vigor145

This is a really late reply........4 years later. But just to give perspective from 2015. UMMC just re-established pay raises this year in our NICU. While I am a student nurse, I have gotten very friendly with a travel nurse from Southern VA. She states they are paying her 3x what she could make at home, hence why she is traveling. I assume the pay rates for Southern VA are lower for nurses then our general pay rates, but still the fact that the nurse is getting 3x that much, on top of what UMMC is paying the Travel Nurse Agency is crazy. I confirmed with another travel nurse, this one from Alabama, that she, too, is getting about 3x her pay to work in our NICU. They have hired approximately 15 new grads and we have many travel nurses as well. This is my 2nd career, and this is all is very strange to me.

I am really coming late to the party, but one post on this page upset me. I have two B.S. degrees and an MBA from a top 5 University. I always wanted to do nursing, but my father pushed me in another direction when I was young and he was paying for school. I was in a coma 6.5 years ago and after that I evaluated my life. I was determined from then on to get into my BSN program. It took me a while because I had to work full time and I had to work a class schedule with a work schedule. But I got here - 2nd semester student. I am determined. I have a husband, I have a home, I have a toddler, and I, too, have a family Anna. Oh, and I do work. All of these things, besides work, have been put aiside for nursing school. I was a 4.0 in my B.S. degrees. I was a 4.0 in MBA program. But guess what, I am no longer a 4.0 in nursing school. I just failed my first PathoPharm exam. I was already working hard as ding-dong, but now I have to work THAT much harder to stay afloat for the rest of the semester. Is this becasue I am not making sacrifices so I can study? Absolutely not. Is this because I fail to go to lecture or guided study session or do not use the free tutors. Again, absolutely not. I don't even have to deal with making food for the whole week; my husband thankfully prepares all our meals. I will say that teenagers are pretty self-sufficient when paired up to a toddler, but I am not going to keep nitpicking. The way MY brain works is very different than how they are testing us. Couple that with ADD, the stuggle has been real. I came from an IT background/career and it was much more cut and dry, and less of the critical thinking. You did have to do some critical thinking in IT, but that environment is very natural to ME and was very easy. Add in the fact that every nursing students science/A&P background is at VARIOUS levels. I have to consistently go back and refresh myself on simple concepts. Some stuff I think my A&P Proffesor just left out of our cirriculum! Anyway, I am ******* ******. At where I am in my nursing careera and for the plain fact that you, Anna, are sort of sitting on your high horse and judging people. I make sacrifices EVERYDAY for nursing school. And I am NOT at peace with where I am. I just wanted to respond. I am a 37 year old female, with a lof life experince. A lot of the kids in my cohort are 17, 20, 21, etc. I wouldn't want somebody googling and getting this page as a resource. That means, potentially, they would read Anna's post and maybe feeling ***** about themselves.

Don't worry about what others think of you!!!!!! Who are they to judge. If you wake up in the morning and just keep doing "the next right thing", then you have nothing to worry about. I would say **** everybody else...............oh wait I did!!! I am, 36 years old, I am BSN nursing student, working on my 3rd degree. I got so caught up in the BS of 20-something year old shenanigans my first semester, I was a mess. Then I took a job as a Student Nurse in NICU. My friend from nursing school also works with me. Know what, the Tech's HATE us. Her and I are just go-go-go. They are lazy and just want to sit-sit-sit. or go to Cheesecake Factory for 3 hours every afternoon. We always want to be doing something. I call her Antsy-Nanci. **** the techs. I kick ass at work. I am a hard worker and ALL the nurse I serve each night thank me for my efforts. The families in the NICU thank me for my efforts. I USED to worry all the time about the people complaining and the people I thought didn't like me. I don't give a flying F*** what they think anymore. I KNOW I am a good worker. The important people (my boss, the nurses, the nurse who does my performance review) all know I am a hard worker. Screw the rest. A piece of advice given to me 2 weeks ago by my charge nurse when I switched to nights. She says nursing, while although some males are working as RN's................nursing pretty much comprises of women. Women can be downright NASTY. Women can be clicky. Women can be hormonal. Women will just not like you for no reason. You gotta learn how to cope with that. And not let things get under your skin. If nursing is your dream; if you truly want this maybe work with a therapist to deal with some of what you're feeling/experiencing. Because I can tell you from very recent first-hand experience, once you don't let that crap bother you anymore, and allow yourself to be YOU..........it is freeing.

I don't' have the time to read through all of these other posts, but something should be knocking on your brain telling you that SOMETHING isn't right. You are working at a HOSPITAL, who knows you have passed the NCLEX and they won't hire you as an RN? As they say in architecture.............."The lines don't meet." I work as a Student Nurse (Tech) in NICU in a highly coveted Baltimore City hospital. Sure a lot of students applied but did not get picked for the interview; only two of us did. But pretty much I am guaranteed a job in NICU once I pass my NCLEX in a year and a half. That is, if I even want to work in the NICU; if not I will still be a shoe-in for other departments. The fact that your hospital continues to allow you to work as a aide while you have been an RN for well over a year.. Something isn't right here. Has anyone looked over your resume and cover letters? Have you networked? I began networking/schmoozing in my first semester of nursing school just to have contacts. EDIT: Out of the 80 originals in my cohort, 10 were males. For Student Nurse positions in Baltimore City, they all secured jobs before the females did. Maybe they applied earlier, I don't know. But coming out of our top 10 school. males have traditionally found it easier to find jobs here than females. This is overall.

I would go to court. AND I would not go email your professor about it. They do not care. I am not sure how big your cohort is but at my university mine started at 80 people. down to about 72 now. While all my past professors DO know me well, they do not know a lot of the students. They are not going to care if you are going to miss a lecture. Check with your school; ours videotapes all major lectures and we can watch them online throughout the semester. If your school offers that, then you can make up the lecture that way. Otherwise just go through the book/lab manual. Fundies should be your easiest class to miss. It is fundamentally straight forward! EDIT: when I was getting my undergrad degrees back around 2000, I had a court date come up. I gave it enough time, and sent a letter to the courthouse b/c I was not willing to miss this particular day of classes. It was postponed. I have also gotten out o f jury duty 5 times saying I had classes.

This is an OLD thread, however, after Miss South Carolina has responded with nothing positive or uplifting, I wish to respond. Do not forget Miss South Carolina, your negative experiences are just that...........YOURS. You cannot speak for a country as a whole. Maybe your employer is paying YOU $80,000, but just hired a new DNP graduate at $90,000 per year. Your opinion is subjective based on your intimate experience. That being said, I am 36, almost 37. I began pre-nursing in 1996, but then change to business school for reasons beyond my control. I ended up working in IT making well around $150,000 per year, as I did graduate with 2 BS degrees in fields that were #1 and #3 in the nation at that time. Money IS NOT everything. I was in a coma 6.5 years ago for a few weeks. Coming out of that unscathed was a blessing, and over the course of a year I evaluated my life. I realized money wasn't everything; I loved IT as a hobby, but hated working it. I needed "something" that had value to me when I would walk into work. And here I am, about to enter my 2nd semester of a BSN nursing program, with the goal of earning my doctorate in PMHNP. This is a VERY personal decision to go into Psych. I have so many reasons that I cannot even share. But all I hear from you Miss South Carolina, is about the crappy pay you're making. Do you even give a crap about making a difference to a mentally fragile individuals? If the pay is so disappointing, then why didn't you do your homework beforehand? Because your negativity..........you are rubbing it off on people who are hopeful about a career path they want to take. I gather you have your MSN? Maybe that is part of the disparity in pay you see. Get your doctorate; your pay will increase. I will leave it with this; I do not understand how people CHOOSE the nursing field, a field where there needs to be compassion, caring, and kindness, in addition to the critical thinking and analytical skills, etc. And they come into it for the money, or in Miss South Carolina's case, the apparent lack of. Do you homework people. It is called DUE DILIGENCE.

This is an old thread, but I feel compelled to reply anyway. I am a non-traditional student, who just finished my 1st semester of nursing school. I got a job as a Student Nurse in NICU in a downtown Baltimore hospital and began two weeks ago. It pays between $15.00/hour-$21.00/hour, depending on what shift your are working. They also have patient care tech positions in my hospital. In my unit the patient care techs do the same work as the students, but do not make nearly as much money. It is better to get a Student Nurse position because they know you are in nursing school are super flexible with scheduling. And, ultimately, you will get preference over the techs regarding scheduling Obviously, HouTx, internships and practicums are unpaid. Everyone knows that.

Thank you for responding. I chose A because that is what Health Assessment pounded into us. I reviewed all my info from Fundies, and this was never mentioned. I see a neurologist every 6 months. After checking my cranial nerves he assesses my gait through ambulating/ ambulating heel to toe. End of exam. I think I put too much personal thought into these exams. I am not so familiar with nursing homes. But when I go to the doctor's, never has an Md or NP been sitting in the room already waiting for me. Thanks again!

Hi All!!!! This is my FIRST post. I am in the midst of finishing up my first semester. I am challenging some of my Fundies for Older Adults final questions. I would LOVE and APPRECIATE your response and ratationale on one of these questions. What my Fundies professor expects is in conflict with what my Health Assessment professors expect. I have done some research into this, now I would like your opinion. It IS paraphrased a tiny, but the overall emphasis is the same as the exam. Here goes: You are ascertaining the gait and balance of an elderly person in a nursing home. When would you do this? A. At the end of the exam/assessment. B. When the elderly person is strong enough. C. When the elderly person is walking into the exam room. D. You wouldn't; they are in a wheelchair. Thank you in advance if you have posted. I appreciate you!!! Vigor145

@hopeful 205 I am so sorry you didn't get in. That wait was surely drawn out for you and a "nail biter". I, too, am in my mid-late 30's. This is a second career for me. I personally had a back-up school and applied, and was accepted, there as well. This is what I did: In preparation for nursing school, last summer I got my CNA and this summer my CMT. I worked as a Nurse Technician/CMT in a Health Room in an Elementary School, providing first-aid and emergency care to Pre-K-5th graders, as well as emergency care to staff. I truly believe this helped me get in. A couple years ago when I began my pre-req's I made sure, in addition to doing well in the classes, to get chummy with all my major science professors; they all knew me by name and on a very personal level (meaning they knew what was happening in my life). This truly reflected in my recommendation letters. I had also volunteered in a community hospital. When my "term" was finished, I did not stay on. However, when I was in the process of applying to nursing school, I was just beginning to volunteer at the Univ. of MD Medical Center. If you are not a strong writer, find someone who is who can help you with your essays. Writing is my strong suit; I am a multiple award winning essay writer actually, and again, I believe this helped. I don't know why everyone suggests increasing the TEAS score...........unless the rest of your application is a bit weaker. I took it once, with no preparation, and the score was crappy. I wasn't even going to apply to UMSON with my TEAS score, but my father handed me $50.00 and said go for it; what do you have to lose. MOST IMPORTANTLY....................DON'T GIVE UP!!!!!! You have some wait time. If you have a "C" on your record, retake the class until next application period. If you have read through this forum, you would have read about AFOWLER. Now this is someone who had quite some tenacity and fortitude to get into nursing school......specifically UMSON........and did not give up. Good Luck!

@muldrowtl. Coppin State is pretty much in my backyard.............well, down the street a bit!! When I was considering different options, I spoke with a few ladies I used to work with that go there. Their nursing school has come a long way and is getting better every year. The school is small, which I liked. I would have also applied there, but they only have one admission session in the Spring of each year. Had I not gotten into UMSON and my second choice I was accepted into as well, I would have reapplied in the Spring, along with Coppin.

@muldrowtl. Make sure you check out the MDBON'S website for 2013's NCLEX Pass Rates. If memory serves me well I think Bowie's were terrible. Coppin's were aprox. 79%. UMSON was 96% (for comparison).

I would like to add that I have known two people with a 75% and 76% Teas score, respectfully, get in. While they have guidelines for admission.........they are just that, guidelines.

@kirstens.......did you get to pick the lab or did they? I am hoping the lab will be open on Saturday. It is very hard with working full time to get away to do this stuff. And I don't leave my job until Dec 18th!!

I posted this on the FB group.......I got my letter yesterday, so they should be on the way if you haven't gotten yours yet!!!