Cwiema

Thank you for your concern. I've seen my PCP and mental health specialists in the last month. We have had in depth conversations about this. I passed my MMSE with flying colors. I and am scheduled for CT, MRI, etc. Labs look ok, but sodium is a little low, probably from a med we will change. They tell me it's time to seek a different position, ICU and ER are too stressful. It's too soon to consider SS or disability. I saw my father go through this at the same age. He started doing consulting work instead of running a company. The pace was slower and he actually made more money and was able to work for many more years. I'm thinking along the same lines. My providers assure me i just need to shift gears from the ICU/ER setting. I'm heartbroken that I can't do the jobs I used to be so good at. It's depressing. I'm coming to terms with my own mortality. Nobody likes to hear that they aren't up to their previous level of work.

I just feel tired. The last time i worked, I knew I didn't even want to deal with direct patient care anymore.

Thank you for your response. Actually, I'm interviewing for an insurance position tomorrow. It looks very promising. I'm excited about it because it involves a care planning and patient education, which are 2 of my passions.

I'm a 59 year old RN with 39 years of nursing experience in ICU, ER, Case Management, Occupational Health, Home Health, and Pediatric nursing. Over the last year, I have lost 3 jobs. In all 3, my supervisors have said I'm no longer safe to work at the bedside. I didn't believe them. Over the last few years, I've begun taking meds for bipolar disorder and have had 2 TIAs. I'm told I had no residual effects. To be honest, I'm physically slower than I used to be and I don't think as quickly. I'm looking for a lower stress job that doesn't involve bedside care. Are there other nurses like me? What did you do? I can't afford to retire yet.

Yes I have. I sent Elena an email the other day about when class starts. She said we would be introduced to first classes in orientation. There's no date set for first day of class. She said she would let us know as soon as it's decided.

It would be great if we could exchange emails and fb info. Mine is [email protected]. Catherine Wiemann on facebook. That way we can get to know each other a little before we go to orientation. I am from Thibodaux, LA, near New Orleans. I lived there for many years and go there often, so I know some good restaurants, things to do, etc. Let me know if I can be of any help with travel questions, etc.

It'll be great to "know' each other before we get there. Hotels in the city can be expensive, especially in the spring when the weather is so nice. We're gonna have a great time, I know! I visit the city a lot and lived there for several years, so I know some good places to eat, etc. It might be fun to get together after class for drinks or dinner. I'm really excited about being involved in this program. My email is [email protected]. My fb is Catherine Wiemann in Houma, LA. Keeping in touch would be great.

I have 30+ years of clinical experience as a nurse in ED, ICU, pediatrics, home health, med-surg, case management, office, and occupational nursing. I sure hope that helps in NP school. I would think that my clinical experience in addition to 50+ years of living on this planet, raising a family, and interacting with other human beings might help a little, too. I don't believe it's just about diagnosing and prescribing. It's about optimizing the health of our clients in a holistic way. I've also learned there is more than one way to skin a cat, if you know what I mean.

Hi and congrats to you too. I looked online at Loyola's academic calendar and the summer semester starts on May 21. I don't know if that applies to us, however. I'm sure we will learn lots at orientation. I live near the New Orleans area. Where do you live? Have you made travel arrangements yet? Could we exchange emails & Facebook info? I know there are a few others who will be in our cohort on this forum. It would be fun to stay in touch before we meet in person. I'm really excited too, and so looking forward to April 30! Hope to hear from you soon!

What about the fact that to complete an online DNP, one has to have 1000 hours of hands-on clinical experience with an MD or NP? I start my DNP program at Loyola, New Orleans this summer, so I'm harldly an expert, however I think clinicals is where I'll learn how to be an APN prior to actually becoming licensed and practicing.

Loyola New Orleans.

My step-daughter is graduating from medical school in May. She just informed me she took the majority of her courses before her third year online. Third and fourth year are onsite clinical rotations. She also notified me that many highly ranked med schools are offering this option. Online NP programs must require a certain amount of hands-on clinical hours to be accredited.

It may be only a matter of time before that happens. Why couldn't a medical student take all his or her biochemistry, etc courses online and do medical school rotations onsite? It certainly would be a more economicial way to educate physicians. I imagine it's just around the corner. Especially if it brings in the profit margin everyone is claiming online nursing education is. Everybody wants to make easy money, right? There are plenty of pre-med students who would pay dearly for that opportunity if it were that easy.

I mean schools like Loyola in New Orleans, which has a stellar reputation for on site programs before online programs were offered. They are continuing their tradition of offering quality nursing education to those who, due to job and family constraints, cannot attend the physical location.

Have you ever taken an online course or worked towards an online degree? I've done both and practiced nursing for over 30 years. I worked much harder for the online degree than for the one from a top rated brick & mortar school. I feel like I was spoon fed the material at my pre licensure on site program. In the online program the standards were higher. I did a lot more studying and research for the online program. Unless you've done distance learning, you shouldn't be so quick to judge.