rubato

A glass of chardonnay or cabernet sauvignon is the only thing I have to look forward to around 5 pm. I have a glass every night and maybe a few more if I'm not working the next day. It doesn't negatively effect me. I even get up and run at 4:30 the next morning. It's the running joke on our unit that my husband hands me my glass as I walk in the door.

The most important thing is planning ahead. That means meal planning, grocery shopping and prepping your meals and snacks. It's worth it for your waistline and your pocketbook. I am a huge proponent of exercise. It is necessary whether you need to lose weight or not. You are about to embark on a profession that requires you to be physically capable.

Take the withdrawal and learn from it. And, no more excuses. You either do the work or don't join the program the second time (if your school allows that). If you feel that you will be the same type of student, with the same work ethic, don't take a spot away from someone who will put in the effort.

On my unit! I am a new grad at 44 and am another inpatient oncology nurse. We have a lot over the age of 40, and the younger ones are all married and pretty serious at this point. No partiers, other than us old wine drinkers.

Not enough to counteract the bad eating habits I am now developing as a nurse. I used to be a marathon runner and was very healthy. Now, I'm too tired to go for a run more than 4 times a week and am gaining weight at quite a clip.

You'll get through it. It doesn't really get any easier, but you just adapt and go with it. I graduated in May and am working as a nurse. I can still remember half of class crying after that first week. I didn't. I waited until second semester, and a D on a test to break down and threaten to quit. As far as the study groups, I tried to join 2 different ones and didn't enjoy it. The first just gossiped and wasted my time. The second was so serious I thought maybe my life actually depended on a 100%. I did my own thing and ended up with 2 A semesters and 2 B semesters and am very happy with those grades. Do your own thing because you know what works best for you.

We did, and thank god! Practicing venipuncture on a fake arm doesn't prepare you for a vein that moves, and a person that jumps as soon as you poke them. Or someone who is afraid. It is an important aspect of nursing school, in my opinion. I let almost everyone in my class stick me for their first time because I have amazing veins. Then, they moved on to harder people.

Now. :)

Is getting hired as a charge nurse when you are a brand new grad normal for nursing homes? I'm thinking this is crazy.

Personal trainer, then stay at home mom. Started nursing at age 44.

I am an oncology nurse. I'll hug any patient that needs a hug. My patients are dealing with a lot and can be very emotional. If something as simple as a hug can make a difference in their day, I'm happy to do it.

I wanted to end up in oncology. I pursued oncology, got a job, and regret nothing. On rare occasions, we get a med surg overflow patient. I may not be completely up on everything but I can cover a shift for someone. I struggle with the occasional psych overflow patient because I'm just sucky at it. But, again, I just do the best I can.

I know it seems ridiculous, but it does take longer to get the ADN, then bridge to the BSN than it does to just go straight for the BSN. The big difference is price. My entire BSN degree, going the ADN route first is a total cost of $23,500. I am only paying $2500 of that because of scholarships and tuition reimbursement through my job. I took all my BSN prereqs during my ADN program and only had 2 more classes to take this summer, after graduation. I have to take 11 classes during my BSN, all online and will go ahead and take a full 2 years to do it. The beauty of it is that I got my job, in a hospital, after graduating with my ADN and can work during the whole BSN program. I like that I will be 2 years ahead in on-the-job skills and experience. I didn't go into this whole nursing thing thinking I would end with ADN, so there weren't any surprises for me. It is what it is. Good luck with everything. Remember that it's all temporary and in the end, you will be a BSN-RN. :)

It depends on how much time you have and how much money you have. I chose the ADN route and am now in my BSN bridge. My ADN was paid for by scholarships, but would have only been $11,000 in total. Then, I got my job in my hospital and will get $10,000 tuition reimbursment through the hospital. My bridge is only $12,500, so my total out of pocket payment for my BSN will be #2,500. Not bad at all. It will end up taking an extra year but well worth it.

While in nursing school, I worked as a CNA in a hospital on weekends. So, that was 14-16 hours per week. I was also in the honors program and was taking extra classes for that so I averaged about 18 credit hours per semester and 9 or 10 for summer semesters. Oh, and I'm a wife and mom. Did I do it? Yes. Was it hard as he**? Yes! But, it was a temporary situation, and I knew I would be more hirable by working.