nursing knowledge to any situation. (For example, the questions are less in the format of "which of the following are not side effects of drug X" and more like "in order to foster the patient's spirituality, which of the following nursing actions is most important"). Whether you are in your final year of nursing school or your first year, I think the best way to prepare yourself is to get as much experience interacting with patients as you can during your placements using the communication strategies you learned in school. If you have problems with tests (anxiety, problems with multiple choice questions or short answer questions) I would suggest seeking out some help from your academic skills centre at school because the CRNE is an 8-hour exam and you want to have every possible tool at your disposal. Good luck! Trent

I just wrote the CRNE in June, and I really don't think that the CRNE Prep Guide is the book you want yet. Although it is great at helping you know what kind of questions to expect, it is very limited in the number of questions it provides - not nearly as many questions as you will see on the exam. I would suggest getting another book that is more comprehensive at this point and saving the CRNE Prep Guide until a few months before you write the exam (or even later).

The Humber College - University of New Brunswick program is offered in Toronto at Humber College but is a baccalaureate program because of its affiliation with the University of New Brunswick. I don't have any information about those programs specifically, but two of my past clinical instructors were granduates of the Humber program for RN-BSN. Good luck with your application! trent

You should have your Hep B (or if you've already had it, you should have your titre checked), varicella if you have never had chickenpox, ensure that you have had a measles booster at some point (usually done at age 16), tetorifice (if not current) and a 2-step tuberculosis test. My school sent a form that my doctor had to fill out and sign about all of the above... the best thing you can do is to start collecting all of the documentation about the vaccinations you've had in the past, so that your doctor can get you the shots you need and fill out the form accurately. Good luck at school! trent

I've always been given mine in the deltoid... Do you have the package insert to check up on this?

I also struggled with the choice of programs as a mature student with a previous university degree. I ended up at Trent University in Peterborough where they have a "compressed" program that allows students with previous university degrees to finish their BScN in 3 years. This works because you do not have to redo elective courses, and you go for an extra 2 months in the summer following first year and the summer following second year. In the third year, you take all of your 400-level courses and so finish an entire calendar year earlier. If you have a family, I understand that this program might not be a possibility for you, but ask questions... It may be "unofficially" available at other schools. Good luck! Feel free to PM me if you have any questions. Trent

Thanks for all your insight everyone! The paperwork is in now, and I guess I'll find out in October (isn't that a rediculously long wait?). I'm always interested to hear more, so feel free to share. Thanks again, trent

I'm a third year student thinking about ottawa for my consolidation. I'm interested to hear your opinions on how students are welcomed in different units of the ottawa hospital and/or queensway carleton hospital. Feel free to pm me if you'd rather not post it here for all to read. trent

Hi! I'm a BScN student in Ontario, and thinking seriously about trying to find an OR placement for my independent practice/consolidation/preceptorship (whatever they're calling it this year at my school!). The placement director said that this might not be possible... Do you have any knowledge of a student doing their 10-week placement in the OR? Do you know of hospitals that might consider this? Thanks! trent

Here is a link to the different provinces' regulatory bodies. http://www.cna-nurses.ca/CNA/nursing/regulation/regbodies/default_e.aspx www.workopolis.com has a lot of RN job listings, a lot of them in Ontario, but some from across the country. Good luck with your information search. trent