Rnstudent2011

Okay now I am officially jealous !!! I have to ask if you went with the wheels with the flashing lights??? I cannot decide if that is cool or for 6 year olds... I like it but some part of me does not want people thinking of my bag like they do of shoes that have the flashing lights in it! I have decided I am getting Zuca bag in a black frame with the black bag that have the jewels on it.. Just cannot decide on the lights They make organizers for the zuca bags as well that I am going to get one of, its $25 bucks but it has more places for supplies and is as tall as the bag but just acts like a removable divider/ trapper keeper. I found a clearance rolling messenger bag with lots of pockets for only $30 that will be my clinicals bag for now. I think its going to work good and I couldn't beat the price for the quality of the bag. I guess what I am left with after thinking more about everything is this... If I have to go to clinicals 2 hours away then I will stay at a hotel for the night. Thinking I would use the Zuca as a travel bag I decided was probably a mistake bc chances are if I have 8 hours of home work I'll probably be needing quite a few of those books and should bring them with me.... I am gonna have a messenger bag(clinical bag) that will sit on top of my Zuca bag (lecture bag), and then probably a duffle bag or a small 20" rolling suit case for overnight stays. I did go with a black make up type bag for my personal supplies.... I would love to know what you think of the bag if you have recieved it yet? And if your looking for stuff you should check out the pens/recorders at livescribe.com... The "echo pen" I think is what its called. If your a note taker like me you might like it...

I have a laptop, which I may carry... I tend to hand write my notes which brings me to another interesting product... Livescribe.com carries a couple pens that write and record at the same time and can be transfered to a program where you print out the audio notes transcribed along with your own hand written notes/drawings etc... but I am off course. The reason why I question the laptop is bc when I write by hand I remember a lot more than when I type and with this tool I would be able to write and still never miss a thing the professor is saying. It also has the ability to be able to just touch a note or drawing you wrote on the page and play back the audio (for those times when you write something and you have no idea why you wrote it). I also considered an IPod or Pad but my school in there attempt to be helpful and efficent has been having books made just for them and just for my college making them unable to be a simple download to a computer, phone or pad:crying2: While I appreciate their attempt to have only relevant information and specific information I don't like how hard it is to access or being forced to pay full price for a new book from a place that can put any price tag they want on it since they are the only place that carries it... So for me I am not convinced the price of a pod or pad is worth it. I do think its a wonderful suggestion!

I don't find it hard to believe, I find it scary that you would consider doing this type of work while trying to hide the mental state that you are in. You admit that you have health issues and that you have low vision, that your not able to see enough to be able to drive, that you black out, cannot remember things etc... I would NOT want you to be my nurse or any of my loved ones either. I have a daughter with low vision and know exactly what that is like. I don't understand how someone with this condition could be a nurse... I just don't. How are you going to start IV's? Read labels on medications, orders from physicians, charts, etc??? There is a lot more to being a nurse than what your making it out to be. I have no problem with someone who has a disability trying to or being a nurse until it endangers others and in this case it clearly would! How are you going to read doctors hand writing and get the right med, dose, patient, route etc when you admit in previous posts your unable to fill out YOUR OWN HEALTH HISTORY!!! How are you going to do I&O's? Vitals? Charting? Placing IV's, tubes, etc???? You would not be able to practice nursing if you cannot see well enough to perform these everyday tasks a nurse does. Its not being mean, its not thinking that someone with a disability shouldn't work as a nurse, certain people with certain disabilities could. But a disability is a limitation that you have and in this case it would be irresponsible for you to even consider this type of work when you would be putting lives at risk!!! Were not talking about office work, factory work, etc, we are talking about other people's lives! Doesn't that count for something to you? We all have hopes, dreams and limitations. It is WONDERFUL that you want to work, not to be on disability when you have that option. I think that says a lot, but I also think that it is just not an option for you unless your able to see well enough that you don't need assistance.

I noticed looking at some of your other posts you mention that you have low vision, a driver, a guide dog, black outs and a lot of health issues not mentioned in this post. I am not in your shoes and in no way wish to judge you but it seems that in a lot of posts your looking for what type of medical job you could have... If you do have all these health issues I would find a doctor that can help you. I would also consider disability. If you go into a Social Security Disability office they have some reading materials in large print that offer suggestions for people with low vision as to what types of work are available, what aides you can use to help you in your work as well as different places you can contact for help.

Hi, I am a little confused as to what you were written up for? You mention work and also becoming an RN and having to basically start over so I was wondering if your a nursing student now or some other type of medical professional? I am not sure how the two fit together... If your current job is something other than a nurse or nursing student then the chances are that there IS hope, but I think that is really in your hands. It seems to me that your aware you have an issue that would endanger someone (including yourself) to the point of being fired on the spot. I think the best thing you could do is to be honest about what is going on with you before you make a mistake you cannot undo. I think its better to ask for help and get the help you need so you don't ruin any future chance you have at becoming a RN. Just because your having some problems now doesn't mean that these problems cannot be treated which would allow you to become the nurse and case manager you hope to be. I think integrity means a lot when it comes to being a health care professional, and if your a risk to others please say so to someone in your life (home/work/different doctor) who CAN HELP YOU! I think your post is unclear to a lot of us as to what is really going on and I understand how hard it is to get everything out in one short post online when there is a long story behind it. I think that right now you just have to focus on yourself and hopefully you can get your health problems under control and be able to pick the career of your choice. I wish you the best!

hi, just was wondering from those who have some clinical experience if you carry a seperate bag to clinicals than you do for lab/lecture? i have had/have back problems in the past and am very careful now about how i lift things so i don't end up not able to do what i need to in order to be a nurse. in all we have 23 "books" (some are pocket guides) that are either required or recommended for class. so i am trying to figure out what the best way for me to transport what i need will be. the zuca bags have the ability to sit on and remind me of a little locker from the way they open up. i think this would be really nice to sit and read before or in between class and not have to be on the floor. i also think the amount of books i could fit in would be awesome. they even have a double set of wheels (on top of each other) for going up steps/curbs. the problem i see with them is first they lack pockets and 2nd they are more than what i would like to carry to clinicals. i really like the zuca back pack they make but it doesn't roll. it has enough pockets and space to hold books, laptop, and has storage and an organizer for things i would normally put in my purse and hopefully i wouldn't have to carry a purse then. i plan on having a hmmm... female/emergency kit with things i may need (tampons, excederine, pepto, hair ties, etc) for clinicals and just wondered if one of the rolling messenger bags or the "ultimate nursing bag" from nurse mates might be better. i also found a high sierra bag that has what i would describe as a carry-on type suit case with a backpack that attaches to the front. here is a link for that one... http://www.hssc.com/product?number=at2505&lang=en my goal is to maintain the privacy of my emergency kit, have enough storage, not have to deal with changing out what i need in my bag twice a week all while trying to protect my back. i know there are a lot of things on here about bags but i am hoping to get some insite on #1) if i should buy 2 bags and if that would be more efficient. 2.) anyone with experience with the a.) zuca sport rolling bag and/or backpack http://zuca.com/shop/index.php b.) nurse mates ultimate nursing bag or ultimate nursing backpack http://www.nursemates.com/catalog-2011.aspx (page 22 and 23 show the bag and backpack) c.) a good rolling messenger style bag for clinicals d.) high sierra carry-on wheeled backpack with removalble day pack. http://www.hssc.com/product?number=at2505&lang=en also i think i should mention that at orientation we were told that some of our clinical sites would be up to 2 hours from campus and between the clinical days we should expect at least 8 hours for homework (careplans, etc) i figure if i end up with out of town clinicals i will probably just stay at a hotel (hopefully with a fellow student to cut cost) and could use the high sierra bag as both a lugage bag with the day pack as my clinical backpack then switch it out to carry the heavy books during my lecture/lab days. my head is just with all the different options and choices and i am not able to spend a lot of money trying multiple bags out to see what will work the best. i like the zuca w/backpack ($250ish) and the high sierra bag with day pack ($110ish) the most but i'm wondering if it just to much! they openly said that rarely will powerpoints be given out to students and we will just have to use our books in class (mandatory) and take notes, so not carrying them isn't an option. hopefully i won't get to many out of town sites but if i do then i really want something that will be easy and save my back. also if it helps we have lab/lecture 2 days a week, clinicals or pa skills labs 2 days a week then can take supplement classes on the 5th day, have practice time, have other quizes, or required activities such as community service and cultural events we are required to do. i know whats best varies from person to person but i just cannot decide what would be best for me and was hoping maybe someone else has a simialr type of schedule or long distance clinical sites that could help or maybe experience with these types of bags. thanks for any help!!!!

allheart or medisave has a really cheap one... Im talking $5 cheap, they also have one for $20. I cannot remember which site has these prices so I listed both. The ones for this price look like a joke, like a scope on a pen light. They do have one that looks decient for around $60-80 bucks. I have ordered mine from allheart and I'll let you know what I think.

Personally I like our uniforms. They are royal blue scrubs that have the school name and program on the shirt. They can be purchased in Dickies brand or Cherokee brand and they both offer different variations of shirts (1 upper pocket or 2 lower pockets), pants (elastic waist, drawstring, ladies flare leg, etc) and a white lab coat. I really like them compaired to what some others have to wear and am so greatful they are not white!!! The only problem is the all white (and I mean ALL WHITE) shoes. They are very hard to find without a tiny bit of color in them, especially if you don't have narrow feet!

They have an impressive selection at reasonable prices. Temp: http://www.allheart.com/thermometers.html Pulse Ox: http://www.allheart.com/pulse-oximeters.html ($53 for cheapest one) BP: http://www.allheart.com/blood-pressure-cuffs.html

My plan is to make up some cards in a fine print and color code them on the computer then laminate them myself. I found a product made by Scotch brand called "self-sealing laminating pouches". Says they are photo safe and acid free so if you wanted something like an anatomy quick reference you could do that as well. Just scan it to your computer, make it small enough then print it off. I think it's a wonderful idea to have that reference with you. I think you could also find some "holders" to put them in or punch a retangle hole in it so you could have a few cards to "flip through" for lab values etc. Hope this helps :)

If anyone else is in this situation and wants to switch a 2 year track seat start date please let me know... Thanks!!!

Yay!!! I got my letter today! Got accepted and so did my friend with 82 points. We got accepted to different start dates though. Does anyone know if they will let people switch start dates? Thanks!!!

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!! I just erased everything I wrote!!! Guess I'll give this another try!!! :doh: @ rac74... I am so glad you posted what you did! I had looked over the advising guides a few times and noticed that 2011 and 2012 years were combined and at the top it said 2012 was subject to change at anytime. I had looked at a few times, saw the max points were 79 and then figured out what I had and what my back up plan should be in case I need one (I sure hope I don't!!!:vlin:) When I saw your post I looked again and they now have them as 2 seperate guides and your totally correct with the new points. I would have messed up without your post not haven taken BIOL 204 and a few other small details. I really appreciate you posting that! :bowingpur:yeah: When I called last week they said that letters :tosanta: wouldn't be going out until the last week of April or first week of May which is turning into a really long wait not to mention the fact they are suppose to notify us by May 1st according to the advising guide!!! :spbox: It's just that all my plans are depending on an a simple yes or no from the college and its makin the wait harder and harder as time goes by. :anbd: I also saw a thing that said only $400 dollars would be given out for financial aid students prior to the semester with the rest coming out about 4 weeks after the start date. I don't know if you all have looked at the book and supply list but $400 is no where near enough for everything thats on there. :grn:I guess either way now is a good time to start saving some money. Hopefully this will be the week we find out but either way we are getting close so I am doing my best to just relax *wine*wine*winewhile hopefully waiting for good news. Thanks again!!!! :tku: :yeah:

Hmmm Not really sure where you got the 174 from unless they changed that within the past month but I believe the most for the 2012 year will be 79 if your talking about a traditional program. You may want to check it again and remember you only get 1 set of points out of each option. I do have over a 3.5 gpa overall for classes that count towards the nursing program.

Would you mind sharing how many points it took to get into the accelerated track this year? Thanks :)

Hi, If you go onto the schools website and to the nursing dept. page there will be a tab on the side that says accepted students. If you look through that info it may help with what your looking for. I looked at the schedule for the FT program and the first few weeks vary but after the clinicals start then its 2 days lecture and 2 days clinicals. Wish I could give you more info on the advance standing but I do hope you can find something useful on there. If not you may want to consider just giving them a call and ask about the times, I'm sure they can connect you with someone who can help answer your questions. The other option may be the orientation... Idk if your program has one but I would assume you will find out everything like that during your orientation. My guess is since your in the accelerated program its going to be a faster pace. Best of luck to you during the program :)

Thank you both! The waiting is seriously making me crazy, I would really just like to know. When I got the letter I called them and I can't debate the 84, but like you when I had 86 I felt so confident about it. What happened was that in my high school health careers pathway I got a D for 1 semester and a C for the other (young, stupid and no clue it would affect me later in life). Those two didn't make the required 2.5 for the extra points which I had overlooked/not thought about all this time, taking all these pre-reqs. I have really, really good grades with the exception of writ 121 which is 2.5. If I don't get in I'll have to seriously start working on the new points scale with volunteer hours and retaking that class which will give me the most points possible for the program. I just seriously took a nose dive when I went from 86 to 84, and my confidence of being accepted is just not there anymore. I cannot imagine how it can take so long to find out! AHHHH!!!! I have a friend in a Med Term class this semester who has 87 points and another who applied with 82. I'm sure its a little easier for those in that range. I would imagine the 87 is very confident, not to much to worry about that, its almost to the point of just go ahead and buy the books, your good to go! I also know the person with 82 is pretty sure she isn't getting in. I read a few posts last year of people who got their letters on April 13th so I am really hoping for 2 weeks or less to wait. Congrats on the 86 points though! I'm pretty sure that will be more than enough to get accepted As for already being in the program I was wondering if you can tell me if it's really as bad as everyone makes it out to be? Any suggestions for us nebies?

Hi, I applied for LCC's nursing program for the full-time, will take part time option for the march 2011 deadline and now it is all I can think about . This wait is awful for me, I went from having 86 points and feeling very confident but got a letter saying I only have 84 which totally changes my confidence level. Just wondered if anyone else on here applied, what their points were and if they think 84 will be enough. I am so nervous and just want to know if I am in or not. Anyone else having a hard time waiting and wondering what will be enough? :confused:

My school is changing over alot of its textbooks, so alot of mine will be new since I always buy mine from the book store. I will only buy a used book after looking thru it and making sure nothing is highlighted or written on the inside. At our school book store there is usually only a 5 to 20 dollar difference between new and used books... 10% discount is what it amounts to unless the book is damaged then its 20% discount. So it may cost a little more but our list of 1st semester books is 24 books long, so either way it will be expensive and we use about 18 of those books for future semesters as well. I would rather have the most important books be writting free.. things like medical spellers, apa format info, and other reference books are things i would buy with some markings inside.

I am addressing what your saying. If a doctor will sign off that is great, my doctor will also, but it still doesn't change the fact that you are not giving the information that was requested of you by your program. I didn't say write a big sign that says your taking narcotics and hang it next to your name tag. You don't need to "disclose what you are on everytime you walk into the room" but filling out a paper that will be kept in your student file is a totally different situation. As I said over and over, but will say again, if you take issue with being asked to disclose your medical information then tell the school that! But why is it that your current employer is entitled to the list of drugs your currently taking and not your school? It seems to me that your the one being insulting and judgemental. You asked for responses but are not willing to accept the constructive criticism that your being given if it does not coinside with your beliefs. My opinion differs from yours and thats what makes this a discussion. I don't feel the need to explain my self to you, just know that all of assumptions of me are incorrect.

If you take issues with them wanting all of your personal health information then tell them that! Would you still have issues with them asking for it if you were not on pain meds? I wouldn't trust you because your lying by omission, and in my personal experiences people who are willing to lie about one thing are usually willing to lie about other things. I did not say you personally would steal meds, but people have done this and I am sure this is something the nursing program will consider if they catch you in a lie about narcotics. I am sorry you find this offensive, but I find it offensive that someone who maybe responsible for my life someday has made up their mind to not tell the whole truth. Again, I really don't think it matters that your on pain medications. What bothers ME is that you refuse to either defend you rights against them having this information or being honest and disclosing the information. Either choice would be fine, but the lying is a problem!

Hi, I am going to school in one state but will be moving after I graduate and pass the NCLEX here. I will be moving somewhere that I will be right on a state line between 2 states. Is it possible to have 2 or 3 licenses at the same time? The state I am currently in and then get one in each of the other 2 since its on a state boarder? or will I have to choose just 1? What exactly is a "multi-state license" and how do I go about getting one? The state I am going to get my license in and the state I will be moving to are not compact states, but the 3rd one, just a walk over the state line is a compact state. Thanks

Pharm was a very difficult class for me. Not so much because the information was difficult, just because there was soooo much of it. I took it this summer and got a pretty good grade in it, but I am very glad its done with. I don't know how close your tests will be to what I had, but our first test was fairly easy. It covered things like pregnancy categories, DEA drug classes, patient "rights" (meaning right does, right route, right med, etc), and then tyelnol and NSAID's. I would think most classes would cover these things and there is tons of information online. If I were you I would ask what is going to be on the first test (what types of meds) and then use an online resource to get you started. The merek website is very very helpful. You can also look for commercials for some meds, the advertising made it a little easier for me to remember some of the info and if you visit a drugs website you can look at the provider and patient information packets as well.

As I stated in my post, I am currently on pain meds, going into a nursing program.. and I am sorry for offending you, but I think honesty is MOST important! Seriously, I don't have an issue with you being on meds, I have an issue with you lying about it.

They said this will vary by semester, but 2 days a week to start out with. The labs that we are going to have also require us to wear our uniform... so 4 days a week. I was thinking about 5 pairs because I never know if I will get something on one of them and need a back up, but they are just sooo expensive! How often did you get something on your scrubs in clinicals? Ive tried looking on places like craigs list to see if anyone's selling theirs and so far I only found 1 person, but in the wrong size.