beekee

Can anyone tell me about the holistic nursing certification exam? I'd like to take but I don't see a lot of stuff to help prepare.

Anyone take it? Recommended review material? I am wondering if it’s worth the time and expense to get. Thanks!

Nicole Kupchik! AACN review questions/practice exam. Any CCRN review material, focusing on the cardiac/pulmonary material is useful too. There’s a lot of overlap, but the CMC goes more in depth.

The past two years have been incredibly hard for many nurses, new and seasoned. Many of us may use imprecise language to try to express what we are feeling. “I’m burnt out” is easier, and often more socially acceptable, than “I’ve had three patients die this week” or “I couldn’t provide good care to my patients.” I can’t even imagine how difficult it must be to go through nursing school during the pandemic and then start nursing now. At least in acute care, staffing is short. Techs/nursing assistants are non-existent. Acuity is significantly higher. When someone says “I’m burnt out,” maybe it’s a way of saying “I need help.” Hear what they are trying to say, not just the words they are using.

I’d definitely cast your net wider. In addition to other locales, I’d suggest other areas of nursing. I’m not familiar with the job market in Texas, but where I am, we can’t even find people to apply! The ICU/ED/IMCU are usually on the top of the list for new grads interested in working in a hospital. So, those areas can be more selective. Apply to med surg, and try again in a year. That time will not be wasted, as many skills transfer to the ICU/ED. I graduated several years ago with a 4.0 in my ADN program. I was told hospitals don’t hire ADN grads. I started in a rehab and worked on my BSN. I got a job on a med surg floor when I finished and a couple years later, I transferred to the ICU. In all those years, no one has asked me my GPA. It might help for your first job, but after that, it’s not a consideration. At most, it’s a bump in the road; it’s not a road block.

Has anyone taken the CHFN exam? Any tips? Any recommended study materials? I’m thinking of taking it, so I thought I’d ask if anyone has some insight.

Don’t be afraid to call the provider in the middle of the night. If you have a concern, bounce it off a more experienced nurse first. But if your gut says you need to escalate it, do it. Even if the provider is mean, crabby and always yells at everyone. (I swear some of them do it just to get the nurses to NOT page).

Bonus points if they neglect to identify the home state/school/employer.

What are your goals as a future NP? If it’s family practice, critical care might not be very beneficial. Whereas a TCU might be an excellent learning ground. And if you think days on a transitional care unit is “slower pace,” you are likely very, very mistaken.

I am currently a bedside nurse, but I see myself transitioning to an educator role in a few years. I think I’d like to work with students at the community college level. I have a masters in nursing with an education focus. For those of you who teach, is there a preference for an education doctorate in nursing education versus a DNP with an education focus? I probably don’t need either? And my current employer won’t help pay for either, so that doesn’t factor into my decision either. Any insight you can provide would be great! Thanks.

What about home care? Or wound care, PICC nurse, utilization review, quality, infection prevention, MDS? There are options for introverts in nursing. But it’s OK to try a different care too. I’m sure there are a myriad of posts on this site that could give you ideas. Good luck!

If I was your manager, I’d fire you. If you are working 16-20+ hours a day, five days a week, you are incapable of doing your job effectively, proficiently or capably. You are modeling atrocious behavior to your staff. Nothing you are doing is appropriate workplace behavior.

Schools that claim you don’t need prerequisites aren’t exactly honest. You still need to take those classes, you just might not need them for admission. Often, these schools are more expensive for-profit schools. A community college or vo-tech is going to be your cheapest option. Even if you go the for-profit route, you can save money by taking a lot of those general education (prerequisites) at a community college and transferring the credits. Be aware that most credits earned at for profit schools do NOT transfer to other schools.

Excelsior states on its website that Maryland does not accept Excelsior graduates via examination or endorsement.

In order to even apply to nursing school, your wife will need complete several prerequisite course. Then, during nursing school, there will be several more non-nursing courses (science, English, psychology, etc). My advice is simple. Cast a wide net. Nursing school admission can be difficult. 1. Identify the nursing schools near you. There is no such thing as an online nursing school. Investigate these schools. NCLEX pass rates, graduation rates, tuition, accreditation, non-profit/for profit, etc. Typical for profit courses do not transfer to non profit schools. Do not overlook community colleges. There are plenty of RN-to-BSN programs, many of which are online. 2. Identify the prerequisite courses at the schools you identified above. Most schools have a way to determine if a course taken at another school will be deemed equivalent to its course. Some schools give preference if you take the pre-requisite at that school, but others don’t. Try to take classes that will transfer, if needed, when you start applying. I’d take these classes predominately at the school you want to go to for nursing school. But try to find equivalents so you can apply elsewhere as well. 3. Take prerequisite classes. Get A’s in them. A lot of these can be done online (science classes with labs tend to be in person, at least the lab portion. Online labs tend to not be transferable if you do find one.) 4. Do whatever else is required to apply (volunteer, shadow, TEAS test, etc.) 5. Apply to nursing school. If you don’t get in, start taking the general education classes (again, make sure they transfer).

I wouldn’t leave that education or experience out. It will set you apart from the traditional new grad. Be sure to have a solid answer to the inevitable interview question “why did you switch to nursing?”

Depending on how long ago you took those prerequisites, they may not “count.” Often, there’s a time limit on courses, often 5 years. Also, you likely will not be able to work during the nursing program. Do you want to live off savings or take out loans for a degree you will use for just a couple years before retirement? Will the anticipated salary be worth the change to nursing? Do you have any healthcare experience? A lot of people idealize nursing. In reality, it’s a hard job — physically, mentally and emotionally. A high percentage of nurses leave the profession within 2 years and nursing has one of the highest rates of addiction. There’s nothing wrong with following your dreams, but do it with your eyes open.

To build on this: This will sound harsh, but no one cares why you made a mistake, are awkward, have poor social skills or clinical skills, etc. The focus is on the patient. No matter what is going on with you, the priority is patient safety. No one is ever going to sympathize, give you a break or support you if you compromise patient safety. If you can’t provide safe care, you need to ask for help. If you don’t, that’s on you. I get the sense that you are fairly young with minimal to no work experience. You will learn much by listening and watching others instead of criticizing them.

Nurse here. 5 years. I hate those machines. I’ll beg and plead for anyone to do it for me. But, I’m still a nurse and you will be too someday. I don’t think you need to drop out over it.

I am a crier. I cry at EVERYTHING. Like OP, I am also an introvert, not very social and very shy. Early in my career, a coworker passed me in the hall and flippantly inquired why I wasn't crying (because I usually was crying). It stung. Fast forward a couple years. I'm still there. Now, I'm the nurse others look to for advice. I work charge and a precept. I am respected on my unit. I still cry. In fact, I cried today. It's not something I've ever been able to control. In fact, the harder I try, the more I cry. Hold your head up high, take a deep breath and be the best nurse you can be. Don't fret about the tears. I do agree, however, that some counseling might help re-frame the situation for you. Best wishes to you.

It is extremely unlikely that your old job would hire you back into the residency program after firing you. To put it bluntly, they don’t care why you failed, just that you failed. I would not send them a letter outlining your eating disorder and treatment. You need to move on and look at other employers.

From this quote, it appears that you might want to try nursing, but you are afraid of the difficulty...and possibly letting your family down? I say go for it. Set yourself up for success by participating in study groups, meeting with your instructors regularly and staying on top of your studies. Is it hard? Absolutely. But I think you can do it if you really want it. Nursing is a very malleable career. It’s possible to pursue other things (arts/creative pursuits) at the same time. If you hate nursing, it’s no big deal. You can always try something else. Heck, nursing is my third career. It’s a stable job in a crazy world, which right now, is perfect for me. Good luck with whatever you decide. It’s OK to not be a nurse too, by the way, but don’t let your fear dictate your decision.

The President can’t force people to wear masks, social distance or wash their hands. The President can’t force law enforcement to enforce the laws. The President can model and encourage appropriate behavior. But, in the end, it’s up to all of us to do our part in controlling the virus.

Yeah, and working nurses don’t have hardships? They have family, work and sometimes school to juggle too. If, for example, I’ve worked night shift for 5 years, you should get the day shift before me because why? Everyone wants day shift and weekends/holidays off. Someone has to work them.

It will be beneficial. Sure, you won’t see everything but it’ll be a good place to hone your critical thinking and skills. You can transfer to a larger ICU in the future, if you want. In my opinion, the unit culture is one of the most important factors when deciding between job offers. I’d focus on that more than big versus small.