DISinOKC

supercook.com is a great website I use. Mind you, part of my original education is learning to cook.... but there are a TON of easy recipes out there. on this site, you just put in your ingredients and it makes of list of recipes you can complete with what you have and then it gives you recipes where all you need to do is buy this item or that item. plus you can search for specific dishes like chicken dishes, or potato dishes, or egg dishes.

Yeah I'm not looking forward to the bill.... but they were the only place I could go part time. I'm not willing to quit a job I'm passionate about to go back to school. If I wasn't passionate, sure I would quit.... But I'm making okay money with great perks and benefits! So I'm going to continue to horde my money to offset my loans. Lucky me, the only debt I have at this point is for my Nissan cube. Student loans are scaring me though... Never had to worry about them before.

I'm actually going to OCU, just enrolled and I'm taking pharm in the fall and will start to take more in the spring. It's expensive but my (i don't know what to call her.... role model? I'm not sure, she just knows that I want to do what she's doing) really pushed me to go to OCU. I'm just hoping that since I survived a degree in dietetics, I can survive this... i just cant do any more biochemistry. I just CAN'T!

In Oklahoma the Disease Intervention Specialists are the ones to inform people of their status almost all of the time. That's one of the job requirements we have as well as partner notification and rapid testing. We do all the counseling and referral to the IDI clinics and case managers. Here, the state govt knows before most doctors offices, so very few places actually perform rapid HIV testing... You think a hospital setting is bad? Some of my coworkers have had to draw blood in the field at a crack house/prostitute's house/and the back seat of cars. We've had IV drug users threaten us if we blow their last good veins. If we don't have a high infection rate, I wouldn't be too worried about being in a hospital environment. I can't remember the last time we had a nurse test positive for HIV because of work exposure, normally they were having unprotected sex or using drugs themselves. There are some states that are now trying to make it adequate to diagnose someone as HIV+ after TWO rapid tests. We are not happy about that.... There is also a push to make it where you have to actually opt OUT of HIV testing.

congrats

well i was just officially told I was accepted and I go in Tuesday to meet with **** and enroll. hope to see you in the fall!

I was just informed that I have been officially accepted into my nursing program and I go in next week to enroll. Just had to share! It's going to take me 3 years because I'm having to go part-time, but I'm sure it will go fast. I'm just scared of pharm.... which may be one of the first classes I take. I hope living with a NP and having a CNS for a sister will help!

well, i've been told unofficially to get ready to start my first year of nursing school in the fall... but i'm still waiting on that official letter. . . . I'm 27 and will be starting my BSN.

**** sent my the dean's memo, we CAN start nursing school this fall! I won a door prize and went in to claim it, spoke with ****, she doesn't believe I'll have a problem being accepted into the nursing school (which is good, I've been a little nervous/scared the last couple of days). I'm a little confused because they are doing away w/ all the labels... it'll allow student to take classes as needed at their own pace. I hope they offer all the nursing classes at night... otherwise, I'll just be taking pharm on Wednesdays to get it out of the way. I don't want to go too out of order, you know what i mean? It's really exciting. I can't believe it to be honest. . .

Well I'm about to start nursing school, but worked as a vet tech for 9 years, 5 years at a 24 hr hospital.... the best one: Her: My husband is on his way home and the dog is stuck. Me: ? Her: MY dog is stuck! It's stuck! What do I do?! Me: We can't treat you, please call 911. we've also pulled out 6 feet of x-mas garland from dog's intestines, as well as XXXL thongs (happened to belong to our receptionist's husband's boss's wife... very awkward). but the worst was having to assist in a rape exam of a dog w/ an officer next to us. The officer explained when he arrived, the neighbor was screaming, "That's right, I F-ed your dog!" No visible signs of trauma was found. Dog seemed happy overall. I think the neighbor was just crazy. one of my friends in the ED reported a couple strung out on meth. he couldn't get it up, so the obvious thing to help was to shove a # 2 pencil down the urethra. unsharpened. I mean, that's OBVIOUSLY the best thing to do. She didn't understand why he was so upset. . . I just love getting pt's that say they've been abstinent for over 2 years.... well then how do you explain that syphilis chancre on your member/rectum/mouth as well as the palmar plantar rash? My standard response, "No sir, you did not get that from the toilet seat. If you aren't having sex, why are you shoving your member into someone's chancre then?" This has come in handy and my supe was pleased I finally became more authoritative.

I went to an open house at OCU and talked with a couple of the profs in the undergrad and graduate level. I can't remember their names right now, but the undergrad said it would be possible... so I'm just waiting on Julie to email me back. I should get something back this afternoon, she's been great about responding to my emails! I looked at the accelerated one, and it would require me to quit my job. I'm just not willing to do that. The part time does take longer, but it won't be as intense in my opinion. I don't want to screw up, so the extra time that I can dedicate to studying will give me a chance to ace all the courses. I live in Yukon, and I like it personally. It's quiet and not as busy as OKC. If you move to OKC... I wouldn't live near OCU (NE OKC) or the south side. I've learned while at work... these areas have a high amount of drug trade and prostitution. Edmond is good for the most part, there are some scary parts, but those are just a couple of pockets on the outer edge. Edmond has HORRIBLE traffic. I HATE driving in edmond. I went to UCO for 6 years and the driving only go worse. I just went through there this last week and it was clogged w/ traffic. I like Moore and Norman overall. Moore is quiet in my opinion, lots of families. The big problem with Moore is that it tends to get hit w/ bad weather. I live on the border of yukon and okc, the weather tends to miss us. Norman is a college city, but it's not bad. . . I'm not a huge fan of midwest city. it'll be a commute if you move to norman and drive to OCU. Traffic may be bad on I235 and the exit to 23rd street from I235 is PITA. . . Now what I say about each town is in my opinion since starting my job. Some people might really enjoy MWC and the NE/SW sides of OKC. and I love that you are a nutrition major! There aren't many of us. I just wish I knew then what I know now... I wouldn't have wasted all that time in dietetics. I never had "this is my calling" feelings while studying it.

I totally get planning your future. From what I understand, OCU is one of the best schools out there, and my adviser (i'll call her that, she's doing the job I want to do at the VA) really pushed me to go to OCU if possible. The other schools are good, but all the nurses (outside of the city-county health dept) really recommended it. I'm not going to look for work at any of the hospitals. I have a really good job that is flexible. They offer some tuition reimbursement, but I am NOT going to sign my soul to the OK state health dept.... plus w/ the budget crisis, i'm not even sure they are offering it. the main reason I'm not looking to go to the hospitals is because I'm already in the field I want to be in. I work in HIV/STD and my goal is to work at the VA HIV clinic or at the OU IDI. I'm not going to get any better experience w/ HIV at any of the local hospitals as a CNA, and I'm sure I would have to take a pay cut and lose a lot of my benefits if I were to even become a CNA and go to the OU IDI. Plus I LOVE my job... there is only one problem, there is very little vertical movement w/o a nursing degree... so here I go back to school my prerequisites are already taken care of b/c of my nutrition, dietetics, and food management degree (I'm one class short of a biology degree... i'm really cursing that I didn't take virology) and I've already been reviewed by Julie Bartel-Biebrich. I'm currently waiting to get green lighted to take pharmacology this fall. One of the profs said I could, so I sent Julie an email asking if it really was possible or not. I'm sure you will get in, no need to keep your fingers crossed. :)

Wellllll being ONLY 25, I don't think it'll be an issue. I'm 27 btw. In my opinion, it's totally reasonable to finish school first before starting to have children. You'll have a good job, great benefits (hopefully), and a pretty good schedule depending on what you do. I'm not concerned about the student loans to be honest, if I did, I would cry too much. I'm planning on continuing to do the DFNP program part time afterwards... so i'm going be massively in debt, but by doing it this way, I get to keep a good job w/ great benefits. It evens out in the long run.

that's what I thought.... oh well. What's a little debt? I didn't want to buy a house or a new car for the next 10 years anyways. . . who needs vacation, new clothes, or anything shiny? PFFFTTTTT.

Welllllll..... it looks like OCU is my only option, but figured I would ask anyways. Are there any other part time nursing schools in the metro area? I've already earned a BS degree in nutrition, so my pre reqs are all taken care of. I started an MBA program, got through a semester w/ high marks, but didn't like the school or the path it would take me. I'm a disease intervention specialist.... a fancy way of saying I work in HIV/STD. This is where I want to stay, but in order to advance, or to make any job changes in the future, I'll need to have a nursing degree. Since I love my job and refuse to quit (took me 2 years to get this job, I refuse to quit it.), I need a part time school. I'm currently 10k in debt from my graduate work, but other than that, no debt. . . finances aren't a HUGE issue... but the OCU cost scares the living pooh out of me, but I can't find any other options. any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. I've already applied and I'm just waiting on the stupid dean of recommendation letter to be faxed in from my grad school. I spoke with the adviser and she reviewed my transcripts and sees no problems with me being accepted into the nursing program and starting part time in the spring (spoke w/ one of the profs on open house the other night and she said I might be able to take a class in the fall, so who knows at this point....). forgot to add: the NP i somewhat talked to really pushed OCU. She thinks it's the best education for the $ and will get me to where I want to be... but $55k?! plus i'll be going to the family NP program... i'm really scared about being $100+k in debt...