txhusker-SN

just an f.y.i. i wouldnt divulge in to what you make, in to too much detail, some companies/hospitals have policies that you should not discuss what you get paid, and depending on the place it can lead to termination, hence you have your photo as your avatar so they would know its you. so i would check in to that.. its easy enough to just google what certain hospitals pay in certain states and get a rough estimate. theres different crtieria for pay scales. but kudos for getting paid well!

I am still in nursing school now, but i graduate in august. But roughly im paying about $3600 total [ADN] for tuition/fees. I got really lucky and befriended someone who was a semester ahead of me in the same program and am able to save that couple grand i would be spending on books. Even when i do bridge over it will cost me close to an additional $8500, which still isnt bad, considering the school i WAS going to go to wanted over 28k A SEMESTER. Yeah, you read it correct. i didnt take out any loans for my schooling, my first semester i was lucky and recieved scholarships/financial aid that paid my way through, but after that i took a job as a PCT and am paying the rest of the way. My fiance works and makes a decent living, but im not obligating him to pay for my education because he is marrying me. I dont make much as a PCT but i do make enough to cover tuition, books [if needed], gas, etc. Even though working/going to school full time/and being a mother takes a toll on a person physically and mentally, im glad to say that i'll be graduating debt free and with all the stress i endure, one of the things i wont have to worry about it paying off debt. its a small sacrifice to make in my eyes, plus it might help me get a job after graduation. and with the expectation i get a job at my current hospital as an RN, they pay for all my education, BSN, MSN, CRNA, even MD. So i wouldn't have to worry about student loans/debt then. I know SO many other students, some of them my friends [both ADN and BSN programs], that are like "yeah i cant wait to graduate to get a job!" and i'm like "i know! my pay will triple! (jokingly)" and they say "....no, i have to pay my student loans back, so i'll still be broke. [sad face]" In all, i say my education is worth it. It all comes down to how you are going to play the cards. Before i even applied, i looked for countless scholarships, did TONS of research with comparisons between schools, looked in to financial aid, got a job and saved, whatever i could to prepare. When i was taking my pre-req's, i worked in sales. Glamorous? No, but worth it? yes. It's all in planning and preparing yourself!

Never be afraid to ask for help! No matter who the patient is! I still ask for help if I am not familiar with any new patients. If your worried about what other people will say or think, don't pay any mind to them. It's better to be safe than sorry, especially in patient care. You can even watch videos on YouTube that show techniques, but just ask another coworker of a family member for some help.

When I started foundations we did everything, from basic, basic care (linen changes, baths, etc.) to actual work at our clinical sites (giving medicine, starting IVs, catheters, etc.) So we HAD to know our stuff before we could even attempt to do it. I am also in an ADN program. My thing is to read, no matter what anyone else in your class or someone else's class says, just read the book. Usually at the end of the chapter they have the practice questions you can do to see if you retained any information. And depending on the book you have, some of them some with online resources or websites that you can access. flash cards for the terminology you don't understand, but 99% of test questions aren't going to be like "what does this mean?" so when you are writing down any significant words you are trying to remember, try to use them in a sentence or write it in question form, I think it helps you retain the information. A lot of my classmates who were visual learners used colored flash cards and YouTube videos. They would just search whatever they are studying, you'd be surprised how much information and study material there is on there, some of my foundations professors even used it during lecture. Nclex questions!!!!! You will not regret it! And something that also works, if youre trying to remember certain steps or processes, you can do like what they do with little kids, make a song out of it :) And you don't need to know every single piece of information! A majority of the time, if you pay attention in class during lecture, the teachers tend to harp on certain topics and specifics longer than another section which usually means there's high chance of it being on the exam. When we were learning about potassium (which is very important btw!) My professor kept up a discussion about cantaloupe , and lord behold : test answer. Good luck!

Also, one more thing. I was wondering if I should ask for my current pay or more if I start at a new facility. Doesn't make sense to start somewhere new only to get paid less right? :)

I'm currently a PCT on a med/surg floor, throughout the past months I have applied to numerous PCT positions on different units and this week I got a few calls, three different managers want to interview me for three different hospitals (all of the hospitals are affiliated just in different locations) I have two interviews for PACU and one interview for ICU, I plan to go and interview like hell for all of them to try and land another job but if it has to come down to choosing between ICU or PACU, I am in a but of a conundrum . I am just hoping one of them offers me a job. Like I said I work on med/surg right now, I love my other techs and SOME of my nurses but I'm being staffed on a 15 to 20:1 patient/tech ratio way too often, i have a handful of nurses who will break their backs to help and i have a bucket full of nurses who will throw me under the bus, and a couple with "authority complex" issues. some of the new management treat us like dirt and are unwilling to work with our nursing school schedules, they give us the "owell, find someone to cover you" thing, and I desperately need the change. i dont mind doing the dirty work, i dont think that i am above doing that kind of work even after i graduate, but lets just say that having less than 15 patients is a luxury that rarely occurs and it's not only ridiculous, it's unsafe. I can't be in 20 places at once. If anyone has worked in the ICU or PACU as a tech, what is it like? Pro's / Con's? I have done rotations in the pacu during clinicals already, though I did more "rn role" work instead of tech work, but I liked it, and I can't complain about the work hours but I also like ICU because you can provide more one on one patient care and you can work any day of the week. I honestly wish I could work both. :/ I am about to start my senior year of nursing school and will be graduating later this year so I really want to learn what I can but also try and get a feel for different units because I am lost as to what "specialty" I want to go in to. thanks in advance

hey guys!!! i've seen quite a few of you new nursing students around campus in the past week or so turning in papers and forms! Congratulations again and get ready for one heck of a ride! Hope you are all ready because it will come and go before you know it!

@rossy- oh bummer! that sucks! well, i guess its better than driving really far to school.. but plaza is a good place DEPENDING on the nurses, LOL! only 3 of my other friends made it in to the same clinical and theory, but registration was a PAIN! but after 25 minutes or so, I got in.

Online theory and M-clinical at HMFW

The main building.

Just go up to the campus during the week and tell them you want to see an advisor/counselor. Usually a 5-10 minute wait if it's busy

Dosage calculations! Don't sweat it. They will cram it down your throat until you throw it back up. Everyone in my class made 100% on it on the first try. Once.you get the feel of the set up you will do fine!!

Grey's Anatomy scrubs... you wont regret it. soft as heaven and very breathable material. Shoes- i wore athletic shoes, i was running up and down the hospital halls, up and down the stairs, some people prefer clogs, i like my sneakers. And for adjusting the sound of the steth. yes, apply more pressure to the diaphragm and the sounds will get louder, but as you get used to listening to the lung and heart sounds you wont need to apply as much pressure.

that is ridiculous. it must have been the same packet they sent us. They let us call to register last semester, but i think they changed it because a lot of people would call and register in a spot and then call back to change what day they wanted to do it. If you guys get to orientation early, there will be a long table by the door into the room and you guys will probably sign up there.

was it in keller by any chance..?? LOL yeah, like i said, just double check it. Some places will have it at their local church and stuff, but no, no houses for me. You guys can also check with other TCC campuses, I know the NW campus has CPR classes, its not all the time, but it was like $15 for a year cert.