bflogrl

Do you have all the prereqs that you need? YOu could at least get a start by getting those out of the way.

Dansko outlet (this can be accessed through the main Dansko page) has bargains but I don't very often see the white shoes. I wear the Professionals -- I've got them in many colors. This is the only shoe that works with my plantar fasciitis.

school bookstores can be so hateful and greedy. i've been buying my books from barnes and noble.com. if you are a nsna member you get an additional small discount but the real savings has been through their b+n membership card. i resisted buying it for a long time but then did the math and found the savings to be substantial. at least our school bookstore makes the isbn available online.

I fully agree with you and this and the fact that nursing is all about caring for the person, not diagnosing and manage a pathology, is what draws me. Nurisng is an amazingly diverse field and one so very unique from medicine. It certainly is what I want to be doing.

Hi. I just started Marymount this semester in the 2d degree program. I've been living in Arlington for a good while so I will fill you in: The main campus sits on far edge of Arlington in a traditional looking suburb. About a mile away (they run frequent shuttles) is the Ballston campus (still in Arlington) which has a more urban feel because the metro is there and the county is really doing a nice job of developing all the areas around the metro stations with mixed residential/shopping development. Arlington at one time was part of the District of Colombia but the land was not being developed so they gave it back to Virginia. One nice thing about Marymount is that the campus is small and accessible. At both places you can drive there easily and park. I ended up not going to Georgetown because getting there would have been such a headache. Anyway, if you have specific questions about the area, housing, etc. please send me an e-mail.

Hi. I was once in a similar position and after a huge mistake (going to PA school for a semester) and recovering from that, I am happily doing what I was meant to do and that is be a nurse. I'm not saying anything intrinsically negative about PA school, it's just for me it was entirely the wrong choice. Deep inside I think I always wanted nursing but because of my academic ability and the general prejudice against nursing (oh, it's so physically hard, you're really smart, why would you want to do that) I was always swayed away from it. Because of my age and knowing that I lacked the dedication to study medicine I was never inclined to go that route. So I figured ok, let's take the middle ground -- PA. When I got in there I realized that the science they were teaching was so watered down and that there seemed to be so little focus on the patient, I ended up feeling that I was training to be a tech for a doctor so I left after one semester. The whole point of this is that nursing is not a compromise for medicine and if it's medicine that you really want then think hard and see about going for it. There's nothing worse than being frustrated because you had to settle. I truly wish you all the best as you work this this decision, I know it's hard!

Hi. I volunteer in an inpatient hospice facility and we have 4-bed rooms where we routinely have men and women in the same room -- it does not seem to be a problem.

Hi. For medical I volunteer in a hospice, often working alongside the CNA's bathing and toileting patients. Yes, cleaning poop and vomit is not pleasant but it's not a happy experience for the patient either so I try to be empathetic (not always easy). I'm in nursing school part-time because I need to support myself and need the health insurance so I still have my job as a government chemist--I write human health risk assessments for pesticide chemicals. It is health-related in a bizarre sort of way.

Hi. I'm in my first semester of Marymount's accelerated BSN program, going part-time. So far I am very happy with the program and my professors. Let me know if you have any questions.

I know!! Where DO those little buggers go?? I had the HepB series of three and no antibodies developed so they had to give me a 4th injection. Polio? Yeahh, I had all those shots as a child (no little sugar cubes for me). Zero antibodies left-- he had to give me another shot. I guess it's just one more thing with getting old!

DesertRain -- I fully agree with you, who are we to like or dislike other people's art. Art is an expression, art is not necessarily meant to please. Does it matter whether or not the viewer understands or does not understand what the artist was getting at? What bothered me about Body Worlds is that the creator seemed to go to a lot of trouble to convince the audience that what he was doing was all about science when in my eyes it was not all that scientific (e.g., the over simplified labelling) and his attempt at "artsy" poses left me wondering what he was trying to demonstrate. Anyway, that's my humble opinion. Thanks for your thoughts.

Hi. I hate to be the lone stick-in-the-mud but I was actually appalled by the Body Worlds exhibit (I saw it in St. Paul MN last summer). First off, I am not at all put off by death or bodies in various state of ickiness. What got to me about the exhibit was that I felt that the creator was almost looking for an excuse to display his "artwork" so he peddled it to science museums saying, 'look what great stuff we can learn.' I was dismayed by his poor labelling of what you were seeing (the language he used was babyish and not at all descriptive). Also, some of the things he did with the tissue (flaring out the muscle) would never occur in the natural world. So is it art? And is it appropriate then to be using human tissue under the guise of science to express your art? I'm interested in hearing what others have to say.

I'm starting school in January but have been volunteering in a hospice for about 4 years. The only thing so far that really makes me gag is suctioning -- I am just about gagging trying to write this response, seeing the nurse stick that catheter down someone's throat and all that gunk comes up and deposits itself in the jar on the wall....... How about needles and giving shots? I drew blood once during my EMT training so I've at least had my first on that.

If you have the option of "choice" (i.e., live in an area like a do where there's a plethora of programs) I think you also need to consider what fits your needs and personality. I'm starting my 2nd degree BSN in January and am very happy with the school I chose -- it fits where I am at this point in life (an adult returning student, part-time, etc.). I was also excepted to one of the so-called elites but decided not to go there.

I went to Indiana University and I know that they now offer a lot online. Also, The community college near me offers what they call 'hybrid' courses where you can do the lecture stuff on your own but have to come on campus a few times a semester for lab. Would such an arrangement work for you?