blueharlequin

Just skimmed through some of these posts. I wanted to add something I think is kind of important (because I'm a second degree RN student in the same boat). You said several made the comment they wouldn't be there had their first career plan worked out. I honestly have to say the same, but to speak of for the students, that doesn't mean I don't want to go into the medical field. In my case (as I'm sure some of them), it's just that I never would have thought about nursing had the economy not plummeted, causing me to bounce from job to job. In the midst of the bouncing, I was a vet tech and enjoyed it. Had my first "career choice/plan" worked out, I wouldn't have had the experiences I had to lead me to where I'm at now (which is where I want to be). And the silent group may have been just as surprised as you were at the response of the others, rather than just not wanting to admit it. Lastly, my generation does have a horrible sense of entitlement. I hate it. And it's not easy to overcome. But it's even worse when you are a perfectionist with ADHD who's been in competitive fields their entire life. When you think about all the variances in people along with the entitlement trait, it becomes an even bigger issue. But I can't blame anyone for wanting to smack me or anyone else in my generation up side the head. I frequently want to do it myself.

There are certainly doctors that have no bedside manners. I don't doubt that for a moment. That was my point with "constantly being at the bedside wouldn't be an enjoyable kind of care for them." Ultimately, however, doctors DO care for patients in that the profession entails them fixing health problems. Doctors and nurses both require patients to do their jobs. And from what I understand, medical schools do look for the altruistic "I want to help people" response from applicants during their interviews. The applicant may or may not mean it...I'm sure a large portion say that because it's what the board wants to hear. But I also imagine a lot of them do believe it. Just because a doctor only spends 5-10 minutes with a patient doesn't mean they don't care (I know you were referring to the doctors you work with, FYI...there certainly are doctors that don't care). And from what I understand, doctors are disturbed by the nursing profession thinking they don't care. But to see the other side of things, the nursing profession probably has multiple reasons for making this assumption. Ultimately, if the two professions could get together and discuss (maybe they have and I'm unaware) or set some standards with teamwork between doctors and nurses, the medical care industry would only be better off. But to me that sounds like an idealistic world situation...not modern America with its crumbling economy. But yes, if you want to be a nurse, that's what you should do. DEFINITELY no shame in being a nurse! Also think about it this way. If you became a doctor, knowing that you actually wanted to be a nurse, do you really think you'd be a good doctor? I would imagine you'd end up being so dissatisfied that job performance would suffer. But if you want to be a nurse because that's your passion, then that's absolutely what you need to do. And you will probably end up making a good nurse if that truly is your calling.

Old thread, but I thought this was interesting and wanted to comment. I hate saying this about a support system, but don't listen to your family. While there are some rights the profession of nursing as a whole are pushing for that I (pretty strongly) disagree with, I also think the nursing profession IS misunderstood. I think a lot of people, including people who pop out of the womb knowing they want to be a nurse, don't entirely know what the nursing profession entails until school and beyond (because school is really just an intro/start). The fact is that nurses are nurses and MDs are MDs. They have 2 separate scopes of practice and 2 different job functions. And both are integral members of the health care team. I don't think it's safe to assume that the MD profession is uncaring, just like it's not really safe to assume that nurses know nothing about biological processes. The MD profession does focus more on the sciences, and no one can replace the MD/DO in that respect (this is where I disagree with a lot of nurses...many believe NPs/PAs are equivalent or close to equivalent, but I think that's extreme). The nursing profession focuses on patient care/comfort, which I don't think a lot of MDs could do. MDs obviously have the science knowledge and may be able to figure out nursing diagnoses (some MDs were once nurses), but constantly being at the bedside wouldn't be an enjoyable kind of care for them. Being an MD entails a LOT of autonomy, which I would imagine could make nursing pretty unbearable for the MD (among other things). If you want to be a nurse, be a nurse! The world needs nurses, just like the world needs doctors. If you prefer the nursing model, then that's what you need to do. And there is NOTHING wrong with that. It has nothing to do with selling yourself short and everything to do with finding your fit (which, in my mind, is a GREAT achievement).

good grades has always been important for me, too, but at least you are dealing with an a and a b. my grades have all been right around 75, which is the lowest we can get and still pass. i've followed the tips our instructors gave us and the tips other students gave me. i've worked harder and my grades are slipping, not improving. at least you don't have to worry about your grades in terms of whether or not you'll pass. i do, and everything i'm trying isn't working. i've had the opposite problem. our teachers have specifically told us not to study certain things because they won't be on the test, but then they are. i can understand being told to study certain things and still needing to know the rest of the information (unless told otherwise). i think being told not to study certain topics and later see them on the test is cheap, demeaning, and underhanded (i think it's past due that i change my user name...oh well). i think having nclex style questions is actually a good idea, but i feel like we have no direction in terms of what to learn and where to focus. one minute i think i just need a general understanding, then we are tested on specific details. or we are given application questions where we needed to memorize certain details, tests, or scales. when i narrow down a question to two answers, i have the uncanny ability at being unlucky enough to always choose the wrong answer (and looking at the tests afterwords, i'm pretty consistent with narrowing it down to one correct/one incorrect answer - so it's not an issue of not narrowing down correctly). and with the "choose the most correct answer" questions...that has to do with seeing a consistency in what is considered "most correct." i haven't figured that out in my class yet. my professors claim they pull questions straight from nclex prep books/tests, and maybe they do. there's so little consistency in other places, however, that i haven't been able to latch onto anything. i can commiserate with a lot of what you said (even though my grades are so much lower), and this sums it up for me. i want to be in the health care field, and the science behind the body/biological processes/etc is beyond amazing to me. but the information/details i value are just not in sync with what my professors value. maybe they aren't in sync with the values of the nursing profession...i have no idea. the program head recently told me i would probably enjoy pharmacology much more because it's science based, however. so i know something is off somewhere. *shrugs* anyway, my point is basically you aren't alone. and like you said, others have it worse.

This is one aspect of school I haven't really been able to figure out. I started working harder, reading every word of the assigned chapters (after the professor's suggestion of skimming didn't help), taking notes instead of highlighting (a suggestion from members of my lab group), and bought some supplementary materials. My grades actually went down. The instruction is pretty disorganized and we have been tested on things we were told not to study, though. Other students don't have the safe beef that I do, but for me at this point, I'm not really concerned anymore with doing well (in terms of grades, btw...not patient care) as I am just getting by. So the past few days, especially, I've been doing more of what I want than pushing myself to read every piece of information possible (stress was causing me to break down). I've finally been reading Alice in Wonderland (I got the Definitive Annotated Alice and was initially planning to read it over Thanksgiving/Xmas break), recording gameplay videos again, and trying to incorporate exercise into my day. I also have a 4 year old daughter, so the above is typically after she goes to bed (I find it easier to study with her around because I don't focus as well at night). I like to have tv or movies going on while I'm studying, too. Animated movies are especially helpful...recently it's been Megamind and How to Train your Dragon. I think I like How to Train your Dragon better than my 4 year old, hehe.

Haha! Your patient wins. I hope you bring him a toy light saber.

I'm another "former vet tech" to add to the list, though not for anywhere near as long. I have to agree with past vet tech experience helping out in nursing school. But I also never would have claimed to have been a "nurse." I never heard any of my coworkers claiming that, either. Everyone just said "vet tech" or "pet nurse." I think people in the veterinary industry (at least in my experience) understand it's different from human medicine and don't want to step on any toes/cross any lines. It also doesn't offer any benefit, as veterinary medicine is a completely different field of work than human medicine (in my mind...I've always thought of veterinary medicine as completely separate from human medicine, even though there are undeniable similarities). But someone else mentioned a degree is required...not entirely true. Many places are headed this way, but I don't think there are enough grads yet to saturate the field with licensed vet techs. And some places (primarily Banfield, the corporate veterinary chain located inside PetSmarts) prefer to hire people with no training. They want to train them in order to indoctrinate employees into the Banfield philosophy easier. *shrugs* That's not at every Banfield, but a lot of them. Oh, and people would often mistake me for the veterinarian. I never pretended and I ALWAYS corrected them, but it happened a lot. I blame my height, though...I'm 6'1" and I think stature makes people think you have a higher job title. Just a theory, though.

This is something rather bothersome to me, as well (job prospect). I spent 4 years after getting my BA dealing with minimum wage, part time jobs or temp jobs that never resulted in hires. Meanwhile, people were constantly asking me what the crap I was doing in the different fields, because I should be able to translate or work for the government (I'm trilingual...speak German and Russian). I have the understanding that nursing will be quite similar. Especially since it will just be an ADN. I would say (if I wanting to continue in nursing, which I don't at this point) I could go straight into an ADN to Masters program since I already have the BA, but those programs typically require a year or two of clinical experience before entrance. So I imagine a lot of nurses with an ADN and BA who haven't been able to get a job are pretty stuck. I do think that GrnTea made a good point. A lot of people go into nursing because someone wanted them to (the same goes for a lot of degrees...medical school included), only to find out they truly don't like it. Going into something something because someone else wants you to is never a good reason. When I was discussing with my parents about going back to school (they are nice enough to be paying for it), we were looking at options that had a practical application (my BA is in German and Religion...there's NO application to that without going back to school, unless I wanted to live in a cardboard box). The two options we thought of was either an electronics degree (which would have cost significantly more) or nursing (which I was apprehensive about due to the cattiness I experienced in the veterinary industry). I like fixing things and I enjoy health science, so both had positive and negative aspects. I was much more fascinated by health science than the physics I would have had to learn for electronics, so that's why I chose nursing. That's also, it turns out, the reason I'm not enjoying nursing, though. There's not enough science for me. But I never would have known if I didn't even start nursing school, so at least there's that bright side. Back to GrnTea, I also think what she said about asking current nurses those questions is a very good idea (I'll probably do the same, though nurses that AREN'T my professors). Since you see people at your school all the time, find other nurses to ask, though, to give yourself a wider opinion.

I'm actually in the identical position, though for different reasons. I already have a BA, though after graduating in 2006 and having a pointless degree, I couldn't get any kind of job that wasn't part time and minimum wage. After a few years of this (and a daughter), my parents recommended nursing school. I worked in the veterinary field for 2 years and enjoyed the medical science aspect of it, but hated the gossip and cliques that runs rampant. My parents kept telling me nursing wouldn't be this way because nurses have degrees, etc etc, so I (apprehensively) went forward with this course of action. I loved my prereq science courses, had great teachers, and was excited to have the science base expanded in nursing school. The program I'm in has great reviews/rapport. I haven't been to clinicals yet, but every day in the program has been a disaster. My professors brush me off, I won't get my questions answered, and I'm getting horrible grades. Anything I bring up that's science related is "outside the scope of nursing practice." Furthermore, the professors have been trying to convince us that doctors are idiots/nurses are superior since week 1 of the program. And the program is testing on subjects we've never talked about before in order to teach us about these subjects (professors admitted to this). I made it into the program, so despite the absolute hate the professors brought out in me, I'm gonna finish. But I'm not going into nursing after I graduate. I want to be in the health care field, but I hate having my knowledge restricted based on some stupid "scope." I will probably work in the field part time while getting the prereqs needed for med school (still toying with the idea, though I'm craving this the more I think about it), but that's it. I've enjoyed my fellow students and nurses are 100% essential. But it's teamwork, not about who's better than who. Ultimately, wanting to go the MD route for me is due to wanting to take a science/physiology approach rather than a caring/compassion approach. Nurses care, monitor, and gather information. Doctors utilize that information to draw conclusions/make decisions about physiological wellness. I want to utilize, not be bedside. *shrugs*

It's not a mistake at all. It's just cultural differences. I'm actually more annoyed by American attitudes regarding this. There is such a big deal in America about being culturally tolerant and "politically correct", but in actuality it's being culturally tolerant toward groups that vocalize their lack of wanting to integrate. Immigrants making up a larger portion of the population can get away with this, too. It's politics. That being said, I strongly believe that immigrants have a right to maintain their culture in the melting pot (more recently referred to as "salad bowl") that is America. I appreciate hearing foreign languages wandering through the isles of the grocery store. It's beautiful to know there are so many different cultures that so much can be learned from right around the corner. I just don't like the attitude that Americans should bend over backwards to learn a foreign language just so an immigrant culture doesn't have to learn English. I'm trilingual. I love foreign languages and have many more I want to learn. But I shouldn't be forced to learn a language that isn't my country's official language due to "political correctness." Anyway, tangent over. I think you should keep that aspect of Eastern European culture. I actually like it. There's an Iranian lady in my class who's also similar to this. We talked about how relieving being up north is compared to the south, because people are up front and don't pretend. In the south, people will pretend to be friends to your face, but gossip about you behind your back. It's pretty underhanded and spineless. Sometimes I just want to tell people to grow some balls and just tell me whatever they're thinking, but that's also not appreciated down here. Being a world traveler really changes a person.

I actually have a Russian lady in my lab/clinical group. It's exciting for me because I've studied the Russian language (only 3 years, so not fluent, and sadly less fluent now because it's been a while and I'm out of practice) and have always been fascinated/appreciated Russian culture. That being said, I think she also is having similar connection problems, though due to cultural differences. She asks a lot of questions that focuses on really breaking things down and perfection of the required tasks. The others in my group get very annoyed by it and cut her off/don't always acknowledge her, which she has definitely picked up on and has as a result made herself scarce. I can't say I haven't pushed forward a time or two (so as not to get too hung up on certain details and miss other important things), but I don't exactly feel right about it. I think a lot of it is a cultural approach to education. Even though she has lived in the US for a decade (I want to say), she has a Master's in Russia and it seems like hasn't fully integrated to the atmosphere of the American education system. It doesn't really bother me, because I was an exchange student in Germany for a year and have met people from all over...education systems around the world really do have different atmospheres/cultures, and they can be one of the harder things to assimilate into. I should be more sensitive, even though I only remember at most twice kinda pushing things forward. Another thing about Eastern Europeans as fellow students that I've noticed is different from at least an American standpoint...the Eastern Europeans I've had as classmates have always been very driven as students, but also very outspoken. I personally think that's actually a good thing, but it doesn't always sit well with Americans. From a cultural perspective, the outspoken nature initially always makes me go silent and feel a bit turned off, because I think Americans look at it as arrogance instead of confidence (this would again be a cultural difference). I always catch myself, though, because I know this is just a cultural difference (after talking with Eastern Europeans outside of class, it's easy to understand the cultural differences...more so after studying Russian). I don't know that this applies to your situation, especially since the program is so diverse, and I certainly don't mean to say change who you are. Russian culture is beautiful, so definitely embrace it. But if it seems hard to relate to people, it's possible people may just (unfortunately) be misunderstanding you culturally. I'm really going far out on a limb saying that, though, because it may just be the experiences I've had. And I'm certainly FAR FAR FAR from an expert. Oh, and I noticed your profile says you're in Minnesota right now. I got my undergrad degree in MN (St. Olaf College, woohoo) but am from the south. People there were different from what I was used to and can definitely be harder to get to know. In general, it seemed like the population was just more introverted. That could be part of it also. That being said, I haven't made any good connections with anyone in my class, either (I've also just started, but I'm back in the south). Everyone is nice and I haven't really found anyone I dislike (haha, outside of the professors...that's a completely different story, though), but I also haven't really connected on a super personal level, either. I'm fine with that, though. I don't want to get too wrapped up in everyone's personal lives, because in my experience, that tends to start drama. And I don't want to make waves. I just want to get my degree and get the crap out to move on to bigger and better things (it's an ADN program, so there's a lot more "ahead" directions to go).

It's been a month, so hopefully things have been resolved, but I wanted to add. If they aren't paying you overtime for an hourly job, then I think that's actually illegal. And if you look at that statement, there are a few things about it that could be thrown back at the manager. First, a 16 hour work period wasn't agreed upon. If you are scheduled for 8 or 12 hours, you obviously didn't agree to 16. Unless there's some legal jargon in your hiring paperwork stating you have an on call status in terms of when your shift ends after you've begun the shift, you didn't agree upon a 16 hour shift. The only way you would have agreed on it is if you agreed to it after she informed you of the change (which threatening you with losing your license seems like it would also be illegal...at minimum something to report to HR...and I'd never agree if that were said to me). The other thing in that statement is "without appropriately notifying supervisory personnel." If she changes the length of your shift during that shift, then give a written notice (and make copies, because she sounds like she would conveniently "lose" it) to your supervisor and have her sign it, if possible, after being notified of the change. I'm sure there's another supervisor you could do the same with. The hospital employment environment probably has different standards from what I'm familiar with, but that's honestly what I would say to do. She's putting you in a compromised position without considering the patient's well-being. It's also abusive...she sounds like she's trying to test the waters to see who she can keep under her thumb by any possible measures. Personally, I wouldn't give in to that kind of treatment, but like I said, I'm not sure of all the circumstances/contracts/etc.

Wow, if you have the opportunity to go without incurring any debt, don't pass up on that opportunity at all! Sometimes if a private school REALLY wants you and you tell them you are considering another school because you have full scholarship at that school, they'll be VERY willing to bargain with you. Especially if they do have a lot of money. Congrats, Shiningstar05! That's awesome!

This is VERY good advise that I wanted to second and add to. I'm at GTC and I already have a BA, but they wouldn't accept any of my coursework for GE's (and I got my BA in 2006, so I don't think it has to do with time passage). GTC was not on the semester system at the time (they are switching this fall), which I think was part of it. University systems in general, whether a 2-year, 4-year, or full university, tend to just be picky with what they will and will not accept. In terms of the school's name (ie, politics), I think that's not as important when transferring to SOME state schools. Private schools tend to be different, though, as do big name public universities (if they are known for a certain program). This is something you'd be able to pick up on a bit when speaking with someone from the department. This also will be narrowed (a bit) by the schools they will accept transfer credits from. Depending on where you want to go and how competitive the entry process is, it would be a good idea to pay close attention to how the department member talks about this. The other really good thing about meeting with an adviser is they get to know you a bit more than just at an entrance interview. More familiarity is better in a really competitive process. But BabyLady gave some extremely good advice regarding coursework transfers and I think a lot of people can relate personal experiences with this kind of situation.

For some reason I haven't been getting any email notifications about activity here. Maybe they're going to my junk mail and I don't notice, but odd still. Anyway, TiaRN, that is EXTREMELY reassuring. Like JKCharles said above, there are so many horror stories that it has made me really start to wonder. On another note, does anyone know what courses we are supposed to sign up for in the first semester? I'm assuming the Foundations course and I'm guessing the Pharmacology course, but I haven't found any definite information about that online in the places I've expected it to be. My registration is on the 19th, so I need to find out...