DeLySh

Do you really think that any money I have (or anything else I have) is a result of luck? I worked really hard and sacrificed much so that I could be lucky. FWIW, I believe that to get "my money's worth" out of any insurance I have, that they cover, at least somewhat, a condition that I am afflicted with. UHC will most probably not cover me but I would still be required to participate and my freedom of choice is reduced or eliminated. To me, that is not fair or reasonable. Right now about 35% of my paycheck is taken away from me and used for whatever the gov't wants. On top of that, I pay for health insurance. When I use my health insurance, I get to pay a co-pay for what I need and have to fulfill a deductible. The health insurance I pay for is of my choosing. I can pay for it or not through my employer or I can buy a personal policy. With this freedom, I can choose one that might cover my affliction. With UHC, that choice will be taken away and I will still be required to pay out of my wages. Because I am so lucky and have no reason to want to keep any of the money I earn, I would pay a larger percentage than some others. On topic: In order to keep the people happy, I fully believe that the costs of healthcare will be manipulated to keep them low. In order to do that, salaries will have to come down because that is the easiest thing to control. I do not trust the gov't, or anyone who might be in the decision making chair, to think of people like me when they make these choices.

This is where I have a problem. It would be nice if everyone were to contribute, but as it stands now in this country, those with families (read: only people with minor children) and lower incomes pay next to nothing in taxes (some even get more money back) but use the most resources. So using this model, as the gov't often does, I would still be paying for far more than I could possibly use and have to deal with the realities that I think UHC will bring (ie ... only certain conditions covered, larger deductibles for those with higher incomes and such.) I just can't afford that and I think it's unreasonable to require that I give a larger portion of my (very hard earned) income than others. It concerns me quite a bit that I will still be penalized for being a responsible citizen.

i believe llu is one of the best programs out there. they truly care about your success while not babying you at the same time. there is a way to work everything out if need be. i took the nclex in feb 2007 before graduation and passed with 75 questions. they just started incorporating the kaplan study course into the regular curriculum to help the students pass. it doesn't cost anything extra and their pass rate is climbing rapidly. you will get out of it as much as you put in and i think that's true of anywhere. but all things considered i think i made the right choice in going to llu and encourage you to seriously consider it. if you can, go down to the school on wednesday and look around. talk to people on campus. attend the chapel service at 8am to see what it's like. and feel free to ask me anything you like. i love talking about this program. it has changed my life for the better in so many ways. good luck! delysh

yams, I didn't receive an email but feel free to ask here. Is there something specific you wanted to know that I haven't addressed, yet? I am still a student there, only now I'm in the graduate program. Just let me know. Good luck! DeLySh

In school we were told that it was our preference to aspirate or not. But (here comes a dumb question I never thought to ask) what do you do if you aspirate and get blood? Do you readjust your needle or remove and use a new needle or remove and use a new everything?

Ok. This is something that has confused me for a while and I've never gotten an answer. Does the other laboring woman get charged for the tray she never even laid eyes on? And if her stay is covered by her insurance company, don't they get charged ultimately? Wouldn't that be considered insurance fraud? Not being cheeky, just really want to know! Thanks, DeLySh

Wow!!

You are very welcome. I apologize for the length but I am really passionate about the program. As for the essay, just write from the heart. That's exactly what I did. They are trying to get a feel for who you are and if you can put a sentence together. I can tell from your responses here you won't have any trouble with the essay at all. Good luck and take care. DeLySh

Aleks, I definitely feel that it was worth it!!! I already had a BA in Biology so I was able to bypass much of the bachelor's requirements as I had already completed them. I started the program in January 2005 and finished in June of 2007. I took a class in the Summer of 2005 and took a leave of absence in Spring of 2006 and still finished on time. If you are creative and willing to work you can finish earlier. They make a generic schedule out for the students so they know what to take next and for the most part it's a good idea to follow. You can't take some classes out of order, like Med/Surg II before Med/Surg I. But, if you can handle the workload you can take more than what they suggest during certain quarters. For instance, I took Research with Critical Care and took Epidemiology over the summer. It made life much easier in the end. As far as hospital hours, that depends on what class you are taking. Fundamentals was two 6-7 hour days. But we also had skills lab and that took another day, just not in the hospital. Other quarters you have multiple classes that you go to the hospital for. OB had a full 9 hour day and Peds had a full 9 hour day. Do you see what I mean? Toward the end you schedule your own clinical time based on the requirements for the class. (Keep in mind that none of this includes pre and post conferences) I had full weeks but always had at least one day off including weekends (until the end). Friday classes are completed by noon every week so that they can prepare for the Sabbath that begins at sundown. Therefore, the entire school, library and such, shuts down until Monday. (Sometimes, Sunday) Does that help? Please apply. You won't regret it. DeLySh

I spent roughly $55,000 at Loma Linda to complete the program. I started in January of 2005 and finished in June of 2007, took a class over one of the summers and took Spring of 2006 off for personal reasons. I already had a BA in Biology when I started so I really only had to complete the nursing courses and requisite religions and statistics lab. There is no waiting list. I did not feel as though my personal faith was ever in question or frowned on nor did I feel that I was being actively recruited to the SDA faith. They base their beliefs on this church but mostly focused on Christ and His teachings. It was nice. I haven't started my first job as a new grad yet (I will start in Aug) but I got hired at the medical center quickly. This was partly due to their preference to hire from the School of Nursing and because I was able to do my student preceptorship (or practicum) in the unit I wanted to work for so they knew me and my work habits well. I am nervous about starting to work as a new RN but I think that comes with the territory no matter where you go to school. (I am comforted by the fact that I know the unit and I will be starting with a 5 month orientation program.) Also, I passed the NCLEX with 75 questions as did many of my classmates. So, yes, I feel as prepared as I'm ever gonna get. DeLySh

Tazzi, I'm not exactly sure, but, it was explained to me that they are stimulants in some way. (I'm still confused.) Maybe someone else can answer that question more accurately. I never felt as though the religion was pushed on me at all. It was more focused on Christianity than soley an SDA belief system. They do reference the religion but that was about it. I didn't feel any pressure to conform or convert. The experience was a very positive one. DeLySh

I just graduated on June 10th, 2007. I didn't live on campus (as many of the students didn't) and I don't subscribe to the SDA belief system (I am Catholic) but it was a fabulous program. Yeah, it was expensive but I forged such strong bonds with many of the instructors that I will never be sorry I went there. For example, just before critical care, I had a terrible event happen in my life and had to take a leave of absence for a quarter. The assistant dean dropped me from my classes and made sure I got a refund on my tuition. A few weeks later, I received a huge gift basket and floral arrangement from the faculty to my home. I was overwhelmed! They were so wonderful to me and it just wasn't when big things were happening. A friend of mine was having financial difficulty when her car broke down. It was her sole transportation. The school found some emergency money to help her fix her car so that she could continue in her studies. The faculty makes sure to know who you are and they greet you in the halls when they pass. They stop and ask how your quarter is going and how life is. The majority of them try to make a difference and it shows. They take an interest in their students. We are not just a paycheck to them. Asking for references was a piece of cake because they knew me. The program was tough but not unmanageable. For more than half of it, I had at least one job (for about six months, I had two) in addition to carrying a full load. They really try to get you as many experiences in clinical as possible. They try to make the most of your time in school. Yes, it is true that you are required to attend chapel once a week on Wednesdays but even that wasn't terrible. The chapels are nice and are less than an hour. They are built into the school's schedule on Wednesdays. Many times it's like a school assembly where much information is given or they have fantastic speakers to inspire you for the week. If you don't have any classes on Wednesdays, you can apply to be excused for the quarter. I didn't like taking the extra religion courses on top of the nursing curriculum, but there were only two and they were interesting. One of them, I spent the quarter volunteering at the local Blood Bank and had to respond to a book we had to read. That was the whole class! Another religion class I took consisted of 2 hours of lecture with a quiz at the end of each class once a week. That was it. There are many classes to choose from and you can find one to fit your interests. We pray before every class. If you don't want to participate, you just bow your head and be quiet. They feed you a lot during the quarter but there is no caffeine, pepper, mustard or meat on campus. But many leave campus for lunch, no problem. No one complains if you bring your meat/caffeine/pepper/mustard lunch to school with you and store it in the student kitchen. (I was often seen with a Dr. Pepper in one hand and many others brought Starbucks every morning.) I hope this helps. Let me know if you have any additional questions. DeLySh

I just graduated from Loma Linda University. What would you like to know? DeLySh

You know, that makes a lot of sense but is no excuse. I just don't get a CEO that won't come out of his/her office to see what is going on in the business he/she is running. Makes no sense to me. How can he/she make any informed business decisions without knowing what is going on downstairs? I guess I'll just be baffled forever. Very sad. DeLySh

um ... ok I guess it's the teller's responsibility to make sure the bank's CEO knows, too? Why is the healthcare field sooooooooooooo different when it comes to business as compared to corporate America? DeLySh

My first question is how do you get started? Do you get a huge group of nurses together and pool $$ for the building and start up costs? Do you have to form a corporation and get a loan or ??? I'm totally serious because this CAN become a reality. How does one get started on this road? DeLySh

I know this will probably ruffle a few feathers but I wanted to jump in with a different point of view. From an employer's point of view, the more you call out, the more unreliable you become. The employer is running a business and, yes, they have to understand that the employees are human and will get sick but they also have to understand how the business suffers when employees are unreliable. (I am not talking about your competence as a nurse but your reliability to be there when you agreed to be.) From the employers standpoint, you have worked there in a per diem role for 9 months and have missed 7 times. Even though you weren't notified that you would be written up, you have to know that your employer might start looking at you as an unreliable employee. It sucks on both sides of the coin. If your current manager/director sees you this way and passes the information on to the next one when you apply for a new position within the same organization, the new manager/director may be very hesitant to take you on as they may be concerned with your reliability. Does that make sense? I know I wasn't there and can't possibly know all aspects of your situation and I know that sometimes absences can't be helped, but can you see how the employer might view it? I don't think they mean their actions as a way to get back at you or to punish you forever and I would bet that if you were to keep your absences to a very minimum for a while, you would be as good as new. As for the employers who get on their employees for one or two absences, well, I'll keep my nastiness to myself. Take care and good luck.

Do you have to memorize them? I just read the labels. Sorry I couldn't be of more help. DeLySh

Thank you both very much. You know, yesterday was the first time I actually felt useful as a student. I always feel as if I'm in the way of the real nurses. Yesterday was so different. It was a sad day but also a very rewarding experience. :) DeLySh

I used to be worried about that too. Last year, my baby died shortly after birth. It was the first body I had ever seen and touched. Holding her and knowing that she was a person made something in me change. I'm doing my practical elective in the NICU right now. Yesterday, one of the babies died. Although I was not working with him when he died, my preceptor allowed me to help with post-mortem care. I kept thinking back to my experience a year ago and just kept in my mind what would help this mother and father get through this horrible time in their lives. I made a bracelet with the baby's name on it, prepared the memorial box with keepsakes in it (footprints, clothes the baby wore, a ceramic heart for mom, socks, binky, comb, etc..) and helped the nurse dress and take pictures of the baby. I was also the one who took out all the IV's and removed the tape and band-aids and cleaned him up. We put baby lotion on his skin so mom could remember his smell and combed his hair. We talked to him the whole time. I just wanted that mom to be able to see her baby as a baby, even if he had already gone to heaven. It was a very special and healing day for me and I will no longer fear it. Just remember that this person was loved by someone and that this person deserves dignity. It will do wonders for your psyche while you take final care of them. DeLySh

i'm really curious to know how this dollar amount for each family represents a percentage of their annual income. i don't doubt that the hagen family would love to be getting the same break at the same dollar amount but that would be a much more significant percentage of their annual income where it may represent a much smaller percentage of the rumsfeld family's income, don't you think?

Do you think that Press Ganey does surveys on themselves? I would imagine not. What would happen if the front line staff went ahead and offered their own opinions via email or telephone calls directly to Press Ganey to let them know how effective their services really are??? Just a thought.

WOW!!! Thanks for the info. You guys really cleared things up for me. Take care, DeLySh

They don't??????? How come?

Thank you, Helix. That really confused me. I didn't think anyone was requiring bachelor's degrees. Thank you, again, for clearing that up for me!!! DeLySh