princess_j

For the RN to BSN component there is only one clinical course. It is a 3 credit/120 hour project/preceptorship that you can do in your community (like at a home health agency/county agency type organization). That's it. I will do mine next summer.

I used Rue's materials 5 years ago for the nursing exams (i had to take 5 or 6). I found them very useful and even found some of the study guide questions to be on the test. The study guides really helped me organize what I needed to know for the test and kept me on track. I used excelsior's study guides for one test & it didn't help me at all. I think it all depends on your learning style. I got the nursing exams done in 5 months using Rue. They also had a great posting board (kind of like this one) for its customers. That helped me a lot as well. I made it through all my exams with all A's & 2 B's and I passed the CPNE on the first time (I failed one patient, but passed the rest). To pass the CPNE you just have to know what the examiners want and not do anything above or beyond or below what they want. I do not think Excelsior is a joke at all - you just have to know what they want. I found it a great (but hard) way to get my RN degree.

I have had great luck with UW so far. The instructors are great and I have learned a lot. The work is hard, but the instructors are very fair & NICE!! Even paying out of state tuition, it is cheaper than the state university I attended for my first undergrad degree.

I am half through UW's BSN program. All you need to worry about is if the college is NLN accredited. Hope this helps!

I am half through UW's online program. There have been test in all the courses I have taken, but one. Most are online, open book with a specified amt of time that you can take the exam. Some of the test are not easy, even if they are open book. I am taking stats and the exams are proctored - I go to the community college's testing center. There are just as many assignments and you are expected to participate as much if not more than if you were in the classroom. Hope this helps!!:)

Abbott has a nice campus and is pretty nurse friendly as far as i know. One of my best friends works there in the human resources and training dept and conducts the new nurse orientation and education stuff. I have another friend there who is a wound care nurse. I used to live in Minnesota, but I never worked in any of the hospitals, only nursing homes. I never had a hard time finding jobs in Minnesota. There were several times I had numerous offers at one time. Because the area isn't HUGE - it is easy to network. I used to work at Walker Methodist Nursing Home - a high acuity nursing home in the lakes area of Minneapolis - they are also nurse friendly - especially to new grads. It may be another good place to start if you are interested. Good luck!! I miss the snow. Jolene

I agree - it was good for the ADN program, but for the BSN, it seems like a lot more work than a university program. SDSU is a great school and they have a great nursing program - I had several friends go to school there. I am going through the University of Wyoming - a ok so far. I know that the CRNA programs I have looked into do not look upon this as negative either.

OK then . . . I have not received any negative feedback about my Excelsior ADN degree form the schools I have contacted. I do also have another BS from a state university. Jolene

I did the excelsior program and had absolutely no problems - in fact I have recommend it to many of my colleagues. You are right . . . you have to have the mindset to get it done. I only had to take the nursing courses (6 at the time) and I got them done in about 7 months. The CPNE went smoothe for me - I studied for about a month and I passed. The were very timely with everything. And you don't have to show up for class. There are so many resources for help now including this site. Good luck! Jolene (I am from MN too) :)

Although at the home care agency I worked at had the LPN's & RN's changing the vacs - PT's are trained to do wound care. I have worked at a facility where the PT's did hydro therapy and a type of electro therapy. They were really very good at it.

I am through with one semester in their RN/BSN program, about to begin my second semester. The tuition is SO reasonable (cheaper than my in-state tuition was at the university I attended) & the instructors have been great! It is way less expensive than U of Phoenix. If you have any ??'s PM me.

I hope to be where you are in a year. If you don't mind . . . can you tell me about your experience at TWU, interview, etc. Also, if you don't mind, how long have you worked ICU?? Thanks a bunch - pm me if you want. Again - good work - I know how hard it is to get where you are!

I moved to Plano from Minneapolis, MN - the cost of living is way less here. Plano is like the Beverly Hills of Texas. It is nice & clean with lots of great shopping & restaurants. The culture will be different than in California - I went through a huge culture shock when I moved here, but over time you get used to it. Baylor in Plano has not opened yet - I think it opens in December. Baylor downtown offers internships as does Presbyterian Dallas, Parkland & Methodist. I am doing a critical care internship at Methodist starting in Jan. I have been a nurse for 8 years, but have never worked in a hospitlal. Parkland is the county hospital - good experience, but kind of low pay.

I went to the open house at Methodist Hospital last night. I was really impressed with their internship program and I think I may have secured a position in the Jan 05 internship group in either the SICU/MICU or CCU. I really liked the case managers and actually got to meet several staff on the floor if the MICU/SICU & thought they were great. I even got to see a code (a first for me). I am going to talk more with HR today and next week and will make my final decision. I will write more when I find out more details. I'm really excited to start this new venture!

I have been a nurse for nearly 10 years and have yet to work in a hospital besides the clinicals I did in school. I am considering one of the nursing internships that the hospitals in Dallas offer for new grads & nurses who just want to change areas. Does anyone on this board work at Parkland? Do you like it? Any info you could share would be fantastic! jkae

Whoever wrote this article was full of it. I am a nurse and my husband is an elementary teacher. He makes nearly $17k less than I do a year. I do not work overtime either. I am a 8-5 home care nurse who works in an office as a clinical supervisor and my husband has been teaching for 5 years - he also teaches summer school which affords him $2000 extra for the year. This leaves him with a whole 4 weeks off every summer. He does not work from 7-3 - he works from 7-5 or later every day. He is paid peanuts to teach the future of america, be a "strong male role mode" to all of the kids who have no dad, babysit, be a nurse & handle cranky parents. Whoever said teachers make more than nurses need to know some teachers before they write something as ridiculous as that.

UW offers a great online BSN program that I am going to start in the fall - tuition is only $120 some dollars a credit! That is less expensive than went I went to a state university where I was a citizen of that state! So far they have been great & easy to work with - I need a few pre reqs to actually get into the nursing program which they offer all of through either online or correspondence courses. I highly recommend checking them out. jkae

I am an RN who has worked her way up through the ranks . . . (CNA - that WAS required by my LPN program, then LVN, the BS in Community Health, then ADN, now BSN and maybe CRNA). I think that all nursing programs should have the requirement, CNA before and type of nurse. I reall think it makes you a better nurse. Being a CNA is HARD WORK and some of the nurses who haven't done this don't realize how hard it is and I've seen some be very demeaning to CNA's. I think it's because they have never done the job themselves. I think some nurses who haven't been CNA's are less likely to help out a CNA, toilet somebody, change messy incontinent pads, etc . . . I worked in LTC for a L O N G time and saw a lot of this. Don't get me wrong though, I've worked with great nurses who've never been a CNA. I'm just making a generalization based on my experiences.

Do the schools you are attending let you take out that much in student loans?? I thought the may for grad studies was 18,500 . . . I too am starting to plan for down the road and save/pay off all debt when the time comes to go back to school. THe schools I am looking at are both private and the tuition is high in comparison to what I paid for my undergrad degree.

Does anyone have experience with their RN to BSN program?

Is anyone in their RN-BSN program?? What kinds of clinicals do they require??

With no hospital/clinical experience and the goal of obtaining a CRNA degree, I have been looking into area hospitals nursing internships. Has anyone done one of these internships?? How was it? Did they teach you the skills needed to function well in the ICU? Were you paid? Were you paid well? Having been in an administrative role for so long I am really looking forward to getting back into some hands on nursing!! Thanks for any help!

I have thought about becoming a CRNA since I began nursing school 8 years ago. Now that I am getting to the point where I can branch out and get the experience I need, I am wondering what I can do to make myself attractive to a CRNA program. If you have been accepted to a program what were your qualifications beyond the 1 year ICU experience? I have an ADN degree and a BS in Community Health. I know TWU accepts non BSN degrees, but it seems like most people have them anyway. My ADN grades were good - all A's a couple of B's. I will probably take some Chemistry. I have a couple of years to "better" my education/experience and want to make the most of it. Did anybody get in with just one year ICU experience?? What an ADN & BS in another field. I want to hear about your experiences. Thanks for the help!!