LovePeaceJoy

Wonderfully said!

I've been reading this board for a while and Med/Surg seems to be the place that most people (no everyone) pay their dues and try to get out. What's the deal?

I think this is a very positive way to think about it and you will go far with your outlook. You will hear A LOT of complaining at BMCC about how the program is not letting people in and why they are making the GPA so high, yada, yada, yada. The school is not setting the GPA, its what the students are getting that sets it. If none of the students were getting 3.6s the preclinical GPA would not be that high. Quite frankly, I would want a nurse that excelled and knew his or her stuff and not one that skated or cheated by. My suggestion is to research what you need on your own and not listen to the complainers. Work hard and take advantage of the resources that are available. The NUMBER 1 suggestion I have for anyone in this program, especially in the pre-clinical phase is not to complain, but just do the work and keep your eye on the prize. From what I understand it only gets more difficult in the clinical phase.

I agree! My advice is to speak to Mr. Sierra about what you will need. He is the preclinical advisor and KNOWS what you need. Getting pieces of information from other students may mess you up in the end. Good Luck!

I've heard about these 8-5, 9-5, whatever to whatever jobs that keep being mentionned on this board that are supposed to be so much less stressful, so much more rewarding, so well paying, and so less physically demanding than nursing. The only think I can maybe agree on is that an office job might be less demanding physically. I think these comments usually come from people that have not had any other job than a nursing job. Any office job with a moderately decent pay scale requires you to work for your money. This may include getting business calls in the evening and weekends, coming in early and leaving two hours late. AND GUESS WHAT-- MOST OF THE TIME YOU DO NOT GET OVERTIME. Lunch? What Lunch? Those wonderful IT jobs that some nurses think are a piece of cake because people might have the opportunity to work from home, require you to work 60 hours a week and will then lay you off when the job goes to India. :angryfire Let's talk about burnout rate. The marketing managers in my industry usually burn out in about two years. With their travelling schedules they easily work more than 70 hours a week (including weekends) and get paid less than the recent grad NY nurse working a 3 day, 12 hour shift. I guess the grass is always greener....

AMEN!! I do think I understand both sides of the argument. I am from NYC and from this board I realize that nurses do get paid well in this area. However, I have seen nurses work 10 million shifts for the money and end up just being miserable to their PATIENTS, coworkers and families. I know how doing a job that you hate can make you a bitter person. I've been there. :stone I think some nurses that warn people to not do the job for the money know the realities of the job and what if can do to a person emotionally and physically in the long run. It does take a good measure of compassion, patience, and integrity to do the job well; especially hospital floor nursing. I don't think if you have some amount of those three things, your PATIENTS will suffer. On the side of the argument, if I wanted to do something for free, I would be a volunteer (which I have been in a hospital :) ). No, nurses shouldn't just do it for the money; however, they should expect and demand to be compensated well for the level of skill and responsibility they have . No one complains when doctors expect to be compensated well and aren't they supposed to be in their chosen profession because they CARE about people???

I wish you the best!!! I don't think you get a break at Columbia if you are a NY resident. As you know, its not a state school.

I live in New York and work in NJ. There are areas right over the Hudson River, like Jersey City and Hoboken that you can live. Those areas cost as much as Manhattan and the New Jersey car insurance is one of the highest in the COUNTRY. It is higher than NY and you will definitely need a car there. The upside is you will only have to pay $3 round trip if you take the PATH train into New York. If you decide to live further down in the state of NJ plan on tacking on another $200 to take NJ transit into the city.

None of the ADN programs I looked at were first come, first serve. All of the programs I was looking at required you to take preclinical courses before being accepted into the clinical sequence. As I mentioned, I didn't look too much into the BSN programs because of the time and money issue. I chose BMCC because they have an evening and part time weekend schedule. I did take a glance at the accelerated BSN/MSN program (these are programs where you already have a bachelors) at NYU, Columbia, and SUNY Downstate and these programs require you to have a 3.0 GPA when entering, however none of these programs are part time. I really don't know how competitive they are. As for the community colleges, anyone can get in, but keep in mind that they will only transfer in credits that pertain to the nursing major. I have a bachelors and only 3 classes could be transfered into the nursing program. One of those courses I declined to have tranferred in because I received a B- for it. Instead I will repeat it so I can get an A. I don't know if you're aware, but when I talk about pre-reqs for all of the schools I mentioned, they consist of 4 courses. At BMCC the four courses are English 101, Math 104 (Dosages), A&P 101, and Psychology 101. An overall average of 2.5 is needed but its the average of those 4 course which decides if you can start the clinical sequence. As for Long Island, the only CC I know anything about is Nassau Community College, which is not too much of a drive from Massapequa. This link should also help you in your search: http://www.allnursingschools.com/find/NY/nursing-schools.php

I am working on my pre-clinical courses at BMCC (Borough of Manhattan Community College) in their ADN program. New York City is tough. I have only looked at the ADN programs because I work full time and don't have 50G for a private school. The BSN programs are full time for the most part especially the accelerated programs at Columbia and NYU. Also those two programs are VERY VERY expensive. Subsequently, many people are trying to get into the ADN programs at the community colleges in NYC and the surrounding areas (ie Long Island) such as BMCC, LaGuardia CC, Queensborough CC, Bronx CC and Nassau CC. These programs are extremely competitive! Most of them will tell you that you need at least a 2.5 in your preclinicals to be accepted into the programs. However, acceptance in most of the programs is based on the strength of the pool of applicants that have completed the pre-clinicals. In other words, if there are only 30 seats and the 30th person to get a seat has a 3.5, if you have a 3.49, you ain't gettin' in. Some schools have waiting lists, so a person can sit out a number of semesters before being accepted. Other schools like BMCC don't have a waiting list, but if you don't make the cut the first time you can reapply in subsequent semesters. The whole problem with that is, if you have a 2.9, more than likely you will never get into their program unless it was a very bad year for the other students in the pool. To top it off, BMCC had 200 applicants apply to their day program alone this year! From what I understand Hunter is equally as difficult because it is also a CUNY school and is almost free compared to the private schools. From your posting, you said you would like to live in Long Island. I don't know what area you plan on living in, but when I checked out Nassau Community College I was told last years group of applicants to the clinical sequence all had an average of 4.0. Molloy has a BSN program in that area but I don't know anything about their acceptance policy. Please don't let any of this discourage you. Keep in mind that I am only referencing my research on the ADN level and for one BSN program. People in other programs in NYC and the surrounding area may have different experiences. I wish you the best of luck in whatever you decide.

Shirley, No offense taken! The nurse (an LPN herself) actually told me I should first try being a CNA for a year (to see if I would really like nursing) and then become an LPN for a year and then become an RN. What are your thoughts on this path?

Thank you for starting this thread! I am currently in nursing school and I am still questioning this decision. I too have a degree and have actually bounced nursing and counseling around. Between the people that really seem to hate their jobs and those that love it, its a hard decision. I also fear finishing the program and then realize that I absolutely hate it. I don't look at nursing with rose colored glasses. The grunge work would not bother me (except for vomit) and I don't think crabby patients would bother me. My fear is working with colleagues that don't respect each other, nurses that "eat their young" and overall burn out from having a patient load of 15. I've spoken to nurses that say I should do CNA work or LPN work before making a decision. Honestly, with a full time job, going to school, and a 3 hour commute a day I don't have time to do that. If I had the time, I would. I would like to take the medical part of nursing and combine it with education. My current thinking is to become an NP and educate women on health issues. But, I have to get there first...

I am a student, so please forgive me for my ignorance... How many hours does an agency normally require a person to work a week, or is it essentially what the nurse wants to pick up? Are the shifts usually 12 hours shifts? If you don't mind me asking, why did you decide to go into agency work? Do you find it more tolerable than working for one hospitable?

I'm becoming a little emotional when reading this board. I've actually been a patient and a family member of dying patient. I've seen nursing in all forms and am currently a nursing student because of it. I've seen nurses give you a sympathetic look because they felt that's what they were supposed to do and the ones that treated you like a human being and actually educated you. My family's story -- My grandmother was ill and had been in and out of hospitals within a year. After she passed away my mother cried as she wrote the letter commending the NURSING staff of one of the hospitals (not hospice) she was in. Part of the tears was of course sadness but it was also about the nurses. This staff really did make a diffence in my family's comfort because they were there to answer questions in our time of need and not just keep the patient clean. My story -- I had surgery about a year and a half ago and was afraid because I had never been hospitalized. The nurses I experienced prior to my operation were wonderful. They understood my anxiety and were able to talk to me about what I should expect. I felt RESPECTED. After the surgery was a COMPLETELY different story. First, I was in a room with a severe parapalegic that could barely talk, could not walk, and could barely feed herself! In my anasthesia fog I realized this so when I heard her vomit in the middle of the night I called the nurse to come help her her!!! I then heard the RN and the CNA saying she was supposed to have a one on one. My roomate never received one. When I asked about pain management medication I was told I would get some. I was never told when it would happen. I guess before I became one of those annoying, complaining, patients, they just yessed me to death and ignored me. Day 2 Day- The surgery caused a lot of bleeding and when I moved there was a gush. Another CNA came in and had the nerve to ask me why I moved, now she had to change the sheets. Maybe I should have just stayed in one position and made her life easier. Day 2 Night - I am woken up by two CNA's screaming and hollering about how they can't stand their jobs. They are not in the hallway talking about this, but in my room. I asked them "What time it was?" and after apolozing profusely then went on to tell me why they were complaining. I did not solicit this information. Day 3 -- I Went home!!! This hospital is in Park Slope brooklyn and is a well respected teaching hospital. As I said, it is the nursing staff that makes a difference when you are in a hospital. Not all patients are complainers or are looking for someone to coddle them. Some just want respect. There was a movie back in the early 90's called "The Doctor". It was about a rather aloof doctor that got the experience of being a patient when he was diagnosed with cancer. I am in no means trying to condemn ANYONE, but my experiences are what I will remember when it is my turn to do bedside nursing.

I've seen adds on line to make $350 - $450 NET per 12 hour shift. They also say you can make $10, 000 NET per mondth . I broke this down and this is working 60 hours a week a little over 4 weeks a month. Is this real? Does anyone know anyone that has really done this? Is this done only in a travelling nurse situation. I'm not asking this because I am chasing money, but a lot of nurses seem to do quite well in NY and I was wondering if this is what they are doing.