cacentralvalley

Thank you both so much!!! You won't believe how much weight has been lifted from my shoulders. Thank you thank you!

Greetings Everyone, I just took the TEAS for the first time and received a score of 85.3%. I am disappointed but I know that I still have two more times I can take it; this was my first. I haven't finished my chemistry classes, I have biochemistry coming up next semester so I think that will help. I took it even though I hadn't finished the chemistry because it was recommended by the director of the accelerated BSN program I'm applying for. My question is...how bad of a score is 85.3? Any suggestions will be welcome. I did use the TEAS study guide which was great. Should I buy other brands as well?

Same here. In the area I live in the RN's at Hospice have benefits offered to them. The salary is comparable but not quite as much as an RN at the hospital. I would definitely contact the organization to be sure though.

Hi and Congrats on getting into a nursing program! I live in the central valley in California (in a small town of about 75,000 people) so that is where I'm speaking from. In our area, no there is not a demand for LVN's. We do have three convalescent homes that hire LVN's (our hospitals do not). My best friend is a director for a home care and assisted living facility and gets daily calls from LVN's seeking employment. Her response is that they can be hired as a caregiver or med-tech at $8.25 an hour but they do not hire LVN's; she still get numerous applicants from LVN's seeking the work. As I said, this is the area I live and work in; I don't know about other areas but here, there are no jobs for LVN's.

Great tips....thank you so much. I calendarize everything...only way I got through my masters.

Congrats congrats congrats!!!! Keep up the great work and the excitement you have!

What a heart touching story. There are people that make such great differences in our lives. Thank you for sharing this story. I've been feeling so lost lately, I just can't get my head above water. This story touched my heart and actually gave me perspective once again. Thank you for the story and thank your for posting it.

Educator....teacher for 6 years then administration for five then retired from education

Life.

I have to ask...what are some of the things you've taken out of ears in the ED?

Congrats!!! Please post back and let us know how it goes. I'm so excited for you! Happy thoughts and positive energy flowing your way.

I don't think you have to list this either. If you didn't work there and collect a paycheck them I don't see that you were fired. I would see it as, for whatever reason, the DON changed her mind about hiring you. To be employed somewhere you need to have worked and received payment; that's why some places ask about employment and volunteer work separately. I'll keep you in my prayers tonight. Try to regroup, I know its hard.

I'm not sure where you live but I would check all the programs you can. In California we have online/hybrid, part time, full time, and accelerated programs. I'm a single mother and when I decided to go back to school (for nursing) I told my daughter it would be difficult but that school is only temporary (she's obviously older than your daughter). I kept reminding her that I am trying to secure our future and school is temporary. Anyway, I wish you luck. Please explore all your options and give long, careful consideration to your decision.

Laughing RN, I agree, and I don't think you sounded mean, she needs to do the research. Would you answer someone's question, "Should I be a nurse?"; no, its up to that person to figure it out. I would recommend that she ask if she could shadow both jobs for a week each, or whatever is fesible. I think that would really give her an inside look to both jobs and she could make the decision well informed. Also, if possible, try shadowing different shifts during the week. Best of luck to her.

I don't think comparing salaries would be the answer, I find it insulting. But back to the point. Where's the fine line? We (not nurses but consumers) shop for low prices and want costs kept low. Businesses need to watch the bottom line, customers want prices kept to a minimum. For people without insurance and can't use welfare provided insurance its more cost effective to get a flu shot for $30 at CVS than paying for a $100 doctor visit plus the cost of the flu shot to go and get your flu shot from your doctor. I do think in offices they should use correct titles, my doctor has a nurse and an MA and refers to them as 'the nurse' and 'the assistant'. As in, 'the nurse will be in to give you your shot' and 'I'll give my assistant your prescription so pick it up at the front desk'. Me personally, I see the unions fighting for higher pay more than anything else (not just nursing unions but education and others as well), to increase salary there needs to be smaller paychecks somewhere. I know I might get ripped for showing the business part but it is part of the reality; at least mine (I have a pretty small paycheck and am a single mother). The reason I do take offense to the salary dig (about Starbucks emplyees) is because when I worked as a full time teacher, taught a night class once a week, and was finishing my Masters degree; I worked weekends at Target for minimum wage. I needed the money and I worked for it, I was proud to work to support my family no matter what the job was.

I don't think you made a mistake taking the job; in this economy jobs are hard to come by and you got a job and some experience. I don't know where you're located but in California there are universities that have hybrid online classes. CSU Sacramento and UC Davis are reputable schools in California and they offer hybrid online courses (I know UC Davis has it to be FNP and PA but not sure about BSN but CSUS has the BSN--its new). The lectures are the online/blackboard part and clinicals are at the hospital. For your location I would look into something like this, online/hybrid through reputable schools. This might allow you to work and get your BSN. Best of luck to you, I'll include you in my prayers tonight. I know that stress can do so much to our bodies so try not to stress.

. do you find this insulting? i don't think the writer was involved in nursing or the healthcare system at all. what does snf mean? it's secret code for nursing homes with nurses.

I meant to say my retirement salary (when I retired) was calculated at 40% of my averaged (its 3 highest years) salary making my retirement salary about $50,000 a year and I get COLA raises every year based on my retirement salary.

I would definitely talk to your supervisor first, and calmly because you may need the reference if there aren't many other jobs available.

About 15 years ago my uncle died from AIDS. He didn't want to be in a hospital so he was able to stay home and die with family. We did enlist the help from a home health care nurse that would come by everyday for about an hour and she was great; she was also HIV positive. She was open with sharing her status with us. She was a great nurse!!!!! She was always very professional, caring, and friendly; she seemed more as a friend to us rather than "Uncle Tad's nurse is here". I don't know if things would've been different for her if she worked at a hospital (as far as how others would have reacted) but she was fantastic. She had to 'train' some of my family members that gave my uncle daily care and everyone felt comfortable around her; no issues there.

I've lived and still live in CA and this is what we have to deal with. CA is a heavy union state and all the taxpayers have to cater to the unions. I know I'm part of the unions but I must say my conscience has been getting to me lately because I do feel bad that there are so many people out of work and the federal government money puts government and union workers back to work (at least here). I've been very torn. Its not as simple as 'vote for someone else'; we in the central valley overwhelmingly did not vote for gov. brown but we are union heavy and the unions got him elected. I am a retired educator that decided to go back to school to become an FNP (through the BSN route). When I retired my salary was 40% of salary (about $50,000) and I get COLA raises every year. I did work long hours and often seven days a week but I do feel conflicted because CA taxpayers have to provide for unions above anything else. Just my opinion; you don't have to agree with it, its just how I feel.

I would also say getting a tutor or a study buddy from the class to work together. Also, have you been tested for a learning disability? My sister did great at school until college and went through testing and received help. The people at the center taught her ways to take notes and outline that better fit her and she really did great after that.

Oh my gosh....small world! My best friend is in NS...he's going to be great (of course I'm biased because I think he's great) and he had a homework question just like this. He went through lots of different scenarios and I can't remember all of them but we did make a 'real world in a bad job market' scenario.....we said "maybe the nurse would be terminiated because the the DON had a friend that needed a job". That's not what he turned in as his answer (I'm not sure what his final answer was) but after reading through the posts I'm wondering...do you think our 'joke' scenario (or rather bad joke) is possible? Just wondering.

"Do not EVER judge others' decisions." The best quote I saw. I don't think anyone should be judged for their decisions or attacked for their opinions. Much of this is also a cultural area; many, many cultures will not place their parents in a nursing home (I'm inlcuded). I do not have anything against respectable nursing homes; I worked in a great one and enjoyed working there. Its just not something I would do but I personally do not have any first hand nursing home horror stories. As with anything, there are good and bad ones out there, I've never encountered a bad one. My parents were dirt poor and found a way to take care of my siblings and myself and I feel that I could find a way to do the same for them. Its a family decision and people shouldn't be judged for a family decision.

When i was a patient in ICU I had a 'doer' that was training another 'doer' for ICU. She loved to show off and act smart, even dropped and broke my machine that respiratory brought for me. Thank goodness for the 'watcher'. She came to the ICU rooms everyday to ask how things were going and I asked for the doer to not come back. The watcher also was there to create the schedules so that all the shifts were covered, called my MD when there was a med problem, 'watched' me as I got my third blood transfusion so I wouldn't have another reaction (like before) and was left alone while my doer was busy doing something else. I think segregation is horrible, its teamwork and as with any profession, there are good and bad. I personally am just as thankful for my watcher as I am for my doer when I was a patient. I try to remember that just because I don't see everything they are doing doesn't mean they aren't doing something.