whatdoIdonow?

Congrats! I cried, no, I sobbed when I found out I passed the NCLEX!

Finally had first solo shift. At shift change, by seasoned nursing replacement referred to it as a "Drive By" shooting because everything that COULD go wrong, DID go wrong! He said he was going to put a wander guard on me to be sure I came back in tonight! lol I know now why I was advised not to do PRN as a new grad. I had seen these rehab patients twice...and that was 15 days ago (I was off for 10 before my first solo shift). I walked into all kinds of issues. Even though I am not PRN anymore, having so little experience 1) as a new grad and 2) with an almost new group of patients really helped me to see what PRN would be like. At one point, five of my twenty patients were playing 'ping pong' with me...one would put on their light, then the one across the hall would put on theirs then the volley went back and forth!!! (I couldn't get anything done!! Even the fax wouldn't send and the stapler jammed!! I won't even go into the key chain with the fifteen unmarked keys...and the door that was jammed, even though I was using the correct key!! On the up side, I really like the team. They were nothing but supportive and encouraging through out it all. And, the facility is really nice. Even the patients are really nice, most of the time. (Bet they will be happy to see me come back in tonight! "Uh, it's that NEW nurse!" lol) When I arrived home in the wee hours of the am, I was so wired I couldn't sleep. And, still haven't been able to sleep. The things I could do differently tonight keep running through my mine. I keep reviewing all of the time wasters from last night. What is the FIRST thing I am going to do when I go in tonight? I'm putting pieces of tape on the main keys on that *%&@ key chain! That's one problem solved...ninety-nine more to go! lol

I'm an ADN nurse who was also annoyed to find through job hunting that I would need to get my BSN if I want to get into the hospitals. I have kids in college right now, and a BA of my own in a social science field, so I had not intended of going this route. But, once I got over it, I realized its for my own good. I don't want to be limited in my future by my education. I'm no spring chicken, either! But, who knows how long I will live or need to stay on the job??? I think there is value in an advanced degree. I think the subject matter of nursing is covered more thoroughly. For example, my BSN program will require a 3 credit nutrition course (my adn program gave us 2 weeks). My BSN program also requires two separate assessment courses for 6 credit hours (my ADN had assessment mixed in the curriculum and since that was always in fast forward, 7 weeks segments, there was little time to focus on it). I find it very telling that the subjects covered more in depth in the BSN program are the exact topics I feel shaky on from my ADN program. As for statistics, I was required to take it for my ADN program. Chemistry is NOT required in either program, and I think it should be so I plan to do that on my own. The way I see it, any BSN who is lacking in hands on skills (NG tubes, foleys etc) will pick that up quick on the job. Then, they will surpass those with only ADN education (like myself) because of the more indepth nature of their education. Can an ADN educate themselves further to be competitive? Sure. But, why not get the official credit for it by earning the degree? "Life's about changing, nothing ever stays the same..."

What is a BMT unit?

With good body mechanics, I suppose lifting furniture would produce body building effects. I'm thinking more of the trades that require you to twist your body out of shape to fit in tight places (like plumbing etc). Good paying trades while young that take a toll on the body with the years. These trades aren't really aerobic or body building...and many in these professions are just as flabby as your average office worker who sits at a desk. Besides, lifting furniture isn't a trained technical degree in my neck of the woods.

I definitely agree! And, I also consider nursing a skilled trade as well.

A very real and unfortunate drawback to some technical fields is that it requires manual labor. My friend's husband, the plumber, can no longer continue in his trade now that he's in his forties because his knees are shot from all the crouching in tight places. The money may be good, but it's hard on the body! Something to consider when going to a trade in your twenties...what shape can you expect to be in by middle age from all the strain on the body.

I'm liking the turn in this thread to some very interesting information about both the NP and PA fields.

Congratulations! My last semester was last year (I graduated in December). It was exciting. But, it was demanding also. Be prepared for hard work. Don't try to coast. There were people talking about being on antianxiety meds in my class due to the stress. Having a good, consistent study plan helped me get through. But, as always, there was too much to learn and too much to do to be perfect. And, there was always that, "I can't breath!" feeling of anxiety that would creep in. I found it helpful to focus on aspects of the job instead of the job as a whole. Then, I could mark things off as I got them done. I also found that my last clinical group was pretty tight. We relied on one another and supported one another in clinical and classroom. It was a good feeling. Just know that you are not alone. All your feelings are perfectly normal and shared by your classmates. At one point I was having chest pains and dizziness. I thought for sure I was losing it. Then, the faculty asked us if we were having panic attacks and dizzy spells, and said it usually struck about this time in the program. Knowing others feel the same way certainly makes all the difference. Again, congratulations and best wishes!!

I like this site. I have learned much about nursing and found it very helpful during my first year of nursing. When I explore a thread or post, I accept that all comments may not be for me and I may not share the views expressed. I have also expressed some unpopular views myself- not to upset anyone, just to express my view. I think looking at an issue from all sides is a learning experience. This is also a safe place (unlike the work place) to let off some steam about issues that are perhaps unpopular, but still important, to the individual who starts the thread and those that post. It's also good practice for development of that oh so necessary thick skin. Here you can lose it, cool off, then ask yoursel why you overreacted...and still have a job in the morning! lol

Loaded question!! lol

You shouldn't have to, but in nursing today, it might be your only option!

On Youtube you can watch videos from drug companies-patient education- on the proper way to use items like Advair and Singular (sp?) as well as inhalers w/ w/o spacers, flex pens for insulin, etc. I found a whole explanation on the chest tube and physics. Many educators from universities have put up power points on various topics for nursing education (my hats off to a Canadian university that posted their power points on Lewin's Change Theory because my profs and program just were getting it done!). The internet and YouTube can be wonderful fonts of knowledge. Yes, look at the publisher of the info first. But, seeing a procedure done or a product used is priceless. They even explain all the parts to different products, something that is often overlooked in the real world. I find it helpful to look at more than one source on any topic. People should not be discouraged from looking for educational videos on YouTube as being a low class education. The manufacturers and educators are posting items there because of the easy access to the information. Its one more tool available to supplement our education.

Yep, I am an avid YouTube watcher. Too bad my education couldn't have done the job better! Heck, my professors were actually the ones who first referred me to YouTube!!

I'm not in this field, but I was wondering what the job description is when a nurse cares for a peds patient in home. Is it total care? Does that mean total responsibility for the child during your shift, as though the parents aren't there (even if they are in the other room)? Would families expect the same of a home care nurse of an adult patient or Alzeheimers? Interested in details before I explore this career option. Thanks!

Yes, I do. And, that's the wonderful thing about forums- free speech. As for my future in nursing, I said I was looking into my next step, I didn't say I wanted to take the NP option. I compared NP to PA education. Honestly, if I were younger, I would pursue the PA option. But, alas, not really an option for me. My view on the NP as a profession is based on my shock when I realized that these professionals my docs office offered me had so little training. I couldn't believe it! Sorry your tongue hurts. I thought we nurses were supposed to have thick skins and not take every opinion as a personal attack. As for the scope of practice of NP, having the legal right to do certain procedures does not equal the same expertise as an MD at doing these procedures.

I went all the way through to RN at a tech school Wish I had gotten my LPN after the first year so I could work parttime and learn the basic skills. So, now that I am out working, I am in LTC doing the LPN job because that is the extent of our patient acuity. The local hospitals wouldn't touch me without one years experience or a BSN or both. I am well paid at my facility, which is nice. It's even better than the average around here. But, I can see that if I did not have my RN (and will be starting my BSN in the fall next year) I would feel stuck at the LPN level. I want to be open to do so much more than the routine that goes in LTC. More education is never a mistake. Education is an investment in your future. You never know where that road will take you. Because I earned my BA in my twenties, I was able to be accepted immediately in my program without having to take the pre-nursing prereqs and then apply (that would have made the waiting list about two years longer). Because I have my BA, I was able to transfer those credits to my BSN program so I again have only a few courses to take before the fall of next year. Because I have my BA, I was legally allowed to home educate my children in states that require the parent to have a BA to teach high school at home. Because my husband has his BA (in classics from UF) he was able to be in management in his industry (something his brother could not do with the same company because he didn't finish his degree). Some majors in college may seem fluffy, but it's all about the individual and their resourcefulness once they earn that degree. Higher education is an investment in your future. You may not see an immediate monetary return (like with a tech degree) but it will open many doors in the future and prevent there being a ceiling being placed on future advancement because of the lack of a degree. It show committment to employers. It show that you can do quality course work. Does college need to cost as much as it does today? No. If someone didn't have the funds to go after high school, I would suggest a tech degree so they could start working. Then take classes as an adult professional in the evenings. Eventually, they will have that bachelors. There is more than one way to skin a cat! I would never advise someone to skip the college degree because they are making good money today. That is a short sighted view of the future. Degree earners fare better in their overall lifetime earnings than those who don't have degrees, studies have proven. The general tone of this whole thread seems to me like the tone of reverse racism- LPN's striking back at those with college degrees, declaring themselves smarter and better while waving their checkbooks in the air to prove it. Again, the measure of the worth of someone's education is not based on the size of their paycheck. Are teachers worthless, social workers? Many fields produce lower incomes in the real world. That doesn't make the field less needed or worth pursuing.

Haven't had to wait for the MD when I was firm about who I expected to see for my appointment. If there is not difference in outcomes between MD and NP, then why do physicians need all that education? I would question those studies, except on the most basic conditions. When I did give in and see a NP one day, and told her I was allergic to erythromycin...that was the antibiotic she Rx's for me anyway!! Not all NP are well trained.

Thanks for the additional info. I don't mean this as an attack on the NP as a person. My problem is with the significantly fewer years of training between the MD and the NP. Can't dispute that, and, I personally can't get around it...I feel safer with the MD.

This focus on the earnings just proves my point that a tech degree is all about the money, not the education. It's about the return on an investment. Period. It's not about getting an education-writing papers, reading literature etc etc- an education. It's about learning the steps to suctioning, to in/out catheters, etc etc and LOTS of paperwork!!! Being at the LPN level is going to place many elements outside the scope of practice (for example today an LPN wasn't even allowed to sign off on reading a PPD result! I had to go behind her and sign. Not that she wasn't perfectly able to understand and interpret the results- she was-she just wasn't legally allowed to assume that role.) LPN may earn money, but the scope is limited. That's fine if the goal is strictly on earnings and not advancement. There is no shame in providing for yourself monetarily. And many facilities don't need anyone with a scope of practice more advanced than an LPN's due to the low acuity of the patients or the availablity of other RN's to fill that role. It doesn't matter how much the LPN understands, she will be limited in what she can do legally. As far as making $69K, good for you! Bet you were working many 16 hour shifts to do it! And if it makes you feel superior to your friends with Master's Degrees because you were the smart one who only invested a year and made double their salaries...I think that statement kinda shows why an education is necessary in the first place...so people won't measure their worth based simply on the size of their paycheck.

When I call for a sick appointment with my doctor, and the receptionist tells me the only appointment available is with the NP, I feel like I am being take advantage of. The education of the NP is nowhere near that of the MD. And, the price of the appointment isn't being reduced related to the decreased amount of education of the NP. I wait to see the doctor on the off chance my condition will require that added expertise of an MD education. Sure, there are bad doctors, but the facts are the NP doesn't have the same credentials. Additionally, doesn't the NP have to operate under the license of an MD inorder to be able to write Rx's and can only write certain types of Rx's?I guess that means there are checks and balances on the NP, but that's only because of their reduced education. And why pay for the middle man when I can get the main man for the same price? I bring all this up because I'm an RN looking into my next step in education- MSN to teach, NP to go into clinical practice. When I looked into the curriculum of the PA's, it was much more science based than either. I am more comfortable seeing a PA than an NP for my medical concerns because of this education gap. So, I see the point of the article in question.

I'm aware of what Steve Jobs was saying, and, no, I didn't miss the point, I just didn't drag into all of it and chose to focus on the one part I mentioned. I am a firm believer in life long learning ( I've been a home educator to my five children for the past 20 years, so I know how to think outside the box when it comes to education and I know what a real education should be). I don't care if Steve Jobs received credit for his audited classes (and yes I do understand how the university system works-been there, done that). My point was more to the fact that today's university education is not always what it should be. That still doesn't discount the fact that it is still worth going to university. if only for the availablity of diverse courses one can take. On a tech campus, the offerings are more narrow. Just the way it is. They usually don't have the funding for research and internships etc. Many universities are now catching up with the benefit of experiental experiences as well. Many resources at a university worth exploring. And a good university teach will challenge you. My tech school, where I got my ADN degree, not so much challenge in the prereqs. It was more like the 13th grade for students who didn't go right on to university after high school . Yes the article in question on all nurse was discounting many university degrees by saying a one year education will make you more money as an LPN. I think that devalues education in general when it's worth is only measured by the size of your paycheck. Many worthwhile and needed fields of study may not lead to a higher paycheck than that of an LPN. That doesn't mean they aren't worth pursuing. It all goes back to job training vs education. Job training becomes obsolete whereas education is for a lifetime.

Let's try this again (think the computer ate the first one)...Before throwing higher education to the side, look up Steve Jobs commencement speech on youtube where he talks about dropping out of school because of the burden on his working class parents-and how he proceeded to 'loiter' on campus, living with friends and take whatever interested him- like, caligraphy. Certainly this would be a fluff class- but his point was that seemingly random educational opportunities can add up to great ideas- case in point, the creation of fonts for the Apple/Mac computers all because of exposure to this one class. The point of higher education is not simply a bigger paycheck. The point is to learn to think. Exposure to various disciplines supplies a chance to exercise this thinking ability. You never know how things are going to add up in the mind of an individual and what great invention will be the result of a spark of inspiration based on some random educational experience. Another post said it well-what we need is actual education, not just a diploma and large debt bill. We need to get what we are paying for. Todays educational degrees often feel like the trophies handed out at childhood sporting events to everyone just for participation. The system need to get back to the business of providing a real education! I shutter think of living in a country where people have only job training, but no education. You can always get trained to work in a new field. But higher education should prepare you to succeed in any number of fields because you have attained the ability to think, not just do technical skills. Having spoken up for the value of a college education, I would like to add that I find it extremely practical to also attain a skilled trade. Shouldn't we do both? Just keep in mind, when advocating only for skilled training- those that are trained are the worker bees, those that are educated are the Queens running the hive!

You were on the job under 90 days, so I don't think it really matters. What I have done is evaluate my own weaknesses and strengths and in good faith made an effort to continually improve them. I felt I needed more instruction in phlebotomy so I paid $70 for a state approved CEU hours all day course to review and practice (unfortunately on a plastic arm again) but it was helpful to review without it being part of the nursing program and graded. They have many other programs as well to offer. I was uncomfortable with taking vitals so I volunteer at a free clinic that has me do manual BP's as well as pp, rr, O2 sat and temps. I also take patient history and review meds, perform urinalysis and breathing treatments, ekg's are a possibility. There is more than one clinic in town. I would like to see if the others would let me to some blood work. You can get emergency/disaster training through the AMerican Red Cross as well. Also, in September, I will do flu clinic work. I thought the repetitive practice of giving shots and handling client paperwork would help. I review the you tube educ videos and manufacturer product education on how to use their medication/equipment (great resource!) I study med admin and medication knowledge on my own time. Basically, I think if you are making an honest effort to address your deficits, it's nobodies business except yours that you did not receive the training you needed in your first position. I don't see the point in harming your future prospects. I don't see who that serves. I also don't think it's lying. And, don't see how you can be fired for leaving something that was unflattering and under 90 days off your resume/application. But, if you absolutely feel you must confess all to a future employer, I would think that if you got called in for the interview either they don't care about the blemish or they weren't paying close attention to the details on your resume/app (which happened to me in three interviews!!!) And if you do disclose, I would be prepared to state the close hard facts first, then tell all that you have done to fix the deficits in skill. It's called Vested Interest- a persuasion tactic often used by lawyers. You present the argument against your client (your self and being fired) then disprove its relevence with new evidence ( all that you have done to improve your skills-certificates, courses you've taken, volunteer work etc). You could try full disclosure and Vested Interest first. If you don't get any calls, then it may be time to be less upfront in the interest of getting you foot in the door. And if it ever came up after the fact, you could explain your fear that you would never get your foot in the door and be able to learn if you had disclosed. Besides if you are a great employee on the next job, who would go looking or even care in the first place. It maybe the case that the former employer can't legally disclose the reason you left the job, they may only be able to say the dates you were employed there. But, I would check that out.