m4howie

Two things to consider. 1) I am currenlty looking into getting a Phd. At the University of MN they have NP to teach some of the classes. They also help the Phd nurses with their research. So that is an option with your current. degree. 2) I work at a VA hospital. There are always new research studies. They need nurses and NPs to monitor patients. I also know medical companies like Medtronics hire nures, nps, and doctors to help them do research and develop new products like their heart valves, ventilators and other devices. You will have lots of options. I would take advantage of you time in school to talk to your teachers about how to flex your current degree into all the things you want to do. They could be your biggest assest. Take advantage of all their connections to start making some of your own.

I am not in a Phd program so I can't answer your question. I would like to encourage you to do a few things before quitting. It is true that over time our aspirations and goals can change. I would think about why you wanted the Phd in the first place and is that "feeling" still there. Think about why you want to quit. Find the root. Is it because it is hard, trouble with an advisor, are you burnt out. I can tell you that in my life I have this habit of starting things and when I get about 75% done I quit. I made a promise to myself I wouldn't do that when I started nursing school. As an African American male I don't see people of color in management. As such, I never apply for those jobs even though my co-workers and managers keep encouraging me. I would hate for you to be blocking yourself from getting the phd because you are scared and can't see yourself as a doctor. If you truly don't want it anymore step away without shame or regret. Hold your head high and say I am done with that phase and am on to something new. If you aren't sure keep pressing on. Maybe pick back up an old hobby as stress relief. Try and restore some balance. Talk to some of your fellow students or your advisor. You can't be the only one. Whatever you decide make the decision from a position of power and not out of fear. Not from a place of what if this and what if that and I can't see how this will work..... blah blah blah. Focus on the end goal and if you goal has changed that is fine. Good luck. ?

So what happened the next time you went to work?--------- I have never measured a PICC line. I was trained to just check that the tip is intact. If the is intact than you know the whole line was removed. If you measure it you also know the whole line is removed. Every place has a different policy. I have beena nurse for 10 years and I still watch Youtube videos a reminder before doing things I don't very often.

Did you ever get your license?

A large percentage of my co-workers live more than 30 miles from the hospital. This means they are commuting 40 mins plus to get to work. Those nurses are the ones he arrive consistently 30-45 mins early. If they leave later they will hit traffic and be late so it is either arrive early or be stuck in traffic. Since they are here early they feel they might as well get to work to help ensure they leave on time. In addition to the other reasons mentioned this might be why some folks arrive so early.

I am going to assume that you are trying to come up with things to teach patients that are withdrawing and are new to sobriety. I use to work at a drug/ETOH treatment facility. The patients were in intense classes everyday that dealt with coping. AA and NA are all about coping. The nursing staff was responsible for teaching an hour class each week. We did a lot of stuff about nutrition, sleep, and stress reduction. Apparently any time a physical/biological need isn't met in the body like hunger or even having to go to the toilet, an addict starts to crave the drug. Thus, the more these needs are met the less cravings an addict will have which helps them stay sober. This makes establishing day habits of eating, sleeping, and working out very important. There are a lot of research articles that support this. I hope this helps.

Have you found a lot of groups on FB for PhD Seekers?

I have been look for an online Nursing PhD program. I will have to look into this one. I will be following this thread.

I will be submitting my application to the Nursing PhD program at the University of MN in next few weeks.

I have spoken with the admissions department at the University of Minnesota and the first two years of fully funded. After that the faculty help students find grants/scholarships to pay for their continued education. I did not ask specifically where the money comes from for the first two years. In my search for PhD programs I am finding that about 50% are free. For clarity this is only Phd programs. This does not apply to DNP programs. The creation of the DNP degree has resulted in a huge shortage of PhD educated nurses. I assume universities are creating grants to make education free to entice more nurses to get PhDs. I do know that programs with free education are extremely competitive.

I am currently looking at getting a PHD. I considered getting a masters first as a bridge but financially it is almost a waste of money. A masters on average is between 40 to 60 credits. Most BSN to DNP/PhD programs are around 70-90 credits. Most DNP/PhD programs will only accept 10-20 credits at most from people who have a masters degree. That really isn't much of a saving financially and definitely not a savings from a time standpoint (2 to 4 years to getting masters then going back for DNP/PhD). Getting a MSN in nursing and then a DNP or PhD in nursing is more likely to have credits that overlap than a general masters in education. That might be why they suggested going that route. I hope this is making sense.

This is slightly off topic but I think it will help answer your question. While in nursing school my pathophysiology instructor had a Phd in Pharmacology and she was working in a masters in education at the University of MN. I asked her why she was teaching at a community college instead of a 4 year university. She stated that there is an expectation of PhD instructors to continue research as well as teach. Research findings/results bring prestige to the school and often generates revenue if the data can be sold or leads to products being made. She did not want to have to deal with doing research. She just wanted to focus on teaching. There is a shortage of nursing educators. Universities have no problem hiring DNPs because they can teach clinicals and handle other administrative tasks PhD faculty instructors don't want to deal with. On the other hand, PhD instructions would be expected to teach as well as do research. I forgot to mention that research is funded by grants so it is actually a revenue stream for schools. My teacher stated that you have to always be looking for and filling out applications for funding. As a DNP your a shielded from this aspect of the world of academia. (Ps I am at the end of my night shift so I hope this makes sense.) :)

I agree with Saheckler. A few things to consider. 1) In general having a masters only knocks off about 15 to 20 credits from a PhD program. 2) In general a person with PhD make more money and have more job opportunities than someone with a masters. So getting a PhD leads to a higher lifetime earning potential. 3)A large number of PhD programs are basically free due to the scholarships available. This means no work attachments. Some employers require you to work a year for every year of school they fund. 4)If you really want the Masters in Public Health get it after the PhD. I live in MN. When I spoke with the admissions people they said a lot of Phd/DNP students get a masters in Public Health but it only takes about years since so many credits transfer in. I speak for other schools or programs but this seems logical. I can't comment on the GRE seeing as I have never taken it. I am currently prepping to take this summer. Good luck with whatever you decide. :)

Thanks, Have you decided on a school?

Background 1) I worked in health insurance processing claims, approving prior authorizations, and educated people about their benefit package 2) I worked as an RN at drug treatment facility where I spent my day trying to get insurance companies to cover longer stays and certain medications 3) I had a situation where my dental insurance would not cover a teeth cleaning until the claim was denied by my medical insurance. It took months to get the claim paid 4) Current theory is that over utilization of the ER is one factor driving up healthcare costs. One day I had the thought that all of these people newly covered by the affordable healthcare act don't know how to use insurance and will continue to use the ER. How do we get people in general to understand when to schedule with a clinic, urgent care, or go to the ER. This has been in my mind for several years. Recently I found an article about health insurance literacy. I want to work for the National Institute of Health (NIH) and create some national level initiative to educate people about insurance. Example: When I got pink eye I called my doctor and a RX was sent to the pharmacy. I bypassed his office, urgent care, and the ER. My friend got pink eye and lost hours out of his day in the ER AND who knows if he even spread it to someone else. Friend is an ER nurse and told me a patient who comes in several times a year via ambulance with an asthma attack. That how she refills hers RX. She gets d/c from the ER with an inhaler and when it runs out she comes back for another. When I looked at any researcher on an article close to this topic the have a MPH + something else. Most employees at the NIH have a MPH and a degree in something else. One component to Public Health is behavior medication of a group of people. This is directly in alignment with what is need for my PhD so that is why it is a big consideration in my plan. I noticed that the closer a school is to Washington DC the more likely it is to have ties to the NIH via grants, scholarships, or faculty. Considering that is where I want to work that connection is important to me. The U of MN doesn't have that. Schools like Columbia, Penn State, and John Hopkins do. I just bought a house so I am not looking to move. I have been focusing on online programs so far. Out of all the faculty at the U of MN, I didn't really find anyone researching anything close to what I want to explore. I have looked at all the schools you applied to. They all have a lot to offer.