RockSolid

Interesting law article. But in my book, the patient comes first. Maybe I'm being naive or too idealistic here, but part of my job as an RN is to help my patients be as comfortable as possible with all of what they are going through. They often feel scared, anxious, embarrassed, and overwhelmed - and I care for these needs (and the family's) just as I do their physical/medical needs. If my gender, or my age, or my race, or nationality, or literally anything about me makes them feel uncomfortable or stressed, then I will attempt to find another nurse who can care for this patient. (Obviously if the situation is acute or critical or the patient is in crisis, then attending to that takes precedence.) These are rare situations but I've always been supported by my charge nurses. It is easy to understand how this might occur more often with male nurses in L&D. The OP seems to be sensitive to this issue - indeed, that's why he brought it up in the first place. He himself stated that he would feel "out of place". He further asked whether L&D patients would be "uncomfortable with a male nurse". The answer to his question is that a not insignificant percentage of such patients would feel uncomfortable and would probably prefer same-gender care-givers. This really isn't hard to understand. The question has nothing to do with discrimination, or whether the OP would be qualified or would be hired. This isn't about who gets hired or who is allowed to work on which units. No one is talking about prohibiting anyone from doing anything... This question is not about legal stuff...

I'm a male nurse, and for a number of years I worked on a Med Surg floor that was also connected to the L&D unit, so there were times I covered that side. In my experience, at least half of the women I attended were not fully comfortable having a male nurse caring for them in that situation - something I completely understood and respected - and I usually was able to bring in another (female) nurse or aide to work with them in the immediate situation. The fact that you asked the question means you already have some sensitivity and understanding about this. I agree with the other posters in recommending that you not specialize in L&D, and that if you want to work with parents and babies then the NICU might be a better fit. It also may take a bit of time for you to find the specialty area you like the best, so be patient and flexible. In any case, I wish you luck and a rewarding career.

I agree with Tommy5677. I went through a very very tough BSN program when I was quite a bit older than you. It was grueling, although I did extremely well. I'm glad I did it because it got me into a job quickly, and d/t my age the idea of spending more years doing an on-line RN to BSN was not realistic. But - to anyone who has time - and believe me, you are young! I also recommend getting an ADN and then going the RN to BSN route. Many ADN programs require a CNA, but if your chosen school does not, they may give you credit for other schooling and for your chaplain work. Otherwise, be aware that the CNA will add time to this process. Beyond that, you'll probably have to take pre-requisite courses for either Associates or Bachelors program. Things like Anatomy and Physiology, in some cases things like Microbiology, Organic Chem. For my BSN all of my prereqs took 3 FULL semesters, at 4-6 classes each. A ton of work. For most associate programs, there are fewer prereqs, so you'll start the program faster, too. Once you have an ADN and get your RN, you can work as a nurse and start an on-line RN to BSN. Some hospitals pay ADN's less than BSN's and a few in large cities don't want to hire ADN's, but believe me you will be able to find a job. My hospital, a rural regional, doesn't pay any more for a BSN and hires ADN's all day long. So, my recommendation is also to take the associates degree path. You will save time and money. In terms of the CNA, it is very valuable experience, but it's also ok to skip it if you can. Regarding being hired at a hospital after working as a CNA - maybe, maybe not. One very large hospital system I know of uses a third party testing service for employment choices, and they brag that they don't care if you worked for them in another capacity! In other cases, working there as a CNA might help, but ask yourself, do they already know you as a chaplain? If so, might that help just as much? Bottom line - if you want to be a nurse, go for it. You are not too old by a long shot. Check out the options, talk to admissions counselors, gather info. Be mindful of your full plate and what your support system will bear. Don't sabotage yourself by making things more difficult than they need to be. If you can manage a BSN, that's great. But the ADN is just as viable and it will get you working as a nurse, in most cases, faster. An ABSN is great, but only if you can check out of your life for the year it will take you to get it. Literally, you won't see your kids, or anyone else except your cohort, teachers, and patients. If you can manage that then it's an option. But, from what you said about your situation, I wouldn't recommend it at all.

First, you should only access the system remotely if there is a reason to do so for your job. Otherwise, don't. Full stop. But IF there is a bona fide reason for you to do so, THEN talk with your supervisor and ask how you should access the system. (Of course, you should NEVER view patient records just out of curiosity or boredom!!) Your supervisor would most likely get IT involved. If your employer has a decent IT setup, then there will be numerous layers of security, for example, a VPN (virtual private network), two factor identification, etc., that will prevent you from getting to the system by just typing the URL in your browser. It might also only be accessible via a secure intra-net. So, from a technical perspective it may or may not be possible to have remote access. My employer has many levels of security, and my supervisor had to request that remote access be set up for me. They limit who has remote access and most people do not. Although I can access anything on the system, I am still very careful to only access records or information that is necessary for my job. If you are allowed remote access then always imagine that your supervisor, or the DON, is looking over your shoulder! Bottom line - different employers have different policies, and they all should be governed by HIPAA. If there's a job related reason then talk with your supervisor. Otherwise, don't even attempt to get in remotely.

For me, Nursing was and still is a calling. And I'm still kinda passionate about it. But that is not, and never will be, true for all nurses. Passion is not a prerequisite and it's not required in order to be a good, even great nurse. I understand that nursing is simply a job for many people, a decent way to make what is for most of us, unfortunately, a not too decent living. (But that's another post.) Anyway, it's fine if it's just a job. And if you feel the passion, great. If you don't, great. What you need is caring, intelligence, drive, integrity, and perseverance... if you have these and become a nurse you will have the opportunity to help a lot of people. In the end, like the man said, nursing is what you make of it.

I work at a rural acute care 80-90 bed hospital. We're by no means a teaching hospital unless you count the nursing students who rotate through for clinicals. About half my patients are surgical (pre and post), the rest step-down, and med-surg overflow. About a third of my patients are pediatric. As such I constantly interact with hospitalists, surgeons, and pediatricians on a daily basis. Probably in total around two dozen docs or NP's, including around ten surgeons of various stripes. And these are mostly "older" practitioners, most of them in practice for at least 1-2 decades and probably more, with a few close to retirement. With only one exception they are great to work with. Several of them make it a point to talk with the nurses about their patients before making rounds, others will seek you out afterwards to discuss new orders, patient progress, or care. On some occasions I've been asked my opinion about meds, whether a patient will be ready for discharge, or a diet change, or other aspects of pt progress, care and condition. Whenever I have questions or concerns they take what I have to say seriously. This is my first hospital job, but there's nothing special about this place. I mean, we're rural, understaffed and underpaid. The "big" hospital (level 5 trauma, etc.) is about an hour and a half away. Friends that work there (for a few bucks more an hour) tell me that the docs there generally horrible and abusive to the nurses. So, at least in some places the horror stories are true. Still, I tend to think the culture is changing, albeit slowly. Smart docs, NP's, PA's, and surgeons do best when they depend on, and work collaboratively with, smart nurses (and with other med professionals like RT and PT, etc.). The smart ones are learning that. Anyway, at least in my hospital, nurses are respected and treated as part of the team. Now, if only we could get the (mis-)managing MBA's to respect what we do and what we bring to the table...

Attitude? "All the factors that might possibly go into such a decision..." will be very different for each person. Rather than ask people why they like being one thing or another, get as much information about what it takes to become an RN/NP/PA, or fireman, for that matter, and what they each DO. And then think about what turns YOU on, what fires YOU up.

First of all, get clear about terms. PA vs RN is like banana vs basketball. I'm assuming that what you are really asking is how Nurse Practitioner differs from Physician's Assistant. If you think you want to be an NP, then becoming an RN is the start of that track. If you want to be a PA, then go to PA school, not nursing school, but you'll usually have to have hundreds of hours as an EMT or ED tech, or Army medic, or something like that, before you can apply to PA school. As an RN, once you have a BSN (and experience) you can continue training and education and become a Nurse Practitioner. Generally an NP is Masters prepared, although this is changing and will likely demand a doctorate level degree soon. There are some programs where you can get your BSN and Masters in sequence and come out as an NP, but most NP programs (wisely, I think) require at least a year of RN experience just to apply. A Nurse Practitioner incorporates both the nursing framework AND the medical framework. A PA is trained, often in medical schools, in the medical model. PA's are physician's ASSISTANTS. NP's are nurse PRACTITIONERS. NP's generally have more autonomy. (This is very important!) There are more differences, but since this is about your future take time to continue researching until you are clear in your own mind. Good luck on whatever career path you ultimately decide to follow.

I agree with most of the other comments. Clinicals take priority. Period. No class meeting is important enough for you to miss clinicals and I'm somewhat surprised that the professor signaled that you should go on to the meeting and and then come to clinicals late. Whatever... that's that professor. Overall, step up to the plate. Be responsible, be early to clinicals, don't miss clinicals. For that matter, be on time for class, too. If you must put a communication "on record" in the middle of the night, send an email. Don't assume that someone will turn their phone off at night. I use mine as an alarm clock and never turn it off. This prof may not be one you can have a more personal relationship with. The best way to repair whatever damage that was (or was not) done, I believe, is to be hyper professional. Impress them with your seriousness and your commitment. At some point (you'll know when it's appropriate) you can let them know how much you are learning from them and how much you respect them. In the meantime, just be on time and professional. The rest will take care of itself. Good luck in school and in your future career as a nurse!

The ATI predictor is fairly accurate. So, if it said you had a 99% chance of passing on the 1st attempt, it means that if you took the NCLEX on the day you took the predictor, then your chance of passing NCLEX right then and there, with no additional studying, was 99%. So, that should make you feel very confident. BUT - you should still study. Use whatever method, whatever books or media or course you find most useful. Focus on the areas that you feel weakest in, as well as general core information. You should plan on 4-5 hours a day, for 5-7 days to prepare. (You can take more time if you have the inclination.) If ATI exams help, then do them. If Saunders helps, do that. If you think a structured review, like Hurst (IMOP a good choice if you have time and can afford it) then do that. The main point here is that you are studying to get stronger in your weak areas so that you can go in more confident and relaxed. DO NOT expect to feel like you aced NCLEX, or that you had any sense of knowing you answered right or wrong... NCLEX takes info that you most likely know, and wraps it in situations you have never ever encountered before. AND the better you are doing, the harder the questions will be, so at a certain point you will probably be getting about every other question wrong. NCLEX is seeking to find your 'level' - it wants to know how well you think - it is only secondarily interested in what you know, and it does not expect you to know everything under the sun. Otherwise no one would pass. You should come out of NCLEX feeling like you didn't recognize most of what you got asked and very unsure of how you did. But, you'll probably get out in 75-100 questions. Then do the Pearson Vue trick. Approximately 25 hours after you log off of the NCLEX exam your early results (for $7.95 I think) should be available on the Pearson web site. If your state BON is good, then you may see your license almost immediately on the state BON website. So study but don't over do it. Don't try to review 2 years of nursing school! Just hit your weak areas - for every person that's different. Then, don't stress, breathe deep, focus on each question as it comes, choose your answer and then let it go. Do not tell yourself a story about how you are doing while taking NCLEX. Narrow your focus to the question, select the best answer you can, and then let it go. Good luck!

Absolutely! Good luck to you, too... Follow your heart, it's the best GPS there is!

No, you're absolutely not stupid for taking the traditional program route. ABSN is a great option if you're restricted by time and money, and if you're willing to bury yourself in school for 12 or so months without a break. ABSN is fine if it's what you want and you can make the sacrifices. But a traditional program will allow - if you want it - to go into more depth with your studies. In an ABSN program you're goal is to keep your head above water. It's a sprint. A traditional program will give you (a little!) more breathing room, and also give you more clinical experience (very important) and give you more opportunities for summer employment (VERY IMPORTANT) and even summer work-study experience. If you apply yourself you'll have good job offers (conditional, of course) before you graduate. You may also have the chance to do some nursing oriented school trips during spring break. My school has a for-credit spring break where we go down to Jamaica and do public health stuff with nurses down there. They also have another for-credit spring break trip to do clinicals in a hospital in Europe, and meet with european nursing students, etc. You will probably not have the chance to do any of this in an ABSN program. I'm not knocking ABSN - I'd planned to do it myself but the state cancelled funding and it was suspended for a year. So I went into a traditional program instead and in retrospect I'm glad I did. Finally - it sounds like you're gut is comfortable with your decision. Don't let your mom, or anyone else, mess with your head. Sounds to me like you made the right decision. Congrats!

Sorry, Blue Devil, if I offended you. I got interested is all, sorry it that was off topic for your thread.

I guess I'm one of those people, too. I love my program, I love what I'm learning, I love my professors. It's a very tough program to get into, and occasionally someone flunks out. But the professors give 110% and if you meet them halfway they will do everything they can to help you succeed. I've read a lot of posts where people tell horror stories about their programs, so I know there are bad ones out there. So, one thing I would say to prospective nursing students is, "Choose Wisely!" (I guess that quote gives me away as a non-traditional, older student :-) But I mean that. Talk to current and former students, and if possible talk with local employers. There is one local community college program that is not very well regarded. I spoke with someone from a local hospital the other day and they said that they don't even interview RN's who graduated from that program. On the other hand, there is another community college program nearby, and their ADN graduates are highly sought after because their program is excellent. I know, too, that sometimes you just don't have a choice. Like, there's one community college in a hundred mile radius, you have kids and responsibilities and you take what you can get. That brings me to my second thought. Even if you don't have much choice about which program you can attend, you do have a choice about how you go through it. Half of it is attitude and the other half is sweat. If you are eager to learn, then at least one of your professors will respond. If you apply yourself sincerely, then you will see results. (And I agree with the original post - it's nice to get A's, but B's are fine, too. If you're worried about having a B average, then do some extra volunteering, or take on some organizational responsibility in school. Enthusiasm is contagious and most employers like it.) Stay focused and don't get hooked by the inevitable drama of school, whether it involves students or faculty. Stay focused and don't let yourself become intimidated by the work, or by a crummy school or a poor professor. Also, and I think this is important, allow yourself to become inspired by someone: a professor, a preceptor, a nurse who you've interviewed or met somewhere, a nurse who's cared for you, a nurse you read about... let yourself be inspired and you will have more energy for school, and for your career. There is no getting around the fact that nursing school is work, but honestly, it can also be a blast!

I did check medscape... For example, "The authors write that individual comorbid conditions, as well as cognitive and functional status, should be considered in determining glucose goals, but in general they recommend a hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) target range of 53 to 59 mmol/mol (HbA1c 7.0% - 7.5%) on treatment." from: New Position Statement on Diabetes Mellitus in Older People Medscape: Medscape Access Do you happen to have a link or citation? This very issue came up recently so any backup info would be appreciated. Thanks.