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Good luck! I will be praying for you too! Best wishes, Christina

Great info, I really appreciate all the kind responses! I am getting the longer tub version. What is your opinion on Cardio III? For general accessments. Happy Nursing! Christina

Hello All, I need some advice. I wish to order the Littmann Cardiology III. But it comes in 2 lengths: 22" & 27". I cannot decide which one I should buy. I am 5'9". Does a person's height has something to do with the need of a longer / shorter stethoscope? Thank You! Christina

Just in case people want to borrow, what is the best reply? Thanks Christina

As a student, I want to know both the positive and the negative parts of what to come in this profession. The BB members are very helpful & never selfish when it comes to sharing their knowledge. I joined this BB in January this year, as a junior member of course. I was not once being wrongly treated just because I was a newbie. I received friendly and helful answers to my questions that I would not have received from any where else. It's wrong to think that nurses should only talk about how good this profession is. That'd be deceiving. Nurses come here to write about what is "real" at work & in their lives. All valuable info. To be honest, it is scary for this future newbie to read about how nurses eat their young. But on this board we get also the chance to read about how some youngs do things that make the experienced nurses want to bite. This board offers me the opportunity to see things from both sides. Like many on this board, I intend to obtain a higher education after RN. But what I am learning on this board is something I may never learn from my school books: To take good care of the nurses is good business. Long term. Nurses need lots of cooperation from the mgts so they can concentrate on doing what they want to do most & what they can do best: to care for the patients. And if the new economy wants to classify patients as customers, it makes even more sense to take better care of the nurses who are so directly involved in the well being of the customers. Tim, Welcome to the board. It looks like the intentions of the posters are to clarify, not meant to attack you as a person. Keep posting. Best wishes, Christina

Thanks Josie! Best wishes, Christina:)

How do you get an externship from a hospital? Some schools in my city offer paid externship ($15/hr), but my school doesn't. Is it a good idea becoming LPN while working toward the RN, in order to gain hands on experience? Thanks, Christina

I spoke with a few nurses who considered 'teaching new grads = shooting themselves in the ft'. To them, more new grads equals to less bargaining power for better working condition & higher pay. I don't know how many nurses think this way? I hope not many.

Thank you for your posts. Some very good points which I take with great appreciation. Yes, for me, coming to nursing is to answer a calling (the word "calling" here I use it to mean "a long time wish & something that I feel best doing"). I am fortunate because I grew up in a family which encouraged kids to volunteer in hospitals after school. Over the years, I got to know a little about the jobs of some of the health professionals and how valuable their jobs are to the society. I wish more people would have the same opportunity. This leads me into thinking: if we are able to provide more info on nursing in the schools, may be that will increase students' general awareness & interest in this profession. It's hard for a young person to want to pick a profession that he/she doesn't know too much about. (I agree that "increasing the exposure of the nursing to the students" is a better phrase than "persuading".) Nursing students, I notice, once they start the clinicals, they keep it pretty much to themselves. This is understandable: the workload is heavy, and we are expected to do very well. Many of us do very well, even with a full time job and a family. Therefore I came to think about doing something to help out when I am still going through my pre reqs. I was discouraged recently when I spoke about this topic with a few nurse friends. Their view was: it's good to have a shortage, hospitals will then have more need to increase nurses' pay and working conditions. (Could this be the reason why some nurses are resentful of the new grads, and hence the famous quote: "Nurses eating their young"? I leaned this quote from the BB on this site). I agree that more attractive benefits will make any profession more attractive. But in nursing, immediate patient welfare should be factored into this equation. There must be a better way to make medical establishments to better take care of the nurses! Nursing school may need to include business courses some day, so we can better understand the business side of the health care system of today, and would be better equipped when it comes time to negotiate with the decision makers of the industry. As for the long term actual benefits, I think we should include recruiting. If we see less and less new people joining this profession, we would not have many nurses to care for us & our loved ones when we are old. And that's no benefit. What a difficult subject! I came to the decision of getting a second degree in nursing after a successful career running a business in another field. I have a choce & no loans. I am no stranger to hard work, work place politics, long hours, diminished holidays & social life...etc. The satisfaction of knowing that I can one day help patients to feel better is a big reward to me. I am sure that I am one of the many who are in this mind frame and are up for the challenge and are ready to follow their heart. The young people need to be more exposed to the world of nursing, if we seriously do not want to see the nurse shortage to become worse. Just my 2 cents. Hope that my thoughts make sense? Nurses work hard. And nursing is hard work. There must be a better way to make the health care system to adjust the nurses' compensation accordingly, one that would not put the patients in risk. Nurses run most of the "store front" work of the health care business. A good businessman would know that it's only good business to provide the best environment for his/her helpers. The health care businesses know that many nurses would stay in nursing because they enjoy participating in the recovery process of people, despite of the bad working conditions. This is the personal strength of those nurses, not their weakness. The health industry needs to respect and reward this strength. Best wishes Christina

Hello I am a pre clinical student finishing my last of the pre reqs this fall. Doing the pre reqs gives me a chance to sit with the non nursing students and I get to know many of them. I am very surprised that not many of them are interested in nursing, including the bright ones in my science classes. I want to do my own little part to help with the nurse shortage. I need suggestions on persuading skills on this subject! It is tough. I know the income doesn't seem to interest them much, because even with the economic downturn, many still think they can make a lot more in the financial or internet area. Thank you in advance! Christina

Shanti, At New York University they offer a Master's Degree in Holistic Nursing. Best wishes, Christina

I really hope that there will be a hygiene standard for health workers by the time I graduate! In my classes there were a few students who use their long nails to scratch their hair all the time. I asked politely once how often they washed their hair, some said once a week, some twice a week. One person said twice a month! And we are in the middle of the summer! I also have questions about the long nails, with or without the "ichy stuff" from their hair: how do they fit in the gloves? Christina

Thanks all! I went to the Red Cross website, they offer different types of cpr classes. Did not know there are so many types of cpr. I better speak with my adviser before taking one. Really appreciate all the knowledge! Have a great weekend! Christina:)

Thanks! Christina

DJH, I am very happy for your decision. You have the right spirit. It would work! I would pray for you. Christina