CrazyCoconut

Thanks for your detailed response. What happened then when you and the CM told the surgeons that? What is the hospital suppose to do when the family refused to learn? They have to pay for IVB Antibiotics?

Thank you. Without getting too detailed, its part of a government agency's assessment of the roles in the hospital. And no, it's not for accreditation or anything. It's more for surveying.

Hey Case Managers/LCSW/Social Workers, I was tasked with following the hospital case managers the other day. Looking, watching, and observing what they do. And I'm an excellent observer. Most were very busy and stressed because of high census. So I have a load of questions if you guys don't mind me asking. Fair warning, it's a bit but I hope you are able to share your info and thoughts. I would greatly appreciate it. 1. What are the most difficult insurances to work with? Easiest? How difficult is InterQual(?) when accounting insurance criteria? What do you have to do? 2. How do you determine Length of Stay and when to Discharge? Is it mainly by doctor's orders? What is considered sufficient? Do certain insurances require or allow you to a certain length of stay (Ex: Medicare, Humana, Aetna)? 3. How do you keep track with the Medicare Rights Message thing every 2 days? How do you keep in track of everything in general? 4. What is "Obs." and why does it cause CM's to go into a panic/headache when going to "Inpatient?" 5. What does "RW, BSC" mean? 6. Is obtaining the Advance Directive your job or the Social Worker's job? When do you normally have to get it by? 7. How do you know when to place a patient in SNF, LTAC, Home Health, Hospice, or Rehab? What example diagnoses would some patients fall under Hospice, SNF, etc? 8. Who collects "Durable Medical Equipment" or labs? Do you ever place orders for those or do the doctors do it and you get them? 9. Who are those Liaison people from different agencies and hospitals? Why are they at the hospital? When do you call them? 10. Can hospitals replace Durable Medical Equipment if more than 5 years old? Or is that the responsibility of the PCP? TIA.

2 years for ADN, 1 year for RN-BSN, 2 years for MSN. So 5 years in total. I suppose there are faster, accelerated routes but then, they cost a ton. $100K for BSN/NP is definitely not worth it, especially with the influx of new grad RN's/NP's I'm hearing about in California. Lots of competition. Same applies to lawyers and pharmacists. If you have that much debt and still looking for a job 6 months after graduation, you'd cry. I would still apply to those waitlist schools and also schools that use points system. The point system was how it all started for me.

My friends and I have found the ADN route to be the cheapest. In California, they would give us a tuition waiver if you were low income, so costs were extremely minimal. So the financial aid that came through would go to other things like rent and food. The cost of the program was more around $1000 for the 2 year program. Afterwards, some of us stayed in California and others went out of state. I myself went to TX and did an online RN-BSN for around $8K, scholarships and financial aid also covered that. My MSN now is around $12K and I had scholarships and tuition reimbursement cover that (no financial aid grants for grad school). All in, and assuming I received no aid of any kind, the ADN-MSN process for me would have cost around $21K. All in rapid succession, no breaks between the years. That's pretty cheap and quick as you can get without getting into 100K student loan debt, and the upside is extremely high with good salary and benefits. Don't bother with student loans, it's not worth the debt. And if you have to take out loans, take out only the federal subsidized loans, so no interest accrues while in school.

Geriatric because of the aging population and Acute Care gets my vote. HIGH need for them.

First time hearing about it. Hope you win your fight!

Great story!! A mighty congratulations to you for hanging through it all!

How much do these convention events cost usually? Is it like a 3-day pass for so-and-so amount?

No you made the right choice. Big Congratulations to you by the way.

Yes, there's nothing like waking up 4AM Sunday morning dressed in scrubs and ready to go to clinical because you thought it was your Monday AM shift.

I agree with Esme12. I just want to add to please seek student disability services at your school should you need it. They can accommodate your visual impairment with things such as text readers, text to speech, low vision aid software, and more. Also, buy those Croakies eyewear retainers that wrap around your neck to keep magnifiers and glasses within easy reach.

Congratulations RN!

Surprisingly, all borderline A's (there were no + or - thank goodness). I swear I got a few grey hairs though lol. Shoot for the A's to be competitive, as your peers who will be applying to the programs will likely have 4.0 GPA in these subjects.

Glad you found your classes. Just remember to do things at your own pace, since everyone's situation or circumstances are different (i.e. kids, etc). I remember when I did my pre-req's, I took a 4-week A&P I followed by a 4-week A&P II alongside 8-week Micro in a single semester. There were no other spots for 16-weeks and I had no other choice. So when I saw this thread title, I nearly shivered.

You're making a commitment and sacrifice when you go into nursing. I wish your friend all the best.

Hi everyone. I do not have this disability (I have POTS) but I want to let you know that the great thing about nursing is the flexibility of different positions and specialties. There are specialties in things I've never heard of. Keep fighting. You are not necessarily stuck with only hospital positions. :)

Wow! I have been busy these last few days but I did not expect such wonderful comments. I had to "Like" each one. Props to Joe V for allowing this to be an article. Having my story turn into an article was the last thing on my mind, all I wanted to do was share a success story with folks here on AN. This is great! It seems like more people with dysautonomia/POTS are coming forth. @GitanoRN - Wow, an official staff Guide for allnurses.com? Thank you, that really means alot to me. I am going to send PM's to the posters who mentioned having dysautonomia/POTS and will provide some helpful resources and support. Some of you seem to have it managed well, so that's great news!

Hello, unfortunately I won't be qualified enough to answer those questions nor do I know any nurses with CP but I do know that you need to get a physical done once accepted. Also, don't be afraid to seek out help at the disability student services at your college. I'm sure they can help some.

Thank you!! :) Certainly, POTS is a challenge but I have it somewhat managed. I thank nursing school for that, it's taught me well on management and interventions of various diseases. It's now slowly becoming recognized as a problem. I know that places like Cleveland, Vanderbilt and Mayo Clinic are trying to find out more about it in studies so I have high hopes. In fact, I hope to participate in one myself - whether the treatment works or not, I just want to help out my fellow POTsies. By just mentioning it on this site, I aim to spread knowledge about it to people, nurses, and other health care professionals. Awareness is power!

Thank you Esme12 and debilpn23!!! Special thanks to the people in this thread. Your advice and words of encouragement empowered me! Esme12, elkpark, VivaLasViejas, adnrnstudent, Jeanette73, puravidaLV, lmccrn62, Jory, and jadelpn.

Just wanted to post back on this thread. I did well on the NCLEX-RN and got my license in the mail today. I had no accommodations and just took it with a confident attitude that almost scared me because I'm normally not that confident! Thank you everyone, you all are amazing supporters and I just love this website. Posted a new thread about my story: https://allnurses.com/general-nursing-discussion/nurse-pots-disability-884729.html#post7580637I am now CrazyCoconut, RN!!!!

Today, I want to announce to everyone here that I'm thankful for everyone's tips, advice, suggestions, and so much more on this great website. I don't know how I would have gone through my struggles without AllNurses.com, it's such a great place for everything nursing related. Well, I finally got in the mail my RN License and I went jumping for joy, down my neighborhood. The feeling was surreal, seemed so out of this world. But prior to all this, I was struggling with an unknown disability throughout nursing school. I knew I wasn't the best student in theory, but I worked hard and delivered for my patients no matter what in clinical. Several times, I would get primary syncope and orthostatic intolerance, intense flushing, brain fog, headaches, IBS, sleep apnea, felt like I had to manually breathe, and a slew of other problems. It just came out of nowhere. Before taking the NCLEX-RN, in April I went to the physician to ask for Special Accommodations but got shot down, because he was afraid the Accommodations would affect my job eligibility so he refused. A few people on this site agreed as well. I wrote about that in this post here: Dr refuse to sign accommodations for NCLEX. At this point, I was thinking "Great, I have health issues, but can't get extended time or help." Flash forward to October and I was diagnosed with POTS, or Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome - just a little over a week before my NCLEX. POTS is a little known autonomic nervous system dysfunction that primarily causes orthostatic intolerance (Bear in mind OI has been well known for years), where the person's position change from supine to standing would cause either high or low BP and intense tachycardia. There's also decreased cerebral blood flow, which explains brain fog. But it also comes with a lot of other symptoms and conditions like IBS. Thinking like a nurse, I wore an abdominal binder, medical grade compression stockings, and put myself on a high Na diet with lab work done periodically - before the doctors even suggested those ideas. ? So there I was, with an NCLEX in a week, sick, having some financial problems, had people doubting that I couldn't pass because of my condition, and the all too familiar creeping anxiety after finding out the diagnosis - a diagnosis that has plagued me all these years. But do you know what? I refused to give up or re-schedule my test. I refused to get special accommodations. I refused to give in to this disease. I chose to fight on. 3 days before the exam, I went on a break, went shopping, worked out, had fun with the family. The night before, I prepared my clothing, breakfast, faced the alarm clock the other way, did a little prayer, and somehow, went to sleep. That was surprising that morning I woke up because I normally stay up all night due to anxiety and insomnia. Whether it was the alarm clock technique or the little prayer that did it for me, I truly don't know. But I walked out on the NCLEX at 80-or so questions and a smile on my face. Went home, took a nap, and did the Pearson Vue Trick - got the good pop up! I defied my disability without help and turned away my doubters. I did it. Today, reflecting on my history, my struggles, the license I now hold in my hand, and a job offer already, I just wouldn't want my story to end in any other way. This was my very own personal underdog story and I want to share this with all my fellow pre-nursing students, nursing students, fellow nurses disabled or not, and human beings in general. ? I don't know what awaits me in this new upcoming chapter in my life, but I hope to count this story as one of the many countless success stories here on allnurses.com. Thank you all.

If you think bodily fluids and stool are bad, wait until you see a maggot infestation in a human. But if you intend to enter the health care field, you are bound to see EVERYTHING as the years go by. There is no avoiding it. Even the clinics see gross stuff here and there. I agree with trying out CNA to see if you like it.

The current 5 percent rule for foreigners won't cut it. Wealthy foreigners have, for a long time, "bought their way" into the system, just like wealthy Americans (See Steve Jobs) seeking donated American organs. Likewise, the same can be said for countries like China where foreigners also "buy" into the system for organ procurement (and Americans are also guilty of this). Money and influence is power. And the poor and unfortunate are the ones left to suffer. It's the way of this world.