NextSummer

Yeah I totally agree that ADN programs are much more affordable especially for adults with families. My point was that although increasing entry to practice requirements may result in losing people who otherwise might consider nursing as their 2nd or 3rd career, it could lead to recruiting people who have no or less barrier to education like teenagers. I was just saying that changing entry to practice might not cause nursing shortage due to decrease in nursing program enrollment as many people assume. Rather it might lead to attract people who are considering nursing versus other health care professions like PT, OT, SLP, pharmacy, etc. It could even alleviate nursing shortage in a long run if people enter nursing at younger ages and practice 30+ years instead of 20 or less years. Well it's just my assumption.

Well, I don't know it's reasoning, but if one grows up in an environment where university education is the minimum expectation from your parents, one can't say that "I want to do nursing that does not need university education." My parents would have been so disappointed if I have gone to community college after high school. For them it doesn't make sense to choose community college instead of university just because the former is cheaper and you can go into the workforce faster.

I don't agree with the point that if BSN is required for entry to practice, many people won't choose nursing. I think there is another pool of people who want to choose nursing if BSN is the minimum entry level to practice - people right out of high school. I got a bachelor's degree in another area before nursing, and the reason for not choosing nursing right out of high school even though I was very interested in becoming a nurse was that one can become a nurse only with 2-3 years of education. Some just simply won't consider nursing if people without a bachelor's degree are also allowed to do the exact same work.

I actually posted this in Nursing Career Advice forum, but no response so far. So I will post this here again. Hope this is ok.:wink2: I just have a question regarding references when applying for a new job. Is it a 'must' to give my current nurse manager's contact info as a reference? If I tell my manager that I am trying to change my job by asking her to give me a good reference, the manager would certainly be unhappy. In case I was unsuccessful and I needed to stay on my current job, my relationship with my manager would be kinda difficult. So I don't think I will use my NM's name as a reference, but I am unsure how this will make the potential employer feel. Any ideas?

I just have a question regarding references when applying for a new job. Is it a 'must' to give my current nurse manager's contact info as a reference? If I tell my manager that I am trying to change my job by asking her to give me a good reference, the manager would certainly be unhappy. In case I was unsuccessful and I needed to stay on my current job, my relationship with my manager would be kinda difficult. So I don't think I will use my NM's name as a reference, but I am unsure how this will make the potential employer feel. Any ideas?

I agree with allantiques4me. It's wrong to assume that a previous shift nurse did not do catheterization just because the amount of urine you obtained was a lot.

The people who created this idea must be people who have never worked a single night shift in LTC!

My first job in nursing, although it was short, was long term care, and I worked only nights. What made me wonder was that when urine C+S needs to be done, days and evening shifts leave that work for nights. Why is that? Is that a particular reason? Does it sound similar in your LTCF as well?

wow unbelievable. Thank god.. that never happened to me...

That's exactly what constantly worries me too.... I don't work in a typical hospital setting so the chances of code blues are very low here. And that's why I am very reluctant to leave this place, even though I don't think I will make a good nurse here. whew....

I also think 8 months are okay enough to leave.

What if the training period was less than two weeks?

My boyfriend is an RN too I am still a newbie, and he is a nurse with a couple of years of experience, which is so good because I can ask tons of stupid questions :monkeydance:

I totally agree with Lindarn's points as well...!!

"Says, "I would NEVER quit my job here, I love the residents too much" even as they're filling out applications" But then, are we supposed to say or express some kind of desire to leave when we are considering about changing jobs?

In my area, there is no entry-msn programs, so I haven't actually met a nurse like that... However I think it's good in that nursing educational preparation is quite equal to other professions (ie. MDs PTs, OTs, pharmacists, SLPs....). Maybe it's not a smart idea for an individual who needs to spend a lot of money and effort, but I guess it could enhance nursing profession overall

I have been a nurse for less than a year, and unfortunately I don't like my current job... Even worse, this is my second job already I am not working on a med-surg that many would suggest as a more desirable job for a new graduate. I work on an area where I need to do thorough follow ups for my own pts, including dealing with discharge issues (although it's not entirely my own responsibility), and related pt education. And I get headaches even at home when thinking about my own pts that I need to follow up. Sometimes it's not a problem when a pt has a supportive family and good insurance... but sometimes it's the opposite. And I feel like I get all the blames if a thing doesn't go well with my pts. So I am considering about getting a new job, probably on a med surg floor. That way I would get a solid experience of nursing skills and all that And I won't need to worry about pts as long as I finish my shift! I don't mind giving the best care possible, but I don't want to think about how this pt is going to survive in community.... Such a headache for me... And I hate to go to work Monday to Friday, 8 to 5.... I would love to do 12 hour shifts and get some more days off:cool: I really want to get a different job, but I have been in this place for about only 6 months..., and I feel bad about leaving so early like that... I am worryng about a bad reputation like a job quitter!! Moreover, as I did not work on a medsurg floor right after my graduation, I don't have the hands-on nursing skills.... too bad... (but this is one of the reasons that I feel I should go to hospital nursing before it's too late!) What would you suggest? Please help me...

In my floor where I worked before, it was usually day shift's job. I worked nights, and there was a particular nurse who wanted us to give supp to a certain pt at 6 am. It mostly worked well with that particular pt. But one day, poop was all over the place when the day nurse arrived (that's what I heard later), and guess what, we night shift got all the blame!!

Recently in my dream, I was just starting my night shift, and the manager that I worked with in my first nursing job and who I liked a lot visited my facility for some kind of meeting. We said hi to each other and she told me with a very concerned face that she heard from people in my facility that I am not doing great in this job! And I asked her to give me some advice as to what to do next..

I would look for another job and leave that place without any further hesitation. It's not even worth trying to straighten things out by talking to the manager, although that's the way textbooks suggest. But in a real world that usually won't work. I personally hate people doing this kind of backstabbing, and the worse is that they smile in front of you so that you never know who reported you to a manager!

Yeah, that's why I was wondering if I could get into a master's program with my purpose statement that is not really related to these things... Actually I am considering a program that is more heavily focused on nursing theory/ philosophy than other nursing programs in my area. But still, without a clear career goal in those three areas, I have to doubt it's worth even applying for the master's program that I am considering.

Hi all, I have been an RN for less than a year, and I have been thinking about going back to school for my MSN since I graduated. I want to choose a program option that is not for people who want to become an NP or CNS (ie, I would like to pursue a general master's degree in nursing). While in school I became quite interested in nursing theory/ philosophy (I know I sound weird ), and I would love to study further this. But the thing is I have no desire for climbing a career ladder with that degree (or it might be because it seems too early for me to think about that, as I am still in transition between a student and a nurse??). Anyway, I love my job (specialty), my coworkers, my managers, the unit's educators, and just love what I am doing right now. I feel like I am blessed to work here, (and in fact, this place has a very very low turnover rate). So, even though I would love to pursue an MSN, I am not interested in management, education, or advanced clinical practice... I want to do what I am doing right now; my concern is, how do you think about a staff nurse who has a master's degree? Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Hi all, Just wanted to get some advice on my nursing career. I am a new RN, just got my BSN in June. My problem is that basically I am not that good at clinical part of nursing. I don't know how to say.... being in a hospital makes me nervous. I am really in awe of new grads going into specialty areas like ER and ICU. Looking back, I was one of those students who liked such courses as nursing theory/ philosophy, policy, or ethics. I think I kind of enjoyed the processes of completing writing assignments.. (eg, doing lieterature search as comprehensively as I could, reading & analyzing them, etc..But I used to have problems when the assignment asked me to write things like implications for practice .... I think my personality type is INTP.....) These days, I keep thinking about going back to school for my MSN. I mean the pure master's degree, not the programs for those who would like to become NPs. I would work part time and go to school part time, if I ever do my master's. But the thing is I don't know what to do with that degree; I wouldnt make more money with that degree, and I am not interested in teaching either. Though I wouldn't mind going to school just to improve myself -from my perspective. (I would say I like the intellectual stimulation that I could get..... ) However I wonder if this makes a good reason for furthering my education. I don't even know how to explain my intention for MSN in the application forms. At the same time I am also afraid of the workload in grad school. Any advice will be greatly appreciated p.s. My grades are all As and even a few A+ in nursing research, theory and ethics....(except one B+ in one course), so getting into a master's program woudn't be difficult... I hope....

Congrats to AnonymousCanadian and gentle02!! :balloons: :balloons: :balloons:

That's what I exactly thought like until 2 to 3 months before the exam. When my classmates talked about taking a review class or something like that in January, I thought, 'hey we have studied really hard for four years, and we don't need all that." BUT, about three weeks before the exam, my anxiety started and I found myself searching the internet everywhere to find out any review courses !!! (eventually I couldn't find anything though... ) I don't know why I worried so much. CRNE is not a straight-forward type exam; I mean not the type of the exam just simply asking fact, that's for sure. And I guess the fact that we have only three chances in lifetime is one of the key factors too, along with the short-answer questions.