Catys_With_Me

The contents of my medical record might not officially be held against me, but it might be an impetus to find something else to hold against me... Or maybe I'm just paranoid too.

Yeah. I'm not feeling overly comfortable about it, but I thought everyone would come on and say, "Oh that's no big deal, our place is great, quality care, what's the problem?!" But I guess I'm not alone in being a little concerned. Last year I was working med-surg at a hospital and was having problems with depression. I wouldn't go see my doc because I didn't want to have to tell him that the person who cares for his patients is having mental health issues. I'm fine now, was actually undiagnosed hypothyroid, but if things change in the future I don't want to feel again like I can't get help. The lack of privacy among coworkers is an issue I hadn't even thought about until I read your responses. Switching might be the best thing.

I accepted an RN position at a clinic that has several office sites. I will work at one, I happen to already be a patient at another. I'm now wondering if it is wise for my employer to have such handy access to my medical records... What do you think?

I was leaning towards #2 and I knew logically I should run fast from #1, but I was still thinking maybe I could make it work... you all gave me the slap upside the head I needed! I accepted #2. Thanks everyone!

So if you were looking at two job offers and... Job #1) Offered the perfect position, the duties are exactly what you have been looking for BUT the environment is a concern... staff doesn't always get along, a consultant team has come in to help everyone "communicate better," the docs can be arrogant etc... while, Job #2) Offered the perfect environment, everyone is friendly and helpful, docs are sane, things are organized, etc.. etc.. but the position is not exactly what you wanted, it's close, but it contains some duties you were hoping to avoid. Those duties are infrequent, but will be stress inducing all the same. What would you choose? The position with the ideal environment or the position with the ideal duties/responsibilites? No, waiting for a job that contains the best of both worlds is not an option.

Let's say you have 2 offers for office RN positions. Office #1) The responsibilities/duties are not exactly what you're looking for, they include some duties you were hoping to avoid... and while those duties are fairly infrequent they will cause you some stress. The environment is 100% what you're looking for, staff is friendly and helpful, docs are sane, everything's organized. Office #2) The responsibilities/duties are EXACTLY what you're looking for, but the environment's a possible problem. Staff doesn't always get along, an outside agency has come in to help them "communicate" better, docs can be arrogant and demanding. I know that ideally one would like to have the perfect environment and the perfect job description but if you had to choose, what would be more important to you... the ideal job or the ideal environment?

I get what you're saying, rest is very important, but isn't it also very important to regularly monitor VS in a pt with a new onset CVA??

I personally don't think your time there as a student in MAY should really count. You do need more time, don't let yourself feel pressured into going on your own before you're ready.

I was offered valedictorian for the college this year. I say offered because if you refuse to make a speech in front of thousands of people they yank it away from you and give it to the next person in line. Public speaking gives me hives so I passed. I guess that would make me valedictorian of the nursing program too since it's part of the college and all, but no matter. I'm not attending pinning either. Vacation time for me! Followed by a serious attempt to put the past few years farrrrrrrr behind me.

It's a play on the fact that this is a DUCK, not a play on the belief that NPs are incompetent. LOL, lighten up people. There are enough things in the world about which to be offended, let's not invent them at every turn.

I'm scheduled to take my NCLEX-PN in exactly 3 weeks. I keep checking this site in between study sessions to see if you've heard yet! Everyone's pulling for you!

You're not wasting your time. Trust me. In fact, keep your A&P book because you will be using it as a reference when you're in nursing school. It is by far the one pre-nursing text I have reached for on a regular basis in the last year and a half of nursing school. A&P teaches you normal anatomy and physiology, nursing delves into what goes wrong when you have a disease process. How would you ever be able to understand any of that if you didn't have A&P as a foundation? You need it.

I felt exactly the same as you when I started nursing school Sept 04. As I got more into the semester however I found that every week seemed to fly by, you're just so busy you barely even notice the seasons changing. And then the first year was done and I couldn't believe how fast it passed. I just started my second and last year Sept 05 and I'm back to feeling like you're describing... it's only around the corner but it's feeling like forever again... Once I get a little further into it tho I know I'll be back to that 'time is flying' mode.

Thank you OP for posting! I had the same question, this is perfect!

Give him advice, share the benefit of your wisdom and experience, but allow him to go his own direction. What you see as immaturity and irresponsibility may actually be him pulling back simply because he's going through an adult process of rethinking the road he's on. As you said he has a history of being an outstanding student, he's capable of applying and motivating himself, so there's a reason he's not now. Perhaps he's simply in the process of taking the first painful (more for you?) steps involved in discovering that it often takes the closing of one door to facilitate the opening of another more meaningful one.

LPN school's not easier, it's shorter. And I don't think your plan is so bad. Go to LPN school and then you can work as an LPN while you do your RN bridge. The experience you'll obtain after you've graduated from LPN school as well as while working through RN school will help you immensely in completing this goal.

For us it's 160 hrs and it's something we have to complete before we graduate. We take our final exam 4 weeks before the end of the semester, do 4 weeks of full time preceptorship, and then graduate. We're then NCLEX eligible.

All I can say is that confidence comes with achievement. Believing in yourself and your ability to succeed will increase with every success (small and large) that you allow yourself to experience. Take it one class at a time, or even one exam at a time, and let those moments grow. I try to remind myself that if I don't give it my all I'll never know just who I might have been.

Thanks everyone. I'm a nursing student and during my first year I made myself a brain as well. It was a little crude and underwent several changes as I started to figure out what was working and what wasn't and it always seemed like I never had enough room. Some of the suggestions here have been really helpful as I'm trying to design something better for clinicals this coming year. This site is such a great resource!

That's funny I hear all the time on these boards, "I hate study groups, I do much better on my own." I'm an on-my-own person too. All study groups I've ever attended quickly deteriorated into a gab fest. My time's too precious and limited right now to waste it on such things.

What does perfect grades have to do with so-so skills? You know, nursing school is 2 fold: it's got an academic component and a skills component. Some rock at both, some are challenged at both, some can do the skills but don't know their acids from their bases, and some rock academically but take longer to get the skills down. I get so tired of people insinuating that those who get all As aren't as competent skill-wise as those who don't. Personally, with the combination of choices you presented above, I'd rather be a nurse with perfect grades and excellent skills. I know I'm certainly shooting for that rather than going around implying that if I'm challenged academically that that's okay because those people working their butts off to get As can't take a BP to save their life. Please. And oh yes OP, you'll find out soon enough that for some reason which I cannot even begin to figure out, nursing school brings out the competetive I-can-do-it-better-than-you crap in many people.

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Yep, they pay for that allright. After you submit your graduation application fee.

:rotfl: and then there's introducing yourself to the your black lab at home who's forced to play patient since your kids ran for the hills... "Hello Mr. Pup, my name is Mary. I'm a student nurse and I've come in to give you your rectal medication..." rut row...

I must admit I have not read this entire thread and want to take off and go to bed (it's really late, I just got in from clinical and I'm exhausted) so will just say this: YOU HAVE SOMEONE TEACHING YOU A&P THAT DOESN'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT IT?!! It's not like it's Art History where they point to the slide and say, "Rodin's The Thinker 1880... memorize this." An A&P instructor actually needs to be able to explain some pretty complicated material !!!! In our community college no one goes near a student unless they have a master's degree in whatever area they're teaching. Your whole class should seriously complain. They are collecting your tuition money and giving NOTHING (an education) in return! That makes me so mad and it's not even happening to me..