dannibeeRN

I plan to go this route also. My end game is to start a nursing related business though, so the MBA will be helpful.

It varies per facility. We get a 2% raise for BSN.

Yes, I get paid well for what I do but no I don't go out and party like it's 1999. Wait...we've passed that year already. Anyhoo, I work too hard taking care of patients to see it all go to waste on extravagant things. My husband and I started following Dave Ramsey's money management philosophy a few years back and it changed the way we look at our finances. If we want something, we make sure it's in our budget. The only debt we have is my student loans (which I'm working OT to get rid of) and the mortgage on our new home. We also research the crap out of things before we actually buy it to make sure we get the best price. I am a super low maintenance person (hubby thanks me for this all the time) so I would rather put my money in my Roth IRA before I go out and buy an expensive purse or shoes. Moral of the story: live as far below your means as you can possibly stand without eating top ramen for dinner every night. Unless you're just into top ramen, then have at it!

Cali has also been good to me! My stats are the same as yours except I work 3 12s a week. I live very comfortably in the East Bay Area with my husband and kids. We close on a new house next week and my student loans are next on my "to do" list. It's unfortunate that some areas in the country don't match that area's current cost of living. We work hard at what we do and deserve to get compensated well for our efforts.

I became a CNA in 2000 during my summer break from the university I was attending at the time. The program was 3 months long and I didn't have to miss any of my college course work at all because of when I took the CNA course. I also worked in my university's housing office at the same time during weekends so I could afford my rent and other expenses. Is this a lot to juggle all at once? Definitely yes but it was so worth it.

Yes this solves the problem for crushing pills but not for cutting them in halves or fourths with a pill cutter. I think every patient should have their own pill cutter.

Have you ever thought about taking a CNA course while you're saving up for nursing school? Working as a CNA will bring in solid money, give you lots of experience working with patients, and help you save money for your RN courses. Just a thought.

Your mom sounds like all her funds are strapped with all those mouths she has to feed! Give your mom a break. You should focus on finding the cheapest program available in your area and work a part-time job (or full-time if you can wing it) and pay for school yourself.

I am taking the class that starts on 2/29 also. Lets keep in touch!

THIS was the part in the series where I knew Jackie was gone and couldn't be helped. Her addiction had totally consumed her. It gave me chills when she tricked her sponsor and turned her in to rehab so that she would stay out of Jackie's way. Nurse Jackie was a GREAT series but I wish each episode was longer than 30 mins. The drama and laughs were plentiful and I loved every minute of it!

I had to leave the previous position because of the distance from my home and because I had no one to watch my kids at night (husband also worked nights). Because of these facts, I was eligible for unemployment benefits.

I have been in your shoes and I took the best way out for my situation, I resigned. It was the best thing I have ever done because I was able to stay home for 8 months and be a stay at home mom and wife. I was able to collect unemployment and we were fine. At the end of my time off, I got hired at my dream job in the perfect location. Sometimes you just have to leap out on faith. Good luck to you.

Is your birthday in January?

Take the money...I mean...the new job. :)

Congratulations to you! Sometimes we just have to make that leap of faith decision. I made mine back in May. I left a job that was too far from my home. I had been working for that hospital system for 8 years but it was time for me to go. Fast forward to October. I got the job I had been waiting for (for years) at a very prestigious hospital system in my area and it pays $20 more an hour than my last gig! I absolutely love my new role and I wouldn't have been where I am now without leaping out on faith.

I say take the route that fits into your personal financial plan. Take the ADN route if you are trying to keep your education costs low and stay out of debt. I would, however, suggest you secure a job within a hospital system (CNA would probably be best) sometime before you start the program as that will help your chances of getting hired after you graduate. You will most likely have to return to school (online programs can take as little as 9 months) to get your BSN but at least you will already have a job to pay for it. Most employers want nurses to have their BSN nowadays, especially here in California. The hospital I work for is Magnet status and they will hire ADNs with but you have to sign an agreement to get your BSN by your 4 year work anniversary. Good luck to you!

Yeah, it's difficult when you only have one day off between shifts. Do you work 8's?

Yes, this was definitely me! Although next time I'll have to wear dark sunglasses to complete my outfit lol.

This is so true! I just recently landed an awesome position on a progressive care unit (whoop whoop!) from 1900-0730. For orientation, I had to work two day shifts (today was my second day) and six night shifts. I forgot how much I despise waking up at 0430! I mean, who does that? Lol. The day shift staff at my new job is awesome and I will probably stay over for them when they need help but I CANNOT work during the day for an extended amount of time.

I left my last job because they kept scheduling me for weekends even though we were only required to work 4 weekend days every 6 weeks. At the interview I purposely let the panel know I could not work EVERY weekend and they agreed keep me at the minimum requirement. Well, that never happened. I was scheduled nearly every weekend despite talking to the scheduler and manager. Finally, my husband and I decided that I would resign. I stayed off from work for 8 months and during that time I worked on my RN to BSN. I recently started orientation at my dream job so I think everything worked out the way it was supposed to. Good luck!

I never really researched this topic but I figured there was some sort of genetic component involved in my nocturnal-ness (you like that word, don't ya lol). My dad is still a night owl in his early 70s and my little girl has earned mini night owl status. I think it's fascinating that some people have a completely flipped internal clock.

Lol @ "dayest shift ever!" It's funny because my husband is the opposite of me and works best in the day. He is a LEO and he recently tried a 6 month stint on nights (1800-1830) and he was not able to adjust very well. I have a 6 year old daughter that seems to be nocturnal like me and it is SO difficult to get her to sleep at night! Now I know how my parents must have felt when I was a kid!

It is a well known fact that some people are nocturnal by nature and I just so happen to be one of THOSE people. Of course I work on the night shift as an RN and I wouldn't have it any other way. Day shift gives me mental hives (yes, it's a real diagnosis...in my mind lol). I have always been more productive at night than I am in the day time and my husband looks at me sideways when I am in full house cleaning mode at midnight. I just came back from getting groceries and I got to the store at 2300. I put my wireless earbuds in my ears, turned on my tunes and danced my way through the aisles. I know some of the workers (and customers) were staring at me but it's all good! Anyone else full of energy after the sun goes down?

It's not? I beg to differ. A large part of what we do is teach. I hope you're referring to teaching students.

Studying with little ones around is NOT an easy thing to do. I started nursing school with a 2 (almost 3) year old and I was pregnant with my second child. My oldest never gave me problems so the first semester was easy to conquer. I delivered my second child during the first week of second semester and went back to class 6 days later. THANK GOD my newborn was a champ at switching from boob to bottle and sleeping through the night because I had to do a lot of handing her off to my husband or my mom so that I could get work done. It was difficult (physically and emotionally) and there were times I had to stay up really late to get things done. Many times, I would take all my study materials to Panera or Barnes and Noble to get away from the chaos of everyone needing me at home. Doing well in nursing school with little ones at home is not easy but it can be done with enough support and self-discipline. I made it through without repeating any semesters and you can too. Oh, and remember to make time to love on your babies every chance you get! Good luck to you!