hooliebug

Hey everyone, I need to put together a new resume for job applications, and it would be nice to have something up-to-date to show potential NP preceptors for graduate school. I have some questions that I wasn't able to find answers to online: Do I add an MSN to my education list with the caveat of my expected graduation date?If I relief charge and precept new nurses, do I roll that into my work experience as a "clinical nurse" or should I create a new bullet for those roles?If I am in a committee or participate in hospital programs (like "safe patient handling champion" or "diabetes champion") that required in-person training, would I add that under a "professional development" heading or should I also roll those things into work experience under "clinical nurse"?Should I bother mentioning multiple daisy award nominations on my resume?I assume it's time to take my undergraduate leadership and awards off my resume...? ?Any insight or suggestions are welcome!

I've never heard of a fully online microbiology class. It has a lab component that absolutely cannot be done online, so you're going to have to take an actual class somewhere. A lot of community colleges offer hybrid courses (class online, lab on-site) that aren't crazy expensive.

Sounds like you have a bad case of FOMO. Try not to focus on how great everyone's lives appear to be on the surface (everyone always posts about how great things are going on Facebook and Instagram) and focus on how you're improving yourself and your life by completing this degree. I'm one of several older students in my class (30 y/o) -- "alternative" students are becoming more prevalent in undergrad programs, and being "alternative" doesn't make us losers. We just took a little more time getting to the finish line, that's all. Good luck, and keep going!

Like you, I used to panic, stutter, and forget to breathe during presentations. Fortunately, you do so many presentations during nursing school that you start to become desensitized to the pressure it. I used to practice speaking in front of my spouse/family members/friends and that seemed to help; it allows you to work on pacing and recognizing when to breathe or take pauses. Public speaking is an inevitable part of nursing. You're going to have to address a patient and their entire family some day, so better to practice and get used to it now so you're a little less anxious later on. Good luck... it'll be okay. :)

Welcome back, and good for you for not giving up!

Hi. I am an actual student (in my senior year, last semester) in an accelerated 18-month BSN program. I'm 30 with a fiance and 0 kids, and I have the added benefit of not having to work for us to survive, and... it's been difficult, but doable -- to be fair, I am a neurotic, type A perfectionist! There are people in my program in similar situations to yours and they've gotten along just fine, but they have great support systems to lean on. During my initial interview to get into school, the instructor who interviewed me was very upfront about the level of commitment it required to succeed -- the people who took this warning with a grain of salt have failed out of the program. You have to be extremely driven and focused because there's a lot of ground to cover in a short amount of time, but your instructors will give you the tools to do well. You have to be prepared to make some sacrifices (missing family events, zero social life, your house looking like a train wreck, etc.). My schedule has been varied. Summer semesters are frantic (with lots of class time and slightly fewer clinical rotations) while fall/spring semesters have a slow burn feel to them (slightly fewer hours spent in class, more time spent in clinical rotations). You typically have zero say over your schedule, and people who complain about it are basically told to suck it up and make it work. You typically have 2-3 days off during the week, usually weekends and 1 random week day. My school made the admission process fairly easy, and their financial aid office made the money side of things equally simple. They were very upfront about everything I needed to know and do before huge deadlines snuck up on me. Oh, and don't be put off by every bad review you read. A lot of students are young and maybe less acquainted with how the world works, so... when they don't get their way or have a slightly less than amazing experience, they get mouthy and bitter. I hope any of this helped!

Getting a super trolly vibe from OP. Is there any way to report him/her to the moderators? S/he is being inflammatory for the sake of being inflammatory.

Male nurses are awesome and I love them. I wish there were more of them. Don't let the fact that you're male and loved by your coworkers get to your head though. In my area (KC MO), new graduates start out making $15 above the minimum wage, which is not a small amount of money. Many nurses are quick to tell us students that there isn't any "good money" in nursing but my starting salary won't exactly poverty-level wages or anything, so... there you go. Raises and bonuses and such aren't guaranteed but your future employer should be upfront about that sort of thing when you start working. Do your research. I'd only consider becoming a nurse practitioner if you actually want to become a nurse practitioner; yes, you can make more money, but your future patients probably won't be super keen on having a healthcare provider that only cares about dollar signs and not their well-being.

I think it's garbage -- overtly difficult, not reflective of how you'll actually do on the NCLEX. The school I attend decided to abandon ATI for Kaplan and I definitely prefer the change.

I can't speak to being pregnant in nursing school (or even having kids) but if you decide to accept the spot your school has offered you need to be honest and upfront about your situation before you start. There are a lot of experiences that you as a pregnant student will not be able to participate in, and your instructors/administrators need to know to keep you safe from potential harm.

Remember why you're there: to help people, not add to their distress. Giving all of yourself to someone for 12 hours and then snatching away that sense of all-encompassing comfort you've created at the end of a shift is not only unhealthy for you, it creates an unhealthy attachment in the patient. You cannot fill the emotional voids of all of your patients or you'll have nothing left for yourself at the end of the day, and you'll burn yourself out before you graduate. Maybe if you begin your day by telling yourself to temper your empathy with a little business-oriented logic it'll help you from getting too attached.

I'm in my last semester of my senior year (accelerated BSN program) and I can safely say 90% of the people in my class (myself included) are bumbling, awkward, and self-conscious when it comes to many aspects of nursing. The practical skills we learn in school aren't mean to put us on some grand pedestal of higher knowledge, they create a foundation on which we can build ourselves up. Based on my conversations with various preceptors and nurses I've shadowed over the last year, I get the feeling confidence (and "common sense") comes with time and practice. I think nursing draws more caring people than super self-confident, go-get-'em people. There are a ton of avenues to explore in nursing that don't involve bedside care if you find yourself utterly hating it, but a lot of those avenues require bedside care experience. I guess you need to sit down and reflect on why you chose nursing in the first place and decide if you can stick it out for a few years while you explore other potential opportunities. Either way, good luck. And remember you're not alone in feeling the way you feel.

I would wait until after you graduate from your BSN program and pass the NCLEX before applying to graduate programs. Many graduate programs require potential students to have a current unencumbered license to apply, and you'd look pretty foolish if, for whatever reason, you fail the NCLEX and have to explain that to a selection committee. My advice: slow you roll, wait until winter.

You may want to get in touch with a few CRNA programs/schools that you're interested in to discuss your concerns. Some may not care what your non-nursing GPA is like -- unlikely, but you never know. You can always err on the side of caution and retake classes with poor grades (C or below), which is probably what I would do. I've heard CRNA programs are highly, highly competitive, so you should probably do everything you can to make yourself more valuable to potential schools.

I'm not sure many jobs like what you're describing exist; however, I get emails from school constantly about volunteer opportunities in hospice/long term/acute care facilities. I imagine these volunteer positions don't involve much direct patient care since you wouldn't be certified to do anything but it may at least show admissions people that you've got empathy and want to get involved in the field. Same question as Cherokeegirl08, though. What program are you applying to that allows you to bypass a BSN or ADN program?