gambron

That's what I'm currently doing....working 40+ hours a week and taking 2 classes each semester.

For any graduate program, GRE scores generally need to be over 1000. I know they just changed the GRE scoring so you'll have to check what the new standard is. FYI USA does not require GRE scores.

Are you referring to the University of South Alabama? If so, they don't tell you anything. You do get an email stating they received your package. I'm a current FNP student there and got my acceptance letter about 6 weeks after the application deadline. Good luck!

Unfortunately, your situation is not unique. There are tons of new grads flooding the market, which makes it more difficult to find a desirable job right off the bat. My only advice to you is to work where they'll hire you (med-surg, etc) for 6 months - 1 year and do your BEST work. That will give you a good reputation and the experience needed to transfer to your desired unit. Good luck. For nursing jobs, new grads need not apply - Jan. 14, 2013

I just want to thank all of you school nurses for what you do everyday. As a parent and an RN, I have a great deal of respect for you! It was a school nurse and a smart bus driver who saved my daughter's life just a couple of years ago. A teacher assumed my 6 year old daughter was "acting" and told her to "stop panting like a dog" and put her on the school bus to go home. My daughter was having a severe asthma attack and couldn't speak. On the way home, another student alerted the bus driver that my child was drooling and couldn't speak. The bus driver immediately turned the bus around and took her back to the school where the nurse had already activated 911. When the Albuterol nebs didn't work, she acted quickly to give her a shot of Epi, which began to relieve her symptoms. I couldn't be more grateful!

It is for this reason that I joined the military. I worked on a civilian CICU for a few years and only got a $0.25/hour raise in that time period. I realized very quickly I wasn't earning a fair wage and would most likely never earn a fair wage.

The BSN part typically covers more theory and management stuff, less clinicals. I did the BSN online and thought it was harder than the ASN because of the writing. You'll be ok...just make sure you reach out and get the help you need if you're lacking the research skills dept. Good luck to you.

No, that's gross and ethically wrong. Your patients are vulnerable when receiving care. Do no harm.

I'm fairly certain you won't find an online NP program unless you already have an ASN. Even though you're a chiro, you don't possess nursing skills that you'll neeed for the NP program. Why don't you consider going to PA school? Should just be a 2 year in-residence master's program? Good luck to you.

First of all, I'm sorry you and your partner had that negative experience. A lot of people in the world are JERKS, but it makes me especially crazy to hear that nurses are rude to ANYONE in their care. This should be taken to the patient advocate as nurse managers tend to take up for their employees. On another hand, it is these experiences that make you a better nurse. I went through a similar experience with a family member who was in the hospital and because of that I'm very careful about my body language and how to I speak to patients and their families. In my 7 years of nursing, I have never received a complaint. That's something I can feel proud of. Good luck to you and I hope your partner is well.

It took 6 weeks from the application deadline to get the acceptance letter. I know a couple of people who went through this school and they're great practitioners. Sorry, about not getting into the program of your choice. Hopefully, you've heard good news by now. You have double my experience and a great GPA! Good thing USA doesn't require GRE scores or recommendation letters. Yes, it's too late to apply for Fall 2013. I just checked and the deadline is Apr 1st. If you're planning on applying for Spring 2014, I'd get started now. It took forever to do the centralized application on nursingcas.org. You have to fill out your entire transcript (including dates you took each class, class #s, credits earned, etc). It was annoying to say the least! Good luck to you!

I totally agree with missnurse01. This is my 7th year practicing as a nurse and no one has ever cared where I got my ASN or BSN. They just want to see my valid state license. With that being said, I chose to get my BSN at the same place I got my ASN. Tuition rates were reasonable and I feel it looked better on my resume (not that it has ever mattered). If I could go back, I'd go with the cheapest ACCREDITED school you can find. I capitalized accredited because there are a lot of flaky online nursing schools advertised. I know for sure that University of Wyoming and University of South Alabama are appropriately accredited and have cheap tuition rates. You mentioned debt...try to get Perkins Loans....these are forgiven at a rate of about 15% per year for every year that you work full time as a registered nurse. I got them throughout my undergraduate programs and have no student loan debt now. Good luck!

I don't know much about the program itself, but I have worked with a few people who have gone through it. All of them are excellent practitioners so I thought I'd take a chance. By the way, it took a full 6 weeks after the application deadline to hear a decision. I have a BSN, ADN, and AAS as far as nursing degrees are concerned. I also have a B.A. in Anthropology & Sociology. My overall GPA for 212 credit hours is 3.53. I've been working as a nurse for 7 years. My first few years was on a cardiac unit and my last 3 have been in the military doing ambulatory care/nurse management.

I'm concerned for you because you write, "I was also struggling with some other issues (eating disorder, self harm, depression, family issues)at school 3 , but that is a whole another story!" If you are not well (mentally, physically,emotionally), then you have no business trying to take care of others as a nurse. I hope these things have resolved for you, but if not, the stress of nursing school will compound these problems. I would also recommend being honest about your transcripts. You mention wanting to be an educator one day...what would you think of a student who tried to mislead you about his/her academic history? Besides, the risk of them finding out & getting kicked out is not worth it. On a different note, I, too, had a rough start to my nursing career. I "wasted" 4 years getting a BA in Anthropology & Sociology. My GPA was respectable (3.3), but not fantastic. Almost immediately after graduation, I decided to pursue nursing. I took the long route and became an LPN first. I worked part-time as an LPN on CCU while I completed my ADN. I then worked as an ADN - RN on CICU while getting my BSN. I never took a break in school!!! I'm now a military RN and have just been accepted to a MSN - FNP program. Things have a way of working themselves out...especially if you're motivated! Good luck to you!

I recently applied to the Summer 2013 MSN program, FNP track and got accepted! It starts in May and I'm really excited!

I'm going to answer my own question....I got my acceptance letter today!!!!!!!!!!

Yes, I'd say staffing issues are everywhere, but in the military, you lose your say in how things operate...especially, at the lower ranks, which is something I've struggled with. Leadership always says everyone's opinions count, but they don't. If you decide to join, I'd recommend making your wishes/goals known with your supervisor and chief nurse early on. They're the ones who have the know-how to get you where you want to be. As far as deployment goes, I think you're probably safe for the first year or so since you're a new grad. Other people who came in with me deployed within their first year, but they were fully qualified already. I've been in for over 3 years and haven't deployed yet. Manning at my old base was tight so I never got tasked. I'll be in the deployment band later this year and probably won't be so lucky. In the AF, a lot of people (not all) are assigned deployment bands, which just means we're vulnerable to deploy for 6 months out of every 18. Hope that helps.

It sounds like you are the outsider! How frustrating!! They should NOT be giving report in a language everyone doesn't understand. How are you supposed to know what's going on with the patients on your unit? Are you still on orientation? This is not an environment that fosters teamwork or learning. Have you talked to the manager? Although, I suspect you wouldn't get much accomplished because she's of the same ethnic background as the nurses you're mentioning. You could complain to the BON...it's a patient safety issue. If it were me, I would be looking for a different job! Good luck!

Hey Ken, I'm currently an Active Duty AF nurse. I had previous civilian experience (CICU) as an RN before I joined 3 years ago. Because I didn't need to go to NTP, I went straight to an MTF (military treatment facility) after graduating from COT. I started working in Family Health (at my request) as my long term goal is to become a FNP. I've since PCSd to a new base and work as a nurse manager. As a new grad nurse, you'll go to one of the few bedded facilities around the AF. I think the only options are Travis, Wilford Hall, Keesler, Wright Patterson, Eglin, and Nellis. There might be one that I'm forgetting:-( Most likely, you'll have to work on Med-Surg for a year and then you can request to do an ICU/Trauma/ER fellowship. The AF has been good to me, but being active duty has it's challenges (crappy EMRs, staffing issues, etc). Please don't think that I'm trying to discourage you. The salary is great. Since a lot of our income is not taxed (housing and sustinence), I make a lot more money on AD than I could in the civilian sector. Even with the great salary, I'm not sure if I'm in it for the long haul. If you have any more questions, I'd be happy to try to help! Ginger

Nimashet -- it sounds like you have a good plan! I graduated from nursing school almost 7 years ago and I couldn't be happier with my career choice. About your lack of confidence in being a good nurse..My advice to you is not to worry so much. Easier said than done, huh? As a new graduate nurse, others don't expect you to know everything. There's nothing wrong with keeping references on you and using them regularly. I admit that I still look up funky labs, medications, how to do certain physical exams and procedures, etc. No one ever thinks less of me because I use my resources. Nursing school doesn't even come close to preparing you for the real world. The only way to develop even the most basic nursing skills is to practice. Studying helps, but the benefit is much less than actual practice. If you're worried about LTC, why don't you try something a little slower paced to start out with? Otherwise, demand a proper orientation (at least 6 weeks) and don't accept a charge position until you feel comfortable. Remember, it's YOUR license. I hope this helped. Good luck to you! Cheers, Ginger

Bear with me as I'm new to allnurses.com. I applied for the Summer 2013 admission to USA's MSN - FNP program. I'm anxiously awaiting an admission decision. Has anyone else heard anything yet? I'm not overly confident that I'll get in. Here are my stats: 3.53 overall GPA (higher for just nursing courses), 1.5 years of LPN experience on CCU, 5 years experience as RN (CICU, Ambulatory Care, Management), board certs in Med-Surg and Ambulatory care, and currently serving as an Active Duty RN in the military.