saraCOS

I guess I can add something from the child-free community. I'm 31, happily married and have never really wanted kids. I've entertained the idea on occasion, but as I have gotten older, progressed in my career, seen the sacrifices and stress of my procreating friends, I'm unconvinced. I have also seen the things parents go through when things go wrong with those "best laid plans" I have a number of people in my life who have lovely kids and let me hang out from time to time, but I think my time and efforts are going to stay wholly in the adult world. It is not a totally easy decision, and I wonder sometimes how I will feel when I'm 60. But you have to listen to your heart, and to your partner. It's just like all the rest of life's tough choices, I wish you luck with yours.

No horror stories here, I'm 4 weeks into an accelerated program (so ending semester 1 in a regular program) and actually like it much more than I thought I would. It's hard, but that's what I signed up for. I have a great class, we bring food to share, do yoga at lunch and try to take care of each other. We aren't competing against each other anymore. Manage your time (as in, get off of allnurses when you're supposed to be studying...um) Make time for your friends and family. Prioritize your work, so you don't waste time on BS that is not very influential on your grade and flub the final. Eat well, otherwise you feel like garbage all the time. Give yourself a break, it can't all be perfect all of the time. I second the NCLEX practice, I have a paper book, an audiobook study tool and use the online quizzes. It's much easier to learn a new language a bit at a time. Oh, and get your personal life in order. If you are teetering on the edge of divorce, or have sick family, or toxic relationships, or financial problems, reconsider before setting yourself up to fail. Best of luck, I think you'll be fine!

That's how I understood it. She's looking for about 32k in a lump sum? This sounds like a scammy for-profit set up, or the craziest out-of-state tuition ever. Going to nursing school is not an at-all-costs kind of decision. If the school doesn't fit your life, financially or otherwise, keep shopping.

Awesome, congrats on having choices. I'm in an on campus accelerated, married without kids, have 12 years of intense medical experience, and I am hangin on for dear life! What a ride! I think it might be fine to do online if you have an insane amount of discipline to self-study at a super-human pace, or have a huge amount of advanced healthcare experience (LPN, paramedic, RT, pre-med, not dogging on CNAs or MAs or the like, but the science just ain't there) Oh, and a noise-proof safe room in your house where you can hide from your family for a year. The in-person will allow you to split your life, you can be mom and wife at home, and rockin' nursing student at school. I am also finding that I am forming totally unexpected relationships not only with my fellow students, but with the pantheon of amazing, experienced nurses on the teaching staff. There is much to learn about nursing that isn't on the syllabus, I've found. Best of luck with your choice and with the rest of your adventures in nursing school!

First of all, holy cow, do you have a lot on your plate. I would explain all of this to your professors and come clean. If they think less of you, they are terrible people, but you would think a nursing instructor would be able to summon a degree of compassion for someone with an illness. Keep in mind that most people have some form of mental illness at some point, so you are probably not the first student going through this. Keep your documentation once you get your meds straightened out, just in case this comes into question. Also, like you said, some of this is under your explicit control, and regardless of your diagnosis, you are still responsible for it. Speaking up about a hardship is your responsibility, so not saying anything and suffering the consequences isn't discrimination. Your family issues don't help, does your mom know what you are going through? You should be able to say 'no' to taking on her job and going to school and dealing with bipolar problems. I wish you luck and hope you get this all figured out. Take care of yourself!

Are you in nursing school to socialize, or are you in nursing school to become a nurse. You said that making friends isn't really a high priority. So what's wrong with being friendly, professional, undistracted and (before you know it) successfully done with school and a million miles away from your classmates and off doing what you want to do?

If you come to class looking like warmed-over dog doo, don't sit next to me! If you're sick, you're sick. Your professors seem to be understanding, and you're obviously not faking it. Take care of yourself and get better so you can get back to class healthy, and don't be Patient 0 in the Great Nursing School Strep Epidemic of 2014.

Is there anything you can do to avoid this debt? Is this for your whole program, or (gulp) just the first semester? Think about ways you can downsize, trim the fat, mow lawns on the weekends, something that might offset the amount you are looking to borrow. It's kind of insane to me that borrowing over 10k at 11% seems like a reasonable thing to do. Is it possible that your program is a little to expensive for your current situation? Also, if your hubby is not on board with this kind of borrowing, you could be setting yourselves up for mucho heartache later. Most divorced folks list finances as a top reason for their problems.

I'm a 10 year paramedic in the middle of my second week of an accelerated program. I didn't purposefully out myself as a medic off the bat, but short of taking a vow of silence for the year, I found it impossible to come off as less knowledgable than I am. To be completely honest, I wonder if I haven't made a horrible mistake. I have a moment every day when I want to withdraw from the program. I think I might have sold myself short. There is little about nursing so far that is challenging in any way. I'm not bragging, and trying not to be arrogant. I just don't think the reality of nursing justifies the way I've been treated by the nursing institution, including people on this forum. I was told during my interview that this program doesn't usually admit "EMS people" I think I'm still a little heartbroken that my knowledge and experience count for nothing and are seen as so threatening that I can't tell my class mates what I do for a living. No one else sees the problem here? Every time a nurse states that paramedics are "know-it-alls" it perpetuates the stigma and makes second-career nursing students like me feel totally alienated. Nursing and paramedicine are totally different jobs, slightly different knowledge base, and very different priorities. I do not see one as better than the other overall. I respect nursing enough to want to become one, why can't the reverse be true? Sorry for the tangent, my advice to to OP, is to keep your mind open, understand that what nursing emphasizes is quite different, but the big picture is so nice if you have been dealing with "the first 20 minutes only" for years. Your instructors are going to teach things that you consider to be "fact" totally backwards. Just consider it, take your notes, put it on your exam and move on. I'm trying hard to be helpful to my fellow students who are struggling with patho and pharm, without sounding like a jerk. Don't roll your eyes when they tell you to "check with the pharmacy" during pharm math. We didn't have that advantage as medics, but think of how much more efficient we might have been if we didn't have to calculate a dope drip by gravity at 2AM with no help. Keep your sense of humor and be nice, everything will be fine. I wish you luck!

I'm in an accelerated program, so I don't really feel like I have time to be "put together" I'm showered with a little mascara and in yoga or gym clothes so I can get 30 min in after or before class. I'm actually looking forward to getting into lab uniforms (polos and khakis) because I don't have to worry about outfits.:-) I guess it doesnt occur to me that I should be judged on fashion sense. I'd really rather be assessed on my work, though I may be off base.

I'm in an accelerated program, so I don't really feel like I have time to be "put together" I'm showered with a little mascara and in yoga or gym clothes so I can get 30 min in after or before class. I'm actually looking forward to getting into lab uniforms (polos and khakis) because I don't have to worry about outfits.:-) I guess it doesnt occur to me that I should be judged on fashion sense. I'd really rather be assessed on my work, though I may be off base.

I'm with needles. It depends on how technology dependant you are as a student, and the tech requirements of your program. My program requires the use of a bundle of reference software that needs either a tablet or a nice smartphone to operate and be practical. I made the investment, but only because I knew I needed it and would be more successful having it.

Black pants...you lucky punters. I'm trying to transition from EMS-land and can't get used to going to work in white pajamas. Ugh,

Are you allowed to wear any all-white shoe you want? I have a pair of white Sketchers I could run miles in. Most of the big sneaker companies have an all-white something. A guy I know in clinicals, wears white Nikes. Check Zappos.com, they have free shipping and you can send it back for free if you hate 'em.

Yep, confirmed. I will be expected to line up, basic training style for inspection, then turn around and bend over so a 60 year old woman can evaluate the integrity of my pant-seat. I am horrified. I am fine with the rest of this. i have worked in healthcare for many, many years. I get it. Stud earrings, neat hair, nail polish a human color and not chipped. Press your uniform, Shine your boots(in EMS, at least). I am well versed in all of this. No one thinks the bum-inspection is too far? At least to endure for the moment and then write up in a scathing post-course eval?

Deep breath, darlin'. You made a mistake. But it sounds like you have the chance to atone for it. It sounds like you are already accepted to a nursing program and are being allowed to stay. It seems like a gamble to leave and attempt to get in elsewhere with your newly damaged GPA. I say stick it out, retake patho, learn from your mistake. I can't speak to interview panels for nursing, but I have never been asked for a transcript when applying for any job, and I have applied for some prestigious ones. And consider this, when they ask you about what the hardest situation you faced, or the biggest lesson you learned in nursing school, you have your answer.

I love flashcards and will often keep a stack of notecards on my desk while taking notes amd make them as I take notes in lecture. Its a little frenetic, but it's efficient. If there's a term or concept I don't know, or need to remember, ill make a quick card and then go back to taking notes. I take notes in several colors, and partition thjngs into boxes, or draw doodles, whatever is giong to help me link to that info. I never hilite my books. Mom said never write in a book! I can't bring myself to do it.

I have the good fortune of starting nursing school at a program that has existed for over 100 years. I love the history (our campus was once a TB sanitarium!) and the old class pictures in the halls. It's interesting to hear from the nurses on this forum who lived through polyester and pinafores and starched hats too. I know that my school is rather specific about uniform policy and I have heard that there is essentially a line-up inspection prior to clinicals. Is this common? I'm a little leery of having my physical appearance scrutinized. I feel like a standard of hygiene and professionalism can be maintained by simply observing and trusting your students. I have even hear rumors that my school does some sort of "panty-line check" How humiliating. Is this a common practice, or should I follow my gut and pitch a fit over this if it actually exists? I can understand both sides, I have a little experience teaching in a vocational program and know that if you give your kids an inch, they will show up to clinicals in glitter makeup, or unshowered or in a green beanie they refuse to remove (all true stories) But is it necessary to cling to these old traditions of perfect appearance in nursing? Straighten me out, guys.

So, your dose is 9ml q 6hrs....did I read it right? 9ml/6hrs=x ml/1hr You are so close! Also, this is a ml/hr pump calc, not a gtts/min drip calc, right Don1984? Edit* I didnt catch the "over 20 min part" sorry! Ill call this an RTFQ mistake. (Read the freakin question)

Well, that's it, I sent the email to my boss and got a totally gracious response. As it turns out, if you give 8 years of your life to an employer, they probably won't wish you ill if you are moving up in the world. And I just got my first batch of online material for Basic Health Assessment, which starts May 19th. Giddyup! Here we go. I appreciate the words of encouragement from all of you, now I'm ready to get to work.

Tomorrow is the last day for me to totally commit to nursing school, and my feet are so cold they're frozen. I start the ABSN at the University of Colorado in Colorado Springs in 2 weeks and tomorrow, I have to give my employer of 8 yrs notice that I am going part-time. I've climbed my current ladder as far as I can and the long hours and low pay have driven me out. But once I leave this comfort-zone I purport to hate so much, it is doubtful I will be able to come back if I fail. I will be a stellar nurse. I have amazing role models. I have a ton of patient care experience, a ton of book smarts, and I am ready to learn something new. So why am I so scared to take this leap? What if I hate nursing? What if it's the same crap in a different setting? What if I can't afford the rediculous tuition for this ABSN? I'm filled with doubt...any thoughts?

I took it online over the summer last year. We had a big research paper due at the end, but the rest was pretty easy, discussion posts, quizzes, ect

I suppose it doesn't hurt to ask. I wonder if you would be receptive to a little well-intentioned advice from a recent ABSN admission? It looks like you are planning on taking somewhere between 15 and 19 prereq credits over the short summer semester, and then applying to an ABSN, correct? Keep in mind that your GPA will likely need to be very competitive to get in to an accelerated program, and the class load you are describing would be daunting to even the most diligent student. Perhaps taking those community college credits at a more realistic pace could make the tuition a little more manageable? Perhaps the extra year could give you time to better arrange your finances, apply for scholarships, ect. There is money out there for male nurses, non-trad students, single parents, if you are one. I understand the desire to "get the show on the road," but a little patience may serve you well.

Very interesting, where are you from? I'm a paramedic-going-bsn here in the US.

Disaster nursing, interfacing with local agencies, FEMA, the WHO, CDC, whoever, during natural disasters, bombings, or pandemics. Put me in! I'm ready to play!