whealer

I haven't worked there BUT I went there when I was 6th grade for a week and absolutely loved it. We dissected owl pellets, and my luckier friends decided pregnant pigs and sharks. We also re-enacted the underground railroad and the salem witch trials. I wished it lasted longer!!! One of my favorite childhood memories. And my dream job because everyone there were amazing

I heard about the one in Las Vegas too... I think it's called Hangover Heaven.

I don't know about anyone else in NY State, but right now our medical practice isn't participating in any plans offered on the Health Exchange. It sucks because so many of our patients are choosing to switch over. Nice to hear that so far it's yielding a good outcome

I love Medscape too! Overall I don't think the categories are bad intrinsically; it is just how nurse managers use them. What I take away from the article is how certain events - specifically in medicine and health - can affect generations in a given work environment (in this case, nursing). To me, that's pretty interesting. I think we are in some part a product of our environment but not entirely. For example I am a millenial and I dislike social networking but if I needed to I can find out how to put up a FB page, get a blog going, and know how to connect with people pretty quickly. I think there are underlying qualities of each generation that tend to be more specific but end up being generalized in the article. These types of categorizations help from a larger perspective; but to really understand the motivations of any individual nurse means you have to sit down and talk with them. Might I add that nursing is an awesome career because you have so many generations working with one another.

Amazon. I've always had a great experience with them. Their kindle versions of books are kind of annoying to use, though. I use chegg to supplement what I can't get at Amazon. I hate their iPad app; it worked maybe 30% of the time.

I think most of what you're asking really requires you to investigate your choices a little deeply; that's not something that we can do for you. In my personal opinion you should finish your BA in history... you already put effort into studying this you should complete it. You can use a BA to get an entry level job, if you don't have one already, to help support you in taking pre-reqs at a community college, save up for nursing school, or even additional things like CPR training, or save up money so you can spend free time volunteering at a hospital or shadowing a nurse. From there you should look into different schools based on your finances and your specific nursing career goals. I'm currently going for my ADN, but that was a personal choice to make and, after exhaustively looking through the boards I came to the conclusion that I needed to realistically look at what I have now and what I want for myself in the future to understand if an ADN (and whatever comes after) is viable for me. I also have a second degree (BA) and I'm looking into RN-NP programs that will take second degree non BSNs who at least have a year of nursing experience; you may want that type of option in which case completing your BA would be beneficial. You may want to consider a career in legal consulting, which may pair your interests in law with your nursing skills.

I got an A for Anatomy & Physiology Lectute, a B for A&P Lab, and an A for Developmental Psych = 3.9 GPA. Close enough!

Well said!

I work at a major medical office where we just had training about the ACA. Most, if not all of what the OP wrote down is factual. Also, personally I think it benefits all of us nurses to be well informed about how the ACA affects our patients, regardless of what we think of it. My take away from this article was that it's in our best interest to be knowledgeable about how it can make an impact on our patient's healthcare. I've seen doctors in my practice who use their familiarity with how insurance works to help patients financially. That said, this is all brand spanking new, so I can understand referring to brokers and insurance reps (for now) until healthcare professionals can learn to work with the system in a way that can ultimately benefit our patients.

I work part time at a doctors office and have financial aid. Next semester I'm applying for a scholarship. I also joined the NSNA (National Student Nurses Association) - they have different scholarships available based on need, merit, etc. I will be applying for those also since I still have to pay a portion of tuition

@ HouTx Wow what a great opportunity! I wonder is the dissection and study of human cadavers available to those who obtain their NP? I didn't think so since I never saw it mentioned. I suppose it truly under special circumstances. I hope that this type of dissection is available to me throughout my nursing school journey, beyond the ADN. @Shelbyastar - The only thing that would stop us would be funding... here's to hoping we still have the funds or I will be one ***** A&P II student! @Irish_Met See I thought we were dissecting human eyeballs - which made me more squeamish than the huge cow's eyes, funny enough!

I was little more relaxed with my studying; but what it comes down to is knowing two things: 1: What is your learning style? Do you find yourself understanding things better when it's visual or does the mental lightbulb go off when you hear your professor explain how something, like, how the excitability process of muscle contraction works? 2: Flash cards! It's all about memorization! I wrote the definition out on the front of the card and would write the term on the back. Rather than just learning the word, understanding what the term means and how it's applied is best. From there I did the following: -I didn't overdo it on the studying. There is such a thing as studying too much, to the point where it got me confused or I wasted time. Keep it simple and consistent. Flash cards and study notes. -I downloaded powerpoints for the day of class, made a couple of notes during lecture, studied from the book intensely and did the homework immediately after class. That way it was fresh in my mind, if I had questions I can ask them early on, and I had enough time to briefly review points for the next class. -I tried to not cram study the day/night before tests. Between schoolwork completed in class, homework, and my own notes the study for the exam should really be a review. -I didn't study anything that wasn't mentioned in class. If I come across a point in the book that wasn't mentioned in lecture, I'd make a note of it and just bring it up during the next class - again, it's all about time management. If it was something interesting, or a great topic for a research paper, I'd make a note of it and move on. When I have free time I'll study this topic further. -I used my ipad mini to take pictures of diagrams and models in class. I didn't make a formal study guide; I just went through the pictures whenever possible and tried to identify what I could on my own. -I tried to draw as much as possible. Not that I'm a real artist or anything; but when it comes to studying cell structures or processes like a reflex arc, drawing it (correctly!) means I understand it. -Talk, talk, talk. Luckily my boyfriend has taken this class before so our conversations were around applicability of what we learned. Try and talk about it in conversation, preferably around people who know what you're talking about. If there's not of those people around, then that's okay too! I remember just the other night I was having a discussion about eye surgery with friends. Since I performed an eye dissection before, I was able to talk about the different layers of the eye and whatnot. Of course, I admit when I'm not sure if what I'm saying is correct; in these cases I make a mental note and review my notebook to quickly fact check. -I keep my study notebook around whenever possible. It's small enough to fit in my bag. At the end of the semester I saved the last few pages to print out pictures and use them as an index. Hopefully some of this inspires you!

I think this has been the highlight of the semester for me... hahaha A couple of my classmates and I were finishing our second round of dissections, which - if you haven't realized by now - is my favorite part of A&P! We had moved on from sheep brains to cow eyes. I thought I would upchuck with the eye but surprisingly it was loads of fun! At the end of the dissection, as we cleaned our trays and instruments, we opined over how animal dissections were... well, meh. Educational, for sure, but didn't satisfy our curiosity. One student excitedly stated she wanted to move on to humans. I agreed. Personally I had considered death investigation and forensics in the past; a dissection of a human cadaver in nursing school was a great step if I still had any interest. Our professor then told us that next semester we'll have a chance to perform human dissections at a medical school in Harlem! We couldn't believe it, since we've always been told that these types of dissections aren't common in nursing school. If you're excited about dissections on human cadavers - or have had experience with them - let me know.

Hi Harrid, Passionflower pretty much hit the nail on the head. Right now I'm taking pre-requisites. Next semester I have clinicals and at that point, I will begin to understand if I have what it takes to be a nurse. It may take me a while to know if I have what it takes, actually, but I'm not going to wait until that moment to say "Well what's next?" While I have time now to do the research and ask for guidance, I want to learn how to use other skills I've learned to become more than just a great nurse. Of course, you'll see me posting plenty of times when my nursing courses commence next semester. But, as Passionflower pointed out, I'd rather focus on my opportunities now than later. Also, this isn't my first career. Something that I've learned is that regardless of which career you're in, whether you're a nurse, motivational speaker, or anything in between, a mentor is an essential asset to cultivating your talents within any given industry. They can also help you manage your goals in a realistic way.

Great article! Thank you!

Wow thanks so much for the great advice! I truly appreciate the positive feedback and will definitely use it to navigate my career. I think my major issues right now are how to blend so many of my interests together with health and public speaking. For example, I love speaking about art and dance (and performing also), although now I'm investigating the use of creative therapy in specialized populations as a tool for physical and emotional healing. Additionally I'm still trying to find a mentor to help me stay on track with my goals and provide me with great influence for my own aspirations. I'm not too worried since I know such a person will find me and vice versa so long as I continue on my path.

Thank you very much! I really needed that to fuel the fire. I may have a speaking gig lined in the next couple of weeks and next month Now I'm working on a website to get things moving! Thanks again for the inspiring words!!

Hi there! Thanks for stopping by! To all of you seasoned entrepreneurs I have a question about experience and long term savings for a business. My background: I'm an ADN nursing student not even in clinicals yet (although they are steadily approaching). Before I decided to become a nurse, I had worn many different hats for both pay and for fun. Most of my early 20s involved me being self-employed. I was a freelance writer; I provided coaching to clients with regards to sexual health and education; I've done web designer; and I've been certified as a personal trainer. I've spent time in front of and behind the camera and loved every minute as a performer. I also graduated with a Bachelors of Arts in Forensic Psychology. After some soul searching, I decided that I wanted to use my personal experiences with health and my desire to help others to become a nurse. A little further soul searching has led me to the conclusion that I want to start my own business as a motivational speaker, educator, and consultant. I also want to remain a nurse, possibly as a community or school nurse to gain experience, work with the adolescent population, and save money towards my ultimate goal. My first question is are there any other nurses in this forum that has made a business out of motivational speaking? Or, is motivational speaking part of your business marketing strategy? If so, what are your challenges and what you might tell someone like me to consider? Do you suggest any books or websites that might be helpful? Additionally, I haven't been able to find too many nurse entrepreneurial groups (at least in New York City) that welcome nursing students and help prep them to become future entrepreneurs - would anyone know of an organization? I'm particularly looking for a networking group that offers mentorships (preferably) and discussions on how to invest in one's business (most importantly). Any advice you have to offer is greatly appreciated! Thank you for reading

I'm currently going through a similar situation and decide whether I'm going to work while in nursing school. I'm currently going through my pre-reqs but next semester starts nursing core courses and A&P II. I looked into getting the private loan so I can avoid working. I could only do it if I had a cosigner and I didn't want to do that. Plus, I didn't want to pay any more money than I needed to. I currently work now, so I will continue my job at the doctor's office, which isn't horrible since I'm on the phone and in front of the computer... plenty of opportunities to study and do homework. My goal is to keep my grades up so I can apply for school scholarships next semester, which will hopefully give me a break in the future.

I love stories like this one makes so excited for clinicals! Thank you!

About one month in, I got 106% on my first AP 1 exam. I don't get graded in development psych yet so we'll see!

Thanks genaluvya I responded back. Moya, I believe it's already been established that the institute has candidacy status but is not accredited. It only has national accreditation, which I believe you're referring to.

NP, entrepreneur, author, psych and forensics

For me, I don't have too much of a normal life for several reasons: 1) I like to absorb what I study, not just read what I need to pass the tests to get through school. Regardless of the GPA and whatnot, I want to live, eat, and breathe what I learn in order to not only be a better nurse for my patients, but be a better representative of the healthcare system in other capacities, such as entrepreneur or a writer. 2) I'm not as young as I used to be and have a horrible time retaining information (although somehow I managed to have a high science score on the NLN exam...?) 3) I'm saving up money since the next two semesters are going to be crazy busy and I'd like a nest egg in case I have to work less. 4) I'm a nerd. I'll spend as much reasonable time as I can on any given subject just to make sure I understand it. If I went out partying, then that problem or concept would keep bugging me. I do make time for special occasions like birthdays and holidays, to work out and to overall keep my well-being in check. But, if there's an opportunity to get more knowledge into my brain then that takes priority. I guess my point is that depending on your goals, your situation, and your study habits, you may or may not have a normal life.

Thank you so much for your honesty and sharing your experience! I actually wanted to pursue an RN-to-MSN program; of course, most of those programs require at least a year of healthcare or hospital experience prior to applying. Do hospitals only want nurses with BSN or is RN-MSN applicants acceptable also?