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As suggested before, I would go for the BSN. An ADN is only useful if 1. You can't get into a BSN program 2. Its accelerated. The time committment is approximately close to the same. Community college is a little bit cheaper, but not hugely. With that being said, apply for both programs

I'm taking my first research class. I can definitely see what statistics was important. Thing is I didn't like statistics. I don't think I honestly get nursing research. Its like its way too technical for me. **sigh**

He needs to just move to an area where its legal. For now in our state, they randomnly test, even for nicotine (for insurance users.)

I'm not interested in NP because it seems everyone is doing it. Maybe later on down the road I'll go for a post master's on DNP. As of now, I'm going to go the CNS and Informatics route.

I'm in the same boat. Unfortunately, I've had to take measures to not have more kids so I'm not supporting them by myself. The job in itself is enough pressure. :/ I'm glad I took up nursing later in life. I like the flexibility, stability. Works for now. :)

If you want something closer to med surg, then you want to check more Acute Rehab Facilities. Pruitt and HealthSouth can take on pretty acute patient's.

As previous person said, its best to research rehab facilities in your area and see what shifts they are looking to staff. My facility is currently 8 hour shifts. We used to be 12 but the CNO thought 12's were too stressful (which she is right, they can be.) All depends.

I would ask if they'd be willing to hire you PRN and make sure to get the PRN requirements. If they require you to work more than 2 shifts in four weeks PRN, that would be a bit much as a new grad. And please don't have family as well. :) Even though they have more advanced technology, what specialty will you be in? Is it a different type of floor. If so, that may be good learning experience. If you doing the same thing, you may just want to wait until after your first year. Best wishes.

My first job out of nursing school was a level four NICU. I highly suggest that any study materials that you are given in classes, that you do study, maybe even keep them with you on your shift and if you have some down time (like maybe on night shift) definitely review them, especially if its in regards to particular meds and diagnosis of babies that you have on that shift. I hope that you are in an environment that is ok with you asking questions, even if its just to double check if your thinking is correct about certain actions. Definitely make sure you study your meds and interventions to know why certain things are done. Ask your preceptor and fellow nurses as to why.Always be on the look out for and ask for opportunities to see new things, even to see them over and over again. If you're at a birthing hospital, see if your preceptor will allow you to go to as many deliveries as possible (as they see fit and if it does not interfere too much with your assignment and precepting) if they do bedside surgeries on that unit, be there, if there is any thing new (intubation, trach care, refeeds, hanging TPN, kangaroo care, respiratory weaning, infiltrate intervention, rounding, admissions, any and every thing) be aware of any announcements of what may be going on and ask to be there. Maybe even communication with your Charge/supervisor nurse about keeping an eye out for you.

You are going to have to pay your dues. There are plenty of jobs out there that aren't bedside, but, I hope that you for one have at least a BSN. I understand wanting to get away from the bedside, but if you're interested in other areas such as administration, informatics, education, clinical documentation, don't you think its best to spend time at the bedside? In these non bedside roles, you'r be making decisions that impact the work flow of floor nurses as well as the care of patients. The best way to make these decisions is to have had experience in them first. The problem now, is that there are people in decision making roles at these hosptials that don't know what floor nurses go through. Allowing 1:10 ratios, packing on more and more work, expecting ridiculous stuff and the reason why, is that they have no clue what's going on. Be patient young grasshopper, you'll get there.

We are being asked to pretty much br trained to do what the wound nurse at our facility would do, but on nights. The additional work would directly impact work load because, I would be responsible for the 7-10 patients I normally have, plus thoroughly assessing new admissions or acute changes in woumds abd establishing order reccomendations for wound care for these patients, plus the routine wound care for my patients. You are right, since its nights, you have to be careful with time because you can't just wake people up, but its gonna be tough to balance the care of my patients, their assessements, and the wound needs. It really is additional job and not just going above and beyond in my opinion.

My job has asked nurses to "volunteer" to do wound assessments and care on night shift (as our current Wound Care Nurse is a bit overwhelmed to see all patients.) I am highly interested but would like to propose additional compensation for the additional work as this would be in addition to me having patients on the floor and since our patient ratio is high). I know I would also have to obtain additional training such as probably staging wounds and choosing appropriate wound care ointments and dressings. Can anyone give me suggestions on how much additional I should propose. Thanks in advance for you help.

I replied to your pm.

I would need help recognizing personality conflicts. I rarely have problems with people. People may say they have problems with me, but like in this instance, I usually hear from someone else. Just be honest with me and I can adjust or move on.

Just wanted to say thanks for 1. Going directly to the nurse manager to give negative feedback, but over the course of five weeks, never speaking to me directly about any of these issues. 2. Stating to me after two weeks "well I know its been a while since we've done a line change (two weeks to be exact), but do you think you can handle one today?" I step up to the challenge, gather all supplies correctly, take my time to connect all parts then when I proceed to run into a possible mistake (which you did not give me a chance to see, you just intervened) at almost the end of the process, you quickly forget that it has been two weeks since we have done this, I've only done it 0 other times myself, but Thanks, for going to management and telling them untruthfully how you've showed me over and over again, but I'm not maintaining how to do it. Would have been nice to have just made this a teaching moment and we tried it again tomorrow. 3. Thanks for starting the mornings off having little discussion about too much of anything, pretty much making me be have to be proactive to tell you that I can take care of Patient A, or feel left out, because you proceed with taking care of patients (after 3 weeks) without involving me. Thanks for requiring me to involve myself because you just got up for the desk and started doing patient care without any direction for the day. 4. Thanks for telling management that you saw me turn up oxygen on a desating baby without checking the baby first to see if the cannula prongs were in the nose, but you weren't at the bedside and how could you know? 5. Thanks for telling management that I do not show enthusiasm and desire to do my job in the NICU because I do not participate in opportunities on the unit, but you weren't there when I was helping other busy nurses feed their babies, admit their newborns, suction a desating kid (when other nurses around completely ignored what was going on,) prepare and reposition a baby for an xray, because that baby's nurse was off the floor and xray was here, right now. But yet, I do not participate and show motivation. 6. Thanks for not telling management that in a matter of three weeks, I have proactively mastered a type of documentation system that is totally different from my previous experience and have been going through the charts proactively to complete developmental plans of care (after you showed me this process once.) 7. Thanks for not telling management that I consistently ask questions to clarify care that we are doing with these fragile babies as sign that I want to get things right. 8. Thanks for telling management that I did not properly feed a PO/NG tongue tied baby because at the end of our 30 minute feeding time, the baby had only eaten 10ml, I supposedly waited too long to tell you (which really I had an order to proceed otherwise), and before proceeding to NG feed the baby(per order), you then inform me of how to troubleshoot feeding issues with a tongue tied kid (which I had never seen before and was not made aware of in report.) Thanks for telling management I am not maintaining what I am being taught, but for the next three feedings, I utilized your trouble shooting method and the baby successfully ate for the rest of the day. 9. Thanks for not telling management that my preceptee has three weeks left, I will discuss these concerns with her and give her time to correct what I feel as a preceptor, she needs to do better. Thanks preceptor for the opportunity to directly receive constructive criticism during my time of orientation and to make the needed corrections (even though you've seen that I can do this.) 10. Thank you nurse manager for only consider my preceptors perspective, but you quickly forget how when you were on the floor one day, I assisted you with your desating baby who's oxygen you pulled out the wall. Your hands were full and because I saw your alarm going off, I stepped in your room and helped you out. 11. Thank you management for telling me that you are going to trust the word of my tenured experienced preceptor as to all the negative things I have done, but say that I should have asked for a preceptor that was different from my very experienced and tenured preceptor (who you've said has precepted a lot of people) if I feel it wasn't working out. 12. Thank you nursing school for teaching me that if things aren't going perfectly with your preceptor, that instead of adjusting, learning, asking questions, trusting the experience of the person assigned to you, that you should not trust anyone and immediately asked to be assigned to someone else. Why, because clearly when you ask for your teammates to be switched everything will then be perfect. -Frustrated NICU orientee and new nurse tired of having to read people's minds.

I had a couple of interviews with Kindred in Atlanta. I was very impressed that those I interviewed with were very honest about the work environment. They stated it would be hard and challenging, but the experience is invaluable. After taking a tour, I definitely saw what they were talking about. A lot of trachs and vents in a non ICU environment. The nurse educator was also excited about cross training opportunities that would soon be available in the OR (some places you go aren't interested in rounding you out, they want to keep you in one place for staffing purposes and not losing you.) The nurse educator emphasized the invaluable experience that you would get as a nurse. So valuable, that there were some comments made that seemed that there were those who came, got their 6 month training and left. (I would never condone this, at least stick it out a year.) But that in itself shows the value of the training and the acuity that they have. Again, I liked the fact that they were honest about being a nurse there, but they emphasized how they tried their best to train nurses to survive in that type of environment, providing direct follow up and feedback with the nurse educator, to make sure that your critical thinking skills and ability to survive and being realistically evaluated regularly. The chief nursing officer was honest about out 5-7:1 was an average. When 8:1 was happened, she expressed that she got concerned as 8 patients in that acute of an environment was a huge risk to patient safety. Shows to me, the somebody is paying some type of attention for the sake of their patients and also for some kind of consideration of the nurses.

Seems like the nursing culture in that unit needs to be adjusted from the top down. If the medical director of the unit and nursing leadership are educating the nurses on the importance of encouraging breastfeeding and how it positively affects the health of neonates, I would think that the staff nurses would follow suit.

I thought PEDS was simple. It doesn't hurt to actually like this. To me, this was med surg for little people. You're learning what specific cardio, respiratory, renal, infectious diseases are common among kids. Also developmentally appropriate care for the child and their family is important. You can't speak to a child like you would an adult and you can't treat the child and act like the family isn't there. OB, now that was a bit more complicated. A lot of new concepts and assessments to be learned for an OB patient.

Psyche...most likely will need to your know meds by category very well; safety, suicide precautions, and seizure precautions (alcohol w/d), are priorities no matter what (of course in addition to ABCs), therapeutic communication. OB...read read read...there are many concepts in this course and it really requires some paying attention to

I second

There are waaaay too many RN-BSN programs for you not to be able to get in somewhere. Do you have an idea what your weakness is. I know for most, its they way they test. The more you get familiar with the type of questions and what they're looking for combined with practice, maybe you can start to ace those questions. The study group is a great idea. I think you will be alright, you work and have a family. I'm pretty sure future programs will take that into account. Not just a GPA.

Personally, I would move on to Microbiology. Score an A in that class and move forward. I honestly would apply to several programs first. You may get accepted. They do take into account your entrance exam scores too. If those are high, your chances are high.

Pay attention to your powerpoints, take your outline for the class and read the sections in the book the correlate in the outline (don't ready pages 250-550 just because they were assigned,), use the Fundamentals Success and Reviews and Rationales book to answer questions. It's answering the nursing school questions that's the hard part, not necessarily the content.

I do reading only according to the powerpoint and the class outline. For some reason, they assign hundreds of pages of reading, but when it comes to the lecture, a lot of it isn't even discussed. I 've also found it to help to answer questions from the textbook and this Med Surg Sucess Book by Colgrove.

For those in or have made it through Med Surg, what study methods are working/have worked for you? Do you read all required readings, do you skim and focus, is your program based on powerpoints? Would love to know.