luv2b_a_nurs

I feel that as more time passes, the stigma of online universities will not be like it is perceived by some now. It is the wave of the future and as more students do it and more programs are accredited it will not be unusual or thought of as a diploma mill.

Not sure about CRNA schools accepting WGU's GPA. You get a flat 3.0 GPA when you pass courses. This may not be enough for CRNA schools if they are highly competitive. Best thing to do is check out schools you may want to get your CRNA from and follow up with them as to whether they will accept it or not.

however, the wgu bsn, msn and phd, will lock you down to their system (how is that?)of "passing /fail = 3.0 max. in other words, you are pretty much locked down with them and not able to go anywhere else for that matter. says you but do you have any proof??? it's easy to say things like this but can you back it up? if you really want to "help" people i think supplying proof would be a lot more helpful than throwing out accusations or opinions. you do get a gpa with wgu! yes, it is a 3.0 regardless if you pass the assessments and plenty of grad schools accept 3.0 for a gpa. i have done the research and it's a little irritating when you act like you know it all but can't provide any proof to back up what you say. sure, some grad schools may not accept a 3.0 and if one plans to go to that school then wgu is not the right program for them. however, if one does not plan to go on to grad school and wants a natioonally and regionally accredited bsn program where one can work at their own pace, this is one of the best options, in my opinion! also, many of the staff members of wgu and their family members are going to this school to further their education. if it was a scam, i don't believe you would see that happening. truth is, it's an affordable, accredited, not for profit school that is up and coming and they mean business. exams are proctored via web cam or at an approved testing site and there is tons of support and mentoring available. it is not a diploma mill by any means. fwiw, ca accepts them and they are one of the toughest states to satisfy. maybe it is not right for you but that does not mean it is not a good school. i am one who does research everything including whether or not my bsn from there will be accepted at the school of my choice should i decide to go on, and i could not come up with a reason to not attend this school. also, my tuition is paid for by my employer so money is not really a factor for me, and my employer does not have a problem paying for me to attend this school. i do not understand why is it so difficult for people to understand! this is my last entry regarding this matter. i have fufilled my purpose by warning everyone of what is going on. there are no short cuts! if you don't pay at the begining, you will pay at the end when the bill comes $$$$, no true gpa, and/or not a highly reputable program. that's all! good luck to everyone and good bye......

All the classes are online. I believe if one has an ASN only 7 core nursing classes are needed. You are assigned a (free) mentor who you will speak with every week in your first term and then biweekly for the rest. For classes that you do not have credit in (like for me it was some humanities and math courses) you can take an assessment to pass the course, either at a testing site or online via the provided web cam. There are webinars available and TONS of support for the courses. The books are usually online but there may also be hard copies. For the community health, I believe you set up interviews. Someone else may know more about that as I haven't done that course yet. Papers are papers! Check out PERRLA.com for APA formatting software.

You stated that you wanted a program without an entrance exam which is why I asked why it's a problem! I did the research and found that one does recieve a GPA with WGU of 3.0 upon graduating. It is listed on the transcript as 3.0. Why would a GP not accept it? The only way it would be a problem is if the GP you were looking to go to requires a GPA higher than 3.0, which some definitely do. I looked at some of the programs I may consider going to for my NNP and they do accept a GPA of 3.0. That was all I needed to make a decision. FWIW, WGU also has a MSN program you could go to as well and would definitely accept their own BSN.

BTW, why is an entrance test such a big deal for you?

Western Governor's University is very popular on here. They do have an entrance test to take but you do it online in your own home and it is not difficult to pass and you can take it before you are even admitted as part of your application. Tuition is a flat rate for 6 month term, you can earn credits based on passing assessments, not doing a bunch of meaningless tasks if you can prove you are competent. Many have finished their program with them in 6 months. They are nationally and regionally accredited as well.

Can you pm me the link for the discussion board? Thx!

I wouldn't worry too much about it. I don't think that it's unprofessional to post wage. I am just surprised at the amt. I have interviewed there also and i don't remember it being more than 22/hr. Btw, there is Aurora in Waukesha, Walworth, Racine, and Kenosha Counties as well.

that's a great question! I just got a job in same day surg and would love to find a book like that as well.

Congratulations. Aurora also seems to be one in the area who has been hiring new grads. Isn't that a bit of a commute for you though? I also am surprised that they start at that rate. I interviewed there and could have swore it was in the $22 range.

I am planning to. Had my intake interview. Waiting for transcript eval and FA package. Hopefully I won't have to pay out of pocket for the first semester as I get some tuition reimbursement and loan forgiveness but not sure how it will work with their program.

what if one has a webcam on his laptop?

So, I have my ADN and had a program GPA of 3.86. If I obtain my BSN degree from WGU will they average my ADN GPA with my WGU GPA to bring it up from the 3.0 that they give for everyone who passes? I just wonder because some programs require a 3.2 or a 3.0 on a 4 point grading scale. How would that work? I am trying to avoid calling a bunch of different places and getting different answers from people who don't know what they're talking about! lol

I just took a job in same day surgery. We don't have call and pts that will be admitted go straight to the med/surg floor. No recovery for us. Gotta love no holidays/weekends! It can be stressful when you have pts to get ready for sx and pts coming back but it is definitely less stressful than the ER or floor can be. I would think OR would be boring...and cold (lol) but that's just me:) We see a lot of different things every day. Lots of IV starts and pt teaching but I like it for now:) Good luck with whatever you decide!

Have you tried MATC? They always offer a CNA course and it isn't terribly expensive (compared to Alverno's tuition!) I believe they have some kind of assistance available but can't remember the details. Also, Aurora Healthcare offers a CNA class as part of their recruitment process. You get paid to take the class over a few weeks (usually in the summer, I believe) and as a condition of that are hired to work for them. Check out their website for any openings like that.

Hmmm, that's tricky! It's so hard to decide, isn't it?? I had a similar situation recently. Interviewed for a job *close* to my dream job but night shift in a hospital about 45 mins from my home. I also interviewed for a job at the hospital 5 mins from my house, days, no weekends or holidays, but not even close to the specialty I want. The deciding factor for me was benefits. Job A only gave $500ish a year towards BSN completion. Job B pays 100% towards a BSN. Since that is a huge short term goal of mine I had to go with Job B. Just depends on what is best for you and your situation right now.

No need to be nasty. I did get the sarcasm, however, when that is the only resource one has on a pm shift what else is one supposed to do? What nurse has the time (and even knows how) to search through manuals for policies, if there even is one??? Not that I am opposed to doing so but when a pt is in pain I have to use the resources I have readily available. ALl of the nurses agreed that it was okay to give the med that way. I should also say that after I posted before I forgot to say that let's say I gave 1 mg at 1200 and 1 mg at 1400 to divide the dose for longer, more effective pain relief. At 1600 if the pt requests more pain meds I would not give a 2 mg dose because then the pt will have had over 2 mg in the 4 hour time frame. I AM careful and don't think there is any reason to be so snarky when I was just asking how others would interpret this.

The supervisor didn't know either. She was the one that called pharmacy to find out. I do not know if the pharmacist referred to a written policy or not but I do think we need to be more aware of what the policy is. I just can't believe it never has come up before when it's something we do all the time.

Can you elaborate? New RN and I am trying to use this as a learning experience. We also had a pt that had an order for 3 mg dilaudid Q 6H. The report I was given from the previous RN was that the pt had requested to get 1 mg Q2H and that is what she had been doing for him. I can't remember what the pt's dx/condition was but the previous RN had no problem dividing up his pain meds that way.

I don't believe so but having the pharmacist give the 2nd mg would be outside of THEIR scope! We as RNs are trained and are qualified to administer meds and use our critical thinking skills and judgement.

Well, I don't know that it *really* matters a ton when the next time frame starts as long as one does not give a total of more than 2 mg in 4 hours but I would go 4 hours from the time of the first dose.

Well that's what I don't understand. How is it prescribing if you have an order for either and use your nursing judgement to medicate the pt effectively? The dose has already been prescribed by the Dr and the total amt of the med is given within the stated time frame.

Pharmacy was called and agreed that the 2nd mg can be given within the 4 hours. I would rather start a pt on 1 mg and give another later if necessary instead of going for 2 right away. We do it a lot for pills as well if 1 doesn't cut it. Does anyone have any rationale or policy on this?

You have 2 orders for an IV pain med. One is for 1 mg Q4. The other is for 2 mg Q4. 1 mg is given and 2 hours later another 1 mg is given. Is this within the parameters for the dosing. The CNS wasn't sure and thought that it may be prescribing. How do you interpret it?