bonjournurse2b

A couple of my classmates were doing their clinical rotation at a med-surg floor. One of the patients was a large man straight out of prison (not sure what he had done, or why he was in the hospital). Anyway, he first tried to make out with one of the female RNs. Then, he slapped her *** the next time she came into his room. So that female nurse requested that someone else should take care of him. The charge nurse (nurse manager?) decided to let a male RN step in. Later on, the man has some explosive diarrhea and two of my classmates were there to help clean him up. He threw a huge tantrum, saying that there was no way in heck that a man would touch him down there. So he slapped my female classmate, & attempted to hurl a large water bottle at my male classmate's head. Security intervened, and our clinical instructor made sure they were okay & dismissed them from clinical. I have another friend (goes to the same school as us) who works as a CNA in that building. She said that he was still there when she was working the night shift, still making inappropriate comments to the female RNs and yelling as he pleased. Why is this acceptable?! Don't the nurse managers have a right to evict a patient? Please tell me this is not normal

FYI guys, I ended up with a B in the class. I know this is an off-topic question ... but this was my second time taking the class. I definitely have plans to go to grad school. I always assumed that they want to see A's if you retake a class. Is this going to look bad for me? Relating back to the topic though, my friend ended up with a 95% overall and received an A-. What the heck? A 95 is EXCEPTIONAL! I feel for her :\

Come to think of it, each question is worth 2 points. What my professor does is take the # of items on the exam and multiply it by 2. Partial credit isn't given, either. So you can't even miss one question! Say what?!

It totally is! There are no bonus points or curves, either. Not that I would expect it in NS, but I would for a grading scale like that!

I was looking through a syllabus for one of my classes (worth 900 points total). This is the grading scale A = 899.07-900 points A- = 810-899.06 points B+ = 787.5-809.99 points B = 742.5-787.49 points .. I'm not even going to post the rest of the scale. But as you can see, it is damn near impossible to get an A. A's count as 4 points on the GPA scale, A-'s count as 3.75, B+ as 3.3, B as 3.0 Keep in mind that this a pharmacology course! We all know that it is not a walk in the park. Isn't that bizarre??

Hi guys, I'm mainly posting this because my rather unsupportive family has been giving me a lot of doubt about my decision into getting into nursing. I reflected back on my thoughts, and I'm really, really scared that there's a chance that they're right. - I knew that I wanted to be in the healthcare field ever since I was a kid. I would always proclaim that I would be a doctor. I didn't know what nurses really did. In my mind (as a doctor), I would spend time with the patient and make sure everything was okay. Of course, not a lot of doctors get to spend time with their patients on a personal level (and I guess, not a lot of nurses do either). My family uses the fact that I said I wanted to be a doctor as a kid as ammo against me, and they accuse me all the time of "lowering my standards" or "not using my potential to the fullest." - I avoided nursing during my undergrad years because I was frightened by blood, did not want to work the "graveyard shift," and because RNs don't get paid as much as MDs, DDS, PharmDs. I made the mistake of not shadowing a RN, even before enrolling in nursing school. - Two years ago, my dad was diagnosed with cancer. His type of cancer was very aggressive, and left him immobile and very dependent. I knew my mother and brother were disgusted when they had to clean up after him. No, it wasn't my favorite thing to do, either ... but it was not a big deal to me at all. I figured that there are just some people who cannot handle those kinds of things at all, and some who can just take it for what it is. I felt that nursing could use a person with that characteristic. - Taking care of my dad was hard emotionally. He had his grouchy moments, and even punched me once. I had my fair share of crying. However, there were the times that he thanked me for taking care of him. That was what made me consider nursing in the first place. - I completed my undergrad with a 3.2 GPA. My science GPA was close to a 3.0, but my major GPA was around a 3.4. It's not BAD, but I don't think that I would get into medical or dental school with that. I also never really had much of an interest in dentistry and it's VERY competitive to get into in my state. I started off as a pre-med student in college, but realized that I wasn't sure if I could handle being in school for so long, being on call and away from my family, etc. My family pushed me to get into pharmacy because it was the "easiest" to get into out of those 3 professions (at least, in my state). I worked as a tech for 1.5 years and did not like it. It was very monotonous work, and I felt like I needed to do more intervening with the patient's health. So, instead of most likely waiting around for an acceptance to a school (in a profession that I didn't have much interest in, if at all), I decided to enroll in an accelerated BSN program. - I absolutely LOVE what I'm learning in school. Clinicals have been a great experience for me. However, I am scared of all the things I might encounter after hearing a lot of horror stories with patients and doctors. I'm a fairly quiet person, and my family says that's a huge reason why I shouldn't get into nursing. I'll be taken advantage of and beaten up on, according to them. My brother knows people who have graduated and started working. They hate their jobs and wish they could do something else. - I honestly don't want to work bedside for a long time. I feel that it will be tolling on my mind and body. I have dreams of working at a clinic as a NP while teaching at a university part time. However, I didn't do so hot during my first semester (in fact, I failed pharm). I'm afraid that will hinder my chances of getting into grad school. I really appreciate any comments you guys may have. I'm sorry that this is so long. My family's discouraging attitude has really been taking a toll on me & I could use any advice.

Hey guys, I'm in my second semester of nursing school. I just started my first server job 3 days ago at a busy restaurant. During those 3 days, I felt like a complete dumbass. It just seems that I'm not doing things on time, like ringing in orders, filling drinks, etc. I told my family about this and they pretty much told me (^the title of this post). If I keep forgetting things as a server, what's going to happen in life-threatening situations? It doesn't help that one of my managers is really condescending to other servers and me. I just feel so discouraged. I really hope this situation isn't totally applicable to nursing in general.

Hello everyone, I've entered nursing school with a passion for caring for others after taking care of my dad who passed away from cancer. I've done a lot of the "dirty" work involved in nursing. I can deal with vomit, urine, fecal matter, trachs, etc. One thing that really scares me is the violent patients. I hear many stories about being bitten, strangled, etc. I fear being injured on the job & losing my career. Does anyone have any insight on this?

I failed pharmacology (by 0.45% ... ), and my advisor won't let me enroll in any clinical courses because of it. Pharm is not listed as a prereq for the next clinical courses (as listed on the school website, course catalog, and orientation papers). I did pass the other courses that ARE listed as a prereq. One of them was a foundations course, which DID have a clinical portion. The others were just nutrition and health assessment. My advisor pretty much shoved me out the door when I tried to discuss this with her. I don't mind retaking pharm. If I have to, then I have to. It's just that I'm very concerned about a few things: - I won't be able to practice any clinical skills for a whole semester. I feel like once I DO start the clinical courses, I'll have forgotten everything I learned from the fundamentals class. - I will only be enrolled part-time next semester because my advisor will only let me take pharm and nursing research. My scholarships require me to be full time and the classes HAVE to be within my major. - I only failed by such a close margin (75% is passing for all our classes), so IMO it isn't like I don't have ANY basic knowledge of the material. Our class average came out to around 80% for the overall grade. - I am hoping to get into NP school. I'm really hoping that this failure isn't going to take away any chance of that happening. I'm not sure how else I can build up on these 'arguments.' I think I will talk to the dean about this, too. I was enrolled to take Med/Surg 1, Family, and Mental for next semester before I failed pharm. I don't see why I can't just take Med/Surg, pharm, and research. I just want at least 1 clinical class next semester.

Thanks for the advice, both of you! I'm really glad that I found this forum. :) I will not give up on this and I know I will go far in this profession. It is burdensome to have a family that is unsupportive, though. I *know* they care for me and want the best for me. I feel guilt-tripped from time to time because they worry about the physical demands (I'm a smaller girl) and the emotional hardships (angry patients/families/physicians; I'm a shy and somewhat timid person) that come with being an RN. I never wanted to bring shame or anxiety to my family. But in the end, I feel that it takes creative, intelligent, and brave people to be a nurse. I stepped up to do it, and I'm even more motivated to make something out of myself and do great things. I hope that I can get through this. Also, GrnTea ... do you mind me asking what kind of nursing practice you're running? I ultimately want to be a NP (haven't decided which specialty) after I work as an RN for a few years.

Hi all, I'm currently in my first semester of an accelerated BSN program. I'm doing well and I am *loving* what I am learning. I can honestly say that I have never gone to school and became excited about studying. However, I have been dealing with a lot of negativity from my family because of my decision to become a nurse. Long story short, I failed out of an doctorate program (for another health profession) a couple years ago. I look back and see that I was not mature enough, and I got distracted. I also know that I was not happy during the year that I was in the program, nor was I as excited to learn the material as I am now. I realized that I had to re-evaluate my motives and choose a career wisely. What had inspired me to do get into nursing was when my dad was sick with cancer. My mom had to work, and my brother started pharmacy school. So, I did a lot of the caregiving. I won't say that it was not difficult. My dad was angry, grouchy, and very irritable a lot of the time. However, there were several times that we shared our laughs and bonded with one another. He ultimately thanked me for my care, and that was what made me the happiest. A part of me went with him when he passed away. I am grateful for the nurses who cared for him and us during the difficult time. I know he was not cured; he was healed and the pain is gone now. So now, my family has been giving me grief that I am lowering my standards. They say I'm "too smart" to be a nurse and that I should be using my talents in some other profession that is "better (in their definition, something that pays more $$ without a lot of the physical labor)." Last night, they had mentioned that this was not what my dad would have wanted me to do (it's true; he wanted me to pursue medical, pharmacy, or dentistry instead). Therefore, they feel that I'm being very selfish by disobeying his wishes. They would ask questions like, "Do you want to wipe asses for the rest of your life? Are you trying to break your back?" It just seems so hypocritical to me. They *say* they respect nurses and what they do; it just seems that they won't respect ME if I become one. I'm just hoping that this may all change once they see that I am serious about school. I barely go out anymore (probably 1x a month), I study for the majority of my time, and I either help around the house or shadow a NP whenever I have free time. For what it's worth, my mother is only supporting me through my aBSN because she is hoping that I become a CRNA. Has anyone dealt with a similar situation? Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

Hi glenlorie, I have similar plans as you do as far as applying for the NP program at OU. If you don't mind, please keep me updated about your application status(es)! I wish you the best of luck :)

Hi all, I will be starting my ABSN program this coming fall and I will be graduating in the fall of 2013. There is a university-based program close to me (that doesn't require clinical experience, although it is preferred) that begins every fall, so I'm hoping to start that program the fall of 2014. From the time that I graduate, I plan on working full time until I (hopefully) start the FNP program. Then, I want to start working part-time during the FNP program. So ideally, I'll have a minimum of 3 years of clinical experience by the time I graduate from the FNP program. For what it's worth, I am *very* ambitious about becoming a FNP as opposed to a PA or MD. I live in a state where PA's cannot open up their own practice, and I am hoping to do just that eventually after I gain some hospital experience. I would be happy to elaborate on my ambitions more, but I digress :) So my questions are: In YOUR opinion, do you think 1 year of bedside experience will be sufficient enough to successfully complete a FNP program? Or better yet, BE a successful FNP? I know that there is a learning curve involved in this, but I do have to be honest and say that I don't plan on being an on-floor nurse for the rest of my career (no offense to anyone). Any thoughts are appreciated. Thank you.

Hi all, Forgive me if this is posted in the wrong forum. I am a 23 year old female with a Bachelor's in Psychology & I have decided to go back to school for nursing. I ultimately have plans to be a PNP, NNP, or FNP. I do understand that I will have to get my BSN and gain experience first. I also understand that nursing is a stressful profession in itself. I don't mind cleaning up after people or being on my feet all day. I am mostly worried about the amount of lifting (especially with heavier patients). I am a petite girl as it is (and not a very strong one at that) and I feel that all the lifting cannot be good for me in the long run. Hopefully this isn't a stupid question & I look forward to hear from you guys!