mamabear4

Hi I start my 2nd semester next week too. On my birthday none the less! I am excited to be going back because I havent quite known what to do with my self over the last 4 weeks. I mean there is only so much you can clean, bake, do fun reading etc. I really feel like I should be working on homework! lol I am nervous for this semester because we are doing maternal child nursing and med surg but our clinicals are in an LTC facility and at the psych hospital. Good luck with your next semester!!

Hi all I live in ND and I consider myself from the Minot area, currently I live by Fargo. COL up there is higher than anywhere else in the state due to the flood that happened last summer and the oil boom (big influx of people). There is just no housing and any that you find will be outrageously priced. Now coming from areas where rent is $1000 on the lower end it may not seem like a lot but add in the fact that you are only getting low $20's for pay (which by the way is standard in ND) it will cripple you. Consider other areas. There are many jobs here, we DO have the lowest cost of living and unemployment in the nation. You can rent a 3 bed/2 bath house in Fargo or one of the smaller communities for around $600-$700 a month. The winters are usually cold and snowy, this winter so far is an exception. Last winter Fargo had 88 inches of snow and one month where we never got above 0 degrees. Dont forget the windchill! Thats what is so bad. You gotta be willing to put up with that to live here. Pluses are that besides low unemployment and COL this is a very safe state. In fact one of the safest in the nation. We have excellent school systems, the teachers actually care about the students. I dislike the winters but I couldnt imagine raising my boys anywhere else. People here are generally very nice and are always willing to help a person out. Sanford and Essentia Health in Fargo both have many openings and Altru in Grand Forks does too. Hope this helps!

The base pay for ND is good. I dont know what the differential is, but if you got the info from the recruiter then its probably right. Yes it does get very cold here. There have been some months in the winter where it is -20 or -30 for weeks on end and that doesnt include the wind chill. We do get a lot of snow and winters here usually go from October to the mid to end of May. We say we have 2 seasons here winter and hunting. I grew up around Minot and while it was a great place to raise a family there is not too much to do. We have many out of staters coming here for jobs and that has raised the housing cost to ridiculous amounts. Do expect to pay anywhere from $1500-$2000 a MONTH for a small house. They have raised the prices on everything around that area because of the oil boom and there are those who are desperate enough to pay that. This summer there were thousands of people/families living in tents and trailers due to the housing shortage, not only from the oil boom but from the massive flood that decimated the Minot area. Please really research and maybe plan a trip here before you give up everything.

At the LTC facility I worked at last year, as an aid, there was 39 residents to 1 nurse. I made up my mind that when I got my nursing license there was NO way I would ever work there.

congrats and good luck!

good luck to you too!

~~~~I'm so excited and I just cant hide it!~~~~ After much worry and hard work doing all my prereq's in 2 semesters I will officially start nursing school in few weeks!! I have orientation the first wed in August and I start after that! I know it will be challenging but I am cant wait to shout from the roof tops that I am a nurse!! Good luck to those that start this fall on your fabulous journey!:hpygrp:

I am just finishing my micro class. I took only that one this summer and I am glad that I did! Our prof said you should spend 24 hours a week on micro, I spent more like 35-40 hours. I have a B+ and am happy with that cuz this class was way harder than my A&P's. But learning the diseases with s/s is great. Now hopefully I will remember it and be able to put it in to practice!

I have 4 boys and once I was told that someone would be really stupid to mess with my kids because I would attack like a mama bear. LOL

Here are some of my favorites: Ten tiny little fingers that always want to play, That never stop exploring the wonder of today. Ten tiny little fingers that from the very start, Will reach out for tomorrow yet always hold your heart. -- Author Unknown A new baby is like the beginning of all things, hope, a dream of possibilities. ~ Anonymous A mother's joy begins when a new life is stirring inside...when a tiny heartbeart is heard for the first time, and a playful kick reminds her that she is never alone. ~ Anonymous As for your entrance there is... Woman is the artist of the imagination, and the child in the womb is the canvas whereon she paints her pictures. Parascelsus, 15th century physician or Childbirth is more admirable than conquest, more amazing than self-defense, and as courageous as either one.

I am also a nursing student and have been a CNA for a long time. I always enjoyed LTC and ALF but since I have to have hospital experience I am REALLY interested in OR. I don't honestly think I could work L&D, even though I love babies, or peds.

Congrats!!!!:yelclap:

Where are you at in MN? Minn State Community and Tech offers the Associates RN. Then you can do 9 more months online through MSU-Moorhead for your BSN. I am going to MSCTC for my RN and then I will be taking my online. Their program is very reasonable only about 5000 a year and Wadena, Fergus Falls and Detriot Lakes all offer the 1 year LPN and 2 yr RN. Moorhead is the only one that you have to do prereqs b4 starting the nursing program. I would NOT go to Rasmussen. A lot of their credits don't transfer (no matter that they tell you they do). Good Luck in your search!:)