PharmGuy

Oh for heavens sakes! How long has she been not practicing? Did she have trouble with the NCLEX the first time or breeze through? Good luck to you both!

Perhaps the BON needs proof she attended/passed LPN school whenever that was. My dean had to send proof to the BON, which then sent the OK to Pearson Vue, who then sent me the ATT.

I'm a plasmapheresis Nurse in a plasma donation/processing center. The position is called a Physician Substitute (Phys Sub for short) according to the FDA and involves the intake, assessment, and monitoring of prospective and returning/established donors, in addition to interpretation of lab tests, consultation with the Center Physician (in person weekly and by text/phone the rest of the week), and treatment of reactions or adverse events. I love the challenges of my work, the donors who become like family, and the level of responsibility for an LPN-level Nurse. The pay is pretty good, too!

It really depends on your program and how they teach. My instructors assumed we had all our texts with us all the time and were disappointed if we couldn't pull one out at a moment's notice. Lectures included references to page numbers for tables and diagrams rather than showing the relevant material during the lecture - we were expected to be following in the texts. Also, our program didn't have e-books so we all had the actual hardback edition of texts. Needless to say, we all pretty soon sported large rolling backpacks! I even made the comment that it was easy to spot the Nursing students: regular college students had bookbags/backpacks while we had *luggage*!

There is NO age that is "too old" to be a great nurse! You will know yourself when you're ready to hang up your stethoscope. Go go for it and show the kids how it's done!

I still love medical shows but now it's more for comic relief. My comments and criticisms have, however, ruined the shows for my wife. I try SO hard not to laugh or tell her what would really happen, but too often it just slips out!

Does your program have the lectures/powerpoints available online? We found that to be a lifesaver! I would download the slides in "handout" format 3 per page with a space for notes. I could take my notes beside each slide. I agree that taping the lectures would be difficult since you're going to be in class for so many hours the commute to and from school would only allow you to review a portion of each day's lectures. Some of my classmates used their tablets or laptops to take notes on the fly during lectures but I preferred the hand-written ones I took on my PowerPoint printouts. Good luck!

I wasn't going to comment on this, but the more I thought about it the more it bothered me, so here goes: Nursing is a collaborative profession - there is no room for lone wolves and we all have times when we need help. I tried to get by in school just doing my own work and not interacting much with my classmates. I was working full-time and going to school full-time (and only sleeping part-time, if at all) and didn't think I really had time to devote to classmates who were struggling. That worked for a while - first semester, in fact - but by second semester I found that *I* was one of the ones struggling. You may be an A/B student today but the time may well come that you really need to rely on your classmates for help, either academically or in clinical. That's when you'll wish you were more accommodating the one who you let fall by the wayside. Our class started out as strangers and ended up being very close-knit and I had the privilege to learn and work with a group of very extraordinary future nurses. It was only with their help and support that nursing school finally became bearable and ultimately enjoyable. I agree that you may want to give the poor student some "homework" to help her get caught up, and also that using this opportunity to teach her will strengthen your own knowledge and skills. Give her a break, cut her some slack, and welcome her into the fold. If she squanders the opportunity, that's her loss, but if she pulls it together you will feel much better in the end. I firmly believe "a rising tide lifts all boats" and we ultimately succeed or fail together. Now I'm stepping off my soapbox and returning you to your regularly scheduled discussions. Good luck with school and (try to) enjoy this wonderful journey you're embarking on!

I hope I don't sound *too* delusional if I say I *never* think of myself as "just a CNA" - even if other people think that of me. I'm proud of the role I play in trying to make what is often a really crappy period in a patient's life just a little bit better. Actual hands-on nursing may not be the most glamorous of professions but every day I'm reminded of its importance. An army can't function with all Generals and no Infantry (or a ship with all Captains and no sailors, for that matter).