ARmickie

I suppose I would be officially included in this group! I am just starting college at the tender age of 33! This summer, I'm taking Personal Health and Western Civilization I for the first term. Scond term, I'll be taking .... uhmm.. I don't know yet! Whatever it is, it will be another 6 credits of prereq's for the BSN program. I'm taking classes at a CC and then I'll transfer over to a tradition 4 year program to finish up. I have four kids, ranging in age from 13 to 6, a husband and a dog.... Good luck to one and all, and may God have mercy on our souls through all of this... :uhoh21:

From what I understand, you can take the NCLEX-RN after your junior year if you are attending a four year BSN program.. I could be wrong, but that is my understanding.

I thought over this same process. I knew that I would be looking for fin aid when I got ready to do the bridge program, and where I live, the only bridge programs go from LPN to MSN and I don't live near any of the straight to RN programs in a CC. If I took the bridge course online, then I'd be left to pay for it out of pocket. I just decided to bite the bullet, pull down as many prereq's as I possibly can as fast as I can and then head on over to a university for the BSN program. I figure if I'm just REALLY sick of school by the time I hit that third year, I'll just take the RN test and then get the BSN after I've had a break. Might not work for you, but that's how I'm doing it.

If it's wrong, then I'm going down with you!! I'm just waiting to hear that my old boss went down in flames!! This woman trained me for my position, and she knew that upper ranking people had pulled me from my training six weeks early. After I got moved out from under her as a trainee, she refused to help me at all... I'm not talking about asking her to do my job.. I just asked where our company allowed us to buy certain things.. she wouldn't tell me. Then, as fate would have it, this woman gets a promotion to be my supervisor. The b*tch fired me two months later for not doing my job, even though she knew what I was and was not trained on and refused to help finish my training.... :angryfire I'm just patiently waiting.... :chuckle

I read this story and remembered the first time I ever tried to give blood. I was 17 and the Red Cross came to our high school. I went through the screening and they did a finger prick in order to spin the blood to check for anemia. The explained all this to me (if the blood bounces after it's spun you're anemic and they can't use the blood). Of course, this is all done in front of our entire senior class, mind you. They took the blood, dropped it into the vial to spin it, and before they touched anything else, the little ball of blood looked like a yo yo bouncing up and down. lol.. Needless to say, I was NOT allowed to give blood! This has came back to haunt me, later on though. There's been no definite diagnosis as to why I seem to be so anemic, but there have been several times where a count was done and instead of being around 12-13, mine was got down to 6.. no known reason.. :uhoh21:

Well, I agree, and I would as well. But, if you read some of these threads it sounds as if some people are just saying, "I hope it doesn't...." w/o making sure first. I have a friend who was in the same position and the BON told her that her offense would not automatically bar her from sitting for the exam, but that each case was handled individually, and they couldn't tell her anything more until she applied for licensure. I can't say that if I was her I would even chance it.. but, it's not me, so...

There have been several posts recently about criminal offenses, both felony and misdeamenor, and how it will affect ones chances of being allowed to sit for boards. I'm just curious as to what someone would do if they were NOT allowed to sit for boards after they'd invested so much time and money into nursing school? I mean, with a BSN you might have other options (don't know, just guessing)... but, what if you don't have the degree? I just think that would be so horrible, but I'm sure it has happened.

Glad things seem to be working out for you. A friend called me today and said she'd heard from the BON as well and was told that the offense wasn't an automatic ban from taking the test. However, they also said that they couldn't/wouldn't say anything else until she applied for licensure. lol.. Poor thing.. she doesn't know whether to try to get in or not! I'm saying go for it -- besides, I really don't wanna go thru school alone!!

I'm about to enter a CC and possibly a LPN program. My eventual goal, however, is to be a RN. Does anyone have any advice as to whether or not to do the LPN program and then try to get into a RN bridge program somewhere, or should I just do my prereq's at a CC and then try to transfer over to UCA, UALR or even the program at Baptist? Any suggestions here would be appreciated. I am tempted to do the LPN program just so I can hurry up and get into learning what I'm there for (nursing), and I'm not sure what kind of chances I would have to getting into a 4yr school after I've taken all the prereq's at a CC. (I know that UCA gives preference to students who have been at their school from the beginning.. Pre-Nursing Students.) But, I can't just start out there, as I want to get started now and I've already enrolled at the CC where I live, not to mention it's much cheaper this way. Ugghhh!! I just don't know what would be the best route to take financially and emotionally.. I would be very upset if I made it through LPN school, but I couldn't get in to a RN program. Okay.. enough.. now... anybody got any suggestions?

I don't know if you are still interested in this, but I agree -- you should try it. A few years ago, I was being treated for a ganglion cyst in my wrist. It took over a year for the diagnosis to be made, as the doc was thinking carpal tunnel. At any rate, if you've ever experienced carpal tunnel or a cyst yourself, you know how painful it is. The cyst sat between tendons in my arm, and when it was enlarged, I would develop tendonitis. I was in so much pain that I couldn't even sleep at night. A friend of mine offerred to do Reiki on my arm... it was amazing. The pain was eased substantially, and not only could I sleep, I could work!! Of course, I wasn't exactly "taking care of it" by working and doing the same repetitive motion that had started the pain to begin with. Once I did start taking care of it, though, on the few times that it would flare up after that, I'd go look for my friend... and I've not had any problems with it since. I'm a firm believer in Reiki.

There was another thread on this somewhere that got pretty heated. My personal opinion is this: If you feel more 'professional' in a dress, by all means wear it. As for me, I'll stick to scrubs. I'd rather not have any doubt in my mind that not only will I be comfortable, but everything will stay covered up, no matter how many times I bend over, or squat down, or if I should fall, whatever... My vote is scrubs.. but, to each his own..

The only way I can see that being acceptable is if it's a ped patient.. otherwise the patient has a right to know before family members.. or at the very least, at the same time.

I'd be just the opposite. No bath for me. Any risk of infection to my baby is not worth it. Now, if I felt like I HAD to be washed for some reason, I'd hop into a shower for a quick rinse. But, everyone has their own opinion.. and I never had to deal with that, because my water never broke. I had an emergency C section the first time, and then followed that with C sections every time (total of 4).

I would have probably got in trouble in that class.. as soon as it came out of her mouth, she'd see me.. :rotfl: . It's crazy!!!

I believe you should tell the truth about the situation. I have said over and over, I do not think anyone should just tell a family "it's going to be ok" if that isn't the truth. I'm simply stating that's what is in their minds.. that's what they want to believe more than anything else.. I'm not suggesting to lie to anyone, and I agree wholeheartedly in being honest. My whole issue here is that because a family has this type of mindset most of the time, it's hard for them to grasp the actual reality of it sometimes. Nine times out of a ten, a family is going to hold tight to anything positive the doctor has had to say and let the rest of the info fall by the wayside for a bit. I don't see anything wrong with telling a family either of those things.. the truth is the truth. I'm just saying that sometimes, as a family with a loved one in a critical situation, it's hard to wrap your mind around the total truth when it's presented to you and not all of the information you are given "sticks". I have a lot more respect for those doctors who DO shoot straight from the hip when it comes to telling things how they are. I've learned over the years, after being in the critical care waiting area more times than I care to remember, to stop a doctor in mid sentence if I have to in order to ask a question. I get all my questions asked as they come to me -- but, at the same time, I've seen many families who speak w/ a doctor and say "thank you" after the doc says his part, only to have them sit down and talk to family and when they are asked something, it's "I don't know, I meant to ask that, but...." Again, I'm not badmouthing doctors or nurses or anyone else. I was simply stating what I've seen happen over and over.. it's a mindset.. not a fault of the medical community at all. And, while I agree that the medical science is still much a gray area, I'm not going to beat a dead horse here.

I have no words of wisdom, only compassion. I feel the same way you do about a former career. I was good at my job, and all of my staff supported me 100%. The higher ups, however, were a different story. My persistence in standing up for my team instead of constantly doing "whatever it takes" to protect their bottom line regardless of the human cost is what cost me my job, and ultimately drove me away from the entire profession. Again, I don't have any advice in how to resolve your feelings, but you can be certain that it doesn't only happen in the medical field, and there are a ton of people who can relate. But, your current position sounds nice! :) Good luck with it.

I want to sincerely thank all of you for your replies. I appreciate what you've said, and it's not falling on deaf ears. However, I just want to explain something that most of you are hitting on... the telling the family everything is going to be okay. That is not at all what I'm suggesting. I'm saying that is most often a families state of mind... nobody sitting in a waiting room wants a doc to come out and say "I'm sorry.. we did all we could".. that is just not what you want to hear. I'm not saying to TELL them anything, neither good nor bad, it was simply a statement made regarding state of mind of families in the critical care arena. I'm not blaming anyone for the loss of the nephew, really. I do believe that a diagnosis was missed, I'll openly admit that and I will always stand behind my belief in that. However, I also believe that when it *was* found, the medical staff did everything humanly possible. I believe that it was "his time to go", and he knew that as well. His story was truly touching in so many ways, but this is not what the current thread is about. I know that medicine is a science, not a perfection and that the human body is a very complex organism. The longer I think about this, and the more posts from all you that I read, I think that perhaps the area I'm looking for is possibly patient education, or something of that nature. Again, I don't mean to sound defensive or anything like that. I'm just trying to explain my thought process.. Thanks again. Mickie

I never said that I was going to tell a family that everything will be alright.. I said "that is what a family wants to hear".. and it IS.. If you have ever had a loved one in critical care, you only want to hear that they'll be okay.. that may or may not be the outcome, but in your heart, that's what you want to hear. A lot of times, as soon as a question comes to mind, something else is said by the doctor and then you are thinking of what he just said instead of your question, and then he's gone. I'm not talking about sharing information w/ anyone except patient or immediate family.. I'm aware of the legalities. I wouldn't want my information shared w/ everyone in the public either. It's not only illegal, it's just plain wrong. As far as the missed diagnosis... someone definitely dropped the ball on this case. That's all there is to it. But, the family wasn't aware of the possible effects of the radiation years later on the body, and they didn't know what to look for. I'd expect a trained physician to be aware of this and to perform the necessary tests when a patient presents with classic s/s of a disease. However, I am not/was not in their shoes and I'm not trying to pass judgement. I'm incredibly angry about that, but it's not up to me, and I can't change it. I'm not looking to have all the answers, but I think it's important for a family to be able to have the information and someone who either has the knowledge or can get the information for them and be able to explain it. Let's face it, when dr's are busy or nurses are understaffed and running all the time, familes are hesitant to ask questions or to repetitively as for an explanation.. they don't ALL want to make your job harder. My loves are helping people and research.. I'm trying to combine the two, based on what our family faced. I'm not trying to step on any toes, and I sure as heck don't intend on breaking the law.

I'm waiting for admissions to a nursing program now, as I know that a medical background is definitely required. I felt no animosity towards the nurses at all, none of us did. We completely understood their position. They offerred what information they could, and generally did everything else under the sun to make the family as comfortable as possible. For over a month, my DH's nephew was in CCU and he was referred to as the "sickest person in the hospital"... flesh eating bacteria was found in his intestines, cirrhosis of the liver due to radiation for leukemia in childhood...he was a very sick young man who died at the age of 23. Doctors and nurses alike attended the funeral.. we have the highest respect for them. However, just going thru the whole ordeal is what prompted me to want to do something for the other families who are in that sort of situation.

A recent illness and death in our family is one of the reasons I have chose to go into the nursing field. I know what I *want* to do, but I'm not exactly sure what area this would fall into. Here's an example: When the immediate family was faced w/ doctors, getting updates on patient condition (especially since this was so touch and go all the time), it seemed every time we turned around, the doctors were saying, "we don't know.. we don't have all the information yet...". In those moments when talking to the doctor, I know that all the family really wants to hear is "he'll be okay", and the many questions usually don't come until AFTER the doctor has left. I know that our family would have a ton of questions about possibilities of different things, but all the nurses would say about it was, "you'll have to talk to the doctor when he returns tomorrow".. well, by tomorrow, there was a whole new set of questions, or we were getting other information and just trying to absorb that and nobody ever asked the questions. This left me to come home at night, and log on to the WWW and try my best to find information. And, lo and behold, I did find that information.. and by printing it out, and highlighting the areas in question, we were able to start asking and getting answers to questions. One of these questions was, "How on earth could this person have been misdiagnosed for so long when the s/s should have been so obvious? Of course, to that question, we'll never have the answer.. he's gone. But, by nursing, and researching the illness and finding the information for families that gives them a foundation for their questions, I feel like I can do *something* in his memory.. perhaps if I had felt this way a few years ago, he'd still be here... but I doubt it.. it was his time, and I know this.. Anyway.. can anyone give me any idea of what kind of position this is/would be? As much as I would love the hands on of working w/patients, I would so much also love the ability to be there for the families and give them the information that they so desparately need, but oftentimes are not getting b/c of the fear/shock of being in a critical care area and trying to keep faith that their loved one will be okay...

I overheard a nurse from a local hospital tell a friend a few days ago that there were a total of 16 pts in the entire hospital that day... :uhoh21: At first, I was shocked, but then I remembered the rep this hospital has a "Band Aid Center"... I have no idea of what they are doing about the staff there.

Jenn... every pregnancy is different. You may or may not be sick the next time. As far as using pregnancy as an excuse, that's one thing that has always made me mad, and never really worked as an excuse as far as I'm concerned. When I was managing, I always demanded the note, With Explanation, from the OB as to why someone couldn't do the job. I worked 16 hours the day before I had my youngest daughter.

I agree wholeheartedly.. carry your tiny hiney to the Dr ASAP... while it may be nothing, it's not a chance you want to take, especially in that region of your body. And, if it is something, you need to know. Besides, you will be worried about it and the anxiety isn't going to help anything. Good luck!

I know why you feel the need to buy these books to help prepare for the test, but I can tell you, I really can't see too much of a need for them. The math test can be easily passed by simply reviewing the final lessons in a fifth grade math book, and basic "solve for X" algebra. Long multiplication, long division, ratios, precents and decimals... 3+2x=7...The reading portion is mainly about grasping the main idea of a paragraph.. I promise guys.. the test is NOT hard.

I certainly hope this is not something that the PTB ever seriously consider. It's a well known fact that when you are comfortable, you will perform much better, regardless of the profession. I just can't see nurses being able to stretch in the ways that are required with the restriction of some type of hem-line. The color white.. well, if that's your personal choice, I say go with it. It's not for me, though. The way I see it, if you want the pressed and starched uniform look, go for it!! Make yourself silly with glee if it suits you. However, there are so many various circumstances to take into consideration when it comes to the various jobs of different units, that I just can't see one uniform being mandated. For example, a NICU nurse wouldn't exactly be having to possibly half way crawl up on a bed to transfer a patient like one in the ED might. Perhaps if the name badges were color coded, and patients all had the dry erase board in the room where the nurse could write his/her name at each shift in the proper color code that might help. I don't know. I can't say that I would NOT choose nursing if I had to wear a certain thing, as the fashion aspect of it isn't why I'm choosing the career! However, I think if something IS mandated, it needs to be unisex and take into consideration all factors.. not just what someone else deems "professional". If wearing a white dress or whatever makes you feel professional, then by all means, do so. I, personally, prefer to wait until someone opens their mouth and can carry on an intelligent conversation with me and shows through their actions before I deem this person to be, or not to be, a professional. JMO