fozzie

My mother takes Lunesta and is loving it. Although, I'll have to ask her about that bad aftertaste. I've never heard of that side effect before, and I can't recall if they've mentioned it in those commercials with that butterfly fluttering around. Anyways, I have never needed to take any kind of prescription sleep aid, but if I had to, I would probably pick Lunesta, especially because it's supposed to be non-addicting. Ambien might be fine, and not have this bad aftertaste you guys mention, but I am so afraid of becoming addicted. It's my mom's fear, too, so I am glad they put her on something relatively safer.

Teammom, please try not to let all the rumors get to you too much. Try and make the right decision for you, and not based on what you hear from other people, because there are plenty of folks who like GPC, it's just that our voices tend to get drowned out, I guess. I would agree with others that it's difficult, but I think any two year nursing program would be. You just do what you think is best, but don't let other people scare you too much. I wish you luck in whatever decision you choose to make. :)

If it's not too stupid of a question, how does Lasix cause ototoxicity? I'm familiar with its other side effects but I've never heard of this one before.

I agree. It's always easier to blame someone else than to blame yourself.

I thought I would be really grossed out by dissecting a cat, but it was the smell that got to me more than anything. I hate that formaldehyde smell.

I keep reading reports that hospital staff are being attacked by armed looters! There was one article somewhere about a nurse who stepped outside her hospital just to get a breath of fresh air and was robbed at gunpoint. :angryfire How can people do that?!? I just don't understand. There is absolutely no justification for that. I am furious. We need to declare martial law, if it hasn't been declared already. This rampaging has got to stop!

I agree! Not only is it dangerous, it's also disrespectful to the patients, IMHO. Think of all the microbes that live under those things. I don't mean any offense to nurses with fake nails...I guess, it's just that after taking Microbiology and after reading various articles about how microorganisms can live on fake nails, I couldn't imagine wearing them in a hospital setting. Ever.

tiff, I think they're suppposed to send out the letters soon, like sometime in September (though I don't know an exact date). Good luck to you! :) I'm in the GPC program too, sheri! And we've already got so much to read. :chuckle Anyways, I have to agree with you about it not being as nightmarish as people describe it. I mean, sure it's hard, but so far, I've got no indication that the instructors are out to get me. That's not to criticize other people's opinions, because I know there are some who've had bad experiences, but I really think GPC gets unfairly criticized while other Georgia schools get put up on pedestals. Oh well, that's just my opinion, no one has to listen to it. :chuckle

Oh, okay. Well then, I guess I shouldn't worry too much. Thanks for addressing my concerns. :)

This HESI test...is it similar to the ERI test? Because I'm going to have to take a test from ERI at the end of every semester in order to actually pass each course, and I'm wondering if this is something similar.

My college was going to offer a Medical Spanish course, but apparently there just weren't enough students signing up for it, so they had to drop it at the last minute. I was really sad about that. We definitely need more Spanish speakers, the Hispanic population in my area is skyrocketing! I understand what you're saying, but I guess my concern is what if the hospital doesn't have a translator available? And I always figured it would be better to at least try to speak their language, maybe to help calm them down, but what you say has given me pause. I actually went out and bought a Medical Spanish book the other day, but now I'm wondering if I did the right thing... (Actually, what I really need is some Spanish slang, because I know that the textbook Spanish I speak might be different from the kind of Spanish I may be hearing from any potential patients...)

That sounds nice, especially because I'm a bit nervous about clinicals (for me, this will probably be the most challenging part of nursing school). Starting out slow is probably a good thing. Maybe later I can go to a larger, faster-paced hospital.

That's just awful. I wonder, is there no way to prevent visitors from bringing deadly weapons into the hospital? Not that I'm trying to blame the hospital...St. Joseph's is a wonderful place and I'm sure they did all they could in this situation... What a terrible tragedy. My thoughts are with the victims, their families, and the staff.

I've heard good things about them. Too bad it's a pretty long drive from my house... What about Joan Glancy? I don't know much about that hospital, but I really need to start thinking about where I'm going to do my clinicals, and I'd prefer someplace that's close by.

Plus, this isn't like grade school speeches, which I thought were the worst. I absolutely hated those. I think it's much different in nursing school, where everyone's in the same boat, so the audience is more sympathetic. Anyways, repeatedly practicing the presentation is a must. It'll definitely help with your confidence. But there's no need to take any medication for this...Just hang in there, I'm sure you'll do fine. :)