tcRN2015

I feel somewhat jaded by nursing, in general. I received an associate's in nursing last December, and I am currently working on my BSN. I have been unable to land a position in a hospital at all. I have had to work in SNF to gain experience while finishing my BSN. I did picture myself working at the bedside, maybe not for my entire career, but for a good 20 years or so. My bad days as a bedside nurse have far outweighed the good days, and I have considered leaving the profession multiple times. This isn't due to a lack of skill or knowledge, this is due to the public's general misunderstanding of exactly how overworked nurse's really are. I am frustrated by people who interrupt me with trivial things when I am focusing on something that is important, and demand that I respond to their situation immediately. My experience working in TCU/LTC is that nurse "leaders" are really those with the most experience who, instead of leaving SNF for an acute care job, take a management job to leave the floor. These people tend to be jaded, and very disrespectful. They don't stand up for their staff, and mentorship thus far in my career has been minimal. I find no help when dealing with horizontal violence, either. I agree with db2xs who says that nurses are basically responsible for everything under the sun in health care. It is draining to not be able to just come in and take care of your patients. You are basically working for the social worker, the janitor, the CNA, HUC, staffing, and the kitchen. I have recently left bedside nursing for a position as a case manager, and will likely remain put until finishing my BSN, then beginning a DNP program for my NP. Honestly, I can see the frustration that some nurses have with new nurses leaving bedside nursing, but there has been research completed on how to hire and retain high quality new graduates. The issue is that people are treating new graduates as if they are incompetent to work at the bedside. It's as if hospital administration has forgotten that nursing education is leaning more and more toward theory and research, even in Associates programs, as time goes on. We no longer have clinical 40+ hours/week like the diploma nurses did in the old days. New nurses need more structure, guidance, and mentorship. Not everyone is for bedside nursing. Honestly, if it were a requirement that you can ONLY enter nursing if you commit to working at the bedside for your entire career, there would likely be an even bigger nursing shortage than there is now. I don't know about you all, but I'm glad for any help that I can get when I'm short staffed..

BTW, I think you meant to say that these associate programs are accredited by ACEN. NLNAC does not exist anymore, it is now called ACEN.

Best of luck.

Don't let anyone tell you what to do in terms of your nursing education. I have already completed my nursing education, so luckily I don't have to worry about this sort of thing again in life. If you want to be a nurse bad enough, do what you have to do to get where you want to be. Including accepting whatever type of position you can get as a new grad. It makes sense that if your nursing education isn't accredited, a BSN won't trump it since you don't learn anything relevant to being a practicing entry-level registered nurse in RN to BSN programs. They are focused on concepts related to family/public health and leadership. I really hope a Rasmussen grad posts on here. I recommend calling a few of the more prominent organizations in MN and seeing what they say (e.g. Allina, Health East, Fairview, etc.)

I know people who have landed F/T jobs in ICU out of school. Apply to every hospital you can see yourself commuting to... Also apply to lower acuity areas with the goal of moving into higher acuity within 1 - 1.5 years.

I obtained my ASN in 2.5 years, and now the hospital I was hired at plus financial aide will cover my BSN while I make an RN paycheck. BSN is a must these days, but if you need to increase your pay quickly, ADN is a great option.

The only people whose favor that works in is RNs from an accredited associate program who get a BSN from them, as their ENTIRE education is accredited... The completion degree will not make up for the fact that your nursing education was unaccredited.

I would HIGHLY recommend joining a MANE-BSN nursing program.

If you go to Rasmussen, you will not be able to work in a hospital after graduating. Many hospitals in MN won't take associate nurses, let alone a nurse from an unaccredited school. Going to an unaccredited school will also make furthering your education difficult, as most BSN, MSN, and DNP programs want nurses from accredited schools.

I think the higher grade curve in nursing programs alone is reason enough not to do nursing as a premed major... Like someone said earlier, you will need summer courses or extra time after your BSN to finish prereqs for med school. Have you considered NP? Good pay, high autonomy, you CAN work in oncology. I think one major plus about NP vs MD route is NPs tend to have a better work-life balance.

You should be fine! I took A&P 1 with lab with lifespan psychology, sociology, and microbiology with lab all in one semester. I worked at least 35 hours/wk during that semester. None of the courses were online. I am now in the last 3 weeks of my RN program. Believe me - if you TRULY want it to work, it WILL happen.

Depends on which classes you're in. Ask about specific classes, then I can give you study tips specific to the course. My best general advice is to ask the instructors and your peers for study tips.

Hopefully you picked NHCC... Anoka-Ramsey is too big of a program. It's easier to slip through the cracks.

Try to stay away from Rasmussen. All the hospitals in the Twin Cities desire nurses with a bachelor's, and absolutely will not hire a nurse from an unaccredited school of nursing. Rasmussen is regionally accredited, but they aren't accredited by either the NLN or CCNE. You will have a hard job finding work in other areas than home health or LTC, and advancement in the profession is near impossible, most graduate programs will not accept you without an accredited degree.

I'm going into 5th semester at ARCC... All I've used thus far is my stethoscope (use whatever kind you'd like..), a pen light for neuro assessment, and my scrubs (black pants & either black or white shoes for ARCC, you'll need to buy a custom scrub top). I'd recommend getting a watch with a second hand, I've yet to get one. I'd recommend DDG going into chronic/palliative care. I wouldn't recommend buying a B.P. cuff. You won't need it since they are in the lab. You probably won't use it after you do your vitals checkoff. Let me know if you have any questions, and congrats on getting into nursing school.

Anoka-Ramsey has a good reputation. As a pre-nursing student, I know it can be easy to get hung up on things like which school to attend, but honestly, when you get farther into your nursing education, you'll figure out that it doesn't matter which school you go to. All that matters in the end is that you're licensed. Try to relax and enjoy your summer. You've done everything you can do for the time being. Best of luck!

I'm in a BSN program with the option to become licensed after 2 years (December 2015). I work part time right now, but probably could have worked full time this semester. I probably spend an average of 4-5 hours per week studying content. I study the skills for ~6 to 8 hours per week, but this is because I enjoy studying the skills, and help my peers after I know how to do the skill to solidify my knowledge.

If you plan on going to med school, I will say you chose the absolute worst undergrad degree. Nursing is probably the hardest undergrad major, and as if the content wasn't more difficult, most schools have a higher grading curve as well (i.e., 92% for an A). That's not saying some nurses don't become physicians.

Best of luck. Don't let the gender inequality in nursing stop you from finishing your CNA or going for your RN.

Don't drive yourself crazy trying to maintain a 4.0 GPA throughout nursing school. It's doable, but absolutely unnecessary... Especially with your background.

You're pretty close. I just thought I would correct your statement that you only buy books in the first semester. That's not true. We will have to buy books again in semester 6 (1st BSN semester). Idk if you're currently in a MANE nursing program, but those books don't contain enough information to last for 3 years... Especially not at the rate that we are covering the information.. Any how, either way it goes, MANE is going to be MUCH cheaper than Rasmussen, and you'll be getting an accredited degree.

What is your GPA and TEAS? If you aren't getting into a MANE BSN program, it's because one (or both) are not high enough. It is competitive admissions, and they only look at those two numbers. Also, be mindful of what courses the college uses to calculate GPA. It's not cumulative, it's JUST the classes from the first semester of the MANE curriculum that are used for your GPA. Sorry to hear you aren't having luck getting in. I don't know about the programs you're looking into, but with today's competitive job market, you want to have a degree from an accredited school of nursing. This will open you up to the most opportunity as an RN. Let me know if you have any questions, and best of luck.

You don't need to take a CNA course to get your CNA in MN, you can test out. Also, you shouldn't need your CNA for the nursing program at NHCC since it's the MANE curriculum.

75+ if you have a 3.5 GPA or above, and you'll be fine. 11.0 composite. Try applying at more than one school, you'll have better chances that way.

Good for you. Congrats on your acceptance.