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Hello everyone, I have a few questions about reserve nursing... Thank you in advance for your answers! :) I was finally pulled off of the OML list for the Army Reserve. How long is BOLC for reservists? Do I get to pick a date, or am I assigned a date? Do I drill with my unit before attending BOLC? I also have a packet submitted for the Navy Reserve, the board isn't for a few more days. But, I'm sure it will take a bit longer to get the results from the board? Am I able to hold off my Army decision to wait on the Navy? (In another lifetime, I was enlisted USMC infantry, so I think the Navy would be an easier transition for me). I have 6 years of nursing experience, but only 3 years is with a BSN, word on the street is that the Navy only counts BSN experience, so I should expect a lower rank with the Navy? Finally, when I submitted my packets; it was for Med/surg nursing. I now work in critical care. How long would I have to wait to change to critical care? Thank You!

Hello everyone, I am currently an assistant nurse manager of an inpatient hospital unit. I have my BSN, and am ready to pursue a master's degree. An MBA in healthcare seems like a much more interesting curriculum than taking more nursing courses in an MSN program. Is there any downside to obtaining an MBA? Will not having an MSN slow my career progression? Thanks for your help!

Hello everyone, I am in the process of obtaining a direct commission as a nurse in the Army Reserve. I have over 4 years of civilian experience (3 years with an RN diploma and 1 year with a BSN). I asked my recruiter about rank, they told me that I will be commissioned as an O-1. I then had asked how they calculated my rank, the recruiter told me that my rank would be calculated by the "board". I was wondering if anyone knows exactly when and who will determine rank? Should I be more pressing on the topic, or will somebody further along in the process have a designated job to determine rank? Thank you for your help!

Thanks for the info!

I'm currently employed as an ICU nurse in a very large MICU. I don't have my BSN, but will be done with it soon. If I joined AD when I complete my BSN, is it possible to be guaranteed an ICU position?

Hey everyone. I currently work in a very large MICU and am considering joining the military as a RN. I am working on completing my BSN within the next year. I am prior enlisted in the Marine Corps reserve. 1. Will my time as a civilian nurse count towards anything? 2. Will my time in service as a reservist count towards anything? 3. Can I get a guaranteed job as an ICU nurse? 4. I know this question will cause some controversy, but any recommendations on which branch of service to join? :) I have to break away from the Marine Corps cult, because as you all know, we don't have medical staff... Thanks for your help!

lol... I guess Micromedics lists incompatibilities between drugs just for fun! And I'm glad you think that having pharmacists is a waste of hospital resources. Just because there is no "precipitate," does not mean that there isn't any type of reaction occurring... You have got to be kidding me! You should really be ashamed of your practice. I wonder how many patients that you have injured because of your incompetence...

There is no concern for the meds to mix together when they leave the lumens and meet in the blood vessel?

Running incompatible drips in different lumens of the same line... Thought??!

I started at bridgeport hospital as a new grad in 2013 with a diploma @ a base of 29.50/hr

Thanks for the advice!

Hey everyone, I've been a nurse for a little over a year now, I work on a fast past pulmonary/tele unit, and I regularly care for vent patients. I've been afforded the opportunity to interview in a MICU in the same hospital that I already work at. Any advice for my interview would be greatly appreciated! Should I expect clinical/scenario questions? Thanks!

Thank you very much for the info!

Hello, I'm a former enlisted Marine and have just completed my RN. I've been reading up on the BSN-STRAP program and I am very curious about it. My question is: my RN program was a hospital based diploma program, so I don't have my ADN. I am currently enrolled in a RN-BSN program, are you required to have an associates degree to be eligible for the STRAP program. Thank you.

Unfortunately the schedule unpredictable. During level I, I was able to work on the days that we didn't have class/clinical; we usually had one day off during the week and the weekends (although, sometimes there are Saturday clinicals available...) Sometime you have to come in for a lab which may only be an hour long and it messes up your whole day... For level II, I did the accelerated program. We only had the weekends off during the summer... I worked on the weekends. For level II in the fall, plan on getting one day off during the week, but clinical days are now regular 8 hour days. Honestly, the schedule is all over the place... Sometimes there are specialty rotations that may take place on your day off... You will be given your schedule a few days before the course begins, hopefully you have an employer that is very flexible!

I'm sorry for such a delayed response, I usually get an email when someone posts... English and Chem are the only courses that are required to enter the program. There are deadlines when the other courses must be completed during the program. That being said, I recommend that all courses are completed before starting the program, many students struggled and a few had to leave the program because it is far too much to handle to take science courses along with nursing courses. Here is the matrix: Curriculum at a Glance - Bridgeport Hospital, CT

Well, when I attended, the evening students would only have to attend one lecture day and all clinical and labs were at night. Keep in mind that the evening program is only for the first year, after that, you must attend during the day. But, I've heard that they are changing their format a little bit, that they are going to split lecture into 2 days, this is a great idea because your brain is fried after an 8 hour nursing lecture, but makes it tougher for people on tight schedules...

Hey everyone, I just interviewed at the hospital a couple days ago for a new grad position. I was offered a job in both med/surg and progressive care. I'm still deciding if I want to take the job... I currently live in the Northeast, it would be a big move for me. I am taking the NCLEX in 2 days. The new grad program seems like it would be a good experience.

An index card is provided for you that has several formulas/conversions on it. You are allowed to use this card for level 1. Sometime during level 2 you will no longer be allowed to use the card. You will be given a calculator for every math test. Don't sweat the math tests; they aren't that bad. You are given a review before each test. If you fail a test, you are given a remediation class and allowed to take a test again. No one has ever left the program as a result of the math tests. You need to show all of your work and no partial credit is given.

for care plans you can get either book: nursing diagnosis manual, marilynn e. doenges or nursing diagnosis handbook, betty j. ackley and for the drug book: davis's drug guide for nurses... i would recommend getting this new so you can get the cd (copy and paste drugs...) i use these books for homework, research, etc... not for studying. everyone has different ways of studying, but i am going to tell you that personally i have literally not opened any books for studying. i've used only my notes (and occasionally google!)

UPDATED 7/25/2012 (After NU-104) Ok, this forum was very helpful to me when I was applying to school. It's time for me to give back. I'm going to attempt to share with you everything that I know. Please feel free to ask any questions and I'll get back to you as soon as I can. BHSN had 500+ applications and accepts around 110 students. I applied to BHSN in October of 2010, I received an acceptance letter a few weeks later in November. I don't remember my exact TEAS score, it was in the high 70s. My grades for my pre-reqs were A's and a few B's. I had not taken either A&P class or microbiology. I made a point in my application that I was currently enrolled in those classes and I would have them completed before the start of BHSN. After you are accepted, you will get another letter sometime in the spring. This will tell you the date that you have to go to orientation. Orientation will be sometime in the summer. During this orientation, you will go to various stations: payment/financial aid, uniforms, scheduling, books, and admissions. At this time you will order your uniforms; white pants and a maroon top. Mostly everyone orders 2 sets of uniforms. The cost is around $135. You are to wear white closed toe no slip shoes (I'm a boy, so I don't care, the girls seems very disappointed that they couldn't wear those 'crocs' shoes with the holes in them) with your uniform. You can also wear a white shirt underneath if you please. During orientation, you are given the opportunity to order books for the first year, or you can take the book list and order them on your own. The cost of the package is around $500. If you are hard on cash, the most important books in my opinion are the drug book and the nursing care plan book. I have not used any other of my books, I've only studied from my notes and the outlines that are available for you to print out for each lecture. Other things that you need: Stethoscope: They vary greatly in price. You might as well splurge and get a good one now, you will being using it for a long time after nursing school. I have a Littmann Cardiology III. Penlight. Audio recording device (optional). If you are an audio learner, then record the lectures. Goggles/glasses: you will need these for certain procedures and for your OR rotation. As I said before: white closed toe non-slip shoes. Nursing 101 Starts in September and runs through the end of October. You will learn all of your basic nursing skills. You will have clinical your first week :) There will be 3 tests, non cumulative. There is also a medication math test, the grade is not averaged in to your final grade. You must score an 80% on the math, you will be given another opportunity to take the test if you score below 80%. Schedule: Tuesday: 8:30 - 4:00 Lecture all day. You don't need to wear your uniform this day. Dress comfortably and dress in layers. The temperature in the lecture hall fluctuates alot! You will have one lab day, either Wednesday or Thursday. You will have the same day throughout nursing 101. The lab will be either in the morning or the afternoon and are usually only a couple hours long. If you have Wednesday lab, then you have Thursday Clinical. If you have Thursday lab, you will have Friday clinical. Your clinical group will be around 7 students and you will be assigned to one unit either at Bridgeport or at Griffin. The clinicals are short, usually ending around 1200 - 1230. During these clinicals you will bathe and ambulate your patient and make their beds. Nursing 102 End of October to end of December. During this course, the schedule stays the same and you stay with the same clinical group. The clinical days start to get longer, but you get a 1/2 hour lunch. The longest clinical day ends around 2 if i remember correctly. There are 3 exams and the 3rd exam is cumulative. You will be assigned a patient the day before clinical, you must introduce yourself to your patient and do your research the night before. You will be assigned an extra day from 8 - 12 to go to a daycare center. You will have 2 weeks off for the holidays and return the first week of January. By the end of this course you will be able to give meds/injections and IV bag changes. Nursing 104 January to middle of March (Spring break) There will be 3 exams and a final cumulative exam. There is another medication math test during this course. You will be assigned a new clinical group and hospital unit. The clinical sites are at Bridgeport Hospital, Griffin, or Yale. The schedule changes now. You will pick up another clinical day. Tuesday: 8:30 - 4 Lecture Wednesday: Lab (A few hours) Thursday: Clinical 730 - 230 Friday: Clinical 730 - 230 Besides your regular clinicals, you will also have 2 days of Jewish Home, 2 days of pediatrics, 1 operating room day, 1 Visiting Nurses day, and 1 School Nurse day. Some of these rotations may be scheduled on a Monday. By the end of Nursing 104, you will have 2 patients and be able to just about everything for them: meds, iv changes, iv piggybacks, injections, dressing changes, etc... Nursing 105 - Maternity March to May This is a short course, 4 or 5 weeks. There are 2 or 3 tests(I can't remember) and a cumulative final. You will have one clinical day a week on a post-partum floor and a few specialty rotations (Labor/delivery, anti-natal testing, obgyn clinic, etc...) Nursing 201 (now level II!) - Med-Surg May/June Another short course 4/5 weeks long. The good news is that there are 3 tests and there is no final! We are still on 4 days a week, with 2 of those being clinical days. We now start to learn about diseases/pathophysiology. After this course, you can choose to continue on with the accelerated program or take the summer off! I chose the accelerated path, so from now on the schedule I will be describing will be different for you if you chose the traditional path. There is a skills competency during this course: IV flushing. Nursing 202 (accelerated) - Psych June - 4 weeks long 3 tests? With no cumulative final! Lecture will be Mon/Tues 8:30 - 3ish Clinical will be Wed - Fri 7ish - 3ish depending on your clinical site. If my memory serves me correctly, the sites are: Bridgeport Hospital, Greater Bridgeport Mental Health, Waterbury Hospital, Yale, Hallbrook, and Silver Hills. This course isn't too bad, its a nice break. Nursing 203 (accelerated) - Med-Surg July/August - 8 weeks long Yet another Med-Surg course! This course has 3 tests and a cumulative final. Lecture and clinical alternates days every week; the first week you have 3 lecture days and then 2 clinical days, the next week you will have 2 lecture days and 3 clinical days. Clinical days are predominately 7:30 - 3:30, some Fridays you will get out at 1. There is a Math competency the first day of the course. There are 2 skill competencies: Insulin administration and IVs via central lines. You will be done will your skill competencies after this course! There are also some specialty rotations that you may have: OR, Dialysis, Med clinic, burn unit, and pediatrics. After this course you will have a week off the end of August. This is the course that I'm in now, so this is as far as I can tell you about in detail. But I can describe the next 2 courses based on what instructors have told me: Nursing 204 (accelerated) - Med-Surg September - December 10 Weeks 4 days a week (we are back on a normal schedule, so it's not really "accelerated" anymore) 3/4 tests with a cumulative final Nursing 205 (accelerated) December Apparently there are no tests in this course, only projects/presentations. I've heard that you can choose specialty rotations based on availability: ER, ICU, Maternity, etc... Graduate/done! ATI testing!! I forgot to mention this in my first post. You are required to take these pain in the ... tests throughout school. Each course you will be assigned a practice test to take at your leisure on the internet. You have to score a 90% or submit the best of 3 tries. You will have a day during the course where you will take a sit down paper/pencil ATI test. If you achieve a certain level, you are safe. If you don't achieve the required level, you are then required to take a practice test again on the computer ( best of 3 tries or a 90%). In some courses the grade is calculated into your final grade, but it's only 3% of your grade. In other courses the ATI is extra credit, receiving a maximum of 3 points added on to your grade (ONLY if you have a 75 first, the ATI test cannot save you!). I recommend not committing too much time on these tests. The instructors will tell you how important they are and so on... I would much rather dedicate my time to a regular test that is 1/3 of my grade than on the ATI test which is 3/100 of my grade. That's just my 2 cents... Evening Program The evening program is partial and it is only for the first year. The evening students attend the Tuesday day lecture, but they have their labs/clinicals at night (after 5pm). Accelerated Program The accelerated program will allow you to graduate in December instead of May of the next year. You must forfeit your summer and attend school 5 days a week starting in the summer. You do not need to decide on this track until April/May before summer. Grading Your final grade for each course must be a 75. 74.9 = failure There have been about 8 students that have disappeared from the program after Nursing 102. There are several competencies throughout the program, they are pass/fail. You will have a second chance if you fail. Some examples are: Injections, Starting IV pump, sterile dressing, catheters, etc... All the instructors are excellent. Some have bad reputations, but I have not seen anything bad myself. They are all very knowledgeable and are there for you. Just come to clinical prepared and everything will be fine. I hope this has been helpful and please feel free to post any questions that you may have.

At BHSN class usually starts at 8:30AM, clinical days usually start at 7:30AM. There are only 2 or 3 clinical days that are early ~6:45AM.

You can opt for the accelerated program in the spring of your first year. This option will allow you to graduate in December instead of the following May. -You will have to attend school in the summer. -You must have all of your co-requisite classes completed before the start of the accelerated program. -You need to have a minimum GPA to be considered (sorry I don't know what it is). -I was told that the accelerated program is 5 days a week. Everyone in the accelerated program that I've talked to seem to be happy with their decision. Hope this helps!

Congrats! See you there in September!

I'm sorry I don't remember the exact vaccines. Here is what I remember: -You need all the normal childhood vaccines (polio, mmr, chicken pox, tetorifice within 10 years, meningococcal, etc...) -A TB skin test. -You need Hep B and Hep A is recommended. -They are also requiring a flu shot during flu season, but the school will supply you with the shot. You need to provide proof of the vaccine or provide a blood titer showing your immunities.