Katie828

Check out the blog Plannerisms It is ALL about planners. I use a Moleskine planner and am happy with it.

I'm waiting too. I asked first-year nursing students what I should do. Basically....enjoy life NOW because you won't have much of one in nursing school. If you are bored, is there a hobby or volunteer activity you would like to do? I can appreciate the idea of studying ahead of time, but I think it would be hard to know where to start. Does your school require a CNA class? Mine does, and I think it is great to learn the nursing basics ahead of time. Maybe you could get a med math book and learn some of that.

"Antipsychotics" are used for many conditions besides psychosis...if that is what helps you, don't be afraid of the medication's classification. Don't give up!

Personally (and without knowledge of laws, etc.), I wouldn't say a thing. People have to go on medical leave (or days off) for many different medical reasons. Mental illness should be no different.

Just wondering if anyone could give ideas about what condition(s) would cause these hormones to be abnormal. I am stumped along with the MDs. I am not asking for medical advice. I have a patient I am trying to help. Any suggestions will be given to MD, and they will decide what to do. Female patient with: 1.) Low testosterone for age. 2.) Low DHEA-S for age. 3.) High cortisol for age. 4.) Thyroid normal. 5.) New onset diabetes with little-to-no risk factors. Thanks.

I personally wouldn't do it, but only you know what you can handle.

Thanks for your responses. Financially, I have planned that I won't need to take out loans for the ADN. My long-term goal is to be a psych NP, so it will be a job where I mostly sit and talk with people. If I can make it through the nursing program and 1 year as working as a nurse, I should be physically okay. It looks impossible for the program to be part-time, so I will either have to do a full time program or move (which I'm not in a position to do so). I might make a specific post about this, but does anyone have suggestions to reduce fatigue in school? I found out that the lectures are given using PowerPoint, so I'm thinking that I could have someone record the lectures and I could listen to them without having the wear-and-tear of going to school. Thanks!

The website www.sightconnection.com has "talking" devices....there maybe something that could help you. You might consider something like diabetes education where you mainly talk to patients versus handing out pills.

An F is worse than a W. A few W's won't hurt, but you don't want more than that. Good luck!

I am hoping to enter a nursing program in about a year. However, I have some medical issues that leave me fatigued. The school I am planning to attend only has a full-time program. However, since they start 3 new cohorts a year, I am hoping that I can do the program part-time. For example, the 1st quarter has 4 classes/clinicals, so I could do 2 one quarter and 2 the next. I am meeting with the disability coordinator in a few weeks. Do you think this is doable and/or has anyone done this? Thanks!

It will be school specific. My school gives 2 more "points" in the admission process for having a BA/BS.

Yep, you can certainly go back later. My CC has a ASN-to-BSN program with the local university. It is what I'm planning to do....it is much cheaper to go to school at the CC than do it all at the university. Good luck, ~K

No words of advice, but I wanted to say congrats for getting in!

As you don't have too many credits so far, it won't be that hard to raise your GPA. I say that if nursing is what you want, go for it! Start slowly...maybe only take 1 prereq class and put all your effort into doing well in that class. School gets easier when you know how to study and what works for you. Depression is tough, and I'm glad it sounds like you are heading up emotionally.

This probably isn't encouraging...but I'm wondering why the great guy isn't in the picture a bit more.

Why do you need a hystrectomy? Are you in pain? I say do NS and then adopt later....there are soooo many children who need good homes. ~K

I do not know officially. However, my friend is an ARNP in WA state and she can/does see kids.

Nope! Many a micro student become a germ-o-phobiac. Just wash your hands frequently (but don't use anti-bacterial soap because it just encourages resistance) and encourage others to do the same. ~K

I just wanted to wish you the best! You can do it. There is nothing wrong with doing LPN to RN. I'm just a pre-nursing student myself, so I don't have much advice. However, I did notice that you took 3 science classes together, presumably all with labs. In my opinion (I have a BS in Biology), that is too much at one time. Don't be in such a rush to get done and your grades will be better. Your GPA is adequate, but you need to look at schools and see what their acceptance is based on. The C in micro lab might need to be retaken and usually you have to take the class over with lab as well. Some advisors are better than others, so if the first one you meet with is not encouraging or doesn't "click" with you, meet with another one. ~K

Many schools have low cost insurance for students and I believe you can add family. Check into it. You won't have to worry about pre-existing (sp?) conditions if you have no lapse in coverage. Also, you can get private insurance that is not connected to a job (that is what I do). It may be more expensive for a few years, but don't let this insurance issue be the reason to not pursue your dreams. As a last resort, you can do COBRA for 18 months (used to be 3 years) after you quit your job. Most jobs require you to be full time in order to get insurance, and I do not think full time work and nursing school are a good mix. ~K

I think that is a good grade for the first test. The first test is always the hardest to prepare for because you don't know the prof's style. Now you can study the way he tests (questions all from lecture or the book or a mixture, focused on details or big picture). Also, look at the percentage of your grade this test is worth (probably 20% or less). There is a very good chance you could get an A in the class! I know the perfectionist in us can be disappointed with anything less than an A, but try to encourage yourself. The class average when I took A&P was low 70s.

If you love history, I say go for it!

Also, I have no idea how much time you spend on AN, but I would recommend you keep it to a minimum. It will still be here when school is over for the term.

It sounds like you have too much on your plate. What about dropping A&P and work on getting A's in your other classes? You need to spread the class load out otherwise you are not going to have good enough grades to get into NS (even if it means taking a year or two longer). It would be better to have a W than get a D or F and have to retake it.

Go to pubmed.com Type "depression" (be more specific if you want) in the search box. Click search. Then, on the left side of the page, click on "full free text." I just did it, and you'll have 40,000+ free articles to access. :) This is something, in my opinion, every student should know about.