stitcher75

My response is a bit different than those above...mainly because I'm not a nurse (yet.) The company I work for is working hard to improve processes through the principles of Lean and Six Sigma. A Lean process is one with no waste (i.e. every step in the process provides value to the customer/patient or is required by a regulatory agency.) A Six Sigma process is one for which there are no more than 3 errors/million opportunities to make an error. As someone who has extensive experience as a patient and who is being trained in Lean Six Sigma, I know that hospitals have made great strides in reducing medication error rates, but that Lean Six Sigma principles could be used to reduce or eliminate "wasted steps" so as to minimize the opportunities for error. Also, from my vast experiece as a patient, I firmly believe that the single most important thing a nurse can do when (s)he administers medications is to tell the patient (or the medical POA) the name (trade and generic) of the drug, why it was prescribed, the prescribed dose, and the prescribing physician...EVERY TIME. It takes longer; it feels tedious and redundant, but it helps the patient feel like (s)he is respected and is part of the process AND it works as a triple check that the right med is going to the right patient in the right amount at the right time. Finally, before they go home with a prescription, patients should be taught to ask all of those questions and what are the potential side effects, are there any food-drug or drug-drug interactions (including alcohol or tobacco), is it approved for use in pregnant our breast feeding women. Give them the link to the Pill Identification Wizard from Drugs.com and tell them to check it and call the pharmacist ANY TIME something doesn't look right. This subject is near and dear to my heart. In the past 30+ years (beginning as a pre-teen), I've had my share of near misses from doctors, nurses and pharmacists. In some cases, the drug had gone generic; in some it was a new generic manufacturer; but in more than a few, I'd been prescibed or given the wrong medicine. But because I knew what I took, why I took it, and what it looked like, I was never actually administered the wrong medicine. Your single greatest ally in preventing medication errors can and should be your patient. (my 2 cents)

Hi, Lovenox, I've been looking at Health Informatics as an option if my fibromyalgia prohibits nursing. I have a pretty extensive background in data management. There are online programs at the University of Illinois-Chicago (UIC.) These programs range from post-baccalaureate certificates to Research Masters degrees. Check it out, your BSN should be sufficient (I know health informatics and nursing informatics are different, but it'd be a start. UIC has a strong medical college. They may offer Nursing Informatics, too.) * disclaimer: I got my B.S. at UIC. I know it's a good school, but I may be a bit biased.

thanks for your suggestions. i discovered that 2 of or local universities offer accelerated BSN programs for people who already have degrees and that some of the hospitals have jobs for nursing students who've completed a certain amount of practicum. my first choice school is a private school, so it may be cost prohibitive. it's a 16 month program and you start with hands-on training in your first semester. second choice is IU school of nursing. it's cheaper, but 20 months and acceptance is probably more competitive because of it's reputation and price. we'll see. wish me luck.

I'm over 40 with a master's degree in Organic Chemistry and am looking to move into providing nursing/nurse practitioner care among the Sudanese refugees in Uganda. What's the best route? Enroll in RN school? Start with Medical Assisting and bridge to LPN or RN? Start with LPN and bridge to RN? Any advice?