damaranicole

I am a prenursing student looking to finish up and start applying to schools this January. I already have a degree. I've been doing sales support for about 8 years - so it's a pretty stressful position in itself. However, I think I was searching in to PICU nursing and came across this website, and well, I know that people are more likely to write about the bad then the good, but wow. Is it really like this in your opinions? I've posted the original post, but the comments just go on and on. http://www.aboutmyjob.com/1492/nursing-shortage-the-reason-is-simplepicu-nurse/ I graduated from nursing school in 1979 and easily got my first job in a teaching hospital in acute care pediatrics. I was young and stupid and didn't put 2 and 2 together that while I hated nursing school and all the "BS" I would also hate nursing. I have not worked since 1990 because I was literally killed emotionally, spiritually and physically by this career. If anyone wants to know why there is a nursing shortage it's really pretty easy, NO ONE WANTS TO DO IT!!! The real clincher is you work with other miserable people and wonder all along if others are hating it as much as you. (A good indication is when you start a new job and your preceptor keeps saying things like, "I hate this job.") I worked in the PICU and also did transport and trauma. Have you ever asked someone in another profession if they ever feel guilty that someone is going to die because they dared to stuff a half a sandwich down after not eating or drinking until they felt like they were going to pass out, or do they have to ask someone to watch "their work" so they can go to the bathroom, or are they so tired after staying up for days that they are hallucinating, and this while lives are at stake. Another thing that destroyed me was when my patients died and instead of getting a break or even a pat on the back I just got another patient. This is outside the range of being normal. I think nurses suffer terribly and from things like PTSD. We work in carnage!!! This is not normal. Things are not going to change and we are all looking at being "cared for" in some scummy hole by jaded caretakers. Yes we are jaded for the reasons I just wrote. Think of how a "normal" person reacts to just going to a funeral, try doing it on a daily basis and having to act like it's the most normal thing in the world. Death and dying are a part of life but so is the sympathy and understanding that usually goes along with it. It's not normal to live your life in the greiving process and try to act like this is life. Anyone who is in nursing school right now and/or mired in debt and doesn't think there is anyway out think again. There is always another path. Don't throw your life away like I did. I ended up getting a large settlement from a medical malpractice suit after becoming suicidal and being abused by a doctor. Now I am facing having to work again and the prospect of anything that has to do with nursing is nightmarish. I am in a legal nurse consulting program and just reading the message board with all the pukey nursing enthusiasm (yes we that hate nursing know what I am referring to) I thought, "I have to have some commissuration", so I typed "nurses hating nursing" into my search engine and came onto this site. I hate to discourage people into nursing but I will give my honest opinion when asked and finally I have found some validation for my own feelings after so many years of total anguish. Maybe some of you can relate to this, it is almost a sin in some circles to say you hate something as sacred as nursing. You may think hate is a strong word but I wish I could think of something stronger, like HATE TO THE MILLIONTH POWER!!! Don't get me wrong I was a superb nurse, but I absolutley despised every second working as a nurse. Now I live a life being so damaged by this profession. If you hate nursing like this do not feel like you are alone, there is at least myself and I am not a crummy person. In fact I am a Christian and very loving and smart (Summa Cum Laude graduate) sensitive and talented (and like I've read no I am not obese, unattractive, nor do I live on coffee and junk food). Please do not wait until you are 53 years old like I am to decide on a career move. Love yourself as much as we have loved our patients and get out while you can. Take it from me it is NEVER too late.

Luckily I won't have to work, thanks to my husband. However, I do worry about neglecting my son. I just don't want to be at school all day long, and sometimes night, and then doing homework all night and all weekend. Was that your experiences? The advisor told me that accelerated programs are great if you can kind of keep your life on hold. Having a 2 1/2 year old, I would think that they wouldn't really remember that mommy wasn't at home a lot because of school, but mine is 11 and still at the age where he kind of wants to hang out with me, ya know? So, that's my biggest concern.

Has anybody completed one of these? If so, what are your thoughts on it? Did you have a family/kids at the time? Etc. thanks!

I would say waitressing or bartending would be most flexible if you have a manager that works with your schedule. PS - I'm in the same exact situation as you...already have a Bachelors, work full time in office and 28 years old. Still pecking away at the prereqs.

This is all of the information that the instructor provided besides the fact that he is 22 years old and in college...multiple sclerosis tends to appear between 20 to 40.

bump, bump, bump...anybody, anybody? :)

So, I have a case study for Anatomy and Phys. Wondering if anybody has any outside of the box ideas. I just keep coming up with multiple sclerosis or brain tumor. He has always been active in athletics. He played basketball, soccer, and tennis in high school. He enjoys running and competing in road races. Brett has come to your office because lately he has felt a bit more tired than usual and has felt some weakness in his legs. Twice this past month during a run, the toe of his shoe caught the road and he fell and skinned himself up. He has noticed an occasional but worrisome hand tremor and he doesn't feel like his handwriting is as neat as it once was. He isn't sure, if it's just stress of advanced physical chemistry, but he feels he's having a harder time remembering things for school. What really made him decide to come to see you was that he began seeing double the other day while studying with his girlfriend.

The difference in the public university BSN versus public community college ASN is about $10,000 which is reasonable IMO. I had originally thought that I would go to private BSN program if I didn't get accepted in to the public BSN program, but I have since decided not to do that. If I do go the ASN route, I will find a way to get the RN to BSN through another public university eventually.

It's hard when nobody is very good at providing information to you. I have called multiple community colleges to try and get in touch with them about their programs, but no response at all. I guess that they are just overworked and have so many applicants that they just can't keep up? Whatever the case is, my husband was screwed by relying on advisors too much in college, so I am overanalytical when it comes to planning out my coursework. Whatever your situation may be, it will work out. I may end up in an ASN program, but I'm shooting for the BSN just due to it being the same amount of time. Good luck with your persuits though! I'm sure that it will work out for the best.

I was a music major, so needless to say, I had absolutely nothing that carried over from my previous degree to a nursing degree. However, to my knowledge, colleges will waive the typical undergrad work that you would need for 2nd degree seeking students (meaning your English, Computer, History, Humanities, etc. classes). You just have to have the prereqs for the nursing major. So, if I wasn't working full time, getting the BSN would probably only take me 3 years WITH the prereqs (1 year of prereq work and 2 years of Nurse courses). But, I am working and taking classes, so I've been pecking away at my prereqs slowly (by the time it's all over with it will have taken me 2 summer sessions and 3 full sessions to complete my prereqs with about 8 course hours each semester) and will be done with all of them at the end of the upcoming Fall semester. Therefore, it is essentially taking me 4 years to get another BSN and it would have taken me 3 1/2 to get an associates. Hopefully that makes sense. The thing that really sucks about these colleges is that they all seem to want different prereqs - at least where I'm at. And, as most of us have probably realized, it's very competitive as they typically only seem to offer about 50 openings each semester (100 new nursing students per year), and for the ABSN programs it's more like 30 per year. So, I've had to create myself a spreadsheet with all of the courses that I need from each college, line up when I will have them all done, and apply for all of them at the same time and just hope that I get in to the BSN program and won't have wasted money and time taking prereqs that aren't needed. In my experience, I've found that both programs want Micro, A&P I/II, College Algebra, Intro to Chem or HS Chem (I haven't had either of these yet). On top of that, the BSN programs seem to want Nutrition, Developmental Psych, General Psych, Sociology and Statistics. The difference with the BSN versus ABSN is that 1. the ABSN will go through the summer and BSN will not offer Nurse courses during the summer and 2. the ABSN will have you taking about 21 credits per semester versus about 15-17 for BSN. I don't know if you've ever taken 21 hours, but I did it for 3 semesters of my first college career and was burnt out, needless to say. It's like working a full time job with school on top of it pretty much. That's not to say that it can't be done. But it's like the advisor said, you have to put everything else in your life onhold. And I'm sure it's even harder when it's nursing school versus a music degree! I don't know if you've tried to register for any of the Biology classes, but it took me a year at my local community college until I could finally get in to one of them (this is when I got priority enrollment). Hope that helps a bit.

Wondering if anybody is in Charlotte and if so, what are your thoughts on these programs? I would like to aim for a BSN since I already have a bachelors. However, I will be applying to all of them to cover my bases. Advantages, disadvantages, anything! Thanks!

Another factor that they pointed out to me for the ABSN versus the BSN, is that some people are just really thrown off by the amount of hours that you have to put in for the ABSN. I looked at the schedule and it's typically about a 21 hour course load versus a 15 hour course load. The admissions counselor said if you can put your life on hold for 15 months, go for the ABSN. I cannot - I have a kid, so thankfully he pointed this factor out to me. I have decided to aim for the BSN route (I have a bachelors already), but will apply for ASN programs as well just incase.

"*** I have never worked any place where BSNs made any more than ADNs but I know in some places there is a small increase for BSN. The SICU where I work no longer hires new grad BSNs into the 7 month critical care nurse residency prorgam. Only ADNs are hired. It doesn't say anywhere that they are not hired but they are not." I am curious as to why they wouldn't hire new BSNs?

Did you get in? I am looking in to the program as well for Fall 2011.

I think I read that you can only take it once every 6 months. I'm curious, how far in advance do you recommend taking it before an application is due? And, when should I start studying - 2 months, 3 months? Thanks!