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I recently finished 1/4th of my BSN and completed my first clinical at a LTC facility, which I loved. In the past two weeks I started working as a CCA in another LTC facility in a casual position. The facility has 8 wings with 24 in each. I had a great time during clinical, I had no problem managing patient load or doing care for people that required full assistance and a lift into their w/c and didn't have dementia. But I only had to care for two people. Now working as a cca, i'm very overwhelmed and most of my shifts have been on the dementia units. What i'm finding hard about the job is the patient load, I don't know my residents, I don't know their care plan, their triggers, or basic things like can they get out of their w/c to toilet and then walk to bed. I do ask questions, but sometimes you're just by yourself and have no one to ask. My most overwhelming shift so far was an evening shift where 20 dementia residents had to be put to bed, and given their night lunch. I was the only cca on the floor and the LPN was passing out meds. We had to pull CCAs from different floors to come help me put 2 person assists and lifts to bed. As a new CCA this was a lot to take in. If anyone has any suggestions or tips on how I can manage this load, please let me know.

Or I can try and work both jobs because the hours are so uncertain

I just finished 1/4th of my BSc nursing degree. I just received two casual job offers from ltc in my area. One is where I had my clinical, and i loved working there. It's a small facility ~60 residents, but it is a new building, and they practice Eden philosophy. The other facility is a large chain facility, they have over 150 residents, it is a new facility, and they practice a client-centered focus. Both offers, offer the same pay, both casual. I feel if i take the offer from the larger facility i might get more hours, however, i know the facility i did my clinical at has really good staff retention. I've heard good things about both places, however, somethings about the larger facility made me question it. Anyone know of any questions that I can ask that might set the two apart ?

I just finished 1/4th of my BSc nursing degree. I just received two casual job offers from ltc in my area. One is where I had my clinical, and i loved working there. It's a small facility ~60 residents, but it is a new building, and they practice Eden philosophy. The other facility is a large chain facility, they have over 150 residents, it is a new facility, and they practice a client-centered focus. Both offers, offer the same pay, both casual. I feel if i take the offer from the larger facility i might get more hours, however, i know the facility i did my clinical at has really good staff retention. I've heard good things about both places, however, somethings about the larger facility made me question it. Anyone know of any questions that I can ask that might set the two apart ?

prepare some frozen meals and start cataloging recipes. Where I live students get a 10% discount on their groceries so I make my weekly meal plan and buy for the week. This has been a huge $ saver and time saver!

Oh? so in lecture the teacher would demonstrate how to conduct the assessment? Our method is very to the book literally. Read the book before class (which is fine), lecture consists of a teacher reading from their slides with the aid of anatomy diagrams - no interaction, then i'll watch skills video before lab, once in lab the lab instructor will talk about the skills we will perform in lab, and will preform a quick example. I'm thinking it will be hard to wrap my head around until clinical starts, hopefully things will click more then. I'm having trouble figuring out land marks, what to feel for, listen for, and if I'm doing things right.

I am currently taking nursing health assessment that uses a body systems approach at University (BSc). Every week we have a two hour class followed by a 2 hour lab to practice these skills. I'm finding a couple of things frustrating about this course 1) My lab professor (she is a prof for a class section) is usually 15-20 min late starting lab 20-25 minutes past our start time 2) the lab contains 30 other students with one to two student assistants with no skills check off at the end of class. Therefore, we have little clarification if we're doing the skills right and not enough time to practice our skills (usually 20-40 minutes). I am just curious how other school teach assessment skills? What are their lab teacher vs. student ratio? And how much time a week their labs are? Lastly, I don't know if I should contact my lab professor via email, speak to her directly, or contact my student rep regarding class starting on time. It just feels taboo to speak to her about tardiness. Thanks!

My method of note taking can be very time consuming but it works for me. Before class I download the course pwr pts. and print off all of the slides that contain pictures, diagrams, and lots of notes. I then cut out those notes and write down each slide and place the printed material accordingly. When in class I record the lecture, write notes where the prof expands on the material and write more notes/review when i get home. I find that this book idea helps to keep me organized and keeps me pay attention in class. So far so good 90's !

Dang I was hoping it that would look desirable. Thanks for the input.

people that went or are going through nursing school. Some of them are working nurses now but give tips on different subjects as well!

Thanks for all of the replies. I guess all of the time I spent studying and going to my study group has paid off! A+ on both recent midterms!! I am so pleased with myself! I think i'll have an easier time now studying because I know how the profs test and what they want focus on.

I am just starting my 4 year program BSc Nursing Degree and I have no idea exactly where I will ultimately end up... Maybe oncology ? nicu? L&D? I started to think about getting my Yoga Teacher Training and teach a class or two a week and hopefully work a shift as a nursing aid once a week while in school. I am wondering if I can use yoga as a tool while working as an RN or even nursing aid ? - Breathing techniques ? - stretching ? stress reducer ? And does this skill entice future employers?

I just started my 4 year BSN program and i'm currently taking 3 courses: Physiology, anatomy, and nursing foundations (I had courses transfer from a previous degree, hence the lighter course load). I don't know what it is, but I feel as though i'm either not studying efficiently enough or there is just that much work to do in a&p courses. I'm always trying to pre-read before class (which i've recently put on the back burner due to time), listen to lectures while rewriting my notes (i've recently started to print out the lecture pwr pt and glued them into my note book + chapter text info for time management), and re-reading notes while on the bus. I take breaks while studying to increase my concentration, I wake up early to study, and I go to bed early because I can't study past 9:30pm. After all of that I still feel behind! I was really hoping to have time to start looking for a part-time job, however, it's time consuming to look for a job. I don't want to compromise my studies looking for a job so when I do take the time to look for jobs/write a cover letter I feel very guilty for not studying. SO is it just me, or is there really that much work in those two courses?

I never watched any Permisson ToBe U! I looked her up and she has some great videos! I also watch Empowern. I recently purchased her A&P study guide which I'm currently testing her study methods, hopefully they help!

I thought this could be a fun topic... Something I've become addicted to is watching youtube videos that relate to nursing career/school. What are your favorite channels for nursing related topics (skills, advice, school help, etc) or a video that inspires you to get through school?

I'll be starting nursing school in September. I can currently working for a company on contract which will end this December (started working there 4 mons ago and note that this position is in the enviro field and I have my Bsc. Enviro). The actual contract is very bare bones, no end date listed or time frame, nothing about notice for quitting or if they let me go. I have not told my employer that I will be going back to school (or even thinking about it) for fear of getting let go early (our office has not been busy). I was going to give my notice 2 wks before school started but my boss will be on vacation that week. My choices are: give 1.5 wks notice, or 3.5 weeks notice and run the risk of getting let go. Has anyone been in the same situation? how did your employer take your career change? Did you tell them in advance you were changing careers? Any advice would be much appreciated! ps. not sure if usa laws are different than canada's, but in my province you can give 1 wks notice if you worked for a company for 3mons-2 yrs

Thanks for sharing your story with me, it's always so inspiring to hear another person's journey and to know you're not alone in this. I'm trying to cut my spending too to save up but it has been hard due to "bumps" in my employment history. Just thinking about buying school and clinical gear makes me cringe a little. What has been the biggest cost savings to your budget ? (other than eating out - it's a easy budget killer)

I'm Canadian and unfortunately my degree did not provide me with enough required credits (a&p, bio chem, micro bio) to apply to the 2 year program in my Province. I did apply for the 3 year accelerated program but I did not hear back yet. So that leaves me with taking the 4 year BScN program, which is not too bad because i'll have more time to work and hopefully study (that's what I keep on telling myself). Next winter I will apply to the 2 year accelerated program because I will have completed the 4 courses I was previously missing.

At age 25 (soon 26 ), I decided to switch careers and even though I've accepted that fact, I still get those freak out moments where I say to myself "I can't believe I'm doing this; should I be doing this?". The answer, "yes", usually comes to me after I calm myself down and think about the career I'm leaving and the reasons why it does not make me happy and why I "think" nursing will make me happy, both in the short-term and long-term. My career as an Environmental Scientist, is soon coming to an end. I thoroughly enjoyed my B.Sc ENVS degree and learning about the earth systems, it is just that the career did not translate over. I always thought my ideal career would be project manager or business development, something with people but still touched upon the science. The climb to get to that position was not what I thought it would be and I soon realized that my ENVS career was limiting. My job quickly turned into contracts lasting 4-8 months with no work in the winter. Being on EI was not something I enjoy after working so hard to get my degree. That coupled with seclusion (or that is how it would feel while working in the field), and endless report writing and data crunching, I felt unfulfilled. I started to think of new careers, nursing always stood out to me as something I wanted to do, but I thought it was unattainable. So I applied and was accepted! I start this September and as I previously stated I still get those freak out moments. I can't believe I'm going back to school for another 3-4 years, but it will be worth it I tell myself. There is a lot that interests me about the nursing profession - working with people, health centered jobs, patient care, and most of all feeling like I'm providing someone with compassion and empathy when they need it the most. And of course I can't complain about better pay compared to what I'm making now and the mobility of the job (but that is NOT the big driver). In less than a month I will be quitting my current work contract and hitting the books. Quitting my job is a big of a stressor for me because I just don't know how my boss will react or if i'll be asked to leave right away. I hate the idea of quitting a contract, even though when I accepted the position (hey a girl has to work) I still was on the fence about going back to school. Did anyone have to quit a contact due to school ? How did your boss react? Thanks for listening

I recently been accepted into a BScN program and will start this fall. I was wondering how much "mental math" is usually required in school and the profession... I'm a very visual learner and have to work out math with pen and paper. Also for the past.... decade or so i've become rusty with mental calculations (yes +/-/x and division) as I now rely on the calculator. Will my calculator dependance and visual learning style hinder my progression throughout school? Should I spend my free time, now, before school practicing calculations in my head and conversions etc? Does anyone know of a good practice book?

I recently been accepted into a BScN program and will start this fall. I was wondering how much "mental math" is usually required in school and the profession... I'm a very visual learner and have to work out math with pen and paper. Also for the past.... decade or so i've become rusty with mental calculations (yes +/-/x and division) as I now rely on the calculator. Will my calculator dependance and visual learning style hinder my progression throughout school? Should I spend my free time, now, before school practicing calculations in my head and conversions etc? Does anyone know of a good practice book?

I am at a crossroads in my life. I graduated from university 1.5 years ago with a BSc in Environmental Science with Co-op. It is very hard to get a full time job in my province in the environmental field, as I have worked 2 contract jobs since graduation. My boyfriend and I moved away two years ago to work in Alberta and we both hated it. We realized that we wanted to be close to our families and maybe.. one day rasie a family in my home province. Since graduation we both moved back to my home town and we both found employment. That being said, most of my work has been contract work, working outside completing various vegetation, bird, and site surveys. I am starting to find this work boring, unsatisfying, and there is a lack of human interaction. In addition, I really don't like to sit in front of a computer all day entering data, writing reports and not feeling rewarded. That is why for the past year and a bit i've been seriously considering nursing as a career. My consideration for becoming a nurse ranges from the obvous - there are more jobs than the environmental field, better pay, scheduled hours (environmental fieldwork can be weather dependant and you may not get a day off for weeks), working hands on with patients, learning about the human body, and job satifaction by helping people and hopefully making a difference. And the not so obvous reason is that my mother had ovarian cancer while I was growing up, I helped take care of her a lot throughout her illness. When she went on pallitive I dropped out of school to take care of her, I was her main care provider while my father was working. Although this was the toughist time in my life, I really enjoyed taking care of her, talking to the nurses and doctors, and addministering her medication. I know caring for your parent is different than caring for a patient, but I can't help a feeling that this is something I want to persue. I never had the grades from high school, or confidence to go into nursing off the bat, but since I recieved my BSc, my gpa was a 3.3/4.0 and I now have the marks to get into nursing school. However, the thought of going back into a 4, or perhaps 3 calendar year program bothers me. (I can't get into a 2 year program because I don't have all of the pre-reqs) Plus the thought of paying for 3-4 years tuition scares me a little. I guess I was looking for some advice, guidance, or if anyone had an experience similar to mine let me know! lastly, I am wondering if anyone grew up with a sibling or parent that was ill and if caring for a family member transitioned over to caring for a patient? Thank you !!!