MierKat

It won't matter for most NP jobs. The problem would be if something happened in the middle of your program (e.g. you get sick, kids get sick, lose your funding) and you had to abandon the program you would not be able to call yourself a BSN - no BSN...

Vanderbilt has an ADN-NP program. I'm sure that there are others.

This is fantastic advice. I'm a community college professor and see team issues a lot. I'd like to add that you can set yourself up for success by developing working relationships with people in your class prior to the day that partners/teams are f...

I'll cross my fingers and send you good thoughts for a quick entry into a fantastic school and that you can finish quickly.

It's a catch-22 that USC can't get CCNE accreditation until it has students, because it transfers the risk to the student. I think you have to weigh the possibility (however remote) that USC does not receive accreditation by the time you graduate. ...

Get a crockpot that switches to "warm" after the original cooking time (e.g. 8-10 hours). My cuisinart model switches to warm and stays warm for up to 8 hours.

Stephanie O'Dea's "A Year of Slow Cooking" blog has great crockpot meals. (She's also gluten free but for anyone not gluten free it doesn't affect the taste - just use your normal ingredients.) She doesn't use a lot of "cream of X" soups but does h...

I wouldn't do it. Talk to nurses at your current job and find out how hard it is to get overtime shifts in that hospital (some places it's very easy to do) once you're off orientation. Or wait until you have six months' experience and get a per die...

KittenEars - in most states you can get a CNA certificate through a private company (not the community college) in as little as 2-3 weeks. I'd suggest doing that, then work as a CNA and retail or one full-time CNA job plus a per-diem at another job ...

LadyBug, I'm sorry you had this happen. Your instinct to talk this out with someone who is in the same field (or who is in a similar field) is right on. Firefighters, police officers and even the dispatchers get together after a traumatic experience...

My personal opinion is that if you take a new grad position with a fee, you should stay the whole time. The hospital's contract may or may not be enforceable but it's an ethics issue and you're "cheating" if you leave before the contract is up. If...

You don't normally have to take a CNA class if you're in nursing school. Many states will wave CNA class requirements for RN students who have finished their first semester, as most CNA skills are mastered during the first RN semester. Ask your ins...

I'm going to be the voice of dissent. I'm older and I've seen it done. I got my masters while working full-time with kids. I had a classmate who had her first at the end of our first year - finals finished May 5th, baby born May 15th. When school ...

@Solilioquy - If it's just compassion fatigue (and not being burned out from working in general - for which I'd give a different answer) instead of leaving nursing, why not try to find a job that doesn't involve direct patient contact? Thus, there'd...

And a hospital in Utah where my brother is an MD.

This is incorrect. Until 2010, per the FAA, pilots could not take antidepressants and were not medically cleared if they took them. In 2010 they were granted "amnesty" by the FAA as long as they disclosed and were cleared by physicians as being "sa...

PinkPandora, you have had a stressful time. I think that you can be successful in the remainder of nursing school, though it may take some focused effort. Have you talked to the officials at your school? I would start with the Dean's office. You a...

babyrowe, hope your mom gets well soon. I don't think your acceptance would be withdrawn because of it. Some schools have some sort of "hardship withdrawal" in addition to a standard withdrawal. Check the school's website or check with admissions....

I think CNA pay is relative to union penetration, cost of living and minumum wage. In Seattle, minimum wage is $9.19 (it's actually a Washington State minimum wage law) - the highest in the nation. CNAs get $12-13 per hour to start. Seattle is a u...

I vote for "none of the above". Unless you can get a full scholarship, I would look into making your current degree work for you. Why? Several reasons. (I have worked in accounting and also have a nursing background.) First, how are you going to ...

Lucretia - Hang in there! First off, not everyone there is sure of themselves and not scared -they were probably hiding it too. Second, if you made it through the pre-reqs, you belong there and should know that the people that selected you know bett...

It's hard to give some ideas, not knowing how old your kids are. For school, until your RN program starts, can you take online classes? If moving closer to work is a problem, I second sugarik13's suggestions about a high school or college kid to c...

Seattle. Home health aide w/CNA certification pay is $12-13. But minimum wage in this state is $9 so wages are higher but that negatively impacts unemployment rates.

But most schools in California have humongous waiting lists or lottery application systems. I'd get the pre-reqs done at your local CC or a cheap option (not California). Then get your RN or BSN. You can take the NCLEX for any state no matter where...

Rachael, you might consider an RN refresher course - might make it easier to get licensed. Something like this; R.N. Refresher Course - Charity - Delgado Community College Google "louisiana RN refresher" for more ideas. it looks like LSU has one t...