adboehnen

I am studying to become an FNP. I would ultimately like to also become a midwife. Does anyone practice as both? If so, in what kind of setting? How do you incorporate both specialties into your practice?

I am currently an FNP student. I was wondering if an FNP may practice as a NNP? Would a person need to go on for further certification? Also, are there any FNPs would there working in perinatal clinics? If so, I'd love to hear how you like your profession?

I am looking for a Summer 2010 Graduate Level Pathophysiology course online. I was accepted to Clarke College for their FNP Program to start Fall 2010. Does anyone know of a good course online?

I was accepted to UW-Milwaukee's FNP program! I start this Spring!

All of my application materials were submitted to UWM two weeks ago! I am waiting for a reply :) I hope to start the FNP program this spring semester.

Thank you! I really want to work with women, but I have also decided that FNP is the safest and most versatile route to pursue. Now, I just need to make sense of Stats to get into the program

Hey, check out Clarke College in Dubuque, Iowa. I am submitting my application for UW-Milwaukee still, but I really like the curriculum at Clarke. They are very helpful and easy to get answers from. One of my co-workers is in their FNP program and highly recommends them!

Okay, I talked on the phone on Tuesday with a Doctor of nursing-- Karen Morin-- from UW-M, and she advised me contrary to their website's information. She told me that they would not even look at me until my Stat's class was done. I wanted to take the Nursing Theory course in the fall while taking my Stat's class. Apparently Sylvia Forbes is on vacation until later this month. I left her a message. Have you written an autobiographical sketch yet? I asked Karen how to format this, and she told me to break it up into sub-headings. I did look at Marion's program, but I also want my FNP, not ANP. Karen did mention the DNP program being developed at UW-M, but I am not certain if they are phasing the MSN program out. I live near Madison, and they will not admit any more MSN students since last Spring. Do you know if we will be required to return for our DNP after 2015? I am hoping to get grandfathered in.

Erica! Thanks for this info. I want to enter Milwaukee's FNP program as well. I am enrolled in Statistics as a pre-req this fall. I am waiting for someone from UW-M to contact me regarding some admission questions I have. I sincerely hope that they do not change the program to a DNP sooner than 2015.

Thanks for all of the honest replies. I thought long and hard over moving to NZ, and I am opting to return to school for graduate studies instead. I'm frustrated with the working conditions of a nurse. I love the actual job and helping people, but I cannot know enough about a handful of people and simultaneously meet all of their needs. I wish I could bi-locate, tri-locate, etc. I also have a very deep seated need to know more about my patients' cares and plan them. It seems that as an RN all I do is execute and suggest adjustments. I also got scared about comments suggesting a lack of respect for nurses' input in NZ! I'd feel like a blue-collar worker with no professional skills. I worked long and hard to become a nurse, and I need to feel respected!

I have been a nurse for three years, and I have developed some very destructive behaviors in that time frame. I do feel like a servant to patients and families. I also feel worn out from long shifts, overtime, missing breaks, and a lack of normalcy d/t odd shift times. I have a lack of good coping manifested by bulemia, anxiety, mistrust for most people, and a hard time with committment...Can I add anything else to the list I'm trying very hard to love myself and change my maladaptive behaviors. It is great to know that others recognize similar feelings and experiences. I don't feel so alone.

The CVICU extended a job offer to me this week. I am at a loss right now for a response. I really want the experience of working abroad, and I am in love with the beauty of NZ. On the other hand the comments regarding high cost of living, lack of respect for nurses, high RN turnover rates, and low salary is not something I am enthusiastic about. I am accustomed to US wages, respect, etc. Although nursing conditions are subpar in the states to say the least. I get mandated every weekend to work 16 hour shifts in the ICU, I work 60 hours a week sometimes, and I rarely get adequate breaks for nourishment! I fear moving to NZ to find similar conditions and then not having my support network to fall back on.....Lots to think about. I did write the recruiter and ask to speak to an RN who currently works on the ward. I also asked what the RN turnover rate is. And I would demand that they compensate me for health insurance!!! Otherwise I'd be making nothing over there. Does anyone know of any other hospitals in NZ that they would suggest? What about hospital in Hamilton? Is that a nice area?

Is the pay decent? How is the cost of living? Are nurses respected?

Thank you so much! Every one from NZ has been so nice to me :) I have such a good feeling about moving there to work for a year. I am sure it will be a wonderful experience. I will research the information that you provided me with. If and when I do move, I am sure it will be easy to make friends in Auckland! I really appreciate that you took the time to write such a lovely and informative response!!

Is your friend working for DHBS? I am a bit nervous about relocating across the globe to work at a hospital before seeing it and experiencing it in person. It's difficult to do that when flights are over $1,000! It seems that New Zealanders are very friendly. Do you have suggestions for where to live? Do you know how to find potential roommates?

Hi! I am currently living in the US, and I am concidering working in Auckland, NZ for at least a year. I had a phone interview today, and it went very well. I am nervous about relocation, currency conversion, being away from family, etc. I am also very excited about experiencing a new country and culture. Can anyone out there give me advise? Does anyone know about or work for the ICU in Auckland? Is there anyone out there who has been a nurse in both the US and NZ who can compare the standards of care and working conditions?

I have almost 3 years of experience. I have worked in Pulmonary Intermediate Care, and now I am in the Mobile Unit Critical Care Cluster at my hospital. It is not my passion, though. I live for running marathons, reading about nutrition, etc! hahaha, I feel that my focus is sometimes astray from my job. Maybe I should change my job to be more inline with my focus :) Did you buy the books for you ACSM certification? I need to buy them and study. Where do you live? Okay, time for work...that's another thing...working all evenings and weekends has really burnt me out. I miss out on life. I seriously get depressed b/c I have been deprived of things that are so fundamental like spending time with family and friends, eating dinner with family or even eating dinner at all!

HI! I have thought that it would be a good idea to get certification as a Health and Fitness Director through the American College of Sports Medicine. This certification requires an associate or bachelor's degree, which you and I have as nurses. It therefore is of higher caliber than being a Fitness Trainer, not that the general population would necessarily know the difference. Like you, I've tinkered with the idea of having my own gym, but I would like to add a wellness component, encompassing health from fitness, nutrition, and the mental health aspects. Fitness classes, yoga, counseling, providing lectures, etc. Providing more services would create more business, and I would be willing to give lectures at companies piloting wellness programs for employees, the general public, etc. It would also be beneficial is I had a business with a partner or two that had unique skills to offer such as massage, chiropractic, etc. I have also seen jobs for Health and Wellness nurses in various places around the U.S. They would all require me to relocate. The YMCA also has positions for Wellness Directors that require bachelor degrees. Where do you live? Send me anymore ideas if you come up with them!

I was wondering if you have figured out a way to incorporate fitness and nursing. My true passion is fitness as well. I'd love to get a job in Wellness and Prevention promoting healthy lifestyles and exercise. It would be nice to apply this to my nursing skills and degree.

Hi! I am a US nurse, and I am interested in living and working in NZ for at least one year. I was wondering if anyone out there has worked at Waikato in Hamilton on the North Island. If so, I'd be very grateful for a review of the facility. Does it have adequate resources, what is the general disposition of the staff, is it a safe community, etc? I have just applied for my passport. When that arrives, I can start the application processes to work in NZ. Thanks :)

Has anyone attended the master's programs in holistic nursing at NYU or the University of Tennessee in Nashville? Has anyone gone through the Holistic nursing program at the New York College for asian bodywork and TCM training? I would appreciate any program feedback. Also, let me know if there are other programs out there such as master herbal programs, etc. I have my BSN, and I am looking to work in holistic/preventative/wellness healthcare. I currently work in critical care to pay the bills, but I have a fun job one day a week at an Acupuncture Centre. I hope to assist people in natural healing, and I'd like to get some sound, legitimate credentials to achieve this. My interests are in nutrition, herbs, and bodywork.

I too feel burnt out. The constant rush, loads of documentation, and unreasonible workload have taken a major toll on my emotional and physical well-being. I do not agree with the person who advised you to consider that your job dissatisfaction is a "symptom" of a mental ailment! The working conditions in nursing are very difficult to say the least. I think that it is a fundamental need for any human being to feel effective and valued. I often feel like I am ineffective b/c the demand to do "everything" NOW is unrealistic. It is dangerous to barely be getting the critical assessments and cares accomplished for each patient! I have been a nurse for two years, and I just took a new position. I am not happy in it either. i work all pm shifts and I keep getting scheduled to work 6 out of 7 days a week. How old are you? Have you considered other career options? I am going to look into a graduate degree in nutrition or persue holistic nursing.

No, I would never recommend that anyone go into nursing. I am very unhappy with nursing. I work all pm shifts and many weekends. I started a new position hoping that a change would renew my interest in nursing, but I am being poorly orientated. I dread worrk every day! I try to be optimistic, but when I'm at work I have very little time to care for patients. Instead I have to chart and run around like a mad person trying to get pills passed, patients cleaned, assessments done, and orders taken care of...I would be satisfied if I had time to actually put the big picture together regarding my patients' medical needs. Sometimes I have no clue what is going on with them until the end of the shift if I have time to read their chart for a minute. Nursing is a dysfunctional profesion without a clear demarkation for the nurse's role. We have to do everything, and it is too overwhelming. Other disciplines have clear roles. Trying to be the doctor's eyes, the social worker, the pharmacy dispenser, the CNA, the psychologist, etc is too much. I plan on leaving the nursing profession and returning to school for something else.

Thank you for your advise. It has been my dream to live in NZ for a while now. I would hope that no one would dislike me for being an American. The reason I want to live in NZ is b/c I feel the need to experience a culture richer than the current culture that I feel is lacking in the US. Although I feel it is short sighted to judge others based on their place of birth, I cannot blame many people living outside of the US for questioning America's positions on global, political, and medical issues. I feel saddened by the current state of our affairs. I will be staying in the US for at least another year. Currently I am working as a mobile nurse, and I float to all of the critical care units at a hospital in Wisconsin. It is good experience, and I hope that it will give me the opportunity to take on future jobs in critical care positions abroad. Is there a large nursing shortage in NZ? Do you know if I would have to prove my nursing competencies by taking an exam? When you describe the cost of living as being high in the cities, how much would you venture to guess an apartment would cost to rent monthly? Is there good public transportation? Congradulations on your upcoming marriage! I wish you the best of weddings! Thanks for being so kind to respond with honesty. It is much appreciated :) Best wishes!!!

Hello! I am a nurse in the US, and I am interested in nursing in NZ for at least a year. I was wondering if anyone would be willing to advise me on good hospitals to inquire about employement. What is the current state of nursing in NZ? Is there a shortage? What kind of medical system is in place (HMOs?) ? Any advise and information would be greatly appreciated. NZ is such a beautiful country, and I'd love to experience it!