Katydidit34

The general trend in nursing is that the more education the better. There are so many opportunities provided to ADN's from their employers to continue their education with tuition reimbursement. Floor managers are very in tune with the fact that ADN's come out of school stronger clinically because there is a strong clinical focus in ADN programs. While you are in school use whatever connections you might have with your peers to get a job as a tech. That is your "in" to getting a job when you graduate. There is not currently a "ban" on ADN's but the trend is definitely leaning toward more education. I am a PROUD ADN and don't regret my choice to get an ADN but I know I will be going back to school at some point in the future which is really ok with me. Nurses are curious, knowledge seeking type people, learning is GOOD. Good luck to you!!

I'm a new nurse on an extremely busy Progressive Care Unit. I am seriously struggling with time management and documentation. I thought my documentation was great until my manager said that there are holes in my charting. I'm having difficulty knowing exactly what to chart and how to verbalize it. I'm a communicator by nature and don't typically have issues with communicating so this is really blowing my self-esteem out of the water. I need some tips and need them bad!! LOL!! Please help!!

Txspadequeen....gosh, I'm so sorry you didn't get in!! I am just shocked!! Hang in there!!

Hi and welcome to TCC!! The bookstore is seriously whacked out right now. I hardly bought any of my books there. I've bought a bunch of them from Barnes and Noble. They do free shipping when you spend x amount of money. I have a Kozier (7th) edition and the Elkins, Perry, Potter, (3rd) edition I'd be willing to sell. I can promise you there is little to NO difference between editions except the price. I RARELY used my skills book and even less my Kozier. I used Kozier mostly for references for papers throughout school. I NEVER read it. You will have to take the ATI tests and they will give you books from ATI that are so much more helpful to study with than Kozier. Kozier is WORDY and has a difficult time getting to the point. I'm graduating next week and these books are collecting dust. Just send me a pm if you're interested. Also, I will be at Orientation next Friday and would love to say "hello" to any of you guys coming in the Fall. Congratulations to you!!

"I know that some of the most awesome bedside nurses are diploma nurses who can spot a urinary meatus in a female in the dark from across the room while some BSN prepared newbies couldn't find it even with GPS and a map." This just cracked me up!!! LOL!!! Thanks for taking the time to apologize. We have to stick together and lift each other up regardless of our education. The cool thing is that in this profession and in this country, we all have the opportunity to excel as far as we choose to. Unfortunately, there's a ladder you have to climb on the way up and we ALL start at the bottom. It's good to vent, just try to always be thoughtful of the audience who may be a witness to the wrath. LOL!! Best of luck to you!!

I'm sorry it took me so long to respond to this. I don't remember what I got on the TEAS...I think it was an 80 or something like that. I'm fairly sure they primarily focus on the science and math portions. I did ok on the math but was in the 98th percentile for science. I started the program in the fall of '05 and will graduate this May. I absolutely love TCC's program. I may be biased, but we have some of the best instructors who are really interested in the students and their success. It's a great program.

I'm currently a nurse extern on the Transplant Unit. I just love it!! Baylor is a great place to work.

that's just too cool. like i said, i've got my fingers crossed for you!! will they notify the fast track folks at the same time they notify all the other applicants?

Great to see you too!! I'm still here...barely. LOL!! I'm usually somewhere with my head in a book. I also started working at Baylor All Saints in Ft. Worth so I'm just busier than I'd like to be. How do you like it so far?? I hope things are going well for you!! Keep me posted.

That was my overall GPA. I had straight B's in my science courses. I hope this helps.

Yes, and if everything goes well, I'll graduate in May!! It sounds like that baby is coming at the right time (my b-day is March 7th...lol), not to mention, you will have some time before school starts to recover and enjoy that newborn baby time. When does the fast track program start and how long is it? I really don't know how it works.

My classmates are geniuses--many are researchers, most have masters degrees and we even have a girl in my class who has a PhD in Molecular Biology. We are training to become Nurse Practitioners. I personally have over 10 years of healthcare experience as an unlicensed assistive personell or healthcare manager and you are telling me that after all is said and done, you are still only going to pay me .30 an hour more than an ADN nurse once I enter the workforce as an RN while continuing with my NP education? I am definitely not applying to Loyola if they care so little about education. I personally think that it seems as though your genius classmates may be seeking more in their lives than money. Nursing provides a personal satisfaction that one cannot put a price tag on. My personal opinion is that if one is in it for the money, perhaps they should seek another career. One will NOT become rich being a nurse. Even as a Nurse Practitioner, the money is much better, however, you will not be wealthy. This thread almost makes me sad. Every member of the nursing faculty at my university and every nurse who is teaching me has a PhD in nursing... Do you see where I am getting at? You don't necessarily get this preparation as an ADN student... Also, I'm in an Associate's program....my teachers are PhD's as well. This is a poor generalization.

If the school you are applying to requires it, why don't they administer it?

I'm in my last semester and as I have looked for internships, in the job description, (from mulitple hospitals) clearly states that you must be a graduate of an accredited school of nursing. I would take that to mean NLN and CLNCC. I think one would have to ask themselves why a particular program has not received accredidation. I personally wouldn't throw money, blood, sweat and tears away on a program that will not be recognized by employers. Just a thought.

She was right. I did NOT have a 4.0...in fact I think I had a 3.68 in my prereqs. I know people who came in with slightly lower gpa's than that. It's just competitive because of the number of people that apply. It's true though that if you have even one class left to finish, it hurts you because they work on a point system and you don't get any points for classes that are not completed. What one needs is a strong science gpa. The deal is that the competition is stiff EVERYWHERE. I've heard it's hard to get into any program in this area just because of the sheer numbers of people who are applying. I've got my fingers crossed for you Txspadequeen!! I'm a little jealous....I would have given my eye teeth to have skipped Foundations!! LOL!!! It really sucked!! And you're right, the TEAS test was pointless. I couldn't figure out why there was so much stinkin general biology on there. I can remember ONE chemistry question and like zero A&P questions. It was stupid indeed!! I'm sure you girls at UTA are excited to be getting into the hospital!! It's just so cool. Over time you will start to feel like a real nurse and it's just the best feeling when you see that stuff you learn actually helps people.

I bought it last semester and I couldn't believe how many questions on our tests come from Saunders verbatim. It was a great investment and I use it as a study tool for every single test. I love it!!!

I really appreciate all of your comments. This is exactly what I was looking for, unabashed, no holds barred, thoughts and feelings about the job. I realize that there is an upside and a downside to everything but when you have an idea of what you think something is in your head, it's very hard to see what the reality of it might be. This is just what I needed, the good, the bad, and the ugly aspects of what being and L&D nurse is like. Thanks for taking the time to answer my post. It has really helped.

Thank you so much for your reply. As a student I think you have a fantasy of what it is like to work in variou areas but the reality is something much, much different. I want a good assessment from those in this area to help me understand wheather or not this would be a good fit for me. I so appreciate your reply!!

I'm graduating in May. I have always believed that I would graduate and go right into L&D. For some odd reason, I'm beginning to doubt myself. What are the pros and cons for working in L&D? What do you like or dislike about your job? Any input would be greatly appreciated.

I am in the process of deciding what area to go into when I graduate in May. I thought at first that I wanted to go into L&D but I also seem geared toward critical care. What are the pros and cons, likes or dislikes of your job? Thank you!!

Decide what area to go into after you graduated from nursing school? I will graduate in May and was absolutely convinced that L&D was where I was meant to be. Now for some strange reason, I am clueless what I want to be when I grow up. I vasilate back and forth from L&D to some sort of critical care. I need to get ready to start nailing down a job next month as that's when the hospitals in my area start interviewing and hiring GN's who will start in June. I know tons of people say go into MEDSURG for a year, but I honestly know that is NOT where I want to be. Any input would be greatly appreciated.

My advice is EXACTLY what gaugeIV said. You have to absolutely fill out the applications online and then send an email, letter, or show up in person and talk with the unit manager. I'm graduating in May and have had two jobs as a tech and that's exactly how I got them. If you know someone that you can say referred you, even better. You just have to be really proactive. I have talked to many human resources managers who have told me that they can get 330+ applications for one job. I hope this helps. Good luck!!

Thank you so much for your replies!! I finished up my paperwork last night and it's good to know that I was on the right track. There are those times when you are working on this stuff that you just hit the wall and have no more information left in your brain. LOL!!! The baby was brought to the children's hospital because they were fairly certain he would need to be put on ECMO. He was on HFOV for several days and managed to turn around. It's hard to know what neurological damage he may have suffered, but he's doing sooo much better and that's a relief. Thanks again for all the help!! It is truly appreciated.

I had a baby today that was brought to the hospital 21 hours after a home delivery (Midwife even had to perform rescue breathing but they still didn't come to the hospital for 21 hours, I guess that's another thread entirely), anyway, he was delivered with meconium stained fluid which he apparently aspirated. By the time he got to the ER he was in septic shock. 15 days later (today) he's coming along quite well. My question is, My priority diagnosis is Risk for infection/actual, what would be to other appropriate diagnoses for this baby? I'm having a hard time find anything in the careplan books. Would I just follow a careplan for pneumonia? I'm just kinda stuck. Any help is very much appreciated.

:yeahthat: I love, love, love my Saunder's NCLEX Review. It's better than my text book at reviewing stuff and it has application questions at the end of each chapter as well as a cd full of questions. LOVE IT!!