kb14

Doesn't sound like a bad idea.

Congrats! Trust me it's more than cleaning people up, you actually have to think. lol

My school covers Community Health to the extrem level... I would have to say I prefer all the patho stuff over that to be honest. That was the stressful part, I thought about quitting every single day that year. My friend was getting annoyed with my complaints. I couldn't just suck it up.

My friend who is in psych nursing... never stand by a corner where you can easily be cornered. It's just an added caution.

Always wondered this myself...

I've seen this idea on the USA forums this lady/gentleman found a list of LTC homes near her area on a website, printed it out and went to each one. It's a pretty smart idea. I hope you get a call back!

They also have a cap on the amount of credits you can transfer. For example, you might have 10 credits that are acceptable to the new school. However, under the new school's policy, they can only ALLOW 5 transfer credits max. You are then stuck with taking more courses from the new school because they can only take 5 credits out of the 10 acceptable credits from your old school. You have to think about it this way, Universities are a type of business... it's not a right, it's more like a privilege (although a lot of people say it's a right). They have to make money somehow. lol

I don't think you need years of RPN experience, at least here in ON. I'm looking at one bridging program and it doens't say that you need it although I'm sure it's preferable. I know of one RPN who took the undergrad 4 yrs rather than the 3 yrs bridging because her friends before her said that the latter was harder. She said that in the bridging program the school expects more from you because you already have experience as a nurse.

I'm just curious, why do you want to become a nurse? If it mainly for the money? It's okay to say 'yes,' at least you're being honest. I'm trying to understand if nursing is truely what you want or maybe a different option where you can earn similar or close to what an RPN makes. There's nothing wrong with people going into nursing for the money but the reality is that it is a stressful job and sometimes, to other people, not worth the pay. Not everyone is cut out for stress that many if not all nurses go through. Like you said, it's not something you can easily afford and it would be a tragedy if by the end you find yourself thinking that nursing isn't for you. As to your age, it ain't nothing but a number. If after becoming an RPN you feel that you want to go and get your RN degree, go for it! What's life without its challenges? I've had 2 classmates in nursing school who were in the 40s with kids and whos first language was not english. I also know two couples, one in their late 20s and the other in their late 30s going to Nursing school together (it's really cute actually)! I can't speak for them and say that it was a breeze; I'm sure they faced many challenges. I understand that the financial part is where the difficulty lies but before you think that this investment is unaffordable get financial counsellling and talk with your partner; then make a decision whether it's worth it financially. Talk with a counsellor in the schools you are interested in going, they provide a lot of information and can re-direct you to other services that might help. Im not sure if it's you who is interested in L&D but here in Ontario, some hospitals allow PNs to work in L&D. Good luck! oh btw, I'm glad you're enjoying the journey! Don't give up if this is what you really want!

Apparently it's not any better in the States. In fact, it's taking a new grad 1 yr. to get a job. Just keep applying! I hope the best for you! Hang in there.

RPN is equivalent to LPN it's just each province/territory have their own rules as to what an RPN/LPN (let's just call RPN/LPN = PN or Practical Nurse just in case ppl from other provinces get offended because we're using Ontarian terms lol) can do within their scope of practice. Also, it depends on what setting (hospital or LTC or home care etc.). I'm not sure what the differences are exactly, just check policies and procerdures in the different settings you're interested in.

For LTC, go to the place itself. Not a lot of LTC have websites so go around your neighbourhood and actually seek them out. I heard this gives you a better chance since they can put a face to your resume. Some have even gone as far as wearing their scrub to show that they're ready to work right away. Hope that helps.

I'm just wondering if this school is accredited? If so, I think I have a friend of mine who would benefit from this.

you don't want to be overly too confident about getting the job. the economy continues to be depressing. anyway, how about l&d or or? btw, where do you live? i hate to assume but somewhere in on i'm probably guessing. i'm just wondering because there are slight differences in rpns/lpns scope of practice in each province/territory so it might affect where you can do your placement. best of luck!

I've neither attended GBC or Centennial but I've heard less complaints from GBC friends of mine than those in Centennial. My friend was in the Bridging program @ Centennial and her prof screwed something up and she had to repeat a semester. The only good thing that came out of that is that the school agreed not to put it in her record that she had to repeat the semester because it was the prof's mistake. But do keep in mine this is a one time event. Tip: Everytime you correspond with a prof., SAVE IT! Enough with the negative, the positive is that Centennial has a good simulation lab. They video tape the situation and then you watch it and debrief in another room. I'm not sure if GBC has that. Either way both schools are well known in producing RPNs. Best of luck!

Seriously lay of off her with the whole RN vs RPN thing. It's getting really old, grow up. She was asking a question if you don't have anything helpful to say don't bother commenting. Correcting someone is one thing, but being sarcastic and pretentious is another. Anyway, have you thought about doing Visiting Nurse (assuming you drive)? e.g. CCAC, Comcare. A family friend of mine is doing this as her Full-time job and she finds it flexible enough for her and it's not overly demanding.

Yes, there is no guarantee that you will be hired after but if you need the money, then it's a good opportunity. Also, at least you have "paid" experience under your belt. Anyway, I heard Comcare (Visiting RN/PN) is hiring. Check out their site. If you do not mind working in LTC I suggest you visit the ones you are interested in working and handing out your resume to them personally because most of them do not have websites. They can also put a face to your resume. Good luck!

I like how I’m becoming the antagonist in this forum just because I disagree with most of the participants lol. Anyway, I just want to ask a question—if the moderator wants to turn this into a separate thread, then do so—but what is so threatening about new RNs (BScN graduates)? Now before you argue that you do not feel threaten I would like to point out that if you did not feel this is case then the anxiety, and interpersonal conflict between new RNs and other nurses would not exist. The reason why individuals go on the defense (in any type of conflict) is because they feel that the opposing side is threatening their self-worth. Not once did I ever claimed that new RNs are better than other nurses, in fact I asked for other nurses to be supportive rather than be scornful. New RNs should not be the scapegoats just because the deciding body (i.e., nursing colleges) made the “unfavourable” (to some) rules. "People need to cease thinking that nursing in Canada revolves around Ontario and its terminology." I only speak for what I know of my province, I'm sorry if that bothers you. I will endeavor to learn more about the different terminologies in hopes that I become more inclusive. "And yes, I've met more than a few BScNs over the year who burnt out and left the profession." And I'm sure there are equal amounts of BScN graduates that stayed in the profession as well. BScN grads are not an homogenous group. We all have different ways to cope with stress. "So what I'm reading is that my three years of college to get my RN isn't worth any more than the RNA (registered nursing assistant here in Quebec) who went to a two-year technical program." As I've stressed numerous times in my posts, all I contend is that there is a DIFFERENCE... I'm not questioning your worth or competence. In fact, I praise you for your experience, thank you for paving the way for future generations. I like how people nitpick certain part of my posts without really understanding the whole picture.

How patronizing and pessimistic gotta love the older nurses! lol

I know I said that my previous message was going to be the last but I just want to respond to your retort. We obviously don't see eye to eye and that's fine but if you want to spend a great deal of time complaining how superior RPNs/LPNs are to the new BScN RNs then so be it but do so in an environment where it can be changed--LOBBY it and get Political! Amass a group of PNs and march to those provincial colleges and demand change. The reality of today is RNs are required to get a BScN, end of discussion. Society is dynamic; we can't rely on the old ways and expect everything will fall into place. Nursing cannot be stagnant; if we want other professions to take us seriously we must take the adequate steps to reach the levels where we can be part of the current discourse. That cannot happen when nurses have diplomas. You're asking new grads to be perfect nurses on their first day of work, and that's not how it goes (maybe in your time, but I highly doubt that). Learning is a process not an end to anything. Are you saying that nurses in the past knew EVERYTHING that they needn't learn anything new after they received their titles? That’s just arrogance, if it’s a “yes”! As some people argued earlier in this forum, skills and knowledge are gained through exposure so whether you learn it in school or the workforce, what’s the difference when you’re still focusing on patient care. Just because an RPN has more bedside experience than a New Grad it doesn’t mean that they should get higher pay considering there is a small yet very significant difference in their education and training. Yes, there is a difference between “old” grads (trained in the hospital) and new grads and it’s academia. As to salary (at least in ON), min. wages for new nurses always increase by some sort of percentage (I think about 1-3%) every few years or so. So what “older” nurses were making when they were new to the profession is not similar to what the new grads are making today. Moreover, it’s a different GENERATION that means different issues and increasing technology. When arguing my point, I’m thinking about the current situation right now, not what happened in the past. Attitudes such as “the average nurse will never go into management or do research,” are so discouraging for those who want to pursue those types of nursing careers and there are many who do! Advance practice nursing does not necessarily equate to research or management. How about Nurse Practitioners, Clinical Nurse Specialists, Nurse Educators in Schools? I’m looking through job posting right now at different hospitals here in my city, and it seems like the current openings are for those positions mentioned above. Furthermore, I feel your arguments concentrate highly on the mechanical bed-side part of nursing. Nursing is so broad and to centralize your defense at just one skill aspect of nursing totally undermines those who work in the community, governments, occupational health, etc. What if these nurses in the future decided to go back to bed-side and they fail to remember ALL their required bed-side nursing skills, should they be looked down upon like the current New Grads? Should they get paid as much as an RPN even if they hold a BScN? I DO NOT claim that BScN RNs are better than “older” nurses/RPNs/LPNs, that’s not my main argument. My main argument is that there IS a DIFFERENCE between the two or three or four or five etc. types of nurses (or however many nurses you claim because I always seem to miss one, my bad lol) and that is the reason for the contrast in pay (more specifically RPNs/LPNs). Keyword: DIFFERENCE but I do not contend that it is necessarily better.

I agree with 2bNurse-88, I'm sure the OP is just anxious. She didn't mean to reveal any questions. I hope everything turns out the way you want it!

Fiona59: If you feel that there is something viscerally wrong about the difference in treatment of the two types of nursing then maybe RPNs (this includes LPNs as well, just in case others get offended again) should create solidarity; you know, challenge the system instead of yowling how unfair it is. I'm not saying that sarcastically, I'm being genuine. To me, there is a difference, maybe not long ago in the time of WWII but there has been changes in the last decade or two. There is a purpose as to why RN nursing has become a degree (especially in the present) and that is to introduce nurses in the academic circles. Today, RNs are expected to be adept to BOTH technical and academic skills. Yes, there are essay writing in the BScN programs but that's part of all academic programs. Are you saying that nurses do not have a place in academia because this is not what nurses "naturally" do, and that nursing has to be all technical? I believe the technical skills and knowledge in nursing can be gained through experience and exposure while in the work force. However, some people want to pursue further top positions in nursing and the only way to do that is through university and higher education. Again, I argue that you won't find someone who has a college diploma getting their Masters or PhDs in any profession--inside or outside of the health system. The only way nurses can gain influence in a top-bottom approach of the health care system is to be in with the "in crowd;" if that means pursuing a degree to be accepted in a graduate program and therefore leading to jobs at the top, then so be it. The system is not saying that RPNs/LPNs/hospital taught RNs (note: I'm talking about the individual who hold these titles) are not adequate academics, they just need to get the qualifications (i.e, become an BScN RN). If you don't want to, then by all means, don't become an RN but don't hold it against Degree holding RNs for getting paid more for the "same" work. Sadly, the truth is that qualifications weighs heavily in this society whether we like it or not, that's just how the cookie crumbles. Anyway, this is my last post for this forum. Thanks for reading. P.S. Maybe the older generation of nurses (those who were trained in the hospital) that you speak of need to be more open minded and supportive of the new generation of nurses instead of concentrating on how poorly the new nurses are doing in the workforce. There is a difference between constructive feedback and criticism; the latter impedes learning and creates hostility.

Did the job title RPN existed before the RN diploma program became a BScN degree? I'm just wondering because maybe that is where the difference lies. Diploma Nurses are obviously grandfathered in the whole new system, but the change from Diploma to Degree sort of legitimately turned the Nursing profession into a "real" (and I say this lightly because I lack a better word for it) science and art. I agree with you that there should no longer be two types of nurses. Maybe nursing in the future should be strictly BScN? I don't know how other people would feel about that as some people go into RPN because the schooling is fast, there is job security and pays okay. However, I feel turning nursing into a Degree program was a good move because I feel it validates nursing as a true profession (not that it was not a worthy profession before but it sort of helped change society's perception of nursing). I think Advance Practice Nursing does not alter or negatively affect holistic care, in fact I think it enhances it. Professionalizing nursing allowed nurses in areas that were closed to them in the past. Having Nurse researchers let nurses be part of the academic realm where they can take part in discourse regarding health and society. They are able to research, conceptualize and change nursing practice to enhance care. Having specialty in a specific medical areas allows nurses to learn about a disease or illness in depth so that they can provide holistic interventions to a certain population; all in all it is still meeting patients needs. Another point I would like to add is that, socioeconomically the world is dynamic. The nursing profession need to be able to adapt to the present and future socioeconomic times and nurses cannot do that if they do not have an academic background. Nowadays you won't find someone who has a college diploma getting their Masters or PhDs, that's just not how academic advancement works in other professions; why should nursing be any different? Anyway, I guess what I'm trying to get at is the ACADEMIC part of (BScN) nursing IS important in differentiating between the two types of nursing, especially in this decade. Lastly, I agree with the other nursing student/grad that said that they want to be justly compensated for the amount of time/money they've put through 4 years in nursing school; it's only fair! lol

Yes, you will be unprepared at that age but so what? Who really is "prepared" when they're experiencing something new, no matter what age you are. The instructors do not expect you to know everything right of the bat. Just keep reminding yourself that you're in clinical to learn not to take over the Nurse's job. Also, I know people usually say "know your limits" if you're not comfortable doing something don't do it... BUT if you've reviewed a nursing skill already in class and lab, you should take every opportunity to practice them in clinical. Sounds like common sense right? I have so many classmates that are too afraid or disgusted to do some FUNDAMENTAL skills which impede their learning slightly advanced nursing skills.

Thank you! I hope you did well and good luck with the job search!:)