sunny77

Thank you for your response, but have already checked all the community colleges and universities in my area. none offer anatomy only, they only offer A&P 1 and 2. That's why I am now looking for online courses. My top pick for grad school suggested I look for one online but I'm having trouble finding one by a simple Google search. The two I've found are $1800 which is a lot for one class but I'm willing to pay it if I cannot find a better option.

I also want to add, the cheaper the better! Grad school admission applications are looking to be a money hole ;-)

So I'm applying to Graduate school and one of my top choice has an 8 year limit for their prerequisites. Luckily, I took an advance physiology course last year just for a brush up. I need an Anatomy only course, I don't need a lab, and it can be online. It also needs to be from an accredited college. Any recommendations or suggestions are greatly appreciate!! Thanks!

I'm not going to tell you which job to take, only you know best. What I will say is from my own experience. I worked in rehab as a new nurse and learned a lot. I worked in a step down neuro floor and learned a lot. I did learn a lot more critical skills on the step down floor, however, going onto it I was already really good at basic skills like Foley insertion and managing NG/peg tubes (I learned a ton of tricks to unclog them ;-)). Additionally, in rehab I learned safe body mechanics and transferring techniques that have probably save my back. The ratios where higher when I worked in rehab since they where not a critical (not always ). I definitely learned a lot of time management skills in both ,but probably more in rehab. I liked rehab more overall because I got to see how well a patient progressed and I actually saw my nursing interventions work. I loved being able to encourage my patients who thought all hope was lost for a functional life, then seeing them leave rehab stronger. I also became very comfortable in dealing with hospice patients. Often little frail Grandma would come in and wouldn't progress in rehab and regress into further sickness. I became very familiar with the dying process which helps me tremendously where I work now. I'm currently in the ICU and I love it more than anything! It fits me, but what works for one nurse may make another miserable. No matter which you choose make it work and find the good in the role (even the crappy days and there will be some, especially as a new grad). Either way, you'll learn and grow as a nurse, if you let it.

In my Neuro/trauma ICU and all of the other ICUs in the hospital we have a two visitor policy and ask them to step out for an hour for shift change at 7am &7pm. We have a closed door that they have to get buzzed into. We also have a camera to see who is trying to get in to visit. Additionally, we don't allow children under 13 in and only one visitor can stay the night but are not allowed to sleep in the room. We have signs with our rules posted all around the unit. Unfortunately, these rules are regularly broken or not completely enforced. Some visitors follow behind a staff member to get in and frequently come back with more than 2 people. When I encounter someone who has had leniency with the rules I apologise and tell them that I don't make the rules and it is in their loved one's best interest. That usually works. I'm not one to be super strict on the two visitors rule if the patient may be dying but I let them know I am breaking the rules and respect the next nurse who may want only two. Our rooms are not big and I usually limit it to three or four. We also have two panic buttons on the unit which notifies security to come ASAP. I've only seen it used once for an irate family member. While these rules are often broken, it brings me some comfort knowing they are there and I can enforced them and use the "don't shoot the messenger" attitude. ;-) I would strongly encourage your work to have some rules in place for your safety and the safety of the patient. On a side note I also tell visitors not to over stimulate my patients and allow for rest. Often times we are doing q1h neuro cks and they need their rest in between.

My most single challenging time was studying all weekend for a test then that day I started working on a care plan and finishing up a paper ...I ultimately stayed up for 48 hours straight, got three hours of sleep, then went to clinical (which I really don't recommend clinical is where you could really harm a patient if you don't have complete focus, but I didn't have a choice that time)... I was the last one to get assigned a patient to do my care plan on (everyone else in my clinical group got theirs the day I toured the ICU) ...my paper was on a developmental center so I could only do the first part of my paper ahead of time and the rest I couldn't do until I actually went there (just happen to be the same week I got my assigned patient) To top it off this was the week before finals so I then study for my non-cumulative final for the next four days. The most challenging over all is family and friends that don't understand the time and energy nursing school takes from you... as the other have said the true friends will be there at the end Some tips: 1)study groups are great but should be more than two but less than five...two people may not know something that the third or forth person may know but it gets difficult to keep focus in a large group. 2)Get any assignments you can done ahead of time (I do some on my breaks) On the other hand, give yourself some down time every once in awhile (I had a nursing instructor tell me to take care of others you have to take care of yourself first) You can get burned out easily if you don't. 3)Not everything you learn in lab will be done in real life (you have to be flexible in situations, patients are variable, not everything will go as smoothly as it does in lab) 4)Breath in and out before check offs and don't stress out. You'll do fine as long as you studied (my hand was shaking so bad during my first check off the instructor helped hold my hand so I could get a blood pressure lol) My partner was a medical assistant and failed her blood pressure check offs because of her nerves. 5)Your not going to get A's on everything and it's not the end of the world...you can still be a good nurse if you get some B's ;)passing the course it what really counts My life has changed so much and you see the world so differently...It has been the hardest, most wonderful thing I've ever done ...If you want it bad enough you can do it...In the end, to be successful you have to sacrifice some things and have good time management...It has all paid off...I'll be done this April! Best of luck to you!