pediCNS

You can follow the path you choose with either path. The biggest difference is prescriptive privileges. Not all states allow CNS to obtain them. However, in Indiana, with the appropriate preparation and continuing education, it is possible. I do agree that the primary roles of clinical nurse specialists have always been research and teaching, but there is also a huge amount of family contact. A MSN is required entry level into practice except for those persons grandfathered in years ago. You can do an ASN to MSN bridge for either degree. You need to think about how you want to work with young women in preventing pregnancy. If a school based clinic is what you are interested in and you want to prescribe the meds, then a PNP is the right choice. However, if you want to be more of a sounding board, community liasion, educator about birth control, then you might want to think CNS. Either major has a ANCC certification examination. There is also now talk about making a clinical doctorate a prerequisite for either role.I hope this helps. PS, I love my CNS role with children with developmental disabilities. Good luck.:balloons: Alicia

Angie, I have been a nurse for 25 years and would be delighted to help. [email protected].

Angie, I have been a nurse for 25 years and would be delighted to help.

Also, now that EMLA can be purchased OTC, you know it isn't going to be paid for. One of the concerns I have with EMLA is that for it to be truly effective, it must be on for at least one hour--though depending on the practice, this might not be a problem:rotfl:

First of all, I would like to think that you do not consider pediatric nurses utter morons.:) Taping syringes together has never been an accepted practice in any practice area that I have been in in my 25 years of pediatrics. Certainly one wants to traumatize a child as little as possible, but if you give the injections one right after the other (in separate sites), the child's reaction is no different than with one injection. Certainly using two sites and giving the injections a few minutes apart would be more traumatizing. I have given thousands of injections and have been told I am quite good at it, even when having to give multiple injections.The original writer should report the practice to the state regulating bodies as soon as possible. It sounds to me like the nurses in the practice are the ones who are not willing to change. Also, try and give peds another shot (pardon the pun:rotfl: ) if the opportunity arises. Not all pediatric nurses are like the ones you encountered in that office.

I know that not all of you are as old as me, but I am trying to help a colleague research NG tubes and we are trying to remember if the old tubes had one port or many ports. Do any of you remember? I do not remember ever using a single port and I started nursing school in 1977. :balloons: Thanks for your help!