Medic2BSN13

There was a recent headline in the news, in the southern tip of Maine, about a person who overdosed on heroin laced with carfentanil and required 5 doses of Narcan to make him conscious. The dosage and route were not highlighted in the article, but still that is a lot! Apparently, the patient survived, but I can't imagine needing that much Narcan for an overdose.

My response... "I'm sorry, but this is an emergency department. If you want my attention then you must be bleeding."

Once you feel comfortable talking through the study guide content located on the BCEN website. That would be an ideal time to test. I took the exam with just over 12 months ED experience. I felt very comfortable taking it and likely could have done it sooner, but I also had 10 years prehospital experience prior to nursing. Personally, I don't find the value in having a certification if you lack the experience to go with it. It's similar to new grads taking ACLS/PALS prior to obtaining a job. The dedication is there which is great, but there is clearly a lack of significant experience.

Anybody who works in the ED and has for more than a day knows about Paramedics, EMT's and the differences in scope. Is prehospital experience helpful? I am probably bias, but I think it most definitely is! Some managers are more partial to the nursing education/experience versus a candidate having prehospital experience. In the ED I work in almost all of our nurses were involved with prehospital care at one point in their careers. Some still work with our local fire department as well to maintain the paramedic license and scope of practice. I agree with the above poster in stating that you should highlight that there are gaps in your knowledge and experience coming from the prehospital setting. Look at the bright side...you should already have ACLS, PALS, PHTLS (similar basics to TNCC), and maybe NRP certificatons? Those are good to have as well especially with significant experience.

Knowing your credit is less than stellar should be incentive to find alternate ways of affording your education. Private loans generally have higher interest rates than federal loans. Assuming you are able to get a private loan with bad credit, the interest rate will likely be very high. Why dig yourself so deep into a financial hole now? There are people who do not immediately find jobs and search for up to 12 months or longer after graduation. Don't shoot yourself in the foot, financially, this early in your career. It's not worth it!!

You need to contact an AMEDD recruiter specifically, if that is not who you are in contact with already. Like the previous poster, I have not ever heard of a direct commission MSN without a BSN, but the question must be asked to the right person. It doesn't mean they don't exist, just that they are likely rare in the uniformed services as many RN's utilize the education benefits to complete an MSN after commissioning with a BSN. It might be a little confusing where you have an MSN without a BSN already completed. I would think as long as you have at least a BSN and a nursing license you should be good to go, but we all know that the military never does anything straight forward. That would be too easy!! Good luck.

Agree with previous poster. It will take some time to learn cardiac rhythms and drugs, but you can do it. In short, yes, I think it would be beneficial comparing you to another new grad. If you have the time and resources PALS may also be helpful depending on what type of nursing you would like to do. Good luck!

Interventional radiology is a specialty in nursing and you wouldn't need any additional formal education to obtain a position. I think you do need critical care experience, but I am not certain about that. If you look around I am sure you could find more information about the specialty.

Larry I think you misinterpreted what elkpark was trying to say. Yes, a nursing license and BSN are required to begin an NP program. However, that doesn't mean each candidate applying has professional experience working as an RN. For example, someone who holds a business degree decides to enter the nursing field can apply for a dirent entry MSN program with an NP focus. 12 months into the program and the BSN and RN license can be obtained and then the NP education begins. Another 18-24 months and the student graduates with an MSN and eligible for certification exams. So, yes, a nursing background is required, but by no means does it have to be extensive. This is similar to the PA education model as others enter with unrelated degrees. There is still a requirement for direct patient care which continues to be forgotten or overseen when posting on this subject.

I also work in the ED and don't know of any particular instances when someone has judged me for being a male nurse. I have had men of all ages make comments about wanting a good looking female nurse (usually joking). If I sense the patiet may be serious, I respond by saying they are welcome to wait back in the waiting room for another nurse. I have yet to have a patient return to the waiting room. Frankly, I could care less what people think of me. I have no control what others think/believe. I have a military background as well as EMS prior to nursing. I have seen and done things that most would not be able to do. I am comfortable with what I do and don't care what others think of my career choice. I am not gay, or overtly feminine in the least bit.

Work as much as you can to accrue overtime hours, live a very frugal lifestyle, and dump all of your extra money into your loan debt. Unfortunately, you have a long road ahead of you. It might not be conducive to a social or luxurious lifestyle, but that is a good plan of attack. Hopefully you dont get burned out before paying off that debt.

This topic has been covered previously. Try using the search function and you will likely find all the information you need. I personally have commented on similar posts, so I know they can be located. Good luck!

It's a tough market for nursing right now. While it's not out of the question that your previous employer may be talking with future employers and giving a bad reference, I would not discount the poor market yet either. It sounds like your last position was eliminated due to budgeting while the need for the position was still very real. Unfortunately, the company wanted you to do some of the same tasks without the previous title and benefits. If you are interested in knowing what happened with the interviews contact the people who interviewed you and ask them. They may be able to give you some feedback as to why you were not chosen, or they may not tell you anything. It's a rough market out there for all nurses not just new graduates. Bottom line is you should not have left your previous job without having secured another opportunity. Good luck.

Unfortunately, as the other poster mentioned, all schools have different metrics for admitting students. Your GPA will make it very difficult for entry into any ABSN program. You might think about the community college route (ADN) and saving yourself some money as well. After completing an ADN go right onto an RN-BSN program. As a side note, GPA is not the only factor in an application and it appears that you are aware of that. Generally, applicants with a lower GPA who get admitted have other strengths (significant experience, references, goal statement, etc.) which make the applicant stand out. Lacking in these other areas will make your experience much more difficult. Have you thought about retaking classes to help raise your GPA? You should identify some schools that you are interested in and ask to speak with someone from their nursing department or admissions and ask what your chances may be and how to make your application stand out a little more. Also, there are a ton of threads just like this which you can search by using the search function. You should be able to find more than enough information and maybe even find someone who has been in the same position. Good luck.

Are you looking for any type of certification or board certifications? You will want to clarify because there is a difference between certifications such as ACLS, PALS, TNCC, etc compared to board certifications such as CEN, CCRN, CMSRN, etc. There are a lot of different certifications that nurses can obtain though. Good luck!