gospa

LOLOL. 2 terms of complete fluff organic chem while real men like you took "real" classes. You're the biggest troll I've ever seen online. Great for laughs. Thanks for letting the rest of know we are the little people.

Why don't you tell us? Most bachelor's degrees in nursing in my area require organic chem.

double post

I would go to medical school but I'm 42 and don't want to finish residencies when I am 50 and have more than $500K in loans plus interest and lost income for the years not working while in medical school. I work in emergency medicine and for what it's worth many of the residents I speak to regret the avenue they took, saying it wasn't worth giving up so many years of their life. That made me wonder. I graduate from NP school this year. I took this route because it costs much less, I don't have to give up a decade of my life, and my wife and I wouldn't be able to pay our mortgage. The reason I didn't go PA is the school is ONLY full-time that I know of in my area and I cannot go without a job during that time. I have no regrets.

Hello colleagues, I had a preceptorship fall through today and am looking for a pedi rotation of 7 weeks or 112 hours in the Providence/Boston area. I attend Simmons College, which claims to find preceptors for students, but cannot always do so. Any leads would be greatly appreciated. I have called around some and never get anywhere.

Ned what do you mean "you will have to prorate your per diem to only the days away from home." My stipend does not show divisions such that this much is for food, this much is for gasoline, this much is lodging. How would I prorate to only the two days I am in Boston? I plan to keep all receipts for food, mileage logs, and of course rental agreements.

Hi all. I am taking my first contract RN job in Boston. It is 70 miles from home and I will be working 12 hour shifts overnight weekends only. So I will stay at the hotel on the weekend and then drive home for the week. My question is, for lodging are there hotels that let you "check in" at 7 in the morning so you can sleep all day until work? In my research so far, airbnb and hotels all have check in later in the day like noon or 3 p.m. How does a third shifter find a hotel? thanks for any advice.

Here's a good one. Few months back, someone comes in by EMS for dizzyness. When did it start? "Someone rang my doorbell at 10 p.m. and when I opened the door there was a brownie on the ground. I ate it and I've felt really weird since." Who the heck eats food randomly found food at their doorstep. Imagine their luck, it was the special brownie.

Most of our ED nurses leave for PACU or cath lab.

I was an ER tech then did medsurg RN then returned HOME to the ED. You'll do fine. Read books, take notes, ask questions of both Drs and RNs. Also I find it pretty important to be a great teammate. I help my team nurses to the max. When you can, make yourself available. Another RN starting an IV for you while you interview and assess the pt can really save time. Then I help that RN do the same for their next pt whenever I'm not swamped. Your teammates will notice and in my experience they oftentimes become more than willing to help you. Best of luck.

Weird to me that you are "annoyed" by lower acuity patients. Especially for a newer RN? You should learn all you can from all your patients including lower acuity. There are always things to learn from each case, esp for a newer RN. And even more so should you develop aspirations in the future of becoming an advanced practice RN. I am in NP school and try to learn from each case whether I am in express or have 2 GI bleeds, a meningitis, and a chest pain. Good luck. The ER rocks.

Thanks all. I didn't even know there was a policy for draining a portion of the insulin bag. But I searched and found we do. It's 50cc. Seems silly to me to fill 100 units of insulin in a 100 bag and then waste half the entire bag. But if that's what evidence shows is best practice then that's what I'll do.

It is good that you want to read and learn. Too many nurses I've seen are cocky and figure they know it all or will remember it all without writing anything down. A brilliant resident I work with takes notes every shift for things he did not know or wanted to increase his knowledge base about. He reviews the notes and researches at home and is stronger for the next shift. Go to amazon and look up Emergency RN books, there are several good ones. Look for the highest rated ones. You will need to know why we give what we do for allergic reactions, MI, kidney stones, etc. Some of these books explain they physiological background and treatments for conditions we commonly see in the ED. Also, I make notes in the note program of smart phone. I have notes on drips, unusual medication preparations, important things I've learned and want to store in my long-term memory (including some that resident taught me!). Best of luck mate.

So I read that study but am still unclear on what I would do differently. I will look into policy. But policy aside, for theoretical purpose: I put 100 units regular insulin into 100 cc bag. I prime it so that the insulin reaches the end of the line and is now pouring out. If I prime out another 20+ cc into the waste bin, then I waste and lose 20 units of insulin, now leaving my bag 80 units of insulin. However, the ratio of 1 unit of insulin to 1cc of NS remains the same. I understand the tubing may absorb some of my insulin, but what now?

Pebbles I am sorry to read about your experience. U may well be cut out for emergency nursing but it seems that you are not set up for success currently. I help precept occasionally and I would never treat someone like your preceptor is treating u. The goal should be to build you up not belittle you. I hope something changes for u. Regarding prioritizing, this is how I look at it. Remember I was also a medsurg nurse before. U should always be triaging. Everything u do is one big constant triage. Say room 30 is ordered Tylenol for a headache, 31 needs toradol for kidney stone. So right now I'm about to get up and get the toradol first, EMS rolls an ashen patient into 32 with chest pain. Well the sickest patient has now changed from one minute ago. Now I need to focus on the chest pain. And it keeps changing all shift long. You always ask yourself whose need is right now the priority? Its easy to be task oriented from being a medsurg nurse. I know. On the med floor for the most part many tasks could be done in whatever order. If it does not work out for u in this ER don't give up. U may just be in a poorly run ER. Best of luck.

It certainly could help. I did that.

Quick question. the other day day I was hooking up an insulin drip to a patient and a nurse asked me "Did you bleed the line already?" I assumed she meant did I prime the line already so it was free of air. As I thought about it later I wondered if she was asking something else? What say you?

To the OP: I wanted to be an NP more than nurse also. But I recommend for several reasons that you work as a nurse along the way. I have been an RN for a few years and learned a considerable amount about assessing patients, how to interview and react to unexpected circumstances. I am just starting NP now and feel much more confident than if I didn't have a few years under my belt. I shadowed an NP one day in a hospital and he told me the RNs could pick out easily the NPs who had never nursed but rather went straight through school. These NPs had never "done it." And they didn't understand things they were asking RNs to do. You say have a back injury and I understand not wanting to re-aggravate it but I'd seriously consider working as an RN before becoming an NP.

Hello all, I have been researching Regis College on this site and find most of the posts about their NP Program are several years old, and were mostly negative. Have any of you completed their FNP program recently or are near completion? If so, wondering your thoughts. I was accepted into the program about 2 years ago but decided I wasn't ready to start graduate school. I'm wondering if things have changed and what are more recent observations. Thanks

yes the online simmons. Bostonfnp, I've read your posts here for the past few years while I positioned myself to begin a master's NP program. I would really like your viewpoint. The Simmons online has a great reputation BUT the "part-time" program is completed in 2 years (there is no option to spread classes out at all) and requires 50+ hours a week studying and many students have to stop working or reduce to part time or per diem. Now that I have started Simmons, my wife and I are really concerned that it may be too intense to complete in 2 years. I nearly chose Regis College, as I live 40 minutes from the campus. If you have 7 years to finish the program, and could work full time for most or all of it, it seems I may have to reconsider regis. Thoughts?

Hi all Just wanting thoughts on some of my concerns. It appears to be one of the most prestigious and well-organized programs you could however I'm becoming more concerned at the extreme heavy load needed to pass the program. I'm starting the part time program in a few weeks. I'm taking a bridge course now. First, the "part-time" program is completed in two years. It's 2-3 classes a term plus clinicals in the latter part of the program. People I know in the program are spending 50+ hours a week studying, writing papers and preparing for class and some are failing out or barely passing the 83 average required to pass each class. I was talking to a Dr the other day I work with and told her that you must make an 83 in every class and she said that is more stringent than her medical school and she couldn't believe it! Essentially you have to get 9 out of every 10 questions correct in a very challenging program. It seems daunting and unlikely that I'll always get 9 out of every 10 questions correct on average. Also, Simmons does not allow you to take classes at your own pace. Full time is 1.5 years, part time is 2 years. For those of you who have are or have completed Simmons, how did you balance the heavy time investment with life and work. I work three 12-hour shifts a week and know that I will have to cut back to part-time or per diem as the program moves along. I wish I could take the classes as I could. Regis College, for instance, gives you 7 years (last I knew) to complete the curriculum. I'm going to take it one day at a time. I really like not having to physically attend class and watching the classes live. What are your experiences and advice? Thanks

Hi all Just wanting thoughts on some of my concerns. It appears to be one of the most prestigious and well-organized programs you could however I'm becoming more concerned at the extreme heavy load needed to pass the program. I'm starting the part time program in a few weeks. I'm taking a bridge course now. First, the "part-time" program is completed in two years. It's 2-3 classes a term plus clinicals in the latter part of the program. People I know in the program are spending 50+ hours a week studying, writing papers and preparing for class and some are failing out or barely passing the 83 average required to pass each class. I was talking to a Dr the other day I work with and told her that you must make an 83 in every class and she said that is more stringent than her medical school and she couldn't believe it! Essentially you have to get 9 out of every 10 questions correct in a very challenging program. It seems daunting and unlikely that I'll always get 9 out of every 10 questions correct on average. Also, Simmons does not allow you to take classes at your own pace. Full time is 1.5 years, part time is 2 years. For those of you who have are or have completed Simmons, how did you balance the heavy time investment with life and work. I work three 12-hour shifts a week and know that I will have to cut back to part-time or per diem as the program moves along. I wish I could take the classes as I could. Regis College, for instance, gives you 7 years (last I knew) to complete the curriculum. I'm going to take it one day at a time. I really like not having to physically attend class and watching the classes live. What are your experiences and advice? Thanks

Katie I read that website also and concluded the same. I haven't finalized what I am going to do. I'm still split between acute care and family. I work in ER and love it. But some of the NPs I know recommend against ACNP because FNPs have more job possibilities. Yesterday was the first time I'd ever heard that Rhode Island may not accept online NP degrees. Simmons is a great program from everything I hear, fully accredited so I don't know why it wouldn't be recognized by my state, online or not. I'm going to ask to speak to faculty on Monday. Until now I've dealt only with admission counselor.

Greetings. I was accepted into Simmons College online FNP program this week and noticed on a Simmons website an article which lists Massachusetts as one of the top 5 most restrictive states for NP autonomy. And that they must always work under an MD. Is this true? i live in Rhode Island where NPs can open their own practice and have full prescription authority. So if Mass is one of the MOST restrictive Its news to me. Also I have been told a few times at my hospital that rhode Island does not accept NP degrees from online programs even if they have didactics and clinical training like any other NP program. Does anyone know if that's true? If so I may not attend Simmons. I have searched online in RI law but cannot find answer. I plan to call dept of health to get answers. Thanks for any knowledge u provide

Hi all, I'm in my first week as a new RN on a medsurg floor. I only came across a Lopez valve two or three times in clinicals over two years. Now that I'll be seeing them much more often, I'm wanting to become more adept with them. I've googled their use and can never find a set of instructions; the websites I find are always down, and my nursing skills book doesn't address the valve. Let's say the Lopez is on an NG tube. The off arrow points at the med/flush port.That means I can't give meds if memory serves me, correct? If I turn the off arrow toward the patient and the NG tube, then does that mean nothing can come out of the pt or nothing can come in to the pt? Likewise, if I turn the arrow toward the wall suction (the 3 o'clock position)? And if I want to give meds to the pt, which direction do I turn the arrow? If I give meds, I don't have to disconnect anything, right, because the Lopez is used for just this purpose, but I DO have to turn off suction? Thanks for any help. There are sooo many things to know and remember!! :)