LillyDarling

Hi all! In the state of Florida, we are required to have College Algebra under our belts before we can start any Associate's Degree program. Unfortunately, I am mathematically challenged, so struggling quite a bit and I am only in beginning algebra at this time. I am taking Intermediate Algebra next semester and then College Algebra the semester after, then I can finally apply for the LPN-RN program. I've been an LPN for 10 years this year, so it's kind of a slap in the face that I can't even grasp math, but then again, it has always been like that for as long as I can remember. does anyone know of an online school for LPN-RN that does not require College Algebra? Thanks in advance:)

Thank you prettyinblack! I start on the 12th. My cubrrent boss cornered me today asking why I was leaving and actually asked "is it about the money?" Lol no doc it's less stress and yes a huge raise, probably just peanuts to him though. I want to work with adults who care about what they are doing and are actually capable and willing to do their jobs. I love talking to patients and helping them work through things. I'm hoping this will be a good fit. ❤ You are very welcome:-) The only downside to telephonic nursing, to me anyway, is being tied to my desk by a headset for 10 hours a day. Make sure to exercise when you have time. My employer has a gym in the building so we can use it whenever! Good luck on your new endeavor!!

Wait, was it one pt to three nurses or the other way around?

Wow, a 1:3 ratio for therapeutic apheresis?! I traveled for the Blood bank as well doing apheresis and my ratio was always 1:1. There are so many things that can happen during a procedure.

Thank you, for the great answer The Commuter! Unfortunately, I've had anxiety and apprehension my whole life. I'm in therapy now to get to the root of it. I honestly hate feeling this way! Well, if it's mostly care plans, that would be wonderful! I'm good at care plans:-) I'll have to check my local school to see what they have to offer.

Good morning! So I'm new here (just joined yesterday to answer another posters question about therapeutic apheresis) Anyway, I am an LPN who has been lucky enough to have experience in different specialties. I started out with (of course) ALF/Long Term Care then moved on to travelling Therapeutic Apheresis for 4 years, both of which had LOTS of pt contact. Unfortunately, with Therapeutic Apheresis, I didn't give meds, didn't do any IVs except for running calcium gluconate thru the blood return line and flushing dialysis vas-caths with NS then filled to lumen volume with 5000u Heparin, and only did SubQ Filgrastim injections if I were doing a stem cell collection that day. Fast forward, now I work in Specialty Pharmacy educating Oncology pts about their oral chemotherapy, giving general advice within my scope of practice and reporting Adverse Events to the drug manufacturers. My supervisor also has me trained in 2 other highly specialized areas and precepting all the new nurses that come in. It's a Mon-Fri desk job, so no pt contact whatsoever. I just had my yearly review and actually got a perfect score! My supervisor told me that I am supervisor material and that if I were an RN, they'd give me a promotion. My company will pay for my LPN-RN. Here's my dilemma: I lost a lot of nursing skills while in Therapeutic Apheresis and now I don't even touch pts AT ALL! So naturally, I am nervous about clinical and it's been 8 years since I've been in school, so I'm pretty sure things have changed in nursing, for example: I saw a nursing student on here saying that they DON'T require aspiration during IM injection?! Seriously?! What if I hit a vein and erroneously gave a pt an IV injection?? Sorry about the long posting...long story extremely short: I am nervous about pt contact now. Is it like not riding a bike for a long time and you just pick it back up? Any advice would be appreciated! Thanks :-)

I don't miss face to face. You'd be surprised how much you can help a pt over the phone. It requires a very special type of understanding and you have to be able to put emotion in your voice. I work for a Pharmacy (desk job) and educate pts about their medications. Love my job:-)

I agree with CarryThatWeight! I am now working in a Specialty Pharmacy working with oral chemotherapy. Love my job!

Oh, also Apheresis.org is a good resource! Good luck!

Hi! I actually regestered today so I could answer your question. I was a Therapeutic Apheresis Nurse from 2009-2013. I performed a wide variety of procedures on pts in the hospital or at infusion centers. I got to experience the ICU, BMTU, Hematology/Oncology floor, PICU. The most popular procedure done was TPE (therapeutic plasma exchange) which treated various autoimmune conditions. I also performed Red blood cell exchange/depletion for sickle cell or severe hemachromatosis. White blood cell depletion, platelet depletion, stem cell collection on both adults and children. The training is stringent. 3 months with another seasoned nurse, then I was on call every other week. You will learn to access dialysis vas-cath and stick ac veins with 16 gauge needles for access if pt doesn't have port access. You will learn sterile technique accessing said ports. Pts BP can drop especially if they are on ACE Inhibitors. They will tingle due to the citrate anticoagulant dropping their calcium/magnesium levels. Pts can have allergic reactions to the replacement fluid used. You have to be prepared for anything! I traveled to about 15 different hospitals in 5 different counties. I also received mileage reimbursement and great benefits. All in all, it was an enjoyable job, but I moved and couldn't keep it. Hope this helped!