Fireman767

As someone said, just because theyou take new grads doesn't mean jump on it. It is very rough to work in an er as a new rn. I was a floor rn for 1.5 years and I moved to the er, and I still feel unprepared at times. I also came from an emt background as well. If this is your first position and you lack experience there, tread carefully. Gain experience, learn the field and how to treat people because er is a different beast than floor nursing. Just remember, just as easy as it was to get the license it's equally easy to lose it. In the er we don't use as much fancy equipment as on the floors. We mix our own mess and antibiotics, we push mess running on a verbal order from a doctor without having it checked by a pharmacist. Very easy to make mistakes if your not careful, especially if you lack the experience of working as a nurse and learning the basics first. Just don't lose your license in the process of jumping right to the er

Hey, I'm currently going to Carlow for my fnp. So far 1 semester in its a decent program, but has some times where disorganization is noted. Otherwise I enjoy what I'm learning, but it's a challenge. If you have any specific questions pm me and I'll try to answer.

Actually I will say we are treated differently in the field, at least I feel as though we are. Many of the male physicians are more joking around me, give me their personal cell phone number should I have to reach them (female nurses on the floor have been trying to get them for years), and they trust my opinions more. This is not true with all, but at least for me I feel its different, similar to the "men's club" thats not supposed to exist. Some of the patients dont see a male being their nurse, but it takes time to earn their trust, and some of the female physicians will find it unusual, but you cant let it get to you. Many of the administrators actually enjoy male nurses as for them it shows diversity.

I had a 93% chance of passing NCLEX-RN on the first time on A and 98% of passing on the second. I passed boards in 75 questions and walked out knowing I passed. ATI is similar to the boards, but the boards are more based on application where at the ATI is based much more on recall of your memory. I think in my memory of the ATI it was about 15% application and about 85% recall. I had classmates who got 85% and passed and 99% and failed. It all depends on how you study for boards. TL:DR; ATI is useful for getting an idea, but dont use it as the end all be all, its really not much like the NCLEX.

there are some easier schools out there, but be warned, many of the "easier" schools may not prepare you nearly as much for the NCLEX as a tougher school would do. on another note, some easier schools may not be accredited with the NLN or NAC, which means you wont be able to get an MSN without redoing your entire BSN.

I dont mean to be that guy, but your still Pre-nursing with no experience at clinical rotations. You should take your time and be sure everything is right for you. That said, the proper route is: ADN or BSN first, almost every MSN for PNP will require a BSN unless its an ADN-MSN program but those are few in numbers. After getting your RN you'll need to work for a few years (usually the minimum is 2 years at bedside, but realistically the longer the ore competitive you are) Have had a good grade in BSN and/or ADN program (usually 3.0-3.5/4.0). also complete all the pre-required classes. Then apply for NP schools, although pediatric isnt as common of a program as other ones, they are out there. I dont know the details after getting into an MSN program, maybe someone who went that process can elaborate more.

Well those drugs you listed are all Controlled substances (class 3-5), none of those are narcotics. Narcotics are generally class 2, although certain places will call those narcotics. Anyway, mainly controlled substances are kept in lock boxes because they are benzodiazepines, and if overdosed can be a hazard to health (or deadly). If you want to know what would be in that lock box, just look for a list of class 2-5 controlled substances (anything from oxycodone, adderal, morphine, fentanyl to gabapentin, valium, diazepam) However the unit may or may not keep narcotic pain killers on the floor, but the class 2's you listed make sense as they are often used to reduce CNS synapse and promote sedation or relaxation. In addition it may be the facility policy, however its common for controlled substances to be counted. if those medications go missing the DEA comes down pretty hard. as for the IM ativan, id ask the unit manager but if i was to guess it would be because it may be used in emergencies or its not a high risk because of the injection being neccessary and lack of access to the fridge (if its in the back of the facility)

you could always bring your ex back to court and claim hardship. the court will break down all expenses and costs and if they deem hardship you are able to move with the kids to another state or area, and the government may cover more costs as they can. really though, id suggest you apply to more jobs in your degree area to see what comes out.

last i checked games are cheaper for pc, plus my pc will never sell my credit card numbers and personal information or go offline for a few weeks. And the reason why to not get a ps3 over a gaming rig is because i can sell of servers on my desktop and pay for itself in a month. As far as costs go, thats up to you. Its the user, not the technology as someone stated. You wont notice a difference between a pc or a mac except for software. For nursing school you dont need to spend more than $500 to be all set, but if you choose to go for a mac, go for it. Just be happy with it.

If you knew how much an EMR cost and how much it costs to maintain, its more than most colleges pay for their accreditation. Your stuck using simcharts, sorry. colleges usually sign contracts to keep them, so get used to it.

terrible software. It really is made aesthetically pleasing but it doesnt work well, its slow, and lacks features real EMRs use. and good luck navigating it. We switched to docucare recently

Asus I swear by that brand because they have by far the best internals and pretty good support. Never had a problem with any of my 3 of them. im even on one now thats about 6 years old

I have a dell thats been running for 8 years and ive never had an issue with it besides a battery. Got it for $600 too. I have a 6 year old alienware thats never given me a problem. I dont run anti-spyware or back up my pc either.

I have an alienware thats got a quad core system, more ram than apple will ever offer and its got a back lite keyboard that glows in over a million different colors (really its like 50 colors but they advertise over a million). it cost me $1100 and ive never had an issue. It turns more heads than macbooks and it can run any game on max settings out there. I also built a desktop thats a beast (dual processor, dual personality system) and its got power but i use it for gaming. To sum it up and i was making this point before everyone jumped on the "mac is better and pay $3k for a laptop because its better!" bandwagon. Your going to nursing school. If you have $3k to spend on a laptop then go for it, and in 3 years when its obsolete and not pretty and your spending another $3k to upgrade then go for it. Also, if you drop it once and break it then living with that blunder will suck. You wont notice a difference between a high end mac and a low end pc because you dont do anything that requires power or graphic ability. Maybe im not thinking the same way, but if a $400 laptop will do the same as a $3000 one, why is that an argument.

no apps will allow you to write and do the same stuff as office. you can draw and write but it wont convert the same as the first time you did the powerpoint. APPLE ipad and MICROSOFT office arent too friendly

well many schools are like that, if you dont have the passing grade you dont have the passing grade. Its a fair system, no bumping people up to pass them. My school does that and people dont pass but it is what it is, and its a fair system.

They screen for classes of drugs, some of which are CNS stimulants and CNS downers. The program DON will probably prevent you from starting classes until your off the percocet and benzos because both can cloud your thoughts and create issues of safety for patients. Even having prescriptions doesnt help you too much with getting over the drug screen. I would explain to the DON everything, because if they see it, they may automatically dismiss you from the program without thought of why.

my first semester i drove 35 mins to get there, now i drive 20 mins. really it is what it is and the commute eliminated some of the students who couldnt make it to clinicals at 7am. however, if you did all the clinicals at the same site then it doesnt give much diversity if your trying to get hired near the college you attend.

on the floors you use electronic health records (EHR, EMR systems). the class for that would be informatics, but thats a nursing course, not a normal tech class. windows 7 is easy so that would be an easy A

although that is an option, thats a very expensive option. CUNY itself is between $4k and $15k depending which school you go to, and it gets worse because you would need to stay in NYC or nearby. so a second chance is good with CUNY if you can push through the program and pass all classes in the first shot, otherwise youll end up with loans galore. But a second chance is valuable. Not to be a downer, but nursing is strongly physiology and anatomy based, you would need to show proficiency. most programs take note of a few courses in particular, Anatomy, physiology, microbiology, Psychology 1+2, english 1+2. the core classes, and if you cant do so well in these, many colleges will not take the risk of a student who might not pass. Someone earlier suggested trying a different route, maybe respiratory therapy, or CNA, or EMT. they may help you to learn the basis of the field.

usually you are required to complete a semester, otherwise your just a patient care technician. you usually must pass and earn a B or better, but thats up the the hospital HR to decide.

well, that is quite a story. I will not lie, nursing school is quite a bit of heartbreak and upsetting times. Its not easy, requires plenty of time to do well. Vomit can be a common thing, depending where you work, and you will probably encounter it at least once during schooling. changing diapers and such is common during the introductory level of nursing, even done during the later levels depending on where you go. As far as the bipolar goes, you would need to see how it affects you. I do have a fellow nursing student who left the program because of it (during some clinical days and class sessions she wasnt in the right mindset, and the rotation instructor felt she may put the patient at risk), but thats because she couldnt control herself and her bipolar. Thats not true of all bipolar nursing students or nurses, im sure there are some who excel in NS and nursing.

second monitor makes it easier to visualize everything. I run dual monitors on my desktop, ill have the internet up on one screen and word on another, making it easier and not having to switch tabs or screens oftenly.

i dont mean to start a whole pc vs mac argument but ive had over 20 laptops for pc, and never had an issue. i dont run anti-spyware or malware because i dont trust it. i just watch what websites and programs i run. Never had a blue screen, and only issue is battery dying. as far as costs go, this is the decision of the OP. lets not start a flame war of mac vs pc and keep this on topic.

it would be a year, then you start the nursing program which takes 2 years. however this may be longer if its a competitive school because spots arent always guaranteed.