texan2011

I am probably late to the party but regarding an earlier question about taking a separate A&P lab. Straighterline offers separate A&P labs. I am in the middle of the first course, and the lab is very easy and doable (although long and tedious). I still have not had the nerve to open the fetal pig package -- saving it for last :))). However, as someone with no real medical background, I am pleased to hear that even seasoned RNs, LVNs are also retching over it. I thought it was just me. I feel so sorry for the little piggy -- didn't have a chance. Straighterline does not require proctoring. WGU offers a prereq Biochem -- does this require a webcam or just the actual nursing program courses?

Funny -- I was told this Summer that Nutrition was not a requirement??? Must have been misinformation (or misunderstanding) from the advisor. Good news about the Intro to Chem as a substitute for the Biochem -- they must have relaxed that recently.

Is anyone taking or has taken the Biochem at WGU? How what is it? Was it doable if you put time in? Were the exams proctored? I assume their Biochem will fulfill the prelicensure prereq? I have an Intro to Chem -- would that be sufficient as a prereq for the Biochem? Thank you!

Please take the time to file an unemotional, factual complaint with the hospital. They should be made aware of unprofessional behavior. Being professional means being a professional. As far as it deterring you -- please be reminded every profession and area of work has wacky people, and we can't judge a profession by the behavior of one individual.

Romstead: I just started the A&P I with lab at SL. You said in a prior post that we really don't need the microscope -- do you still think that? Because this course has already cost a ton. I read the chapter and did all the 3 review tests (and even some flashcards) on the book's website (review and comprehension, etc.) Do I need to work the harder problems at the end that are interspersed through the chapter. I want to really learn the material and do well but not make it harder than I need to. I also don't see much to even turn in -- it seems like the course is go buy the stuff, read it, and take the tests. Thanks -- you have been VERY helpful.

If you want a school that's "easy" to get into -- meaning they take most everyone, it does require a lot of cash. The less expensive schools are (usually) public institutions and can afford to be very competitive. Not sure if it's worth it to you ($$$)-- but you can get through this one pretty quickly. Last time I checked it was around $60K, but it is very accelerated which means you can be out and working after a year give or take a few months. They take almost everyone, but they also have a high failure rate. The tuition is high. It's Kramer School of Nursing at Oklahoma City University. Added bonus: the cost of living is very reasonable in OK. Also very hot summers! Best of luck. www.okcu.edu/nursing/tradmen2.aspx "Unlike most schools offering bachelor's degrees in nursing, Kramer accepts all applicants, as soon as they are admitted to the university, with no separate application. Anyone admitted to OCU can declare a major in nursing from the beginning, belong to the Student Nurses Association, participate fully in the nursing school activities, have a nursing faculty advisor, and spend no time on a waiting list! You can start nursing courses as soon as you have: A 3.0 cumulative GPA or higher Grades of C (2.0) or higher in prerequisite science courses English proficiency Not more than 9 credit hours of general education courses remaining"

Could anyone briefly describe the clinical skills boot camp test? As in what you have to be able to do? I heard hardly anyone fails it -- but still sounds intimidating. Are there an invasive procedures or is it more bedside stuff?

Thanks for the post. This is the only online A&P that the school I want will take. I can see why -- it has a lot more requirements. Do you need the microscope for the first semester? It only mentions it on the A&P syllabus. As for the pics of the labs -- I am lousy at downloading though I guess I could get a friends to snap them on his IPhone for me. How detailed do the pictures have to be -- would a plain old point and shoot camera work? Also, which schools have rejected Straighterline? Are those the same schools that won't take online courses anyway? Is it a problem you get a percentage instead of a letter grade? Thanks everyone! This course is adding up -- $$$ and I hope it counts.

I am very interested in this school but may have to repeat pre-reqs. Did anyone have A&P or Micro online? I was told these particular classes are now unacceptable without classroom-based labs. Don't believe it applies to other classes, just these (so don't panic). I assume the lecture segment may be taken online, but I can't pin anyone down on that.

You don't seem at all like a loser to me -- rather just in a difficult situation. So sorry -- workplaces are so tough these days -- so many unhappy, out of sorts, dysfunctional people to deal with and their egos. Hang in there.

Wow -- I was all set to do this program until I read your post about not accepting A&P online course. That's a nonstarter for me! No way I can take it in the classroom. Very disappointing.

To Respiratory 2RN: How difficult was the Biochem/Chem course? Did they give you homework or study guides so you would know where to direct yourself for the tests. How many tests, and were they proctored? Could you use any notes at all? Also -- I assumed the science courses could be online -- but I just read that A&P and Micro could not be online? That seems implausible given the school's courses are online? Do you know anything about that? Thanks so much!

[sorry: I posted that last one twice - sort of before I was done with it.] I have a hard time adhering to strict gluten free although it is so much easier in the last few years. When I first started it, people looked at me like I was crazy. Lots of gluten free food now in the restaurants. I am gluten intolerant, but I can't imagine being truly celiac -- how careful you have to be. I pretty much take my own food with me everywhere: work, travel etc. -- as much as for economy as health. I prefer my homemade oil and vinegar combos to the processed dressings anyway. It is a lot of work, but taking care of yourself pays off in the long run. If I am still going strong an extra two hours a day, then that pays me back for all the food prep time. Hope you feel better soon!!!

Yes, I have been gluten-free and paleo for about 15 years. I am not celiac, but gluten-intolerant (confirmed by Enterolab's DNA testing). I try to eat as close to paleo as I can without removing myself from the real world. I feel great and if I keep my portion sizes reasonable, I don't gain weight. Of course, I also work out fairly regularly, but I really do have a lot of energy and so far, no major health issues. The diet is really just a healthy version of the old Atkins diet. It's similar to the old Hunter-Gatherer diet that was popular about 20 years ago. My daughter is a family practice doc, and she keeps the Paleo Diet and similar ones in her waiting room. My girlfriend is a vegetarian, and her doctor also gave her the book. She eats fish and eggs and lots of veggies. He would like her to eat some meat, but she is having a hard time with it. I don't eat a lot of meat (maybe 2X a week), but I stay away from rice and other grains, except in very small amounts. I'm really not over-the-top with it, but it's a great diet.

You are very welcome. Beyond the few basic tips, if you have more interest in the diet, it's the basic Paleo Diet/Caveman diet that many progressive docs are advocating. There are books out and lots of websites. Pretty much staying away from refined carbs. My daughter is a family practice doc, and she is starting to use the paleo diet with her diabetes and metabolic disordered patients -- well suggest it, that is. We are pretty much in charge of what we eat. I try to stay on the diet and find the science behind it very interesting as well as the fact that studies keep coming out backing it up. I like Mark's Daily Apple website because he goes beyond diet to keeping our health and sanity in the crazy modern world.

i ran across this article regarding coping with the night shift. the author advocates the primal/paleo diet. the excerpt is from mark'sdailyapple.com. what can a shift worker do? embrace your situation for all intents and purposes, this is your life. it may change down the road, but you are a shift worker for now. accept it. it's not ideal, but it will be a lot worse if you go about your days (er, nights) lamenting your situation. even just looking in the mirror every day and verbally reminding yourself that "i am a shift worker and i'm going to get through this" will help. fighting or avoiding the reality of a situation, instead of accepting and working with it, will only heap more stress and cortisol on your shoulders (and more fat on your belly). be strict about your diet hew as closely as you can to the primal eating plan. don't give in to vending machine wares and stale day-old donuts lurking in greasy pink boxes leftover from the dayshift. get even more serious about putting quality fuel in your body than ever before. if that means cooking your own food exclusively to avoid gluten and seed oils, so be it. in your perpetually stressed state, your sensitivity to bad food will be heightened. train wisely you are starting from behind. lifestyle stressors beset you on all sides. your body's abilities to recover and perform are dampened, and the last thing you want to do is add another couple heaping tablespoons of stress to the mix. as such, you must choose your workouts wisely. if it were me working night shifts for an extended period of time i'd mostly skip metabolic conditioning. no long crossfit wods, no extended tabata sessions, no half marathons, nothing that spikes cortisol and leaves you breathless and on the verge of puking. once a week sprints with full recovery? sure. long walks? great. heavy lifting? go for it, but keep it heavy and intense and keep the volume low. if you're doing pbf style bodyweight exercises, consider adding resistance and keeping the reps low. two days a week of lifting is perfect; three may be too much. keep an eye on how you feel. if you stall on the same weight twice, drop the weight or the volume. if you can't recover in between sprints, make them shorter by ten yards until you can. trick your body this is probably the most important strategy. your body expects light when awake and darkness when asleep. you can't totally replace sunlight and nighttime, but you can get pretty close. when you're at work, keep the lights on. if you work outdoors at night - say, as a cop, a security guard, or in the military - consider light therapy. once you're off work, don a pair of dark/orange safety glasses before you venture out into the light and don't remove them until you're ready for bed. keep your bedroom shades drawn, block out any light sources, and keep your bedroom as dark as possible. the trick is to mimic daytime light conditions during your waking hours and nighttime light conditions during your "evening" and sleeping hours to the best of your ability. supplement smartly supplements can help fill in the gaps between the reality of our modern lifestyles (stuck in the office all day with limited exposure to sun, poor and inadequate sleep, regular dietary compromises, sucking down smog to and from work, etc.) and an imaginary ideal lifestyle (just the right amount of sun time and shuteye, perfect primal food at every meal, limited exposure to environmental toxins, etc.). so, what are some supplements to consider for a late night shift worker? well, make sure you cover the basics (omega-3s, vitamin d, various minerals, etc). these are nutrients that everyone needs, but you have less room for error so make sure you supplement if you're not able to obtain what you need through food. also, melatonin has been shown to improve shift workers' sleep and wakefulness patterns. in one study, compared to placebo and no treatment at all, 5 mg melatonin taken at "desired bedtime" improved the sleep and alertness of cops working a night shift. they got better sleep when they wanted it and felt more alert at night while on the beat. a later study had similar findings. increasing dosages of melatonin (up to 3 mg) in patients undergoing simulated late shift work was actually able to shift their circadian phases (as evidenced by changes in body temperature and melatonin secretion). sleep and alertness (at the right times) also improved. they took fewer naps. note that 0.5 mg was not as effective as 3 mg. take at least 3 mg melatonin at your desired bedtime, and be consistent with it. avoid coffee and embrace black tea give up coffee, especially if you display the hallmarks of cortisol problems: belly fat accumulation and poor performance in the gym. or, at least cut way back. consider going for black tea instead, which has been shown to normalize cortisol. if you keep drinking coffee (let's face it, it's delicious), try not to rely on it. have a cup at the start of your shift - since it's "morning" for you - but no more.

Sounds like you are in a good place. I am hearing about some not so good hospice groups on the forum. I know there is a lot of competition. Yours sounds like a good one. My volunteer "home" Seasons Hospice is also a nice place to work and has openings for case managers in Ft Worth and Dallas -- the spots have been open for awhile so they may be hiring more than one -- if anyone here has credentials. The nurses I talk to seem very happy there.

I think the Dallas job is still open too -- I must have missed it when I looked. Maybe they are just always looking for someone???

I wanted to add to the last one: have you thought of getting some coaching for interviewing? If you are a good nurse, it's a shame that you are not coming across well. It really is a learned skill. Big hugs to you. Fingers crossed -- I hope you get the job. If it's Fort Worth that's still open -- maybe give them a call and tell them you are still interested??? Worth a shot. (hope I'm not being too pushy -- sometimes I'm just overhelpful).

I checked the website and the Dallas job is closed, but Ft Worth has a posting. Which one did you apply to?

I was participating in a discussion with a nurse who was discussing good and bad hospice providers. I am still at the pre-nursing level and would like to do this. I volunteer when I can because it gives me some idea of what to expect. If anyone else is further along than me, Seasons Hospice is posting for an RN (as of last week), and I know this is a good one because I have a friend who is very happy working there. If anyone is looking . . . Wish I was ready :)

I am taking my pre reqs and want to be a hospice nurse. Anyone ever get hired as a new nurse? Also, if anyone is interested, I saw that Seasons Hospice has a posting for an RN case manager in Dallas. Guess I'm not ready for that one yet :)

Thanks for the update. Once you are in the swing, I would be interested what your day is like. Hours, paperwork.

Don't be hard on yourself. I don't think you are uncaring -- just a grownup facing reality. I am much older now and am way more matter-of-fact and less emotional than years ago. I lost both parents when I was young. Yes -- it's very sad and I still cry sometimes and miss them, but that's life, and we all will die and hopefully not suffer too much. So long as you are there for her and have the presence of mind to do what needs to be done, you are doing the right thing. And I am not yet a healthcare professional so it's not just seeing illness and death everyday that does it to you. I try to honor them everyday in my actions. Getting overly emotional is not always the best thing for a family member or anyone else. Keeping your cool is more calming to everyone else. Keep your chin up.

OK -- I can only speak for the hospice companies that I am familiar with. Maybe some don't give good care. I can't speak to that. There are good, mediocre, and bad doctors, nurses, hospices. Can't paint everybody with a broad brush. Reading between the lines though -- it seems like you are saying that hospice is a bad thing -- "manipulate the indices." Hospice is there to help. It is not a death sentence, and again -- an improved patient can go off hospice at will. Personally, I hate antidepressants, tranquilizers, etc. so please don't think I am defending their use. They have never worked for me, but I have family members that are on them (of their choice), and I don't interfere. Anyway -- I need to jump off the discussion board now. Have a great weekend.