rykki

This may not be the most cost-effective solution, but if you really can't find anything out there you can always go to a tailor and have 'em made specially for you.

Who here is considering the Rosalind Franklin campus for Fall?

@mdecas, Here's a link that will answer your question, if you haven't already come across it. https://allnurses.com/clinical-nurse-specialists/ms-nursing-vs-374354.html

I don't think it would be helpful, but I guess it also depends on the person. However, I can say with confidence that quality sleep >>> listening to lectures during sleep. You want to wake up refreshed and recharged so that your mind is sharp and you can function at your best.

@mdecas, Thank you your post was very helpful! It was reassuring to hear that DePaul has a good reputation and that alumni were able to find work. If my situation allows it, I'd like to find an apartment in Lincoln Park or a few stops away on the red line. I've been browsing Craigslist just to get an idea of what's out there for the area and it seems pretty pricey. I'd have to find a/some roommate(s) but am kinda not looking forward to searching for strangers. @oh191, I'm sorry we haven't been able to PM each other. I'd still like to join you for the tour tomorrow, so if it's still on I will show up at the nursing school at the time you mentioned! Look forward to meeting ya.

@ OP, I respect your right to have different opinions and priorities than me. You do what you gotta do! :)

Do most hospitals make you buy a specific uniform? Or do they have some guidelines but you can choose your own? I've seen hospitals where everyone wears the same dark blue, grey, or light blue scrubs (colors for coding professions) and others were everyone has on different teddy bear print, festive, random pattern, etc. scrubs.

Wow, congratulations @mdecas! I'd like to hear more about what you have to say about DePaul; I'm very curious. Is housing easy to find around there? Is it affordable?

Thank y'all for your support. I didn't mean to propagate a certain (and very archaic) stereotype, it's just that all the nurses I've interacted with were a very specific way which got me worried, even though intellectually I know there is variety out there somewhere. And just to clarify, I didn't mean I thought I had to call the patients "honey," I was just illustrating a certain personality type. Yeah, I guess what it all comes down to is if your heart is in the right place, the rest are just the details you can work out.

I couldn't agree with this thread more! I am so so so tired of this sentiment, it's wearing me down. My family thinks it's "such a shame" that I'm "wasting" my "med school grades" on nursing. In their eyes, healthcare, nay the world, is a hierarchy and nursing is a tier below doctors. Now, I'm going to get a lot of flack for this next bit, but I'm gonna ask anyway. Being an RN is obviously different than being an MD/DO, but what can you say to people who ask you, "If you want to be an NP, why don't you just become a doctor?" Okay, obviously they are not the exact same thing (e.g. years of education required, cost of program, scope of practice... etc.) but as far as their functional roles go, besides the very important fact that the NP profession is a necessity for providing affordable healthcare, NPs are like doctor's with their wings clipped. So, why don't you (I'm asking you guys personally) go for MD/DO instead? Is it the nursing model/philosophy of health that you like? Is it the lifestyle it provides? Etc... Okay, that sounded really bad, but I hope you all understand what I'm trying to say.

I'm not what you'd call "motherly." I'm not one of those girls that goes all gooey around babies or talks to kids in cute voices. I also don't call people "honey" or things like that when talking to them. And I probably wouldn't do too well in a sorority. I'd say if nurses were in Hufflepuff, I'd be in Ravenclaw. If nursing was a pastel color, I'd be a bright electric blue. But I want to go into nursing. I've done the research, interviewed many nurses, and shadowed an NP. I want to go into nursing and am confident I have the brains and that my heart's in the right place, but from the research I've done I'm scared my personality type won't be a good fit. Thoughts? Thank you.

xkcd: Dreams Everyone should read this comic. I believe it is pertinent to the conversation. I'm sure after reading, some of you will scoff at the idea of how stripping can be anyone's dream, but burlesque is now considered more on the art end of the spectrum than just your run-of-the-mill stripping. She clearly enjoys what she is doing, so I would call it a "dream" (she says as much in the article). Anyway, she has her head on her shoulders and knows what she's doing (I mean, she is after all maintaining almost a perfect GPA!). So if she wants to dance, then we should "let" her dance without everyone in the peanut gallery being "concerned" for her and her future job prospects. I would rue the day I actively censor myself in my private life after work hours have ended. I say do what you want (short of bringing harm to a patient) and let the chips fall where they may. She'll figure out a way to live the life she wants, yo.

@ KC9485, Yes, you do receive a master's in nursing upon graduation from DePaul's program. The advantage of a masters vs an accelerated or associate's in nursing is obviously the difference in pay (maybe not right away, but overall in your career). Besides that, you will have a better time finding a job upon graduation with a master's than with just an associate's. Also, it will prepare you for if/when you want to pursue advanced practice nursing. And the time difference between a masters vs. an accelerated is only by a few/several months, so I personally believe it's worth it unless you are really in a time crunch to graduate. As for NP programs that aren't at the doctorate level, it is to my understanding that they will be "grandfathered in." The other answers to your question you can just easily Google. Just so you know, this is based on the info I've gathered after research, I am not a seasoned nurse with years of experience.

@oh191, I submitted my intent to enroll form online and nowhere in the packet or online did it mention a deposit. Unless I just completely missed it! Also, I'm sorry if you tried PM-ing me, it's not working for me at the moment. I would love to join you for the tour on the 22nd at 2pm. Are you meeting in the Welcome Center @ 2400 N. Sheffield Ave?

@sweetie23, I got all my applications in the day before the deadline! I got an e-mail and received the packet almost a week later. @baystudent, Ah okay. I was just thinking about the other direct entry MSN programs in Chicago, which are around the same price (I think). @oh191, Yes please! It'd be great to meet someone before the program starts. So are you set on going to DePaul? And what time on the 22nd?