bug2621

^^^This^^^ everything in her post is spot on

That article says nothing about medical care that Hispanics receive. I have seen countless anecdotes and research articles posted that state how prejudice is a problem in the medical community. I think one user hit it spot on the head that it’s rare that there are card carrying, in your face racists. In most cases it’s subtle, and often time people don’t realize it themselves. And honestly all races (black, white, brown) have some prejudices based on our experiences. Now, the question is do we realize the biases and check them? And honestly, the only way this issue will ever be fixed is if people take an honest look at themselves and their belief systems and start to change it. Arguing that its BS or deflecting the issue, does no one any good. In fact, it proves the point of every person here and it actually makes matters worse. And unfortunately there are some people that have no urge to change of take a look at themselves, and they fight tooth and nail in the face of all evidence presented to them and they make the matter worse. I could give you article after article, study after study, and testimonial after testimonial and you still wouldn’t believe it. I could write a dissertation and you’d never read it.

You don’t have to be “logical” about it. There’s studies on top of studies about it. Honestly, the first step is to acknowledge you have a bias and that these biases exist. Then taking the steps to try to combat these biases. Heres maybe a starting point: http://www.ihi.org/communities/blogs/how-to-reduce-implicit-bias

*sigh* Her political motives aside...she has a point. Now to generalize and say that all nurses and doctors treat black women differently, is far reaching but there is implicit bias out there, not only have I seen it, I’ve experienced it. I worked PRN at a hospital and went in around 2 am with 10/10 colicky abdominal pain and I’d had n/v/d for hours. I went to that ED because it was closest to my house. The nurses were nice enough but didn’t seem to take me too seriously. The MD comes in and does an exam and when I wince as he’s palpating, he actually asked “ are you sure that really hurts” with a very condescending tone. They were treating me like a drug seeker, even after I told them I was a nurse there. They finally ordered a CT and gave me a bag of fluids and protonix, saying it was acute gastritis. The MD even said my CT was negative. The pain went away but returned with a vengeance that afternoon. This time I went to the hospital I worked full time at. One of the residents recognized and pulled my records from the hospital. He told me that everything I was experiencing sounded exactly like gallstones and when he pulled my CT (from the other hospital) it confirmed it. I went to surgery that night because it was so inflamed. So whether you believe my story story or not, take a moment to do some research on this matter and you’ll see that lots has been done, especially in regards to the AA are treated for pain by providers.

So I currently work as a nurse educator at a large teaching hospital for two units. During my time in this position, ive been responsible teaching numerous classes as well designing some. I’ve done clinical teaching as well for nursing students. I recently graduated with my MSN as an NP but I would really like to continue teaching because I truly enjoy it. I don’t think I would have time to do clinical instruction, work and maintain a work/life balance. I’d really like to find something as an adjunct instructor that would allow me to maybe teach a day a week or even do online teaching. Any tips on where to look or maybe just how to get my foot in the door? Many thanks!

I graduated from Duke 12/18 and actually passed boards today. You are estimating cost correctly but there are sometimes scholarships as well. I had one so my loans were a little less. I completed the program part time and it took me 3 years. Although, you can do it in as little as 2.5, I had an extra semester because there were just too many clinical hours to complete between my specialty and final synthesis. I couldn’t work and handle the hours. I found Duke extremely supportive in everything. It wasn’t like nursing school where you were competing with each other or professors trying to trip you up. They were so supportive and I had the absolute best advisor in the world. The other thing with Duke is of course the name and the alumni network. I also liked that they placed me in all of my clinicals and I didn’t have to find places. I had amazing preceptors as well.

Hi all! I just got accept to the spring 2016 class AGNP. Any heads up on either what to look out or watch out for? Any tips you wish you would've known? Thanks!!

I work at a very large hospital on a 28 bed telemetry unit. I work night shift on the weekend (sat, sun, mon). I'm The dedicated relief charge nurse because usually we need it On The weekend. I'm The most senior member on nights and I'm about 3 months away from having 2 years experience. About 5 months ago a charge position and open on nights but my NM said I didn't have enough experience. The thing that confused me is that I have been doin this role since I was only six months out of school! Instead they hired someone with tins of charge nurse experience but absolutely no cardiac experience. Now both of the dedicated charge nurses are leaving and I'm the most senior membER on nights. I've never been seriously reprimanded, except for small staffing issues and when I ask for feedback I'm always told I'm doing good. That's where me confusion lies. I want go apply but I'm scared my manager will just shoot me down again. Should I just apply to show her I'm interested or should I speak with her first to see where her thought process is? Also, to add insult to injury when these charge nurses leave, I'm scheduled as charge indefinitely. So what do I do?

Hey all! Congrats and good luck to everyone accepted! I graduated from this program Feb. 2012 and I have been a practicing nurse. So here are a few truths and tips and tricks to the program. 1. It's hectic and disorganized so just be ready to roll with the punches. Because of this when everything is going to hell around me on the unit I'm generally unfazed. 2. Keep copies of everything!!!!! EVERYTHING!!! When started clinicals they lost half of our shot records so if you didn't have copies you were screwed. Make copies of everything and anything you give anyone! 3. You will be prepared upon graduation! Only one person failed the Nclex...that's because she took it like 2 weeks after graduation. Every single one of had jobs after graduation. They're annoying in their methods but they work. 4. Speak up when something is wrong but don't whine about everything. We had a saying about nursing school questions "while that answer is correct, it is not the most correct". The test answers will **** you off royally...don't argue about every single one...you'll get nowhere! Pick your battles. 5. Get a good nclex comprehensive study book early on. It will save you time and energy. Also find good study buddies...ditch the leeches! Good luck everyone!

So I had a patient with CHF that hadn't eaten or drinken all day. There was a 1500cc fluid restriction but she was no where near that limit. That night her pressure dropped into the 70s and 60s. I asked the dr. for a 250cc bolus because she was symptomatic. He agreed but my preceptor said we should never give Chf patients boluses but encourage fluids. I understand the concept but what is the difference a small bolus given slowly vs. drinking the same amount? I agree I would never dump like 1000cc on a chf pt. In the end the chf patient was fine. Was I right to ask for the bolus or was my preceptor?

So I just graduated from an ABSN course. 13 months of crazy essentially. Like you, I have a child (she was 4-5) during the program and I didn't work. From my stand point, I preferred to finish quickly and not have worry about returning to school for an extra 2 years ( so a total of 4 yrs give or take). As far as pace, it is FAST! Do I feel unprepared? No way!!! Our ABSN coursework is exactly the same as the traditional 4 year BSN at the school I attended...including clinical time. We did approximately 840 clinical hours and an additional 120 preceptorship hours, essentially 960 hours total. Every single one of my 40 classmates has passed the NCLEX. Also, after going through this program nothing really phases me and my time management skills are impeccable LOL! I think due to the time constraints this program forces you to study and focus your time wisely. I believe that if you go in with a strong work ethic, good study skills, and prioritization you can do fine. I finished the program with A and Bs. The downside sometimes was sacrificing some family time, however I would rather have sacrificed only 13 months versus 4 years. There's my two cents

Just curious OP...have you taken your boards yet?

First of all, you are not dumb and no one is smarter than you. Others have just picked up the system faster! So I'm going to give you the same advice I gave my classmates....you know too much. Let me explain....Nursing school tests are critical thinking tests that build on your knowledge base. The problem is if you have too much knowledge it can trick your critical thinking. For instance, if you are studying areas that your instructors don't cover or isn't listed in your syllabus you are wasting time. For instance, for pharmacology my friend would try to memorize everything about the drug, yet my instructor focused only on the purpose, common side effects, nursing interventions and patient teaching. My suggestion is to take notes during lecture and read only those areas in the book and focus on that. Once you have done that get yourself a good nclex book and PRACTICE! I promise you that you can't get better if you don't practice them AND read the rationales! I highly recommend Saunders comprehensive review book b/c it will take you through nursing school and give you the meat and potatoes of everything you need to know. It also has a ton of nclex questions. Also remember Maslow and your ABCs. Remember that airway is greater than breathing which trumps circulation. Think Maslows...a person that that has a physical problem will always come before someone with safety or psychosocial issues. Lastly, think about the nursing process...as a nurse what is the first thing we do? Assess!! Is there an assessment choice on your test? Does it make sense to do this assessment ? If so it's a good chance that could be your answer. Also, don't change your answers...unless you know without a shadow of a doubt that your answer is wrong leave it alone! If you start think "what if" or " maybe" stop and go with you gut because there is a reason you picked this first. Good luck and knock em dead!

Yea...the info can be a little tricky to find...here's the link to the application and a brief overview of the program http://wssu.edu/school-health-sciences/departments/nursing/media/2012-accel-bsn-app.pdf The program is the exact same as the standard four year program, but you are just taking the required nursing components because you already have a bachelor's degree. From start to finish it is 13 months of fast paced crazy. If you want to get an idea of the program, look under the nursing program in general. You can also call the school and they can give you more information. The program is quite fast paced, but in the end I feel that you are prepared. I just took my NCLEX and passed, and also everyone of my classmates that has taken the test have passed thus far.