Sweet&Petite, RN

Hey ladies I think it would be a great idea for us to create a facebook page. I did my BSN online and networking was very beneficial for our group. We had students in all different parts of the US in different time zones but we managed to keep in contact. Also, I purchased my books at textbooks.com because they were cheaper than B&N. I bought new books because I like to keep my books and wanted to make sure they had the required access codes. Be careful with that. I saw a lot of cheap ones on various sites but the seller didn't guarantee access code. I'm impressed with the communication we're receiving from the advisors so far. This is a good sign

I debated with the exact same thing. I was accepted into an FNP program a year ago. I did so much research and most people advised to do FNP and then specialize. I just could not get motivated enough to start the FNP program. Its hard to put so much effort into something my heart is not into. I have worked outpatient OB/GYN and L&D for over the last 6 years. Most of my experience has been outpatient OB/GYN and currently L&D/ Mother baby. My passion is definitely women's health. I recently obtained my BSN so I had to do clinicals in med/surg and ICU after being in women's health for 5 years. I did well and managed but hated every minute of it....lol. I do not want to spend my day with small kids, men, geriatric patients and dealing with chronic illnesses. I have since then applied to a WHNP program and have been accepted. I do not regret my decision. In my opinion it is all about networking. I have so many connections in OB/GYN. I am confident that I will find a job upon school completion. I am willing to relocate to fulfill my dream. For me, it all boiled down to me knowing what I want to do for the rest of my life. I know for a fact that family practice is not for me. From my experience working in an outpatient OB/GYN clinic, you do get alot of stuff besides female reproductive issues. Many women do not have a PCP and go to their gyn provider for everything. I do not feel an FNP is adequately prepared to work in an OB/GYN office. Most FNP programs require only one term of GYN in contrast to the multiple terms required in a WHNP program. Anyway, good luck with your decision. My best advice is follow your heart but also consider the job market in your area.

I just received letter of acceptance. I will be in Drexel's WHNP online starting Sep 16. I do plan to work full time as long as I can maintain. If it become unmanageable, I will reduce working hours. I plan to reach out to my advisor regarding registering for classes. I'm assuming we will have the same classes in the beginning and then branch off into our specialty specific courses next year. I do not know of anyone in the program or anyone who have completed the program. I have looked on facebook to see if there were any groups established. I did not see any. Anyway, I am excited and nervous all at the same time.

They are trying to push for the DNP for NP but it may take many more years. MSN is the minimal degree for NP at the moment. I don't know if its worth it to spend a whole lot of extra money for the DNP. I don't think many companies are really going to pay that much more. If you get your MSN now, its a really easy transition to get the DNP once you have a MSN.

CatlovingRN, I know you said its a 2 dollar pay cut but you have to consider all the other benefits. Look at the insurance cost, tuition reimbursement, shift differential amount etc. I took a job offer over another one because the company offers a $5000 per year tuition reimbursement and that is equivical to a hefty bonus. I plan to go back to school and that sealed the deal for me. If you choose to leave your current position, leave the company on a good note. You can always go back if you do not like the new job. Its better to try and fail then to not try at all. Thats my motto so I say take a leap of faith and go for it.

Lostrnugh, Your feelings are completely normal. Many nurses come out of school feeling overwhelmed and get burned out. Med/surg units are tough. I knew that I did not want to do med/surg despite all the advisement that I should. Don't give up and you have to find your niche. I would say apply to positions that interest you no matter how little experience you have. Some nursing managers will see your potential. I found a nursing manager that hired me on L&D as a new grad and people said no one would. Anything is possible if you try. I'm pretty sure you worked very hard to get your BSN so don't let anything come between all your hard efforts. The one thing that stood out to me is that you said you are depressed. That is very serious and you need to take that into account. Do not let people talk you into staying with that position if your body is physiologically being affected. Jeopardizing your health is not worth it. Please take good care of yourself and the allnurses community is here for you. Praying for you

Indiana is a credible school. I was an LPN for 8 years and was skeptical before I applied because I did not know anyone who had been through the program. I applied, was accepted, and now have graduated. I feel like I was adequately prepared for boards and passed my nclex first go round with the minimum amount of questions. The course work can be challenging especially if you have been out of school for a while. I worked full time at the beginning of the program, dropped to part time work by the middle and stopped working for my last semester. The last semester was tough because it is hard core nclex preparation. The most difficult thing about the entire program is finding your own preceptors since you are responsible for locating your own for each clinical course. That can be quite difficult especially if you don't already work in the hospital and know some nurses. I worked in an outpatient clinic so did not have many connections with the inpatient world. Fortunately, I work near a teaching hospital so they were very helpful. If you have any specific questions, feel free to PM or send me an email at [email protected]. I don't mind sharing my experience with you in more detail.

Jenny, I am starting at South University on October 22. I would like to join the facebook group. Can you please send me the link? Danielle B.

Trinathom, I dont see a facebook page/group for South University. I plan on starting October 22 for FNP.

VA BON sucks :***: I am having the worst experience with them. I have been told so many different things by different people. I don't believe anything anyone says from that office.

Congrats, I'm super excited for you. I just landed my dream job in L&D as a new grad RN. Many hospitals in my area will not give a new grad a chance. I was an LPN for 8 years, though.

Sorry to hear that. I was routing for you. I passed in 76 question first go round. I used Kaplan for learning how to answer the questions. I used Sauders for Content. My school also enrolled us with ATI and evolve/elsevier. I think the key is to answer a ton of question. All in all, I think Kaplan helped me the most. At first, I was memorizing content and that is below passing level learning. NCLEX is trying to see if you can critically think your way through a question even if you don't know the content which is very similar to what would happen in clinical practice. Kaplan teaches you to think like NCLEX wants you to. Anyway, good luck. Just keep praying and studying and don't give up.

I do not like when MA's and CNA's call themselves nurses. It is offensive. They do not take the NCLEX-RN or NCLEX-PN exam and have not been adequately trained as nurses. This practice is very common in outpatient settings based on personal experience. At the last practice where I worked, I saw a MA put nurse on her business card and giving it to patients. I feel this is equivilant to an NP or PA putting MD on their business card and calling themselves a doctor. Words are one thing but to start putting it on documents and letterhead is another. In my opinion, I think these types of issues should be addressed by the state board of nursing and subject to penalty.

Has anyone applied for a license by endorsement in Virginia recently? My application has been pending for 4 weeks. I just want to know if anyone else has waited this long for licensure by endorsement.

I just graduated from ISU's LPN to BS program. I started this journey Fall 2012 and graduated Summer 2015. I took 1-2 classes at a time due to working while in the program. It was very tough but doable with the proper commitment and dedication. Overall, I really enjoyed ISU. The admission process was smooth. Most of the instructors were very academically supportive. They respond to emails and calls within 1-2 days. The financial aid department answers the phone if you call. I used federal student aid, loans, grants etc., and had no problems. I was originally concerned about the financial aid department because I was an out of state student which meant high cost. I didn't want to receive any sketchy bills like I've read about online with some other schools. No shaddy business with the financial aid department. The most challenging thing is finding preceptors and clinical sites. The school gives you a list but you still must do the legwork and make arrangements. Ex. (reaching out to the DON, Nursing educator) Many facilities are not used to a nursing student being on the unit without a clinical instructor as it presents a liability issue. ISU does require you have nursing insurance and one of the facilities requested I up my limits in order to use there facility. Therefore, they are sometimes hesitant to approve the arrangement. My best advice is to present yourself professionally and have all your clinical paperwork together. In you live in the Hampton Roads/ Eastern Virginia area, Sentara facilities were more than helpful in arranging clinical. It is much easier to find a BSN preceptor with 3+ years of experience with Sentara because they require all new grads and current employees to obtain a BSN. I even did some of my clinical rotations on night shift and on the weekend since I was a working LPN. So far as the program, it is very time consuming. I literally spent 4-6 hours daily during the week. Sometimes I would spend all day Sat and Sun working on assignments. They require you to take proctored test, take timed quizzes, make postings on blackboard, participate in online discussions, write evidenced based practice papers, participate in group projects, and NCLEX prep. This program is very parallel to a brick in mortar school. Do not think because the program is online that it is the easy way out. It is not! I started out working full-time as an LPN but towards the last two semesters I had to stop working. I am glad I did. The last semester is intense NCLEX preparation with hundreds of questions daily. It all worked out for me because I passed the NCLEX-RN first time with bare minimum questions and many of my classmates did too. Overall, I highly recommend ISU's LPN to BS program. I had a great experience.