SeekingNur

Hi All, Firstly, I'm having a hard time finding LVN programs in the Houston area. Does Memorial Hermann offer a program? I read that they do, but I can't find any information online at their website. I know Houston Community College has one and Cy-Fair, but Cy-fair only has fall starts and I need to enroll by this spring. Any advice? Now, my dilemma. As of this fall I will have an A.A. in 'pre nursing' just meaning I've taken all the courses I need to ensure that I can get a BSN once I transfer to a BSN program. I have a 3.9gpa, great science and math grades etc. Suddenly I find myself in a precarious financial situation because of some family problems and I'm afraid that I may be left with no marketable skills to be able to take care of myself. I haven't worked outside the home in almost a decade and a "pre nursing" associates is useful for what? So now I'm faced with possibly having to throw all that hard work --and it has been hard I am not a natural math/science person I put a lot of sweat and tears into that gpa-- to the wind. I'm just afraid that I'll get the LVN and start working and then when I'll never be able to go back to school because my family is too dependent on my income. Or I'll have to take all those "core" science classes over again because no school will accept them after 5 years and then I'll still have two years of school and clinicals for a B.S.N which means all I've been through these past two years will be meaningless. I know this is not just nursing advice, it's life advice. But I'd appreciate hearing the perspective of nurses on the struggle of turning an LVN certification into a BSN. I could take the risk and just go the BSN route and pray that over the next two years catastrophe doesn't strike, but that's seemingly less and less likely.

It's not completely online. There are clinicals that must be attended.

LOL. I guess I'm just too green in nursing to understand these things. Thank you for enlightening me.

I've looked at schools in Michigan, Oregon, Texas, California and they *all* want nurses to have at least one year of experience before FNP school. It makes no sense at all to me to demand that of BSN's who already have a clinical and academic background in nursing, but not someone with a BA in basket weaving with a minor in nose picking. I would love to see some sort of justification for this.

i've use breastmilk (my own) to cure my children's conjunctivitis. works beautifully.

What is per diem nursing? How does it differ from other types of nurse work i.e. full time, part time etc.? Thank You

Hello All! I'm an American currently working toward my BSN. We are seriously considering immigrating to Canada after I obtain my MSN as a nurse practitioner. We are looking at the Vancouver area, btw. Can anyone offer me any information on salaries and employment opportunities for Nurse practitioners in Canada in general and/or that area in particular or any forums for Canadian nurse practitioners. Thank You.

lol, good point.

Well thought out and articulate as usual. Thanks.

lol, i admit i was hoping for that reaction to at least get folks to open the thread. But really I was just trying to get a feel for where nursing is headed in the opinion of all the smart nurses 'round here. I'm enjoying the replies thus far. and really appreciative of everyone who has bothered to reply.

Did the title catch your attention? Good, I was hoping it would. I've seen people talk about this attitude on allnurses quite a bit, and I find the reactions fascinating. I'm amazed at the passion, care and professionalism of the nurses on this board and really about every nurse I've ever met. BUT, everyone-from the most seasoned nurse to the student- knows that nursing is changing and will probably continue to change dramatically over the years to come. There are CNAs and MAs who seem to have an increasing role in the healthcare system and nurses themselves have more responsibility (all the charting etc.) and demanding jobs as new diseases, new medicines and standards of care make their way into our lives. My question is, do you think their should be a change in what nurses do? Will there come a time when basic hygiene and certain other tasks often done by nurses in the past will be the responsibility of CNAs and others in similar roles? Would this be a good thing for nurses? Is there really anything wrong with nurses who feel that four years of education + all of their other demands and responsibilities should mean that they shouldn't have to do these tasks?

I can tell you as a Bay Area native who now lives in Houston that, that cost of living calculator is wrong, wrong, wrong. Our family income is around that 58k mark and we live in a house that's 10 years old and almost 3000 sq ft. in a great neighborhood with excellent schools. Our house sold for well under 200k. On a salary of 88k in San Jose, you couldn't find anything close to our home for under a million. No way no how.

Yes, that's what I thought you were saying. I understand differently now.

Oh good Lord, I think you must be a saint.

Sorry, Mullti I got you and Tazzi mixed up. Yes, it does appear that we agree. The bottom line for me is respecting the wishes of the patient and not making assumptions, it seems that is your bottom line as well. There is little that chaps my hide more than assumptions that because I'm a Muslim woman that I'm not capable of making my own decisions. I have been treated this way more times than I care to admit and it just :angryfire. I hear my friends complain about it ALL the time as well. Excuse my passion on the issue, I didn't mean to flame you.

I do think making decisions regarding a child's health is different than one partner asking the other if it's ok to have a procedure (especially if it's life saving) done. Parents are jointly responsible for the health of their children. I also realize that couples consult one another on a variety of decisions. That, of course, is very different than having no say at all in your own medical treatment. All of that being said, I do understand the need to cater to the needs of your individual patients. What I am concerned about is making assumptions based on, well I'm not even sure. I'm assuming that you know the religion of these particular patients because they have told you and not because they look a certain way or have certain names. On the abuse front, however, my alarm bells are going off because I wonder if the treatment would be the same should your patient be blond Joe and Jane Smith in jeans and T-shirts. I'm not a nurse yet, and I'm not sure what kind of responsibilities nurses have to monitor for abusive behavior. I'm afraid that the abuse of a Muslim woman might more likely be dismissed as "culture" out of a desire to be respectful.

That's not what you said in your first post, and that's what I take issue with. No one is demanding that you argue theology, only that you not make assumptions. You made the statement that this is how you treat your Muslim patients and I am saying that to assume this is a huge mistake and would be (and may well have been) insulting to many Muslims. How about, as another poster suggested, you take things case by case and not assume that because someone looks a certain way that they want to be treated a certain way. Patients will most likely let you know if they want things done one way or another. If they do not, it's not your job to pry it out of them any more than it's appropriate to make assumptions.

Would you only do this with Muslims or would you also do it if your patient looked like they belonged to some other religious group? This is a sign of abusive behavior, regardless of the culture. There is no law in Islam that states that a woman must seek any man's permission for medical treatment, quite the opposite. Protecting your health and life is one of the primary reasons almost any Islamic law can be broken. Need pork to save your life? Fine, eat it, and so on and so forth.

WHOA! That would be a very bad assumption on your part and that of your colleagues. I am a hijab weaing Muslim woman and I'd be furious if a health care provider did this to me, I know all of my friends would as well. My husband would also find it disturbing. Heck, one of my oldest friends is a neurologist in a California hospital. Can you imagine getting her husband's permission for treatment!? There are about 2 billion Muslims from almost every country in the world. You can't making a broad generalization abotu all MUslims. Perhaps this is often the case with the cultural group that you deal with, but making such an assumption about any Muslim that enters your hospital is inappropriate.

So many of the responses on this thread are so disheartening. I really wonder if one of the root problems with the issues we see in nursing (disrespect, lower wages than we deserve, being overworked etc.) is internalized sexism. Why in the world would I want to be patient with, wait out, or psychoanalyze and sympathize a jacka** doctor!? Nurses are professionals who deserve respect, but we will never get it so long as we are "patient" and "sympathetic" with people who treat our hard work, and rigorous education like it's little more than dirt on their shoes. Passive aggressive actions like flinging feces (however funny and cathartic it may be) on arrogant doctor's property do nothing for us either. Why not simply do what some other nurses have done, like confront the issue then and there or complain to management? Why do so many nurses feel they need to put up with this behavior? Do male nurses face this kind of disrespect? DO they normally make excuses about being patient and sympathizing with doctors who are under a lot of pressure--as if nurses aren't constantly under pressure.

Thank you so much for taking the time to answer questions. I hope this isn't too much of a bother, but I have just one more, ok two more :0). 1. Do your transcripts show that you are graduating from the e-line program, or do you earn the exact same degree/transcripts as the other ADN or BSN students? 2. As far as I can tell, I don't see any colleges in my area (Houston) offering pathophysiology. For the student that's in Houston, where did you take this course? Thank you.

How do you do your tests? Are they online or do you have to have them proctored somewhere?

This is fascinating. I live in Houston, do you know of they have any clinical opportunities close to Houston?

bump

how does one figure out how many points they have?