Deredain

My wife is a school nurse in a high school. It is far from "cushy". They are main streaming more chronically ill children these day so she deals with insulin pumps, administering a wide variety of medications and other things that have not typically ...

I took a job last summer in an assisted living facility. It was for every other weekend as I have a full time job. I was told that the patient to nurse ratio was 20:1 and that I'd be able to take my time going through orientation as a new nurse. Afte...

I have not had a problem with any clinical instructor and especially nothing related to my gender. I think for the instructors having a male in their group is a good change of pace. The bottom line comes down to how prepared you are and how you perfo...

I use an ultrascope on the ambulance as an EMT and in clinicals for nursing school. You can hear lung sounds through a sweat shirt they are that good. www.ultrascope.com.

More than one instructor has said to me that EMTs and Paramdedics do not transition well in nursing school. They have a high fail rate and do not do as well in clinicals. Now, my perspective... We started with 12 EMTs in my fundamentals nursing class...

I am in my third semester of nursing classes and will be starting mother/baby in a week. So far I have had nothing but positive responses from my patients and my gender has not been an issue. The biggest problem that my fellow male students and I hav...

A male fellow student and I have been accepted into the nursing program and we were wondering about clinical. The women have their purses to keep their stuff in. What do the guys do with their wallet, keys, etc. when they arrive for clinical? I can't...

I am in the level 1 nursing program. Here are some thoughts about the entrance exam: 1. The evolve book is a good review for what will be on the test, though it won't be everything. Know all the vocabulary in the book. I had quite a few of those word...

I would look at the job market in your area before you quit your current job. How many jobs are available? How many are available for new grads (less I'm sure) and how much do they pay? In this economy, I would be hard pressed to quit a 90k a year jo...

You need to review your policy manual or employee handbook to see if this type of situation is covered. Your union or bargaining unit might have some suggestions for you as well. The failure to give a med error might be a "critical error" that is lis...

While I am only a student nurse working towards a second career, I have done interviewing for my current (non-medical) job. You can argue all you want that it is not right about what the original poster said, but the reality is that she is right. 1...

There is no substitute for practice and experience. I would be grabbing every friend and family member and doing the assessments on them. Do it everyday until it becomes second nature. It seemst he biggest hurdle for most in clinical is that they ar...

White... all white including all white shoes. Ugh.

I'm starting my nursing classes on 1/23/12 and this is a career change for me. I have been a volunteer EMT for 25 years so the medical field is not foreign to me. I'm coming over from a field that is non-medical. My questions are as follows: 1. I've...

The malpractice insurance is not determined by your physical health. It's like car insurance, there if you screw up. In terms of health insurance, I thought the portability of healthcare act prevented insurance companies from denying coverage for pr...

I'm not aware of any quota. The school I got into went by the admission criteria and an entrance exam. I have 15 guys in my class of 80. Didn't seem to hurt us.

It sounds like she has an interest in you that goes beyond books. She is using the books, admissions, and questions as an excuse to talk to you and to get to know you. I've been married for 14 years. Yes, women are crazy. Though if you ask them, the...

I'm 46 and starting my ADN classes on Monday. If you are too old, then I'm definitely too old. With age comes wisdom and experience which no one can teach you. Enjoy the process, learn all that you can and do the best you can. I think a lot of the ho...

You need to look at your workplace violence policy. His threat to "hurt you" may very well fall into that category. If you are thinking of quitting anyway, you have nothing to lose by reporting the incident under that policy or under your harassment ...

Thank you all for your comments. All of these thoughts were bouncing around in my head, but it is nice to hear someone else say them and validate them. I'd like to think that I'm far from cocky in my skills, abilities and knowledge and I know that I...

Look for a BSN program. A BSN will give you more opportunities in your career, though an ADN or a BSN will allow you to sit for the NCLEX to get your RN.

I am 46 and starting nursing school in a week. The older crowd has a lot of things going for them that the younger crowd does not have. Maturity and life experience are invaluable in the classroom setting and in dealing with people when you get a job...

According to the school that I just got accepted to, they accept students based solely on the HESI entrance exam scores once they meet the requirements to take the exam. Those requirements for the night ADN program is a 2.5 gpa, all pre-reqs done exc...

I have a BS in Business Administration with a concentration in MIS. After the last year and a half of my job threatening layoffs, I got into the nursing program and am starting in January. You are certainly not alone in getting your second degree in ...

I'll be 47 in May and I just got accepted into the nursing program and will be starting on January 23rd. You are only as old as you allow yourself to feel!