LadyLamp

I work on a busy inpatient psych unit, day shift, and have a maximum of 6. With the heavy charting requirements, especially with regard to admissions, there is no way we could take on more. Plus, in psych, in order to deliver proper care, you need some one-on-one time with patients for assessments.

Actually, psych nursing is not a huge jump into OR nursing, given how applicable communication and conflict resolutions skills are to surgical teams. During my interview for a Level I OR training program, the one thing they focused on in the interview was conflict resolution. This echoed the experiences of other people I knew who applied for the program as well. I would shadow an OR nurse to make sure it is something you might like, as it's a very unique niche, then apply to a bridge program. Most ORs in major hospitals have them and they are about 10 months long. Don't underestimate your psych skills in the OR world: I think they're a tremendous asset.

I should add that not only are our care plans detailed, but they're due 72 hours after clinical. That's the kicker. With the workload we have in our accelerated program, it's rough. Is the 72 hours window typical?

One?! This semester (my second), we did 5. But I'm in an accelerated program. Still, for med-surg I and II, for example, we did 3 each.

I'm in a prestigious ABSN program: The education and opportunities because of the connections are invaluable. However, I'm in a fortunate position in that I received a partial scholarship and am paying cash for the rest. Please do not put yourself in a financial hole because the living expenses will also pile on. Go the ADN route, then bridge: Some of the top universities with associated hospitals will offer you 100% tuition reimbursement to do so if you work for their hospital after you graduate. But as others mentioned, there are numerous online programs out there that allow you to get your BSN while you work. The catch is that you want to make sure your area has a market for ADNs: many do, but some large metropolitan areas are requiring BSNs to get in the door. Congratulations on both acceptances though; it's great to have choices. Good luck!

SopranoKris, what is the advantage of getting the DNP in addition to the FNP/ACNP for the ER? I'm just curious. Would you like to teach at some point...and/or does it make a difference on the clinical ladder? Part of the reason I am asking is because I'm volunteering in the CVOR/CVICU (I'm in the middle of my nursing school apps). There are a number of nurse practitioners in both areas, but I've never met one who has the DNP. That being said, some local schools in the D.C. area where I live, University of Maryland, for example, have transitioned and only offer the DNP now. It is an interesting trend.

CodeRed5, thank you so much for responding to this post. I thought it had long been buried. This is very helpful. Thanks again, and best wishes with the new job!

Not, it's not crazy! I used to feel the same, but a BA does not equate to a BSN, so it is not redundant. I have a background in literature too, though I went the route of publishing. I became interested in nursing after working on the side as a court advocate for abused and neglected children, dealing with their medical/psychiatric issues, and discovering a love for patient advocacy. I am finishing up prereqs now and applying to nursing school in the summer. From a pre-nursing perspective only, my two pieces of advice would be 1. Make sure you like science, which becomes evident in weeder courses like A&P; and 2. Try to either work, volunteer or shadow in healthcare (in close proximity to nurses) to confirm you understand what you are getting into. I've had a couple friends who became deeply disenchanted after just volunteering in a hospital because reality didn't match up to their expectations. But yes, a radical career switch is absolutely doable! Good luck, and keep us posted!

I was in a car accident several years ago, which left me with some spine and hip injuries. The sciatica was awful. I did physical therapy, went to an orthopedic surgeon, neurosurgeon, and did everything in exercise from Pilates and yoga to spinning, elliptical, weightlifting...the list goes on. The only thing that really did it for me, and pretty much eradicated the hip problem, was the ballet-inspired workout, commonly known as the bar/barre workout. There are a number of companies that specialize in this: my favorites are The Bar Method and Physique 57 (though I would work up to P57). It helps to find a local studio to learn proper form (very important), but videos are also available that you can do at home. These workouts are excellent for realignment and strength training.

Hi, could anyone who works at Washington Hospital Center, or has worked there, shed some light on the rotating shifts: How long do you typically work on day shift, for example, before switching to nights, then back again? Thanks!

Such a great thread, thank you. I am curious about a couple things regarding the perioperative umbrella. So is it correct to say that the AORN is the association of perioperative nurses, but only focuses on the OR and does not include PACU and pre-op? (I guess that's why Operative in perioperative is capitalized on their website!). With that in mind, I am wondering if it is customary to only train in one specific area of perioperative services or whether it is possible to cross-train. The large hospitals in my area either have nurses do the OR or pre-op/PACU track after one year of med-surg. However, from reading threads on AN, it seems that some nurses work in all the different areas, albeit in maybe smaller hospitals? I realize the training for the OR is long and that PACU often requires a critical-care background so you wouldn't be able to train for both simultaneously, but in time and with additional training, is it possible to alternate among the different specialties of perioperative care (pre-op, OR, PACU) in the same hospital?

Thank you, Rose Queen. Good to know about your coworkers. I'll also check out Google Scholar, keeping in mind what you said. (I'm embarrassed to say that I was not familiar with Google Scholar as a search engine, so thanks for mentioning it!)

Inquisitive pre-nursing student here who loves to read all the OR threads---thank you for all the great info. I have a question about hazards particular to the OR that may be different from other nursing areas, though I'm talking beyond the obvious sharp objects. In my effort to get some first-person OR anecdotes, I read this very short book called Confessions of an Operating Room Nurse: Fifty Shades of Green (2013). I was disappointed by the book's skeletal info, but she mentioned some hazards that did leave me curious: covert dangers like carcinogenic smoke emitted from the machines, despite the smoke evacuators, and gases, despite the use of what she called scavenging systems. Is this of concern, do you OR nurses think, or are these fears overblown?

Oops, moving my question to separate thread because I think I may be too off-topic. Thank you for this thread, though---I am really enjoying it! :-)

I've been following this thread because I was curious what a first-time experience on night shift was like. How did you fare??

(What is MCS? Got the NICU part. 😀)

What have you taken in terms of psychology? Developmental psychology and abnormal psychology were recommended to me. Chemistry is another good one. You'd think it would be a requirement for all programs, but it isn't.

@AngelKissed857, this is a really great, comprehensive list (love that it's in order!) of the Marian Diamond lectures. Thanks so much for posting. I've seen a lot of people recommend Mandi Parker as well. Here's a link to her lectures on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/amparker1981/videos

Wait, not to derail the subject here, but you worked with cadavers in undergrad A&P...no pig, no cat? Wow!

What a great post, @JustKeepDriving. Thank you for taking the time to share all that info. :-)

Hi, Nicole. That is really cool that you had a chance to shadow a circulating nurse in the cardiovascular OR for 4 weeks. I'm not a nurse, but level 1 trauma hospitals in my area (large metro) require 1 year med/surg before you can apply for an OR new-grad residency; this is unique to perioperative nursing and not a requirement for the other specialty residencies. This may not be the norm, though, and vary by city. Good luck!

Hi all, I'm really sorry if I've posted this in the wrong place: not sure where it goes? Anyway, just saw a notice on Facebook about this PBS show, Crimson Field, which details the lives of a medical team in a French field hospital during World War I. It begins tonight, though it was originally shown in 2014. If anyone saw it last year and would like to comment, please let us know if it's worth watching! (I'm curious how it portrays the nurses especially.) For those interesting in catching the premiere tonight, here's the link: The Crimson Field | PBS Programs | PBS

Color coding different parts of my life on my Mac calendar (school is gold, home is blue, work is pink, etc.) has been tremendously helpful. Every morning, I look at my rainbow and can easily keep track of what needs to be done! As mentioned above, when you get the syllabus, before anything else, mark all your due dates down on your calendar. Study-wise, you just need to find your groove and see what works for you. For example, making flashcards and being part of a study group are the golden ticket for many. However, they do nothing for me. What works for me: I scan the material, reading summaries and objectives, even if I don't really understand the material (it plants the seed and helps you focus on what's important); then I do a detailed reading, taking notes and working on the study guide (if provided); then I review, using the PDFs to help me remember the highlights. Rinse and repeat for new material. I also find recording lectures and recording myself reading my study guide/notes, then listening to them in my car, to be very helpful. You can even do this with lectures you find on YouTube, recording the sound on your phone or other device. The more senses you use to take in material, the better chance you have of remembering, regardless of your learning style. Also, you may want to try varying the places you study (this goes against common advice you hear and was recommended by my psych professor). The variety, and connecting learned info to different loci, can help you remember better. This can be as simple as studying in different rooms in your house. Maybe this would work for you as well. Good luck!

I am taking Micro and A&P II in the spring, in addition to another class. If you've already taken A&P, then you will most likely be reviewing vs. learning from scratch, so it sounds doable, especially if the classes span a full semester. I would just schedule your sciences on different days so your tests don't fall on the same dates.

At my school, A&P 1 is a prereq for A&P 2 as it lays the foundation. If you really want to take both during the semester, and are doing school full-time, you may want to consider splitting the courses during the 16-week session: 1st eight weeks, A&P 1; 2nd eights weeks, A&P 2. If there is a school in your area that does this, maybe it would be a better solution for you? It's very popular where I live.