Agatha

Tapple, And I just signed a teaching contract for next year .... wah! So I guess I'm stuck, unless I want to be a sleaze and leave them w/o a math teacher. Did you get your nursing degree out here? where? I'm a CNA in TX, and I'll lose my certificate if I stay. (CNA's are required to work a minimum of one day per year to keep their certificate) I feel so stuck! Believe it or not, I used to live in Kerrville in the 1980's. Very humid. Prices always seemed too high for the local salaries. Pretty, but I like west Texas better --hotter, but more arid. Interesting what life brings us. My plans were to come here and teach for just 5 months. So here I am adding 12 to that. Meanwhile, everything I own is in storage in Fort Worth. Good luck getting back to Texas!!

Meloney, Hi! Can you tell me what type you bought? I'm going to try this as well. Thanks, :balloons: Agatha

I know just what you mean!! I used to be an NA years ago, and it seemed so easy to hear the beats when I was 20. Do the earpieces fit into ear? I've found that the smaller ones fit more snugly, while some just rather sit there. I don't have a solution, but my smaller ones are definitely easier to hear through. Good luck!!

Thanks for your input, Guage14iv. It could be that I never do the MSN. When I first looked into a career change, I assumed the higher degree would help me with experience since I'm entering nursing as a second career. There's 20-25 years experience I can't make up. Ultimately, my goal is to be the best nurse I can. Going into the field as an older nurse, I want to make sure my education prepares me well. It sounds as though the diploma program may do just that. Thanks again.

Is anyone able to clue me in on the difference between the stethoscopes with two tubes and those with a single tube that divides? (I've noticed the crew on Scrubs uses the two tubes, ... ) I'm looking at the Spragues on http://www.allheart.com/sprague.html I have a very old one and a newer one (both cheapies), and I've tried a Littman in the store. The old one works best, and the only difference I find is the earpiece is smaller and fits into my ear better. If the tubing weren't rotten, I'd use it. So I guess I have two questions: 1. Two tubes vs. one tube ??? 2. Smaller earpieces? Thanks! Agatha

Thank you, Nemhain! I plan to contact the school on Monday for more info.

Hi! Is anyone familiar with the Baptist Health System diploma program, located within the Phoenix Baptist Hospital? http://bshp.edu/ Would you recommend them? I'm trying to find out as much as I can. My parents live near Phoenix and have been asking me to come out for quite some time. All input and opinions are valued as I haven't heard a thing about them. Can't even find them on the AZ BON NCLEX results. Maybe they're listed differently. TIA for your responses. Agatha :balloons:

One of the other threads sparked my interest in diploma programs, and I'm hoping someone can give me some firsthand (or even secondhand) info about the one in San Antonio. In the other thread, https://allnurses.com/forums/f8/bn-vs-diploma-program-185213.html?highlight=Diploma it sounds as though one receives plenty clinical experience. Baptist Health Systems in San Antonio has a diploma program. Their website www.baptistschools.com sums it up as follows: 392 hours lecture, 168 hours lab, and 896 hours clinical. WOW! That's so much more than what I'm finding at other schools. Their program is 2 years--four 16-week semesters. Hmm...well, that would give me 20 weeks per year to work -- mejor que nada. Their NCLEX pass rate has ranged from 90.00% to 96.80% over the past five years. I've been putting lots of value on the pass rate in my search for a school. Hope that's valid. My mom, an RN, says it doesn't matter. I have two baccalaureate degrees and would likely head toward an MSN after working a while. All input valued and welcome!! TIA, Agatha

Hmm...since they numbered the questions, I'd number my answers. Guess if they don't specify length, I'd write a mini-essay for each. I like #3. .... really.

well, uh, no expert here, but at one time, I was trying out for professional student status! (or maybe it was just perpetual student) But yup, it varies from school to school. My A&P is 12 years old -- 4.0 in each. I've looked at some colleges who accept it, and some who say I need to retake one or both. UT-Austin accepts both but requires me to take the statistics class. lol -- my first degree is in math, and I've had 2 stat classes, one with several nursing students in it! I've never been able to figure out the credit acceptance game. Good luck to you! I hope to be back in school myself asap!!

Hi there! Here in Fort Worth pay is about $9-11/hour depending on where you work. Call the human resources department at a few hospitals and LTC facilities and ask. Sometimes, home health pays significantly more, like $15-18/hour. Good luck!

Natrgrrl, I've had very little experience ... But once had a pt in her late 60's w/severe stroke. Did total care on her for the better part of a week. She had an NG tube for feeding. She was completely unresponsive to anything. Had 1 day off. Returned to work. Went to her room, and asked the lady in the chair where Mrs. X might be. It was her, sitting in the chair, reading the paper, fully dressed. Alert! Looking good! hmmmm. There's always an exception to give others hope. And 1981, that was before the new stroke Tx, so today there's even more hope. About your decision. Only you can do it, but hang in there for a while. Maybe it's just this one rough spot, and there are oodles of types of nursing. Follow your heart!!

LovesDisney, Advice: If the odor of stale urine and Stage IV decubiti hit your nose as you walk in the front door, make a U-turn. That's advice from our instructor who has been in LTC for 20 years. She says, unfortunately, such places do exist. And most of these are straight from our textbook: What hours and what days would I work? What type of orientation/training will I have? How long? What benefits are you offering? (Insurance, paid time off, vacation/holidays) What is the CNA to resident ratio? What is the CNA to Nurse ratio? What is the Nurse to resident ratio? Will I be able to reach my supervisor when I'm at work? (this might be for home health or assisted living???) When will you fill the position?Jot down what you're told. Take a clean pad of paper, and take notes right then. It shows you will do the same when you take care of the residents. Good luck! :wink2: Let us know how it all fares. Agatha

Hi, Erin. It's a different road for everyone. I'm much in the same boat as you and decided to get my CNA and work. I'll need 16-24 hrs pre-reqs, depending on where I end up in order to move into a BSN program, all of this on an income 50% from my previous job. I was teaching and felt very unfulfilled. I worked as an NA back in 1981 and loved it!! Good luck, and let us know what you do!!

... slipping in to add my vote: yea. It would be an interesting read. (Oh, does this vote count, I'm not even an official student yet, just working on my NA certification.