2bRn-STAT

Good Luck to you. I graduate in May and just received a job this Tuesday at Duke Medical Ctr- Sister hospitals :) They (Durham Regional) actually came to our school giving info about the GEMS program. Sounds like a good program if you are interested in all of the disciplines in your track. Enjoy the weather in the south-

Hi, congrats on your new love for nursing. If you are short a few classes in getting into the ADN program it is NOT a waste of time to pursue your LPN while you wait to get in your program of choice. I had a 2 year waiting list for my ADN program, so instead of sitting around, I completed a one year LPN program and right before I graduated the ADN program called me to start their fall program. I am now in my last semester of the ADN program, and have over a year of experience as an LPN. It also makes the program alot easier becuz of the knowledge you will gain in the LPN program. Especially good for someone that has been out of school for a while. ALSO a big plus, I just got hired Tuesday to work at DUKE on a specialty unit that normally does not get a lot of new grads- and my area of choice becuz of my one year of med-surg experience as an LPN. There are some definate positives to getting your LPN- it also opens doors for LPN-ADN bridge programs if you dont get into the traditional program fast enough. So weigh all of your options. Good Luck

I had to take the HESI exam today. We need a 900 to pass on the 1st try, if you dont then you have to take it a 2nd time in May and get an 850, if you dont pass then you get an incomplete for a grade and you retake for the 3rd time and get an 850. Well today I got a freaking 892!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! What is that? 892 are you kidding me? I was so excited and disappointed at the same time. But relieved to know that my 2nd try will not be a big deal. Yesterday I interviewed at Duke Medical CTR and got a job on the birthing unit. What???? Yes, new grad, still an LPN, got an interview and JOB in January before graduating in MAY. I went to ECPI got my LPN in one year, while waiting for the ADN program to pick me up at the local community college- and right before I graduated, the comm college called me and said I was accepted. So from JUne 2005-2006 LPN and then Aug of 2006 to now ADN- its been a long road, but hard work pays off people!!!!!!!! 15 more weeks to go:up:

Get your ADN and tough it out with the commute. I am not familiar with ECPI's RN programs. I went to Raleigh's LPN program. It gave me everything I needed to pass the boards and be competent at work. I graduated June of 06 and started my RN program August of 06. Im in my second semester of nursing and doing great. ECPI really made this ride easier for me as I see others struggle. They kept telling me I had like a year plus to wait, so I went ahead and got my LPN since I was done with all of my gen education courses. I was so happy right before graduating from ECPI, I got accepted to the RN program at a community college. Also, if you want to further your education & get your BSN, ECPI's courses dont transfer to the community colleges here in NC-check your area. You'll be starting all over with the basic gen ed's that are needed for your associates anyway. I say, do the extra time-A 5 semester ADN program is only 21 months- not to mention all the breaks you get- its actually less than that. For a real degree I say it is worth it. Oh as far as training- no school will ever be able to give you all you need- you will learn so much more at work. You actually learn your job and how to be a nurse on the job. School is more like an introduction. That is any and every nursing program though- they will teach you basics and whatever comes available in clinical. I dont know why MCI has such a bad rep there-maybe that is something to cosider also-but I had a decent experience. The RN program I'm in is much more established and structured better. Good LUCK!! Stacie C/O 2008

Hey there NC. Im in Raleigh at ECPI College of Technology. I have 3 months down and 9 more months to go. That is a pregnancy -help me push this baby on out-ha ha I can not wait to finish up. I am either going directly to Vance-Granville to bridge to RN or I will work from 2006-2007 and in 08 bridge over at Durham Techs program. They only offer it every other year, so I havent quite figured it out yet. So far things are going good. Good luck to everybody

Hey, everything is going good. Thanks for asking. I am in my 2nd term now and it is going good. Its tough and there is a whole lot of information given in a shorter time frame. You really have to be in your books. Im taking Phamacology and Foundations II. In 2 more weeks we will begin clinicals. I do not know about the previous students nclex yet. Ive been too busy to even think of anyone else. But the program seems solid and I compare units to my nclex-pn study guide to be sure things are on track-looks good so far:)

Cay, I didnt quite understand your post? Were you saying go ahead and get my ADN at any school? And I wasnt sure if you were agreeing with me when you said why wait. But yes, that is why i went ahead to ECPI-so rather than sit a year out waiting to get accepted I will be working on my lpn instead. That way it will still only take me two years to get a 2 year degree rather than close to 4 years with all the waiting. But none of my pre-reqs will be too old. Nothing is over a year old at this point. So i'm just going to play it by ear once i graduate from ECPI next June. If I get accepted to Vance in 06 I doubt that I will decline it to wait for Durham Tech in 08, I just really like their program and reputation. And I thought it would be great to work as an LPN for the time that I waited for Durham Techs LPN to RN program.

That is great to hear. I wanted to go to DTech so bad. I just cant continue to wait -wasting time. I have all of the classes under my belt accept micro. But still over a year and a half wait. When I finish LPN school in June of next year, I would like to work for one year and then finish up my Rn at Durham Tech. They only bridge LPN's to Rn's every other year, so in 2008 Ill be ready to start the 2nd year of the program. Which will work out great becuz I really want my associates in nursing to come from their program. Well, good luck to you and congrats

yes, it is expensive-I am willing to pay for my education becuz I do not want to continue to wait-I do not trust the point system over at Wake either. I have heard some discouraging things from actual admissions counselors about their system. Durham Techs program and entry is really organzied and I have heard nothing but good things about it over there. I would have to wait until Fall of 07 to get in though. I am wanting to move back to Chicago as soon as I am an Rn-so i didnt mind paying to get that jump start. It is much quicker to bridge over to Rn once you get your Lpn. I have a lot of money in credits since I have all of the pre-reqs out of the way.

Yeah, the one in Raleigh started an Lpn program last year. Durham Tech has one too -with a waiting list of 2 +years. Their Rn program is right at about a 2 year wait. Well-hope you find out soon-Good luck

ok, Im in the same situation you are. Ive got all classes except Micro. But my school actually has a waiting list, no point system. Which I guess makes a fair chance for everyone wanting to enter. It is literally first come first serve. Just no advantage for me which sucks since I have almost all my classes-and good grades.

Hey, Im in NC too. Where are you getting your LPN at? Im getting mine at ECPI and then Im going to bridge over to Rn at Durham Technical Comm College. The waiting lists are so long, I had to go this route just to avoid the wait.

My fault I wasnt paying attention that you were in Detroit. Try this, not sure how recent http://www.afh.org/WMNAC%20Scholarships%20&%20Loans.htm this one looked pretty good: http://www.lcc.edu/nursing/nursing/scholarship_information/

Its not stupid at all, you have a plan and that plan will work for you. Just dont stay becuz you are scared to leave what you know. You'll do fine wherever you go, dont get complacent and scared to venture out. But also dont let money take you away from your plan

It is a good thing that we have this website, becuz recruiters will tell people any type of stuff I cant believe that they told her that. :angryfire You also need to be more informed of the line of work you desire to go into. You have got to at least know the diff between a nurse and a cma. Know that much prior to walking in the door-as they will screw your career and waste your time and money. That was about as bad as them telling you that a CNA is higher than an LPN.

Here is a little to get you started. You have to really research this stuff. It will not just be handed over to you. I dont know where you live, a lot of scholarships are specific to what state you reside and what type school you are going to. There are scholarship books in the library also. Have you applied for pel? You need to do that-fafsa- even if you dont think you qualify. National Black Nurses Association Ambi-Kiwi Scholarship Applicant must be black and major in nursing. Deadline: April 15. Amount: Varies. Contact: Award Officer, National Black Nurses Association 1511 K Street NW, No.415, Washington, DC 20005 WIBC Scholarship Must be African American. Amount: $1,000-$2,000. Contact: Director of Scholarships, WIBC 10 Columbus Circle, New York, NY 10019, (212) 586-1771 http://aacn.campusrn.com (202) 463-6930 http://aacn.campusrn.com/scholarships/scholarship_rn.asp Health Resources and Services Administration, Bureau of Health Professions Nursing Scholarship Tuition, fees, expenses and stipend http://bhpr.hrsa.gov (866) 867-6856 http://bhpr.hrsa.gov/nursing/scholarship/default.htm April 15, 2005 National Black Nurses Association NBNA Scholarships $500.00-$2000.00 http://www.nbna.org (301) 589-3200 http://www.nbna.org/scholarship/scholarapp.htm

Could not have been better put than that Allamericangirl! You have a husband as great as mine!! Good for you two. These kinds of relationships just work! It is also great that you are able to communicate and let him know when you are stressed

Yeah, I agree Penny-Its just that he didnt give any info for us to really go on, so my thing was-if she went from not going out to drink at all-to drinking with her girlfriends all the time-somebody that is a responsible woman needs to kind of give him an ideal of what is a drastic change. He could be so used to her not going out at all that he thinks her leaving every other saturday night is extreme. Which I dont think at all. Point is, he could be over-exaggerating his wife's going out and "drinking all the time" becuz he sees too much change in such short time. I get out too, wish it was a little more often than what it is:) There need not be a limit, I think it starts to become an issue when it is extreme or different than the norm, or with a bunch of single women, or interfering with the couples' plans.

Wow, that is too bad to hear. Sometimes we just conform to our environment. Im sure the women that your wife clicked with are smokers and that makes it so easy to get back into a bad habit. I hate to hear about a nurse that smokes. I know we are not perfect, but imagine your endocrinologist with uncontrolled diabetes. Well, just be supportive instead of corrective. Let her know that you are worried and concerned, as well as do not approve of some of the things she is doing. A marriage is a compromise and no matter how stressed she is, she still needs to keep her family happy and not worried. Hopefully she is just going through a little something that will pass. I could really get a better feel for all that she is doing if I knew her age. Dont want to offend any one but here is a little Dr. Phil- if she is not 26 or older this may be a simple phase. If she has always seemed a bit irresponsible and she is 26 or older then it may be the true her coming out again with her wild group of girls. Depending on her age- no woman over 25, married should be drinking with her co-workers more than twice in a month. Or it could be you, She might feel that you are trying to control her and she has always wanted to smoke again and didnt for you- rather than for herself and finds comfort in non judgemental friends that understand her stress. Be supportive and she will come around at her own pace and time. Good Luck

Nursemike gave you some great advice. If you think that you got fired for saying I love you then you are as stupid as THEY think you are. I cant even believe they tried to tell you that was the reason. We are "at will" employees without a union and there is not a thing you can do. They can give you any reason as to why they fired you and have something else in your personal file. They could say something as simple as, "we just would like to get someone that is a better fit" and you will be fired, on about your marry way. Take it as a learning experience. Most places LOVE male nurses. I get a vibe of arrogance and cockiness. Dont rub people the wrong way. They could have set you up to get you out of there becuz they feel that you disrupt their environment. If people really knew you, they probably would find a nice guy in you, but when all they know is your "corrective, informative, criticism, it just doesnt fly by too well. Good Luck, stay a nurse-you dont need to go to EMT to start over- you just need to revamp your approach on people- cuz if it is bad where you were, then it will be bad as an emt. You are good at what you do, so dont leave it.

Hi I just wanted to stress that before you make any more decisions you really need to soul search and find your true calling. I get a sense that you are not really motivated to do anything right now -other than complete a program. Please dont take this wrong-when you say that you have talked to friends and they did not really give a positive feedback of telling you that you should get into the field, you seemed to really change your position on your "dream" that fast. If you are that easily influenced in your decision it would be horrible to get started and then come to this realization. I have heard plenty of horrible stories about nursing -but along with the bad ones come so many of the great ones. There isnt a thing that ANYONE could tell me that would change my mind-I want this, so bad, there will be nothing in my way, and no negative comments that would make me change my mind. Nursing is broad, and there are so many areas to get into. Maybe your friends are stuck, undecided, maybe they settled for what they were first thrown into, maybe they arnt self-motivated and like to whine and complain. Only you know you-you know if this is just another ideal that you are contemplating, but not really decided on, you know if this is a true dream and passion that you MUST complete, search yourself first, you are old enough to know what you want, if you were 18-20 I really couldnt give you this same advice, but as we get older, we know without a shadow of a doubt what we want to do. If being a PA is your real dream, your family WILL sit aside those 4 years and support you til you are done. That is not too long for a family to sacrifice some of moms time for you to fulfill your heart and goals. Just do not forget the time contraints and demands of the actual job after you finish school also. Try your local hospital to see if you could walk along side in a day of a nurse to really get a feel of if you could do this long term or not. You MUST understand the job and its daily functions before you get into another program- or you will be a 1/3 through another program wanting to get out of it. Good Luck with whatever decision you make-also, admissions counselors know who is for real and who sounds a little apprehensive. If you decide totally to do it- then you go in there with confidence, reapply if you have to, and stay in their faces keeping up with your admissions status. Then they will know that you are just as serious as those girls that were C students. Heart and desire means a whole lot more to a school then a high G.P.A Good Luck again Monica hope it all works out for you.

Wow, thats a tough one. Clinicals can be rough and long days-it will wear on you to have to commute after a hard day of work. It can also interfere with study time. My longest commute was a 45 minute one. I only took pre-reqs there and found a closer school to actually go to nursing school at. I called a few schools that were a little over an hour and the advisors and admissions counselors said that I may want to rethink my decision. She stated that those that commuted tended to have lesser grades than the more local students. If you have ever commuted to work that far, then it may not be a big deal for you-but if you have never commuted long term to know what it is like-i wouldnt recommend doing it. Good Luck

Thanks, Ill be looking at that area too then. I lived in Hinsdale for about a year before we had bought our home in Naperville. We liked it there too. That isnt too far from Lagrange. I dont know too much about Lagrange-now I know to check it out. We definately dont want to be so far west again. Like I said earlier, we want to be closer to downtown and the hospitals that are in the downtown area. Sounds like Lagrange is right in between where we want to be. What hospital do you want to work, and where are you in school at? I see you are into Neuro-good area to get into. Thanks again Oh-Plainfield- far but I really was considering- Our realtor sends us a weekly on homes and most come from that area-The homes are gorgeous, new and you get a lot of home for the money there. I hope it is that way when I get back. Its just too far-

Yeah, that is a nice area. I loved Naperville and the schools-I just want to be a tad closer to Chicago when I move back. My husband wants to look at Oak Park also. We have our past realtor send us weekly udates on homes. Its funny cuz we really look at them, but we arnt moving back until i finish school.:) We just cant wait to get back. Well, good luck again and let me know how things go when you get going at North Western.

Oh, I see. Maybe it was your LPN experience prior to your Rn that gave you a better rate of pay in Michigan. I am suprised too that IL is paying less starting. Then again, maybe the prestige and name of these hospitals in IL allows them to start at a certain range. How are your benefits? Bet they are great- that makes a difference too. Man, I can not wait to finish school and get back to Chicago.What area are you looking to move? And are you in telemetry at NWestern also?