IGSD777

Guys, they excused me!! I only asked for a postponement and explained my situation. I'm so relieved, even though I know it isn't a huge deal, that's one less thing for me to have to worry about. Thanks for the help!

I filled the form out online and asked for a postponement. Hopefully everything will go as planned. I was too afraid to ignore the letter, and actually, I think I may have been late responding, but we'll see what happens. Thanks for all the responses. I got to thinking about it, and I'm sure I'm not the first person to be in this situation. One of the new hires today actually asked for time off for a previously scheduled vacation and they said they'll work with her.

Yup, I hear cops are excused..lucky!

Darn, I really wish they excused nurses if they wanted to be excused! There are a million other people who would love to serve on a jury, even lots of nurses who enjoy/don't mind it..just not me :)

Thanks for your reply. I think I'll try to postpone for now, just in case they deny the excuse request. I'll have to figure this all out, this is the second time I've been called for jury duty, but the first time I had a valid excuse that they approved.

Hi all! I'm looking for some suggestions as to what I can write to try to get excused from jury duty. Before anyone reminds me of my important civic duty, I want to explain that the reason I'm trying to avoid jury duty is because I just got accepted into a new grad program that requires 3 months of training and I was lucky to get in, being that there were only 5 of us hired. I understand my job can't penalize me for jury duty, this was really just terrible timing. I was thinking of explaining the new grad thing to them, but I'm also thinking I may just ask for a postponement. If I try to get excused and get denied, will I be able to postpone? Again, I'm not trying to flake out on my civic duty, this just isn't a good time for me.

Hmm, I make very good money as a private duty nurse. My rate is the same as the hospitals/facilities around, but I pick up lots of OT, whereas some facilities don't like their nurses to work OT.

I'm in the same boat as you, but RN. Some will probably disagree but, yes, I do believe it stunts career growth as a first job. I think private duty is better suited for nurses with experience, but I had no other options. I don't feel that private duty nurses get as much educational support, as facilities do. That's important as a new nurse. Even offices and LTC facilities train more than private duty agencies.

I'm an ADN RN in NJ and can tell you it will be very difficult to find a hospital job without your BSN. Everything the previous poster said was true. If you think you'll like home care, long term care, or nursing homes, the RN-BSN will be ok, but if you're looking for that hospital experience, go for the BSN. I would advise anyone in our area, looking to get into nursing, to get their BSN. The nursing field is getting tougher about increased education, even home care and LTC facilities, because they can staff LPNs for less, and in reality, they generally do what RNs do, meaning they don't have to hire as many RNs. You want to make sure you get a job after going through school.

I had plans on working in the hospital as a bedside nurse and staying there, because I really enjoyed it throughout nursing school, and thought I found my niche. I got my RN license this past April. Almost everyone in my clinical the last semester had plans to earn an advanced degree and move out of bedside asap. The professors and instructors really drive it home that nurses need to continue their education. I only have my ASN, therefore I barely have employment opportunities. I live in a metro area and NO hospitals are hiring nurses without BSNs. They are all aiming for magnet status. I work pediatric private duty, and it's ok, but I wanted a bedside job in the hospital. My job doesn't offer tuition reimbursement, so I'm forced to take out a loan to pay for my BSN, just to get a steady job (private duty/home care can be unreliable and unpredictable). It's a little depressing. My job now and the hospital pay the same rate, but I pick up lots of OT, so it's not the money that I'm after. This whole field is a mess. There are still nurses out there who actually enjoy bedside nursing, but nursing has become extremely competitive, and greedy. I've seen quite a few older bedside nurses flat out retire early because they were being forced to go back to school or be fired. These nurses haven't been in school in about 30 years! It's such a shame!

Yes, BSN is a must, even if I don't need it. I definitely think later on down the line BSN will be the minimum for an RN license.

I looked at quite a few threads who seem to agree with you! I have thought about per diem but the hospitals in my state only hire experienced per diem nurses. That's ok though, for now I'm following the, "if it ain't broke, don't fix it," motto!

I've heard pretty good things about WGU, I'll definitely look into it. Congratulations on turning in your first MSN paper! I bet that feels great!

Everything you said helped put things in perspective for me! You're right, who cares, I'm still a nurse! I definitely need to check myself, I tend to care what others think often and I also tend to want to over-achieve. I will go back to school, but slowly, and stay where I am. I will learn more about my patients' conditions. The only thing I'm really worried about is, when I do decide I want a change, will other places hire me? Will I be able to catch up, skill wise? I'm also torn, should I go for the BSN even though I won't get a pay raise? I'm scared to take out that loan, which is why I haven't started on it yet. I'm pretty frugal when it comes to money.

Thank you all for your responses! I think the best option is to just continue what I'm doing now and slowly earn my BSN. I actually do enjoy my job a lot! I love the cases I have and I love working with children. If I didn't do private duty peds, I probably would never get a chance at peds. Also, I'm starting to realize I may be glorifying hospital nursing, as I read a few threads about disgruntled hospital nurses. I think since it was really a focal point in clinical, it's what I'm used to. I tend to have the misconception that busy is better, which I know isn't true. I'm really thankful for all of the responses.

Hi! I graduated last December with my ASN and got my RN license in March 2016. In May my friend invited me to an open house at a private duty pediatrics agency and I applied for my first nursing job. I got hired a week later and began working. I didn't apply anywhere else because I was trying to get my family life in order. The agency completely works around my schedule and I was able to continue staying home with my youngest during the day. Fast forward to now, I'm not really dissatisfied with my job, but underwhelmed. I envisioned myself working bedside, and really wanted to work in a hospital setting. One thing I really don't like now as a new nurse, there's no guidance and I don't feel like I'm using my skills. It's not engaging enough. Unfortunately, the hospitals in my area don't hire nurses without the BSN. I could possibly get hired at hospitals a little farther away if I travel. I'm trying to decide between staying at my job now, take out a loan and get my BSN, then apply for a more challenging job (I'm interested in eventually working CCU/ICU). Or I could go work at a hospital farther away, get tuition reimbursement, and earn valuable experience, that could help me get to where I want to be. This decision is hard for me because I make very good money now and they're very flexible. I do make a difference in my patients' lives, and for the most part I enjoy it. But, it won't count for experience and I have no one to guide me. I also don't do much of anything and apparently RNs working private duty are looked down upon. Also, I have excellent references and I feel like I should utilize them now. I know one of my references, a previous instructor, feels like I'm wasting time at this job, and could do better. I can tell she's disappointed in me for settling. What do you all think? I understand this is a personal choice, but I would love to hear opinions.

I'm glad I'm not the only one! I tried it on my phone and lap top. I ended up just sending her an email through BCC to let her know I logged in.

Did any one figure out how to send a course message on blackboard to let her know we logged in? I'm having trouble.

How's everyone doing? I just got my box of books and the rest I ordered will be coming on Tuesday, so I have a lot of reading to do! I still haven't bought my stethoscope, shoes or pants yet. The price of the books are insane! I met 5 others in my section and they all seem really nice to work with! Don't forget about our Issues paper, due on our first real clinical day!

Did anyone get the book for Med Admin yet? If so, do you know how much it is? I'm going to check that place in Marlton, I'm on such a budget right now.

Congrats camarogirl1124!!

Open labs are just times you can go to the lab to practice your skills. The handbook said we should plan to do a minimum of an hour a week in open lab.

Does anyone know if the books are available yet? And for anyone taking NUR 103, have you gotten those books yet?

You have to get the top from BCC. It's a cranberry color. We buy white pants wherever we find them. That stethoscope is awesome!! Is the lab kit the black bag that we are supposed to get.?

How much are the clinical tops? And do you know if we need to call first to register for the CPR class, or just send the money order in? I found great shoes at shoeline.com for $70 and free shipping. They are the Nursemate dove ones.