KellyVT

You mentioned you still had to take A and P. If so, that should be your focus. It is the foundation of everything, and if you don't have that strong foundation you will struggle. If you have already taken A and P, then brush up on your weak points. Also, if you haven't figured out how to efficiently teach yourself, work on that, because that is nursing school. You get fed about 20% of the things you need to know in class, the rest you are on your own to learn.

Thank you, it is nice to hear.

I am a month into my second semester of NS. At clinical this week my patients IV infiltrated (NS) at end of shift and I did not notice. I thought it looked off 2 hours prior and felt it (not cool, not blanched) and asked the pt if they had any pain ( no) but I didnt say anything to the RN and now I feel like a moron because 2 hours later it was cool to the touch and swollen. I feel so stupid for not just going with my gut. Also, the patient had to use the bedside commode 2x and the bedpan 4x and I was so careful to know where her line was and watch so it didnt tug, but I never thought to tatk to her about arm positioning (it was in the antecubital) and she probably flexed a bunch through position changes. I feel horrible for the patient. I just feel like I should have prevented it. We just learned about this so I feel I should know better. Also I feel like the RN is going to hate me and feel like I cant efficiently care for patients. Sorry I just need to vent because I feel awful right now

As a current nursing student and former lvt, I say go for the human hospital. There are so many things skill/asepsis differences, and as much as my veterinary experience has helped so far, I also feel like I have a million bad habits to unlearn. :/ You'll kind of get the idea of what a large organization is like (compared to veterinary, it has been pretty bizzare for me). I feel like after 7 years you already have all that is going to help you through NS down.Plus, only a handful of people in the human side IME will ever give you credit for your knowledge base.

And it could be courses you need for your RN to BSN that will transfer like Composition II and Statistics, so you wouldn't really be throwing money away, in fact you'd be saving it.

There is a CLEP test for Developmental Psychology. I am not familiar with veteran benefits, however I thought the fee was covered for active duty, so maybe it is for veterans. I CLEP'd out of Biology, as Nursing is my second degree. If you have to pay, it is only $120 for the test. There is one for Chemistry, which is awarded as General chem at most colleges. Communications, to be honest I am not sure. Another thing to look into is DSST tests (also usually covered by military benefits). The catch with those is they are really not widely accepted. I do know Old Dominion University accepts them, to be fair I am not sure of where else. Before you take any tests though, get in contact with the schools you are interested in and make sure they are accepted not only for the college, but for the nursing program. I do not know where you are located, or if you are willing to move but check this out: Veterans Bachelor of Science in Nursing (VBSN) Program | jchs They do not give much detail on the website, but it seems like you may be able to enter an accelerated BSN off of you previous medical experience. If this exists with one school, it may exist with others, too. You've got this, don't give up-you will find a way. Thank you for your service, and if you have any CLEP questions let me know ****amendment: I did just google VBSN and there are plenty of schools offering this!

One of the biggest mental health care organizations in my region have a position called a Peer Counselor. It requires that you have a condition, or past condition and you are actively managing it. I think they provide training, but it would be a great opportunity to start in, and possibly branch off from. Check with the mental health or rehab facilities near you to see if they have something similar. You have a unique perspective and great things to offer in the care of others who struggle with addiction, nursing may not be the avenue that works, but there are plenty of other options out there.

I got a Northface haystack for 45 off amazon. It has a padded back and better straps than my old jansport, so it's more comfortable to lug around when I have had a heavy book load. I don't think you can go wrong with any of the brands with a lifetime guarantee (Jansport, Northface, and Dakine). I just found the Northface to be the most comfortable.

I got my titers back, and my last MMR was in 1987, surprisingly I still have substantial antibody levels to all 3 diseases. I had chickenpox when I was 4 and the varicella came back positive, too. I guess I am one of the lucky ones. Thanks for the personal experiences, guys. I feel much better. The titers ended up being much less expensive than repeating all of my vaccines.

Some programs will allow you to CLEP out of Chemistry. I heard the exam is brutal though. As far as Statistics, the only place I found a test out option (through DSST) is Old Dominion University. They do have an online program. If you are not strong on the subjects, or you aren't a good self teacher, than I would recommend completing the courses at a local community college. I took a hybrid chemistry and it was ideal for me, since I struggled with some of the concepts, I could do the lectures at my own pace.

That's what I am praying for. My vaccines were given in the correct time schedule. I had chicken pox when I was 3 or 4, so hopefully I still have immunity. If they come back negative, the cost of boosters is going to kill me.

They offered 2 of our fall nursing classes as 5 week versions, so I took them both to make fall easier (I work full time). Nursing dosage calculations wasn't bad at all (but I have experience from being a vet tech), but medical terminology was surprisingly trickier. A and P II was brutal, because I had to adjust to the tests not being lecture based, and a very heavy homework load. They seemed very random, and had I not spent a lot of time studying the text I would have been doomed. I managed an A in all, but it was certainly my toughest semester to date, and if I could do it again I never wouldve taken A +P II as a condensed course.

I have to work full time while in RN school, many have. Mind you it will be awful, but it can be done. As others suggested cutting down expenses is a good start. Have you considered other jobs? I am a server and bartender, I hate it, but it is flexible and pays more than when I was a licensed veterinary technician. I dont know where you are, but where I am at doing a lpn then a lpn to rn program, takes as long, and costs about 2/3 as much as an outright BSN degree. This is something to consider in the long run as you may end up wanting (or needing to) acquire your BSN.

Those two courses for us are required for graduation, but not prereqs per se like A+P I and II, Chem, Bio, Math etc. Personally, I am taking Micro during next summer semester, where I will have no other courses, because I still need to work full time while in my RN program. Since I already have 14 credit hours in psych courses from my previous degree I am going to self study that summer for the Human growth and development CLEP too. If you are a good self studier, and strong in the subject it may be an option for you to fit in where you can. You just have to make sure your school accepts it. Both my ADN program and the 5 RN to BSN programs I am considering do. I CLEPed out of Bio and it saved me a lot of time and money. It is no walk in the park, I spent a few months studying the college text cover to cover, along with any online supplements I could find but $125 for 8 credit hours vs around $1400-it was a lifesaver.

thank you for the responses! So since I have records of 2 MMRs during childhood, if I come back indeterminate on one of the 3, I just get one MMR booster and I am done? Or am I wrong? Will I need 2?