donjon2015

"So my question is: for me as a young girl should I just try and get a random job somewhere and go strait for the RN program and get it overwith, or should I do the CNA, then the LPN, and then RN...or even maybe to CNA to RN. And, by getting my CNA will I really get alot of good experiance that will help me in my future nursing???" I'd recommend experience .....many would flat out disagree with this.....but the bottom line is with all the ground you cover as a Student, and in Theory.....and with all of the terminology you cover, many of which is exotic looking when you have no experience and nursing school will be tougher....the ones with any expierence will have a slight advantage. LPN is good...im an LPN.....but, I'd actually recommend Respiratory Therapy as a background to gain experience over CNA and LPN and then enter a Accelerated BSN or regular BSN, or do Excelsior College's online transition depending on if your state accepts it. RT is on the same level of Care as an RN where as both is a higher level of care than an LPN or CNA....but they have different scopes of practice.....one is more specialized, the other is more generalized. Nothing will help you more in terms of the didactic work then a background in RT.....you will become an EXPERT in the Cardiopulmonary System and will develop sound assessment skills on the two most vital body systems....the heart and lungs.....they even gain a little knowledge in the Kidneys and Abdomen and how they affect breathing.....and according to our hierarchy of needs "ABC's" Airway, Breathing, Circulation....all vital to a pt's health.....the RT's are masters of promoting this. Anytime you can become an expert in anything....you're at a tremendous advantage let alone heart and lungs....and you will certainly know breath sounds......you'd be surprised many RN 's don't know breath sounds that well.... Especially students Plus, you'll gain exposure to critical thinking and applied style questions in RT school (and you would in LPN school as well) that many Nursing Students struggle with mightily and you'll gain a background in ...although RT uses a more medical model approach while Nursing applies everything to a Nursing model Also, someone said, LPN's don't work much in the hospital environment anymore? This is true...I speak as an LPN myself. The biggest advantage of RT is you'll get to travel across the entire hospital and see all sorts of floors....so you'll get an idea of maybe what kind of Nursing you want to do? Or if you even want to do Nursing at all....and you'll also have something to fall back on in case Nursing school doesn't work out which lets be honest: you may or may not make it....many do not.......or you may or may not want to stay in Nursing, and decide to help people in another way....that happens quite often Again...not but.....type in " Nursing school attrition and see what you find"...along with "want of of nursing" and "burnout" and see what you find.....make sure you know what youre getting into.....Real Nursing is not the TV glorification of RN's you see....or MTV's Scrubbing In. There are real stresses and some problems with this profession which many don't realize. So be aware of your choice. I got out of it for those realities of what Nurses really have to do.....I got out and am now in the Echo field....now the going for RT thing....I just think it's a great background to have if you become an RN....there's many RRT-RN's out there, and I think their experience benefits them greatly as a practicioner.....If I wanted to be an RN, that's what I would have done and my sister took that route and it helped them both in school and in working.........but for me, I didn't want to be involved in direct patient care anymore as an RN or RT....so I found that in my practical Nursing career, I liked being on the Diagnostic End more as an Echo. But yes....any background....even LPN and CNA will help you......I honestly believe that its never a good thing to rush into something... So make sure you do it for the right reasons, and make sure it is what you actually want...which in your case it seems it is

There's exceptions to everything though......you'll always hear of the occasional students that say the never open books or do anything too lol I never understood it....but some people are just like that

Cant tell if its sarcasm or not lol.... But.....there's a memorization component to everything....but students have to apply the info you memorize.... I shouldnt say you HAVE to Read....but you have to find ways to REINFORCE Concepts so you understand them..... Reinforcing the Understanding is Key And the only way your going to understand things is by reading/ or skimming and listening/recording lectures...watching youtube videos, NCLEX REVIEW BOOKS....what ever works....and giving yourself enough time and managing it well. That's not easy.... Waiting til the last minute, and trying to flat memorize powerpoint slides without doing anything else to help supplement it...without doing practice questions, or paying attention in class, or reading/ skimming.... Well.......thats not gonna fly here I guess thats what I meant....but I would have wrote a second book putting it that way lol

I feel you here......... You're right......it's insane at times As soldier nurse said, Nursing is not about just plain memorizing, but critical thinking HOWEVER.....you can't apply and criticially think for material you dont have So you have to find out how to be efficent and thats the hard part I always read ahead for the next semester over the summer and winter breaks....utilized NCLEX Review books, practice tests, and youtube videos for visuals along with Medcom resources Nursing school is like the Hunger Games ....it's designed to be survival of the fittest....and thats also true for working as a Nurse and I dont agree with it....but thats how it is. The Ugly truth is it's not for everyone.....but it can be rewarding if you "Survive" But with all the material and ground Nurses have to know...."they have to be jack of all trades"....they need to be able to question MD's...advocate for the Pt....provide psychosocial support, and can even be called on to do the PT, OT, and RT in a major crisis..... it's not simply come to work and make 28 bucks an hour like many think.....it truely is hard work. Remember the secret to success....is Study your *** off...... treat it like a full time job with a lot of overtime.....

"With all the reading we are giving and expected to memorize, paired with minimal guidance and classroom time, how do they expect us to succeed? 2 classes over a 3 week period followed by a 50 point exam? And if I have a question or don't get it, then what? I'm just very p.o.ed right now and getting very frustrated/borderline discouraged. All this hard work and I'm getting nothing to show for it expect disappointment and more frustration. makes me want to cry right now." Hey, we've all been there....with Nursing school....It's a Nightmare at times First thing I thought of when I began and got my first reading assignment and sat through a few lectures and saw how the instructors were was this: If I would have known this....If I would have known it was like this, I never would have done it....I would have gone to school for something else A lot of these programs use the same learning strategies: The Culture of Fear and Intimidation and tough love.....thats all too common in Nursing school. They feel like they're prepping you for battle, and to an extent they are because its no different when you get out and work I always feel like with Nursing school that it could be better, it could be more FAIR....which I know it's not, and the instructors could do more to help students.....but at the end of the day....thats just how it is....and there's not much we can do about it. Nursing Education may not be designed for people who are good at cramming....but I think that Nursing Education is designed to cater to people who are excellent self teachers.....cause you need to self teach in Nursing School because thats just how Nurses are educated....and truthfully, when you ask an instructor a question and they brush you off, or make you feel dumb....it's because it's in the reading and they dont know everything.......they have to cover so much ground with class, they really cant know everything....its impossible for them to be experts in all 100+ chapters of reading you will do throughout their career........SO does it suck?? Yes It really sucks....I can Empathize with you As a MAJOR Pointer.....one peice of advice I can give is when the semester ends over the break.........Read ahead for the Next semester....ask students in the upper class for a syllabus? Get Readings...overview material coming up for the next semester....it will help you. ...Oh I also reccomend E-Books.....its easy to take notes (you can cut copy from the ebook and paste on to Word)....thats how I studied And dont give up.....fight until you cant stand anymore/......Study your ass off around the clock

I think my thread might provide a little advice to help you: https://allnurses.com/general-nursing-student/advice-to-students-890577.html

The advancement and flexibility is NOT EVEN CLOSE with other Allied Health Fields....Not even close....Nurses have all those opportunities and career ladders.. Like I said, With RT, Echo, SLP, and OT....you can be in it for 20 years and be doing the same thing you were when you started....and there's nothing wrong with that,.....im ok with that and I like what I do in the Echo Field.............. but if you like upward mobility into highend positions, management and mid level provider positions....Nursing provides those in aplomb Thank you for your insight

But with the RT to RN thing....in terms of cost efficency? Is it time efficent and cost efficent?? Maybe? Maybe Not?? You can always get a per diem or part time job as an RT making 20-25 per hr and move on to Nursing School and work your way through school as an RT. Plus the fact that you get to move around the entire hospital and you get to see different things...and even get to met all sorts of different people on all floors is huge....could even give you insight on what kind of Nursing you want to do when your on a certain floor?! And if Nursing School does not work out...and lets look at the statistics and numbers....attrition rates in Nursing School are High. Attrition rates in Respiratory Care Programs are held to a standard....the CoArc holds all Respiratory CarePrograms in the US to an attrition standard of 40% meaning many schools need to strive to not lose more than 40% of its students.......so there will be many in Nursing programs who might not be successful the first time around, or decide they dont like Nursing and not want to do it what so ever....I dont know this for a fact, but I've heard CRNA Schools really like RT-RN's too, so if thats a goal ...it will help your application along with that ICU expeirence......of course you could always be unsuccessful in RT school as well, or maybe that's not your Cup o' Tea Either?? Or maybe you want to get out of Nursing and want to jump back into another field that you did prior? Not necessairly RT, but anything? I got out and went back to school for Echo when I discovered I didnt want to be a Nurse anymore. It's a good asset as well to have something like Resp Therapy or even Paramedic to fall back on and regroup and figure out what to do next? I guess my rationale for that advice is ....being an expert in anything will help you in clinical practice and especially in terms of being a student...having that kind of knowledge and autonomy under your belt is a tremendous asset, and will help you with a lot of concepts like Oxygenation, Hemodynamics and Cardiopulmonary Pharmacology...and im citing a former co-worker of mine who was an RT who went on for RN so he could be a CRNA but I do truely agree with your take on everything you said... But I do believe that if you're not an LPN or a CNA or even a Medical Assistant which is a good background..then RT right there for background... Only the individual and their circumstances can deterimine what route is best to choose....if you want to jump right into RN ...no expierence and rush into it and think you'll fine, sure....what works for one wont work for another... All us people who have some expeirence can do for the students is give our thoughts and advice to help guide them and provide some helpful insight

It's funny you say that because there are so many people that dont have a clue about the other fields and other options I know so many younger people who dont even know what a Respiratory Therapist is? Or an Occupational Therapist? Or even a Radiation Therapist, Echocardiography etc....And dont even think about these professions. Nursing is the "glamour profession" of most colleges....it's a cash cow, and it's overmarketed at times, drawing people in you often have no business being in Nursing to begin with.....but then again, can you blame them?? Times are tough?! It's the first thing people think of when they think of going back to school, and a lot of it is because of low barrier to entry. So do the other fields minus the rehab sciences (SLP, PT and OT)....you can have a damn good career as a Respiratory Therapist....or a Radiation Therapist (If you can find a job) or an Echocardiographer/ Ultrasound tech. I guess you have to find out what you're good at though....and you like If I was talking to a Potential Healthcare student in High School having trouble deciding between what to go for in healthcare, I would tell them: If you're really good at the hard "dry" sciences and Physics and you like being on the diagnostic end of things ....Echo, Ultrasound, Radiation Therapy might be the better path If you like a perfect blend of technical work, patient assessment and bedside skills and patient care, without having to do as much of the "dirty work" or deal with things below the diaphram as Nurses at all levels tend to deal with....and you like the occasional high intense environment....then Respiratory Care is a solid choice If you're a people person, and a great worker....and you're good in the Anatomical Sciences and Social Sciences....and you live being on the bedside aspect of the patient care, and you think you'll love being a patient guardian and manager.....then Choose Nursing. Expierence will help you tremendously if you have it of course Also, if you like being very General and a jack of all trades type....and think you'll like being involved in all aspects of patient care, then Nursing sounds about right for you. If you like being speciallized and you like learning a lot about more focused concepts: then maybe RT, OT, Echo, Ultrasound sounds that it would be appropriate. There's also the Excelsior Program too? But it depends on if you live in a state that takes it and what requirements that have....it's convienent for the working students already in healthcare? In many states, LPN's, ..Respiratory Therapist and Paramedics too I believe can bridge into their RN program?? But not all states accept it, and some dont accept grad's who's prior background was non- lpn So, for students and people looking into Nursing.....or even the students who maybe failed out of a RN program and still want to be RN's as a goal...and there are plenty of them out there....some who may be reading this as I speak....then maybe one of the above fields/ or LPN school and Excelsior could be an option to be an RN? For those of you students who failed and/or think you are going to fail....remember it sucks and some of may even be depressed/ upset, think life is over....it's NOT.....it's SO NOT OVER...but it's a learning experience even if you were unsuccessful the first time out......think of all of that knowledge you gained and how much it is gonna help you in the future (and it will)....take that knowlledge you gained...brush it off, get back up and find the sidedoor into Nursing or into success in life There is ALWAYS A WAY!!!!

"You are spot on with almost all of your information. The most glaring wrong one is about the level of science involved in nursing care. " Im not trying to say there's not a lot of science involved in Nursing.....there is But, For Schooling purposes for the students....in Nursing it is both an Art and a Science in that Nursing Model....which is different from the Medical Model ...(I prefer the medical model personally), but many like the "big picture" that the Nursing Model Provides. Anatomy and Physiology is not the end all be all, but a portion of Nursing Coursework Foundation...but a darn big one. There's also pharmacology, Sociology, Psychology, some basic math, and Nursing Theory in it self.....applying test questions to your Nursing Theorist....applying information to your ABC's and following your 5 Steps of the Nursing Process (ADPIE) and utilizing the correct Nursing Diagnosis in your careplan. When I began Echo School....oh I had a a signifigantly greater amount of science course work involving Physics, Anatomy and Physiology and Cardiovascular Physiology....but the sub out for the Social Science and Nursing Theory....I had a lot more "technical terms" to sum it up Nursing is truely holistic....and for the students thats a term many people will hear over and over again.

"Where in the world are you getting this info? You can't apply to most PA programs unless you already have a Bachelor's degree and the pre-reqs complete. There's no "saving seats" for undergrads. Believe me, if that was the case, I'd have already gone that route and skipped the BSN." No, not saving seats and guarenteeing spots for incoming Freshman, but more the less, giving them the first crack At least thats how it is in my area in Upstate NY. I think there are approx 5 PA Programs in this region and almost all of the "homegrown students" who did their 4 year B.S Pre-PA track the first crack and the Graduates make up a small precentage of that admission number....but there are plenty of direct entry programs with a B.S degree w/ pre-reqs But of course the world isnt limited to where I live, but .....Regardless.....I think we can agree that it's extremely difficult to get into PA School and do that route "Bottom line, getting back to OP's topic: there's no one "right way" for everyone when it comes to experience before nursing school. Each track has its pros & cons, whether it's MA, CNA, EMT, RT, etc. " "Every route does have its pros and cons and many people dont have time or money.....but your are much better served If you have experience in healthcare." Im not trying to tell people that you have to go get experience....but you'll be better served if you can get a background first off in something that will overlap with Nursing....like RT or Paramedic or even starting off as an LPN and bridging Rushing into to things blindly just to make $27 an hour is not always the best way to go, but thats what many do....I have a degree in "criminal justice and Nursing is only two years, and Nursing will be easy as heck because it's only a two-year degree and I have a bachelor's degree"......There are a lot of people do think that.......these programs in healthcare not just Nursing are all hard because the patient is always changing and Nursing is the hardest job because you have to know so much ground on the patient and know a lot. I knew someone who finished an RN program who had his Ph.D and said he worked harder for his two-year RN lisence than he ever did for his PhD....and Thats not to scare anyone off from doing Nursing or any healthcare program.....It's just a transition that the individual with the PhD had to make.....changing gears is never easy, nor is changing careers So if you can ever get experience.....sure go grab it....you'll be better served and god forbid, weigh all your options and dont rush if you dont have to.......easier said than done of course because I rushed, but eventually found my way.

" I am not very bad at theory classes but Clinicals are something i dread the most! Idk i always feel like i am super dumb at the clinical as well as while performing the skills in lab (such as sterile technique, wound care etc..). I made a lot of mistakes at clinical as well as in lab; so my instructor suggested me to retake this course next semester. It's really negatively affecting my self esteem and makes me feel like i am not going to be a good nurse!" OF COURSE YOU MAKE MISTAKES YOUR a NOVICE...YOUR A ROOKIE lol I did the same things in LPN School, but possibly worse. I hate to say it about Nursing school, but they'll do that to you.....it's the culture of Nursing...."tough love" and "tough criticism" and those Nursing instructors will destroy you're self esteem...i dont agree with it....but I understand why they do it that way sometimes....and why some instructors are that tough But truthfully it's a test.....they want to put you under stress and pressue....how you deal with stress and pressure long term is apart of the equation But for advice on how to get through it: #1.) Get in the skills lab, and practice until you're comfortable...or see if theres ways you can practice skills at home....I used to always take sterile gloves and dressings home to practice from the lab and my school even gave us IV bags to take home.. Injections...well you're on your own lol.....but a pen with a clicker does the trick to simulate.....dont steal IM needles from the lab...if you ever get pulled over ...good explaining that to the cop...or just tell them you're a "diabetic" who uses the wrong size needle lol Wound Care?? Get a parent or a friend ....get a red marker, draw a red spot with some whitish, yellowish in there...simulate a wound and get out your supplies and get your Nurse Hat on!!! also for a #1.b) DONT UNDERESTIMATE THE POWER OF YOUTUBE this generation of Nursing students has so much more to their disposal than previous older generations of RN students from the 1990s Watch Youtube videos on some skills if you can find them....or med com videos whatever helps to reinforce your skills #2.) Poise:!!!! Always maintain your poise....if you lack poise and confidence in yourself, then your patient will not have confidence in you....so even if you dont have any poise or confidence.....pretend like you do and Lie lol....put on you're fake poise face and hide your anxiety. #3) Remember....we have all been there alone....and dont feel stuipd....you are not stupid....You just lack Clinical Sense.... In Nursing you are respsonsibe for so much info....youre responsible for everything with the patient from physically to psychosocially....it's truely holistic...and it's tough because you have to be "jack of all trades" and know so much material But I guess what im trying to say is.....it's gets better with time and experience. Some people can do well with the book work, but struggle with taking the book work and putting it into practice....thats normal....even when you get youre first job that may be the case, but once you get into a job specialize and get comfortable....it gets better

Well I meant if you had the proper pre-reqs like Chemisty, Physics, Gen Bio, Gross Anatomy etc,you could directly enter into a PA program without having to go get a 2nd B.S degree........if you get in of course,....thats the tough part Many PA schools are designed for incoming college freshman and reserve their seats for them and not the graduate student looking to directly enter into a Masters program And those programs generally get 500 applicants or more per cycle and admit like 20-25 maybe?? It's tough to get into PA school ....not that NP school isnt, but PA school is really really tough no matter how strong a grad applicant you might be

For me too, btw....I went to a school that has both LPN and RN Tracks as a bridge program, out LPN program is apart of our RN program,....it's just all a matter of when you decide to go back for your RN.... I waited So...LPN first worked a few years and then decided to go back for my RN ...my plan was go to LPN school first get some experirence, because when I first started the LPN track I HAD NONE, work a little and make some money for a bit....pay off loans....Then do RN.....time in Nursing i decided it wasn't for me and when I started the RN track....yep, I decided to switch...but that's me Oh another peice of advice.....if you hate the work, get out!!! Echo job market is tough however.....but im happy with my choice Nursing is tough, but rewarding , so I hope people are happy with their choice in the end. It's true what they say: "it's all worth it in the end" Some people find that out the hardway like me.....and others find out how much they love it