quinnie

Agree - shadow and take notice of the other CNAs. Talk to them about their shifts. Whether a CNA, LPN, RN, whatever - I think one of the best indications of if you want to work somewhere is to look at staff satisfaction. Ask what the CNA retention rate it - do they have people that leave after 6 months, or many that have been there for a long time? When it comes down to it, go with your gut. $$$ is important, yes, but you being happy at your job is more important.

I am in a similar situation and currently taking classes in an RN-BSN program. Not because I particularly want another Bachelors, but because I want to keep my job, and unfortunately, hospitals nationwide will start phasing out ASN just like they are doing to LPNs. If anyone tells you differently, they are a) in denial or b) lying. I have a BA in art with a minor in psychology, which meant diddly-squat when I got my nursing degree. I went to school, got my ASN, got my RN and then was asked in my interview when (not if) I planned to continue to pursue the BSN. My hospital, thankfully, has tuition reimbursement so when I enrolled and got accepted for the RN-BSN program, I promptly asked what, exactly, was the difference. My answer essentially was "more nursing classes + research." That's it. Not clinical experience, but reading and writing. Which, I suppose, makes sense. A bachelors in psychology means you focused on computer science, not nursing. Yes, the ASN, in my opinion, prepares you equally from a clinical standpoint. The good thing for you is that, like me, you will have a great deal of classes transfer over. I only have to take 12 classes, all nursing, to finish my BSN. So, when you graduate, find a hospital that will help pay for tuition reimbursement and start taking classes before you lose the motivation, then be happy when you can say how well-rounded you are on your resume. Or, find an RN-MSN program...but that's another story.

I have always been taught in my nursing school that if a medication order is outside of the therapeutic range, whether that be too low or too high we always clarify the order with the doctor (and sometimes use the pharmacist as a resource). The answer that the book gave sounds very strange to me.

Hi everyone - I am scheduled to take the NCLEX-RN in 9 days. I am, by nature, a very anxious person and a bit of a control freak. The fact that I really have no idea what it will be like until I sit to take the exam is driving me crazy. I am starting a job on Monday as a GN at a really prestigious hospital and I am terrified that I'll have to tell them that I failed it, which means I'll lose my job (not to mention everyone else I know). I graduated in December and took a 2 day review class the very beginning of January and have been studying ever since using ATI online tests, the kaplan book and the saunders book. I'm doing 150-450 questions every day. I took a comprehensive predictor my last week of school which gave me a score of 97% chance of passing...but that's only a predictor. I'm finding that for every practice question I get wrong my anxiety builds and builds and I'm starting to feel really dejected and have a sinking feeling that I won't pass. I know you're not supposed to cram in the days before the exam but I'm scared about starting a new job right before my test because I know I'll be tired and will only have about 2 hours to study each night. I always have the option of switching my date but I don't know if I can handle having the black cloud that is the nclex looming over me anymore and I'm scared the longer I wait the more information I'll forget. In my current state I'm ready to get a prescription for Ativan! For those that are studying currently, how are you dealing with your nerves? For those that have already taken it, what advice would you give? I know that a very important part of passing the test is going in feeling confident and keeping your anxiety as low as possible.