Carissa

I wanted to let you know how much I agree with your observations and wish other practitioners felt the same! I can attest from personal experience that nothing is more frustrating or demoralizing than when a physician says "Your back can't hurt that bad, you're smiling." Receiving that comment last week after almost 4 months of pain from 2 herniated discs was enough to absolutely infuriate me! :angryfire Thanks to all you nurses who look beyond the façade many patients with chronic pain put forth; it can make all the difference in the world for a patient to know they are heard and that someone truly cares!

I too would appreciate any advice those of you ICU nurses and CRNA's with back injuries have. I will be starting nursing school this fall with the goal of becoming a CRNA, and herniated discs at L4-L5 and L5-S1 several months ago. Unfortunately, mine are not healing as hoped and I have only one option left (po steroids and injections) before my neurologist recommends surgery. I'm a hospital CNA, (currently on light duty) and everyone at work is telling me to find another career because my back will not be able to take the day to day stress of nursing. I'm not ready to give up, and am hoping those of you who have been through it can lend some insight as to whether it's a reasonable goal; and also what you found/find most helpful when to make activity bearable. Thank you for bringing this up fotograph, and thanks in advance for your thoughts everyone! :)

Thanks so much for sharing your experience, good luck on your studies! :) I really appreciate everyone's willingness to contribute their thoughts and opinions! Any other insight out there?

Not having to attend class at a set time is a definate advantage for me, as is the opportunity to be an RN in 12 months, as opposed to most traditional programs which take 2-3 years. The additional work doesn't bother me, as long as I don't come out great at writing papers and horrible in the clinical aspect. Do you think you benefited substansially from the in-class aspect of your RN program, or could you have learned the material just as effectively if you had taken the courses online? Thanks again for all of your input! :)

Depends on experience and if you are in a needed specialty...several Seattle area hospitals are offering bonuses ($10,000 for ICU and $5,000 for ER; payable over 2 years). I wouldn't be too surprised if an experienced specialty nurse could be at $38 an hour, especially after shift differential.

Bummer to hear that about your nursing school, I was hoping to get away from it! I am sick of "group" projects where only half of the group actually does the work, and the other half gets a free ride to a good grade. That is definately an advantage of the online program I hadn't thought of yet. As far as the competitivness of ICU posititons go, I should have been more clear in my meaning. It does seem like ICU nurses are in short supply (2 hospitals in my area are offering $10,000 bonuses for a two year commitment); but I was referring to the competitivness of the good new grad orientation programs at Level 1 or other large respected hospitals. I'm concerned I will save time/hassle by doing an online program only to find I am not employable by the high acuity units I need to gain experience in prior to applying for CRNA programs. Thanks so much for your advice and insight, I really appreciate it! :) Any other thoughts out there?

Thanks so much for all your comments! I suppose my main concern is having a disadvantage when applying for competetive ICU positions as well as CRNA programs, which are of course also very competetive. Given that it's one of the first BSN programs I have heard of to be completely online with no requirement of a previously obtained ADN or LPN license, I am a bit concerned it won't be seen as being as desirable as a traditional BSN program. For those of you out there having already completed an RN program, do you think it is wise to attempt a program online, or did you find your lectures/labs to be imperative to your comprehension of the material? Thanks again for all of your comments, they are very much appreciated! :)

Thanks so much for your response Krinkles, and congrats on getting in!!! Any other thoughts or opinions out there? I would love to hear from those that don't think it's a good idea (so I know what I'm up against if I choose to go this route), as well as of course positive thoughts! Thanks again, have a great day! :)

Hello All, I thought this might be the most appropriate place for my questions due to my goal of applying to CRNA schools after working in an ICU for a year or two after graduation from a BSN program. I'm moving unexpectedly from Seattle to Houston and have missed most of the BSN program deadlines in the Houston area; so I'm considering enrolling in an all online BSN program. The degree is from Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, and the courses are entirely online and self-paced with clincals taking place at Houston area hospitals. In your opinion, will having a degree from an exclusivly online BSN program put me at a disadvantage to other applicants when applying to CRNA schools? Will I be lacking in areas a traditional BSN program would have better prepared me? Will graduating from an online program make me a less desirable new grad candidate for ICU residency programs that are competitive? If possible, I would also like to know why you hold the opinion you do. I have previous experience in health care (I'm a CNA and an EMT) and am confident I have the discipline to do well in an self-structured program, I just want to make sure I am making the best decision. Although ideally, I do not want to wait an additional year before applying to BSN programs, I hate to waste my time getting a degree that is only going to be a disadvantage when pursuing my ultimate career goal. Thanks in advance for all of your thoughts and opinions, I know some of the questions are largely unanswerable, but any insight is greatly appreciated!!! :)

Hi there, My sister-in-law is an LPN and was looked at several online LPN-RN programs last year, so I'm assuming those are fine in WA state. I also know of several universities in Washington that offer distance RN-BSN programs, so I would think a distance LPN-RN program would be acceptable. You might try calling the Dept. of Health and finding out from them if their are any restrictions.

Hi Lee, I'm from Washington and have done all my pre-req's up here for the BSN program, (hangin' out in the Texas forum because I'll be moving down there in August-can't wait!!!!); so I won't have all the answers, but hope I can get you headed in the right direction. A credit hour is how classes are measured. In the quarter system, it reflects how many hours you spend in class a week; although I have never taken classes in a semester system, so it might be different. For instance, if your anatomy class is 5 credits, you can expect to be in class for 5 hours a week (typically 1 hour per day), and anticipate studying an average of 2 hours per week for every credit hour the class is (ie, 10 hours of anatomy study time per week.) This formula was just the one used by my most recent university, so it may vary from school to school and is of course highly dependent on the individual. I'm guessing with an MSN program you will need all the usual nursing pre-req's, which should be listed in detail on the specific program websites. Starting from scratch, it typically takes 1-2 years of full-time study. A "full-time" load in the quarter system is usually 12-18 credits, or 3-4 classes. If you don't have a science background, or have extensive commitments outside of school, I wouldn't recommend more than 2-3 classes to start, erroring on the side of caution to ensure better grades which will increase your chance of acceptance if the programs you are applying to are competetive. You will know your own capabilities though. You should be able to calculate the amount of time it will take at the cc based on credit hours, but it also depends on class availability (some classes are only offered one or two quarters during the year.) Sequence courses (such as Chemistry) will also sometimes lengthen the total amount of time it takes to get through the pre-req's, so you might consider starting with those so you don't have to put off applying because you need to finish out the series. (This again coming from the experience of having to do so!) Best to plan ahead and map it out to make sure one quarter isn't going to be overloaded and another going to be a piece of cake. As a graduate of the MSN programs I am familiar with, you will come out as an APN, and may also have a speciality if you choose to go that route. Again though, each program is different and will usually describe the level you will be licenced at upon graduation on their website or in printed program material. If available, you might also find info sessions helpful to answer questions (usually held once every couple of weeks to once every couple of months depending on the program.) Some are great, others not so helpful, but it's worth a shot if you have lots of questions or very program specific questions that aren't answered on the website. Hope this helps, let me know if there is anything else I might be able to answer for you. Good luck! ~ Carissa :)

Hi Everyone, I'm considering doing the BSN option from Del Mar eline (course work is all online, clinicals are set up at area hospitals, BSN degree is from Texas A&M-Corpus Christi), and am hoping to get some feedback from nurses already in the field. I am an EMT and CNA (equiv. to a PCA I think) so I have experience in the health care field, and want to specialize in ICU. My concern with getting a BSN from this online program is primarily employability. I am concerned employers are not going to be receptive to this "newer" type of program, and I will have problems finding a job, especially since my goal is to get into a new grad program as an ICU nurse at one of the Houston area hospitals. (I hear St. Lukes is great, but would love your opinions on others). Already being in the field, do you think this will be a problem? Would you feel comfortable working with a nurse who was educated in this way? Do you think other's (including nurse recruiters/floor managers would be receptive to this kind of a program)? I'm currently living/working in the Seattle area, and critical care nurses are very scarce and sought out; is this the case in Houston, and do you think my non-traditional degree going to put me at a disadvantage? Thanks so much for all of your thoughts and opinions!! :)

The hospital I work at in north Seattle has what they call reserve positions. After the schedule is complete, you are able to tell them which of the shifts still left open you want to work. I think the minimum is 16 hours/month, but I'm not sure on all the details. Some units use reserve staff more than others, and although north Seattle may be quite a commute, other hospitals closer to you may have something similar. Also, sometimes our units who are very short staffed are willing to work more to accomidate those who are highly qualified (as it sounds like you are), but desire a specific schedule. Just some thoughts. If you find somewhere you like it never hurts to interview and show them what they would be missing by not being flexible...it might just change their mind! Good Luck :)

Hello! In my experience, every nursing school has different specific criteria for acceptance. Some are based only on GPA, they start at 4.0 and go down the list until the spots are filled. Others, such at the Univ. of Washington program are looking for the "well-rounded" canidate. Their application points are divided into 5 20% sections: gpa, letter of recommendation, resume, hands on health care experience, and volunteer work (I belive those are correct, but not positive). So if your grades are lacking, but you have years of experience in health care and volunteer in your community, you can make up for it. My best advise is to go to website of each school you wish to apply to, and the acceptance criteria is typically spelled out. If it's not, contact the advisor for that school and ask very specific questions if you aren't able to make it to the general info session that most hold which will usually provide everything you need. As far as applying, do it to as many schools as possible and as many times as it takes. Some schools will tell you where you are lacking if you aren't accepted, others are not able to do so due to applicant volume. Some general things are to retake a science or pre-req course if you have a low grade and work to keep a high GPA, even if it means taking one less class a quarter. Find a place to get hands on experience that will set you apart from all other applicants. Being memorable is key when there are hundrends of applicants for only 80 or so spots. It's also important to get your letter of recommendation from a nurse who has observed you in a patient care setting. These are typically more powerful as they will be able to speak more directly about your ability to perform well as a nurse. Volunteer work is also key to some schools, and again the more the application reviewer will look and say "wow, that must have been a great experience", the better. I can understand this is difficult with a family, but don't get discouraged if it takes a while. I just read yesterday that over 125,000 qualified applicants were turned away from nursing programs last year, due to lack of space alone! Most people prepare for at least 2 or 3 years and doing so activly will help ensure you are a stand out candidate. If you have any other questions, especially regarding the UW program requirements, let me know (post or PM) since that is the one I am most familiar with and I'll answer any questions I can. Best of luck, I hope this helped! :)

Thanks so much for all of your great help! The websites you suggested were very informative. We were looking last night and are considering the area around Sugar Land, have you heard anything good or bad about that specific area or any other suburbs? Do you know if there are any areas that traffic is consistently bad, other than the normal rush hour congestion...and is that usually terrible? Also, do you mind me asking where you are going to school and how you like the program? Thanks so much for your help, I know I'm asking a lot of questions that are very subjective, but any info at all would be great! Take Care :)

No Problem! I also got to looking a little more this morning, and Spokane Community College has an ADN program. I'm not sure about any of the details, but at the very least it would be a good back up plan! Hope all goes well, Good Luck! :)

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Hello! To answer you question regarding RN programs in the Spokane area, the following are ones that I know of: Intercollegiate College of Nursing is the only BSN program that I am aware of in the Spokane area. It is through 4 universities; Whitworth (in Spokane/private), Gonzaga (in Spokane/private), Eastern Washington University (in Cheney/public), and Washington State University (in Pullman/public). It is a very competitive program, and only 20% of those accepted are allowed from schools other than these 4. If the route you are desiring is BSN without having to do an RN-BSN program, it will probably be in your benefit to enroll at one of these schools prior to applying. When I was looking into it, acceptance was based on grades alone, no other factors (letter of recommendation, resume, experience, etc.) were considered. Big Bend Communtiy College in Moses Lake is about an hour and a half commute one way from Spokane, but it's all interstate (I-90). It offers an ADN program, but I'm not sure about entrance requirments. North Idaho College in Coeur d'Alene Idaho has an ADN program, and isn't more than a 40 minute commute (again all on I-90). However, you would then be facing out of state tuition which you would not have with the other programs, assuming you have gained Washington residency prior to applying to programs. I am not aware of any other schools in the Spokane area that offer RN programs, but there are others in Eastern Washington. Tri-Cities (Pasco) or Walla Walla would be the closest that I am know of, although it's a bit far for a daily commute. Hope this helps, feel free to post or PM me if you have any other questions...I just finished my pre-reqs and have been applying to programs; mostly in Seattle, Tri-Cities, Walla Walla and Texas though; but I might be able to answer some questions. Best of luck! :)

Hi Everyone! I am currently a pre-nursing student at the University of Washington in Seattle, and have been applying to BSN schools in the area; but found out last weekend my fiance and I will be moving to Houston at summers end (which I am very excited about)...meaning I am now frantically trying to find nursing schools to apply to within commuting distance of the Houston area who's application deadline hasn't passed! Any help regarding schools that offer good programs would be very much appreciated! I would prefer a BSN since I already have over 3 years of college credits, but woulld love recommendations on ADN programs as well! Also, I was wondering if anyone knew of a college or university that offered Texas State History online or via coorespondence. Many of the programs I have been looking into require it as a pre-req, but I won't have the opportunity to take it prior to begining a program since my fiance doesn't finish grad school until the end of August. I realize this is asking a lot, but any information regarding good suburbs in which to purchase a home, and nice areas to rent reasonably on a temporary basis would also be very much appreciated. Does anyone know if area hospitals contract with new grads as they do in the Seattle area?...(ie, they pay back student loans or pay while you attend school in return for a year or two of paid employment.) If anyone knows of hospitals that do this, I would love to know about them! I also have a (CNA) certified nursing assistant license, I believe this is Texas' equivalent of a PCA, and EMT license through Washington State; and was hoping for recommendations on good hospitals to work at in the Houston area. I'm looking for critical care experience, as I plan on going into ICU nursing, but am open to just about anything. I know this was asking for a lot of information, but any and all would be very much appreciated! I can't wait to move down there and trade this rain for some great hot weather! Thanks so much!!! :)