Heather_RN

Did you have to use NursingCAS.org for any part of your app process?

I am working on my application for the June 2015 bound, Bridge class 138 at Frontier Nursing University. Is there anyone out there doing the same? The school is switching over to electronic applications through NursingCAS. I am finding the instructions on the Frontier website confusing. There are steps to do things in paper and electronic format. I called and was told that for this 138 class that all is online now. So now I'm trying to weed through the conflicting Frontier instructions and decide what is something I'm truly supposed to do. This is a huge bummer as I've already given my references their paper forms and they are mailing them back. I've also already gotten/paid for my official transcripts to put in my packet to send to the school. On the nursingcas site it still says I have to send in my transcripts but the school is saying it is through the nursingcas site. Anyone else going through the new electronic process that can shed some light on this? I don't want to call the school again as I felt like I was bothering them. I'm also seeing some conflicting info on the application fee amounts. Do I still send money to the school or am I paying through NursingCAS? Thank you so much for you input!!

It really depends on what state you are in. Some states have nothing set up for requirements and either their ER doctors or ER staff nurses are doing the SANE exams...this is very bad. Other states require SANE trained which is something like 40 hours of classroom stuff and a few exams under your belt. My state, Oregon, use to require SANE's to be certified through the state of oregon but has recently switched to just SANE trained...probably because the certification process is a bit difficult to get through. States can have their own certification like Oregon does (OR-SANE) or you can be nationally certified through IAFN.org. You need to good your state SANE or SART program. A lot of states are now requiring every county to have designated sart programs and SANEs. You just got to do the research for your area. As for my state, there was a 2 year minimum ER experience level to get the SANE training. ER nurses do very well in SANE programs because they see a lot of violence in general in their jobs. Hope that helps.

Hello! I have three per diem jobs, one in an ED that is about 3-4 shifts a month preferably, 1-2 shifts a month pacu, and several 12-24 hour call shifts a month (4-10 shifts a month) with a SART program for SANE coverage. Sometimes my sane call shifts are very "creatively scheduled"...meaning it could just be a few hours to help another sane out or I could be on-call for several days in a row because of vacations. We have a nonprofit that respond to all the hospitals in the county (3) as a contracted thing. We have 13 certified SANE's that do self scheduling for the next month. It works out well. Most are moms and about half of them have young children (me included) or are having babies. Even though I work at one of the ED's as a nurse, when I'm on-call for SANE I am employed by a different company. Sometimes I may not get called in for weeks or months at a time and sometimes I may get called in a couple times in one day. It is totally feasible to do SANE prn and have other jobs. Actually, I think that is how you should do it since you should be keeping up on assessment skills and such.

This is definitely a state by state thing...and even county by county. Here is a link to a county in Oregon that has the only Nurse Chief Deputy Medical Examiner. She is a also a SANE nurse and does state SANE stuff. I believe she has a masters or maybe a post bachelor type certificate...unsure which. The county I am from only uses law enforcement and a physician which is a huge bummer. I think this is still a very new field and as people retire nurses look more appealing.

Mocha, Happy Mom's day to you too!:)

Jeremiah 29:11, Proverbs 3:6. I personally I don't think things happen any other way besides what God wants. I think a lot of people don't understand what it means when referring to God's will as is seen in the first post here. It was God's timing to have you off during an economic issue where it's harder to find a job as a nurse. Nothing happens that God hasn't already planned for right? Have you ever thought that maybe God is blessing you with a break from nursing? A break to focus on your own family and on God? I totally understand the wanting bigger houses, cars, etc. but God is blessing you with something priceless...TIME. It took me three children to realize how much I wasted in their younger years. I worked so much and was so tired that I didn't have anything left for them, my husband, or for God. Soak up your TIME. And while you are doing that keep knocking on those doors, keep your education up, and wait for God's timing. Jesus waited thirty years before he went all out and did His thang. But it worked out perfectly didn't it? God's giving you this time for a reason...enjoy it!

RN1023, I am so sorry you are going through this. I totally know where you are coming from. I've been a nurse for 8 years...all in the ER. Pt "entitlement" is very common place in the ER, as well as manipulation, lying, aggressiveness, complaining, etc. I had to quit last year for several months because I was so burnt out. I was disappointed in every aspect of nursing including in myself. I didn't think I would ever go back but after a few months I started to miss it...weird right? I always felt that I was suppose to be a nurse and that feeling gnawed at me while I was off. I quit in June and came back in February to the same department I had been at for my whole career. There are so many things that caused my burnout but the big one was the exhaustion mixed with the realization that my expectations of nursing was totally off. I went into nursing with this picture that I could really help everyone I came in contact with. We all know how rare that actually is. When you realize that your picture of what your career should be isn't how it actually is, it's a bit of a disappointment (that's an understatement). Once I was able to let go my unrealistic expectations and go in with no expectations I started having better days. Med-surg is probably one of the hardest places to be and I would never want to work there. But, without those nurses I would have no where to send my ER patients. You should see the panic in an ER nurse's face when they have to keep a med-surg pt and do admit orders. It's a complete mess as I'm sure you are well aware of. You have a skill set that other nurses do not have. The ER may stop the bleeding but you keep what ever was bleeding from rotting off. You are part of the team that gets the pt out the door and moving in the right direction. I think that letting go of something you wanted for so long would be tragic. Maybe you aren't meant to be in Med-surg but patient care options are vast. Even though our truly good experiences are rare, they do still happen. Those moments are very important. We make the different in that one person's life and then they go on to spread the wealth to others. Can you take a leave of absence? A vacation isn't long enough. You need to be able to get away without having to anticipate the day you have to go back to work. I really felt so much better after having several months off. Now I don't work as much, don't do any committee's, and really just go to work with no expectations of my patients or their families or the people I work with. When things get horrible (mean patients, complaining, whatever) I remind myself that this person probably hasn't had anyone be nice to them, or show them any love, for a long time. And then I remind my self of the commandment to love thy neighbor (which means everyone). Of course, this is a fine line since we don't want to be taken advantage of either and love means many different things. Praying often also helps. I've found that following this advice makes a difference and I don't expend as much emotional energy stewing about how horrible the pt, family, or staff is treating me. I give it to God and move on. And as for the politics and charting...this is what is ruining nursing the most. Unfortunately, it's because of money. I fear this will only get worse unless we voice our opinions louder. Anyways, I hope that you find encouragement and the courage to change your circumstances if need be. But, don't do it hastily because you might regret it later. Informatics might be dreadfully boring and I'm sure it is full of politics. I'd do your research before making the switch. If you do make the switch, a lot of employers will hire within their departments for informatics so keep your sensors up, especially since EPIC seems to be in full swing. I know of a nurse who has done this in my department. Thankfully for her, it was temporary because she is not enjoying it even though she is doing a great job.

When the nurses run away, you know it's bad!