DC2RN

I just wanted input from people who are diabetes educators. I currently work as a high risk field case manager for the geriatric population. My job includes tons of one-on-one patient education, including tons of diabetes management education. My job description includes disease management education, but not specifically diabetes education. Would I be able to use these hours toward the 1000 hours required for CDE certification? Any help would be appreciated.

Great post! There is a great web resource for new ICU nurses at index. It goes through many of the subjects that you deal with as a new ICU nurse. It is a great place to start if you are just starting out.

You do not have a right to paid-for contraception. You don't even have a right to health care. (The Catholic church could legally cancel all it's health care policies instead of paying for contraception.) But you DO a have a Constitutional right to religious freedom. This seems like a pretty clear example of a heavy handed government forcing a religion to pay for something that they have consistently preached against. It will never clear the Supreme Court.

I work as a Case Manager for United Health Group. I am a field nurse doing home visits, but a couple days a week, I work from home. I really like United Health Group. They are a very professional company. They really set you up nicely by furnishing your home home office with a nice desk, filing cabinet, and office chair. They provide you a laptop, a business phone line, and a means of Internet access. I really like the mixture of field days and office days. If I am in my office a few days, I am itching to get out in the field. If I am out in the field too much, I want a nice quiet day in the office to catch up on my work. It is just the right combination for me.

Interesting. I have not seen that. In my experience, NPs play a significant role in the medical clearance and the post op care, but not during the operation itself. I work in New York where even the RNFAs do not play a significant role. I also worked in a teaching hospital, so first assisting was usually done by a resident.

If I could talk to administration, I would advocate for the 700 existing jobs that they are talking about cutting. It's rough out there, kids!

I just started in child psych after six years in medicine, cardiac, OR, and being a med surg nursing supervisor. I can honestly say that I feel like I have died and gone to nursing heaven! Maybe my situation is unique, but it doesn't get much better than child psych in my opinion. It might limit your options in the future. Most people on my floor don't want to leave. Congratulations on getting two offers.

I worked in the OR for almost two years. I completed a 9 month Peri-operative training program at a Level I teaching hospital. The most clinical thing that I ever did in the OR was take a finger stick. (Something the aides do on the floor.) Maybe other people have different experiences, but as a new graduate trying to build your knowledge of your pharmacology, time management, and clinical skills, I say don't start in the OR. I am not trying to diminish or put down OR nurses. They have an essential role, but I still think that Med Surg is a better place to start.

As a new grad, I would stay away from the OR. Anything clinical is done by anesthesia. You really have very few clinical responsibilities, so you function more like a technician than a nurse. After a few years in the OR, you cannot do many other things as a nurse. Go with med surg to build your skills and time management. Most Perioperative training programs will teach you to scrub and circulate. You will probably circulate 70% of the time and scrub 30% of the time. That being said, in today's job market for new grads, take anything you can get!

Sounds like cocaine! Elated... Fidgety..... Slightly paranoid!

I am only about halfway done. So far, it has been a lot of work, but very doable. All the programs are designed for nurses who work full time. You can make a nice, middle class income while you continue your education. You get great benefits and usually the hospital will pay for part or most of your education. Try finding that in chiropractic. I have said it before. I have never regret becoming a nurse. It was the best career move that I ever made.

I practiced for 10 years as a chiropractor before I became a nurse about 6 years ago. I am now pursuing my Psych NP. Some people want to add medication management to a chiropractic practice. I think that we have to be careful what we wish for! I think muscle relaxers and NSAIDS would be a great addition to a chiropractic practice, but we need to be careful about narcotic pain killers. For six years I have been dealing with people addicted to pain medications. These people will stop at nothing to get more of their medications. Their persistence is legendary. They have even been known to terrorize your office staff to get more. I would not want that as part of my practice. Just something to think about.

Does EC still take chiropractors? I enrolled as a chiropractor about 6 years ago. They used to take chiropractors. I know that they changed their policy and no longer allowed chiropractors admission. Maybe they changed their policy again. I have been a nurse for about 4 1/2 years. It was the best career move that I have ever made.

I also agree that nursing is a better path than PA. I think the differences in clinical practice are small. PAs have an advantage in the operaing room. NPs have a greater degree of potential independence. In the real world, they both usually practice in a similar manner. Directly comparing the clinical practice differences misses many of the career opportunities that are available to nurses, but not necessarily to PAs. Nurses run the hospitals and educate the staffs. Nurse administrators and nurse educators are highly paid professionals with plenty of opportunities for advancement. When you work in a hospital, you will see that there are so many positions available to advanced practice nurses. You do not see these positions from outside of the hospital.

I agree with hypocaffeinemia. If you really want a future in the OR, the best training is to get into a hospital peri-operative training program. That is better training for the OR than NP school.

You can get your RN through this or any other accredited program, but I do not think that I would recommend this program for your NP. There are tons of online and onsite NP programs. Once you get your RN, there is no big hurry to get your NP, because you only start at $10-15K more each year. You make a decent living as an RN, so you can take your time getiing your NP. All of the NP programs are designed to be done by RNs working full time. Plus your hospital will help you pay for school. $30,000 seems expensive for the FNP. Online programs are very common in NP education. I do not think it will count against you when you apply for a job. Only the didactic portion is online. The clinical portion is arranged locally, whether you are in an online program or an onsite program. What will negatively affect your job search as an NP is having no RN experience. People who get their NP with no RN experience are not taken seriously by anyone.

I think tele is the best place to start. You get the organizational skills and build basics skills while working on a floor. You also learn the aryythmias. I think tele is a great foundation for the ER, and many other places.

I work in the OR and I can tell you that everyone has a number of horror stories. It is just an abusive environment. The stories sound shocking to people outside of the environment, because they do not understand what residency is like. It is really hard to become a heart surgeon, whether you are male or female. I do not know if her stories are worse than her male counterparts. The flip side of this issue is how many female residents cover their mistakes by being 'cute'. I have seen that first hand.

I went to Excelsior, which allowed me finish school while working full time. I needed to work full time, so going to school full time was not an option. Working as an associate gave me plenty of time to study and still collect a full time pay check as an associate chiropractor. I studied six to seven hours a day. I really wish the Excelsior option was still available to chiropractors. There are so many chiropractors who want out. When I get my MSN, I want to approach the administration about admitting chiropractors again. Getting your RN is the hard part. Once you get your RN, so many options open, and the whole system is designed to help you succeed. You have incredible flexibility with your schedule because you work 12 hour shifts. Many college are online and part time. Hospitals will pay for part of your tuition, so no more student loan debt. In the hospitals, you network and make contacts for your clinical placements. There are always people to encourage you and give advise.

Graduate ADN in 2004. Worked in CTICU shortly and for a while on a tele floor. Presently working in the OR at a Level I trauma center. I just finished my OR orientation. Currently in ANP school. Excelsior was the best career move that I ever made!! I could never do it any other way.

Do you need to do both the RN and the NP through this school? If you have your RN, there are plenty of schools where you can get an online NP degree. You can find a much less expensive program. Plus you can gain necessary experience as an RN, and a lot of hospitals will help with tuition. Most chiropractors are up to their eyeballs in student loan debt.

I also graduated from Excelsior College in 2004. I just started Stonybrook's ANP program. So far, it has been a lot of work, but very doable. I also enjoyed the practice of chiropractic, but I never found a way to make a living practicing in a way that I believed in. I never opened my own practice. I still sometimes ponder opening a small home office a few hours a week to supplement my income. Just symptomatic care. No insurance......maybe someday! Good Luck!

I was a chiropractor for ten years, until I became a nurse about four years ago. I did it through Excelsior, but they no longer accept chiropractors. I have worked in cardiac for four years, and I have been in the OR for almost a year. I just started NP school part time. So I under stand where you are coming from. I do not know anything about this online program. I do not know how you will be able to get your RN licence without the clinical teaching. Excelsior has an extremely difficult clinical skills test called the CPNE which they used to assess clinical skills. I passed the CPNE, but I still needed a long orientation as a nurse to feel comfortable. I do not think that you can go from chiropractor to NP without experience first as a nurse. The fields are just too different. The OR is an even different world. The PAs seem to have the upper hand in the OR. From what I have seen, the surgeons prefer to have PAs in the OR as there first assist, and NPs taking care of patients on the floor. If you really want to be in the OR, PA is the way to go. As a chiropractor, you are at a disadvantage because you probably do not have a role in the hospital. Because you are primarily in outpatient settings, you do not get to see how the health disciplines interact. Some setting are not what you think. When I was in nursing school, I KNEW that the ICU was for me. When I got out, my first job was in the ICU, and I hated it. I thought I would hate the floor and cardiology, but I really loved it. I thought I would love the OR, but I still have mixed feelings about it. From the outside, you cannot tell if you love or hate a setting. Just because you want the ER or the OR does not mean that they are the right place for you. The great thing about nursing is that you have so many opportunities to do so many different things. I still think that becoming a nurse was the best move that I ever made. I do not regret leaving chiropractic for one minute. Good Luck!

I just got into a OR training program. What surprised me is how long people stay in the OR. People described how terrible it was on the floor or unit. People in the OR said they would never go back to the floor or unit. When you are in the OR, there is at least one circulator and one scrub. They cannot dump more patients on you. It was hard to get into the OR training program. Twenty five people applied for nine positions. When I was in the ICU, there was constant turnover. People seem to burn out in the ICUs. I was taken into the CTU right out of nursing school. I think a floor that heavy is too much for a new graduate nurse unless you have a long, in-depth orientation. This is just my opinion.

It is interesting that this thread was revived. I have been working at North Shore for the past three years, but I just accepted a position at Stony Brook. I still really like North Shore. The reason that I am changing is because I recently moved, and Stony Brook is much closer to my new house. When I interviewed three years ago, the salary at Stony Brook was $6000.00 less. Now the salaries are the same. I was also very impressed with the retirement benefits at Stony Brook.