BladderCancerSxMgt

Yes, but the VA is big on accreditation. I have a clinical psych PhD from a program accredited by the American Psychological Association but my internship was accredited by another entity. Now the VA has decided they will only credential psychologists with APA-accredited degrees AND internships. So I'm thinking about nursing school to be a psych NP. Of course, I can practice outside the VA but I now work as a researcher for the VA and would like to have my clinical practice there too. Anyway, good luck with your situation.

Does anyone know how many applicants and number of available slots the TWU weekend program has? Is it a little easier to get into because it's for people with a BS or higher in something else? Thanks, Dave

When I suggested the UCSF temporary employment pool, I just meant it as a way to find a job, any job to keep food on the table till the new grad programs open up. And if you got a job in a clinical dept., it could help with networking and a more permanent job. Just a thought. Cheers, Dave

your nursing career: a look at the facts although nursing is the nation's largest health care field, with 2.7 million registered nurses nationwide, misinformation from news stories and other media at times has fueled public misperceptions about the profession. as you plan or consider a career as a registered nurse, you should know these facts: for the rest of the article, go to http://www.aacn.nche.edu/education/nurse_ed/career.htm

Is that with condiments or without????? :rotfl:

Sorry, I don't know anything about new grad programs but if you want something to help out a little bit financially, you should look into the temporary employment pool at UCSF. You can get at least some kind of job for a couple of months till the new grad programs kick in. With your clinical training, you should be able to get some kind of RA or other position. Also, if you had someo sort of other job before, maybe you can do that again for a couple of months. Not a pretty thought, after going to NS but better than nothing when it comes time to write the student loan payback check. Best of luck to you. Dave PS Also, if you do the UCSF TEP thing, it might help with getting into the new grad program there if you're already on campus.

Check out http://www.discovernursing.com. Cheers, Dave

Here's a book I found useful in learning about the basics. It's written by a psych CNS in CA. http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0826194400/qid=1125718308/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/103-5473150-4980650?v=glance&s=books

YW - good luck with your studies. DL

The text below is from the clinic website - Note I am longer affiliated with the clinic. I volunteered there for 2 years and thought it was a great place to get experience. Your mileage may vary. Dave http://www.berkeleyfreeclinic.org/home.html Almost all services at the Berkeley Free Clinic are provided by volunteers who have been trained at the clinic or by volunteer professionals. Each year, an estimated 180 people donate approximately 31,000 volunteer hours doing direct client service administration, fundraising, building maintenance, conducting trainings, and more. If you would like to volunteer, or would like more information, come to a Volunteer Orientation held on the third Monday of every month at 7:30pm. The next Volunteer Orientations will occur on the following Mondays at 7:30pm: Upcoming Orientations (2005) May 16th June 20th July 18th August 15th September 19th October 17th November 21st December 19th No previous medical experience is necessary to volunteer and become a member of the Clinic. Requirements do include a commitment to the struggle for free, accessible healthcare and health education, to community empowerment and unification, and to eliminating racism, sexism, classism, and homophobia. In most cases, volunteers are asked to make a minimum one-year commitment following training. The Lab Section is no longer accepting applications. Check back later for future training info. The HIV Prevention Section (HPS) is no longer accepting applications for our Spring 2005 training. You may complete an application and check in with us in the fall or apply to other sections. The Medical Section is not currently accepting applications. The Peer Counseling Collective is now accepting applications for new counselors. No experience is required. Our extensive 5 month training program will begin September 22, 2005. Please submit your applicaiton to a PCC representative or the front desk of the clinic during clinic hours (M-F 3-9 PM). Or email it to [email protected]. You may also bring your application to the optional Informational Meeting on Thursday, August 25th at 7:00pm at the clinic. Click here for an application!

They provide training to do whatever you're gonna do for them. For the men's STD clinic, I had training one night a week, plus working the Sunday afternoon /evening shift doing what I could do. I shadowed another medic, did the front desk patient check-in paperwork, etc. Then after I got done with training, a more experienced medic shadowed me while I saw a few patients, then turned me loose. There's always another medic or the shift professional a door or 2 away if you have questions. Again, a great experience to have, particularly while I wasn wondering "can I do a blood draw and not pass out?" and other questions that people thinking about nursing ask themselves. Plus, the clients are poor/underserved/underinsured/uninsured, so you're volunteering to help people who need it the most. Cheers, Dave

Let me also put in a plug for the Berkeley Free Clinic. It's a couple of blocks from UC. I got GREAT experience there as a Volunteer Medic in the men's STD clinic. You do physical exams, interview clients, obtain specimens/do blood draws, do UA to check for WBC, dispense oral meds, etc. under the supervision of a volunteer MD or NP. Other parts of the clinic do different things, depending on what section you work in. I did one afternoon a week for 2 years. DL

Depends on who you ask . . . Homes won't serve as ATMs forever http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2005/08/14/INGN3E5T5F1.DTL&type=printable While they may watch "Flip That House" (Discovery Home) or "Flip This House" (A&E) on television, even the most euphoric home builders and real estate agents must recognize that housing prices cannot keep doubling every five years as they are today. What is less obvious is how it will all end. Will prices simply level out and provide even more leveraged homeowners a comfortable exit? Or will prices decline abruptly and foreclosure rates rise sharply?

Still pretty pricey. I'd suggest Vallejo/Napa/Fairfield area in the North Bay. At least somewhat more affordable (boy is THAT a relative term) and there are ferries into SF if you work there. I used to do the ferry from Alameda to SF and it was GREAT. So much less stressful than bus/BART. Cheers, DL

opalm is right. safest thing to do is check with the school you intend to enroll in to make sure they'll accept online classes. that said, MANY people have posted to the effect that the transcripts from places where you take the online class make no mention of it being an online class. you simply get a transcript from xyz college saying you took A&P I or whatever. My A&P I this semster is $460 (4 units x $115 per unit) plus the books are around $200. haven't bought em yet. definitely more expensive than a regular cc but you can do the labs online using ADAM software and as I posted elsewhere, not dissecting an animal is easier for me because of my religious beliefs. Good luck! Cheers, DL

I understand your concern. As a Buddhist, I don't want to be slicing and dicing on another person/animal/being. That's one of the reasons I decided NOT to take A&P at my local CC and to take it online through EduKan. They use software called A.D.A.M. for their A&P lab, instead of dissecting things. That software is now being used in some medical schools (e.g., UCSF) instead of dissecting human cadavers. So I figure if it's good enough for a med student, good enough for me. Cheers, DL

I agree with psychrn03 and lucianne. Marsha Linehan's Dialectical Behavior Therapy is the only empirically validated psychotherapy shown to work with borderlines. Linehan has written a great book on her technique and a number of programs have adopted her approach. But it's still a tough row to hoe. Best wishes. DL

Some cc's in CA operate on the ladder model. One of them (Gavilan College) has students become a CNA, then an LVN, then get the ADN. I don't think there are challenge exams for the ADN students. They take 2 semesters of nursing plus the science and other liberal arts classes to get their ADN. See http://www.gavilan.edu/ah/documents/AlliedHealthCareerLadder_002.pdf DL

This program does sound great, especially for those of us in CA where it's a race to see what you get first, your nursing school acceptance letter or your first retirement check. But the bad news is this program is not doable for CA residents. See the UW website on this issue. Cheers, DL

Oh, I think they're trying . . . There are a lot of fields where the entry-level degree used to be a master's that have begun to push the doctorate as the entry-level practice degree. Physical therapy for example. Schools are now offering the "DPT," etc. Nursing is trying to do the same, hence the ND, DrNP, etc. The confusing part is not just the name. For example, the Case Western ND degree was originally intended as a direct-entry degree for students, while the Columbia DrNP is for post-master's study. Unlike physical therapy, occupational therapy, audiology, and all the newly "doctor-ized" fields, nursing has millions of practitioners in the US and thousands of training programs across the country. Trying to get all those people going in the same direction is like trying to herd a bunch of cats that are high on crystal meth. :) Same thing with AACN pushing the new master's-level CNL role. Some programs are 1 year for post-BSN RN's, others are 2 year for non-nurses. And then if you want to be an advanced practice nurse, you have to do a post-master's certificate or a practice-oriented ND/DrNP/DNP/MNOQ degree. Although I'm still not clear what someone trained in the new CNL model can do clinically as a "master's level clinical generalist," that a new BSN couldn't do. For someone trying to do a career-change into nursing, it's a little mind-boggling. -> -> :) Cheers, DL

THe January issue of the journal "Nurse Practitioner" usually has the list of who can do what where. They have 2 color-coded maps: 1 for legal authority for scope of practice and 1 for prescriptive authority. The article also includes a blurb about each state with details about the situation there and an overview that talks about what's changed since the preceding January. Definitely worth the read. Your local college library should have a hardcopy and it's available online if you are a student or faculty. DL

Perhaps. But in the SF Bay Area, LVN programs at CC's have waiting lists, just like the RN programs. Also, for a single person with a day job trying to do a career switch, there is only one LVN program with evening classes in the Bay Area. The price tag - you guessed it - $20K. DL

Thanks.

Thanks. I understand that the 30 unit option = no ADN but if a diploma nurse (= no ADN) who is an RN can go through a BSN completion program, I don't understand why someone who did the 30 unit option couldn't. DL

If someone does the "30 unit option" to be able to get their RN and then does an RN-to-BSN program (either online or traditional), can they then go outside of California? Thanks, DL