nlynrob

I completely agree with you and at the same time say that's also a double standard against us. There are mass examples of ethnocentrism in every single culture, just as there are mass examples of those who are open minded and understanding.

I'm not arguing with you, I'm saying the statement that "only an American" would do that is incredibly ignorant. And I can tell exactly how long they've been here when I check their insurance eligibility and see they've been covered under their US address for X amount of years.

Seriously? Constantly at work I get people who only speak Spanish, German, Korean, Vietnamese, Russian, Israeli, you name it. And almost EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM gets ****** I can't understand them. My hospital has to pay over 150 different language interpreters to keep up with all the people who won't "learn the language and culture of the country [they're] in". To be clear, I'm not saying there aren't many Americans guilty of this, I'm sure there are a million who go overseas on vacation and get mad when the waiter doesn't understand them. But I am curious where you live that you never come into contact with people of other cultures who live in America that can't stand Americans and have no patience for English or any desire to learn it.

Junior year I was in my second med-surg rotation and me and another student were helping an elderly man with Parkinson's to the bathroom, while my instructor was in the patients room (I had just given meds). He said he wanted to try the toilet instead of the commode, so we put him on the toilet. My friend left the bathroom, and shortly after he looks at me and says "yeah, this isn't going to work", I run over to him thinking something's wrong and ask why? Are you okay? To which he replies "My balls are in the water", very matter-of-factly. Before I could even react I heard the muffled laughter of my instructor and classmate from outside the bathroom, and before I knew it all four of us were cracking up, loudly. It turned what could have been awkward into something humorous, and he later said he had a blast with us that morning! :)

There's no reason you need to become an MA or LPN before getting your RN. You can take all the pre-reqs and then apply to ADN, BSN, and ABSN programs and see where you get in, or you can take the other route and apply to second degree RN programs, which are specifically for people who already have a bachelors degree in another field and would give you your BSN after completion.

In fact of you don't mind a drive to Worcester from wherever you are, I believe the umass memorial campus maternity ward is hiring PCA's 3-11p. At least they were a few weeks ago, not sure if the positions have been filled yet.

Where are you in mass? Just curious because I'm in central mass and all the hospitals around here, including the Worcester level one trauma center, require completion of only one clinical rotation to qualify for positions.

I've never heard the term speed shock, either. Do they "beat into our brains" the dangers that come with pushing meds? Of course. We're not just now encountering the concept, our programs just didn't give it a fancy nick name. I don't have a lot of experience, obviously being a student, but a lot of our professors have also beat into our heads that while the drug books are your guide and should always be checked, especially if you don't work with the medication often, that the ultimate decisions about dosage (in adults) are a combination of common drug guidelines, most recent literature, nurses experience, physician orders/input and, most importantly, the patient: some drugs (digoxin, lithium) yes, do not exceed the guidelines. But with others, narcotics for example, some patients may need more, some may need less. Following whatever drug book you have's listed minimum-maximum explicitly can't guarantee that you have nothing to worry about, you could be giving the max and still not treating effectively in some and giving the min and causing adverse reactions in others.

I just finished my junior year too! I've been thinking about NP school since deciding to apply to nursing school. I hope to be an ACNP which requires experience as an RN in the ED or ICU areas before applying. I'm trying to move the process along by doing everything I can to get hired in one of those areas right out of school and skip the usual med-surg job new grads get. I recently got a job as an ED PCA in a level one trauma center that is also home to a school with the program I want, and I'm getting all the certifications I can get: NIMS, phlebotomy and whatever else I can get into!

For me the most terrifying part was deciding to change my life and finally taking the first steps and applying.

I've been at three different clinical sites in my state, small community hospitals and large teaching hospitals, and this is not at all we've experienced. Our instructors pick patients that they think will be good for us... Then ask the nurse assigned to them how they feel about/if it's a good patient for a student ect. And at all three locations new nurses were on orientation for at least three months and the charge nurse would absolutely not allow a new nurse she's still basically supervising to have a student. Maybe I've been to three utopia hospitals.

Isn't it kind of backwards to have someone who has been a licensed RN for only 2 months assigned to students? OP is still learning herself and is probably a bit overwhelmed a lot of the time. I'm graduating next May and I sincerely hope I have at least close to a years experience before they start expecting me to help students. Especially since all we hear is that school teaches us to pass the NCLEX not how to be a nurse in the real world, and that it takes at least a full year of work to even begin to comprehend the full demands and skills of the profession. I'd be annoyed with every student too if I had two months to learn everything and reteach it to them.

Good one, you're going to get a lot of it! :)

Study A&P. You absolutely have to understand the body systems; how they work individually and how they work with each other. Especially the renal system. For some reason that was the hardest for me to grasp which made pharm and medsurg difficult for me because so much of it has to do with the kidneys. Looking into diabetes wouldn't hurt. Obviously your program is different than mine but I feel like diabetes was drilled into our heads. We went over it seemingly endlessly in both classes.

I wouldn't switch it's one more year. I'm in a BSN program and the people in my year now who failed and were held back say it was a blessing in disguise. They did a lot better than they would have without that extra year.

I used about 800,000 index cards in both A&P classes. Homemade flash cards saved my life, and got me two A's. I also payed attention in lecture rather take notes nonstop. You have the book to review later but you can't replace lecture content.

As every OR member/procedure nurse I've had the good fortune to be able to work with has said, if you're gonna faint just get as far away from the sterile field as possible and try to sit if you can. It happens. That being said, a fellow student of mine fainted in the OR and in her attempt to not go near the sterile field grabbed the object next to her which turned out to be an IV pole, so she fainted, pushed the pole with her, which hit another object, and she created a domino effect across the room. What are the odds? She was mortified but the OR staff said it was actually a pretty funny day (once they made sure she was okay) :)

I live in the northeast and go to a state university also and I won't have 46k racked up after 4 entire years for a BSN. That's rough. I thought prices were only that high in Boston and other popular cities and definitely not for a state school.

Don't be jealous of your soon to graduate friends. I had a hard time when I was younger. I have many friends, a lot that are now RNs, that did school the "right way" while I struggled with my future. They will have been nurses for the past 3-5 years the year I graduate (next May). I can't dwell on it and neither can you, and I'm five years older than you!Everyone has their own path.

My HESI book and pedi text book came with access to an online program. It's on https://evolve.elsevier.com it isn't a ton of questions but it did help me quit a bit. But if your school doesn't use these products you'll have to pay for access.

I have direct patient care experience and even with it it took just under two years of applying and three interviews before the hospital I wanted to be in finally hired me. Hang in there, and don't be afraid to call call and call again. Be annoying!

That's how my program is. The clinical instructors have a little freedom with what they do and don't do. If it makes you feel better we soon learned that the people who had "hard" clinical instructors left the course knowing and understanding a lot more than those who had "easy" instructors.

I have kind of the same plan as you! There's a new grad program I really want to get into after passing the NCLEX, which I'll be taking next May-Juneish. So I've been desperately trying to get a job at that hospital so I can apply as an internal applicant, aka incessantly bothering HR and being really annoying. I was recently hired as a PCA (JUST got hired- haven't even signed the paperwork yet). It took a year of applying just to get an interview. I went to three interviews for two different positions a few months apart. It was about a year and a half from the day I sent in my first application to the day they offered me a job. I don't know if it was because I really wanted a particular hospital and mostly only applied there, but it was not an easy, quick process. Even after accepting the job offer just a few days ago, they made my start date mid-May. A few of my fellow nursing students had a bit quicker process getting hired at smaller community hospitals, but it was still a few months to apply, wait for HR to check references, wait for HR to get around to calling you back after they check them blah blah blah... I hope you find something much faster than I did! And good luck on the NCLEX ?

Not too long ago RNsRWE posted what turned into a very long, heated post about the fact that it is completely illegal to present yourself as an RN when you're not. I'm not sure about paramedics, but posters on that earlier feed went as far as copying in state laws straight from .gov websites explaining that claiming to be an RN in any way on any forum when you aren't is illegal. Users of this website who haven't yet passed their states NCLEX aren't even allowed to put "RN" in their user name.