Pixie.RN MSN, RN, EMT-P

You cannot obtain a license by exam or by endorsement in California if your original RN was obtained through EC's ADN program.

Ding ding! Bad choices, because people don't want to spend that shiny new paycheck on loans. It takes a lot of discipline to focus on loan repayment rather than spending your paycheck on something "fun." Yes, people can make a $300K mortgage work, but when your loan repayment is also the size of a mortgage, a lot of people struggle and then fail. I banked the different between my ER tech/paramedic paycheck and my new RN paycheck, then paid off my BSN bridge loans (only about $8K) very quickly. But I already had some adulting/budgeting skills, so I was able to do that.

I can't believe I am saying this, did I drink some Koolaid? But look into the Donna Wright competency model. It changed the way we did education where I last worked, and I think the staff really enjoyed it. It gives them a say in what they think they need to learn across various domains of knowledge in the unit. If you have a unit practice council or a clinical ladder, it's easier to get participation in education or learning events, too.

Advocating for a patient that I just *knew* was having a larger neuro event than Bell's Palsy or vertigo. Getting said patient transferred to a higher level of care with proper imaging and finding out that I was right (uncommon kind of stroke discovered on MRI). Discovering a couple of years later that the patient's spouse still remembered me and said that I was the only good thing about that day. These kinds of encounters make me miss the bedside — those times when I knew I made a difference.

I worked with a physician who experienced one of his kids going through a bad illness with an extended hospital stay. He had some microphobia to begin with, he said, but after that his OCD spiraled out of control to the point where it would take him at least 45 minutes (sometimes more than an hour) to sanitize his area/computer/face/arms/hands/stethoscope whatever before he could start seeing patients. As you can imagine, this interfered greatly with his life (and our productivity). I actually caught him cleaning his face (scrubbing it!!!) with a Saniwipe. We were very concerned about him because he was a nice person and very smart, but we couldn't deal with being very busy and having a physician unable to see patients while he went through his ritual. I ran into him recently in a totally different hospital in a totally different city, and I think he got professional help. He still had some of his behaviors, but they weren't interfering with his ability to function. OP, does your employer have an Employee Assistance Program (EAP)? Typically you can get some free counseling via an EAP program.

I think it's a personal support worker. This one sounds like a real peach, if a peach were dangerous to patients. Haha.

I read a comment on the internet (so consider the source, haha) that was from someone who said she was a lawyer, and her opinion was that if the hospital system made changes to keep things like this from reoccurring, they are just as culpable as the nurse. Which does make sense to me, from a logic standpoint. But we know how logic doesn't always play into things! Having worked with high-risk meds for years before profiling and scanning and EMRs were even a thing, I think we had it hardwired in us to check and check and doublecheck ourselves as part of the 5 rights. Did we still make errors? Yes. But I am still baffled by this one, which took effort to reconstitute a med before giving it, something you don't do with midazolam. So sad.

She hasn't even been a nurse for 4 full years. This happened two years ago. She was still so new. I am horrified by this, I think it's too much. I am sure she lives with this every day as it is. I hope she is getting the support she needs to get through this.

You are correct - working for the VA or the military allows you to work under a license from any state in another state. When I was active duty in the Army, I worked in a Georgia military hospital for several years under my Virginia license. When I decided I wanted to obtain a PRN position at a local trauma center, I had to endorse my license into Georgia.

Nope, not true. I have a BSN and two MSNs and I still can't get licensed in states that don't recognize Excelsior. That degree will always be the source of my RN, and that is what the states consider when evaluating an RN for licensure. My 11 years of nursing don't mean anything to them.

It's definitely a consideration for anyone who might not stay planted for the rest of their lives. EC is usually best for those who have no other options.

I thought the same thing. Our facility only lists starting and mid-range, not a max.

Having to call out when you are sick is the worst! I always felt evern worse until I knew they had my shift covered. I used to work mids Friday-Saturday-Sunday, and about 10 years ago during the first part of my Friday shift I came up positive for Flu A and was sent home. I felt so guilty!! But the reality is no one wanted my germs, either. I was a mess before maternity leave, too. Hahaha.

I don't think there are any proctored exams at Chamberlain in the RN-BSN. The graduate programs with quizzes (MSN/FNP) use a lockdown browser.

I only doubled up once, and it was a lot of work (also didn't have kids at the time). I can't remember which classes it was - maybe the leadership one? Granted, the classes have probably changed in the almost 10 years since I completed them, but both 443 and 451 were a lot of work in themselves. Both had bigger projects, especially capstone since it is a culmination of everything. I am not sure I'd throw a third class on top! I know how it is when you are SO CLOSE to being done, the urge to just pile it all on is extreme! LOL. Good luck!!