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It depends on your typical workload and environment. At our hospital, we are supposed to handle a case load of 15-20 and do concurrent UR. I love case management, but there are many factors to a strong case management team. Here are two of my deciding factors: administration and management. Before choosing to work in case management, look at the manager. That person will set the tone for morale and how effective the team is together. If management is not visible or good with communicating with the team, it leads to a lot of grumpy workers. This can, in turn, lower morale and retention. This is one of the biggest deciding factors of them all for me, because you can have a fantastic team but run them all off if you aren't careful. My least favorite part of hospital case management is management by administrators who have no clue. Administration is always looking to us to discharge quickly and not lose the hospital money. This can be one of the most frustrating parts, because our first priority is the patient and not the money. It is learning how to balance that can be annoying sometimes. It is sad we can't provide everything a patient needs without also shoving them out the door. Just a couple thoughts for you. Good luck on your journey!

I agree that you should educate yourself on BRCA mutations. Not only for your learning purposes, but understanding how this could affect you personally, if you are a woman (I never assume gender). The BEST answer is 4.) MRI with yearly mammogram. American Cancer Society does not necessarily recommend for or against a MRI, but that is how they are separating the options. At 32, an average risk woman does not get mammograms until the age of 40, so that negates that answer. Woman who are at higher risk are usually recommended to start screening earlier. (Of course, this is depending on the recommendations you follow USPTF vs ACS). You should consider this woman at high risk, because she has a first degree relative with the genetic mutation and has not had genetic testing done herself. Average and high risk woman should be doing monthly breast exams, yearly mammograms, and breast exams by a provider. Also, doing either a self breast exam or provider breast exam is not very helpful in seeing inside the breasts. Unless you or your physician has special powers, of course!

Hello! I did an ABSN program and can tell you that it requires a lot of extra work. I know I would go to class sometimes from 8-6 on or 5-8 on other days. Classes are variable and I felt I studied every minute I wasn't in class. I know I had classmates that had older children and that was hard for them, because they had to be at class/clinical rather than a school activity for their child. As long as you have good support, do what you think is best for your family. I feel that it would be hard to be mentally focused with a newborn, but that is what I feel and I don't really know you. Honestly, as for studying, the answer is how dedicated you are as a person, and how much you want to study. ABSN is a lot faster and requires a lot more material to be studied for in a shorter amount of time. I was a freak about my grades, so I tended to he a little more anal about my studying. To this debate about class schedules, better get used to rolling with it as a nurse. No shift ever goes exactly as you planned it. I understand it is frustrating, but there is nothing that can be done. Take a deep breath and I hope it works out for you all.

First, let me say congrats on being offered both jobs. I will give you a little insight into Case Management to help with a little bit of Pros and Cons. Case Management can be very stressful, but it is a love-hate relationship in that department. It is the best feeling when you see a patient who gets the care and equipment they need at home, but the other side is a family not caring for their loved one and refusing everything you attempt to try and help. Hours: Though Case Management is technically an 8-hour job, you have to think about some of the OT that can occur. I tried really hard to leave on time, but unfortunately things pop up thoughout the day that can cause delays. A normal day was 7:30-5 for our group, but we were managing a 32 case load. It gets better with a smaller case load. You also need to consider that some departments work weekends and holidays. Our department rotates weekends and holidays, but it is less than normal nursing rotations. Hope this helps give some insight into Case Management. It is a tough job, but rewarding too. Good luck on your decision.

I am sorry I have not replied, my account didn't show any new activity. I went ahead and pursued Case Management and enjoyed the few months before I ended up as the hospital's Nurse Navigator due to my previous discharge job. I work with patients on making sure they are getting good preventative care in the community including getting all their testing after their hospital stay. I will tell you that, at first, I was very intimidated by Tele and Med/Surg nurses. OB is a different world than all other floors and I hadn't realized how isolating the career field is. I decided that I was going to make the best of it and learn everything I could and make strong connections in the hospital. I don't regret anything I have done and can proudly say that I can build anything from very little direction. Honestly, it has made me a stronger and more confident nurse. I hope you decide to step out of your comfort zone, if that is what you are wanting, and take the chance. You never know where it will take you. I wish you all the luck and let me know what you do!

Date Employer Name Address City, State, Zip Name Address City, State, Zip Mr/Ms. (Name), Where you graduated, what job applying for, or why drawn to hospital, etc. What makes you a good fit for said job. Think leadership skills, times you have shown teamwork, volunteer experience, passion for job. Bring examples of each (1-2) Thank you for considering me for this job. As shown in above examples/ I'll be a good fit paragraph. Feel free to call with any questions at (phone number). Sincerely, (space x6) Name (If printed, sign in blank area)

I was a Mother/Baby RN for 1.5 years and I loved it. The only reason I left bedside is because I fell into a different job that I love more. I am not someone who enjoys the ICU, so NICU was something I never enjoyed or considered. It is definitely more about baby and supporting families during a hard time (not much different than an adult ICU). I enjoyed caring for my mom's and teaching them how to care for their new bundle of joy. As a previous poster stated, L&D is definitely more about the mom and monitoring her labor. Depending on the delivery, mom will spend maybe an hour after delivering in L&D and move to PP. I will say, specializing is hard as a new grad, because you don't have any of that basic knowledge. In the end, it may be difficult to move into different jobs later, but who cares if you love what you do. Don't let that scare you away, because, honestly, I feel that even with your years of experience as a Tele or Med-Surg RN, you'll probably have difficulty moving back into those jobs after working anywhere on OB. OB is a very different world and you can forget there are other parts of the hospital. Not to say my colleagues haven't moved onto other jobs such as ICU and such. Maybe you can spend a couple days shadowing a nurse in each and see what you like better. Sometimes it is nice to follow a nurse through a typical day and see if it is something you can see yourself doing. Good luck!

Honestly, I agree with above poster. I "accidentally" fell into a Case Management position at the facility that I work. It is easier to get hired as an Internal applicant for a job than to try outside of the facility. Not saying it isn't possible, but hospitals will sometimes overlook lack of experience. I was an OB RN for 1.5 years and was transitioned into a temporary Discharge Coordinator position. It allowed me to get to know the Case Managers and to get to know their manager. It is really about who you know and the right timing. All I can say is talk to HR and see what jobs are available. Never hurts to apply, worst thing that happens is they say no. Good luck!

I remember that I was paired with a CNA for several days within my rotation. I was humbled at how much they do behind the scenes. I don't understand why we are complaining about something so trivial. In life, you will have conflicts and things you don't like, but complaining all the time is not the right response. That will NOT look good on you when you leave, because you are not pleased with one thing or the other, and the facility doesn't give a good reference. Remember that what you do reflects on you and can have consequences. Even if you don't leave, how you respect other co-workers or complain about people will effect how willing people will be to help you. Sometimes you have to pull on your big girl/boy pants and suck it up. Nursing is not always glamorous. OP, I know you were looking for empathy, but I don't understand why you are questioning your future nursing career because you were paired with a CNA. It is HARD, HARD work to be a CNA and they may not know everything, but they are an integral part of our system. Take it from someone that did primary care all the time, we do not have aids on our floor. In short, yes you have a right to vent, but be prepared to get responses you don't like--that is life. Lastly, you will be fine and get plenty of experience shadowing nurses.

I chose Hurst, because they teach the material in a simplified manner. I loved all their teachers and you can rewatch lectures online as well. You can't pass if you don't have the information. I felt the Kaplan decision tree just wasn't my learning style. Look at both, read the reviews, and decide what works best for your learning. Everyone is different and I learned better the Hurst way. Good luck in your future!

You have to pay for them to have a MSN with no work experience. On top of that, even if they don't pay you for that degree, what was the value of getting that MSN only to be paid the same as a BSN. Would you want to hire a NP with 5 years of work experience or a NP who has no patient experience at all? Also, my accelerated program was 16 months long.

I know it is expensive, but I did Hurst in a live classroom. After the 3 day class, I studied for 4 hours each day on the materials I learned from Hurst and took weekends off. Two days before, I did their practice tests. I have really high test anxiety, but, after studying and using Hurst, I wasn't really nervous on testing day. I felt prepared and ready to do the test. I passed in 75 questions and, if you don't pass, they have a money back guarantee (though I am sure you will pass the next time). Don't give up! Get it in your head that you know the material and study your butt off. It'll pay off, I promise. Congrats on your sweet little one too!

Honestly, this is a very vague question. We do not know anything about your learning ability or work experience to base our opinion for you specifically. That said, I did an accelerated BSN. It was probably one of the hardest degrees I have ever earned and I had a Bachelor's Degree in Biological Sciences before getting my BSN. If you are not a fast learner, this is not the right track for you. I would highly suggest getting experience with a BSN and then getting your MSN. The reason I say this is because getting a MSN makes getting a bedside job much harder, and any entry-level MSN required job is not going to like the lack of experience. It may be more difficult to get a job, but, of course, I have no idea about your job prospects or the area you practice. In my area, we are over-saturated with NPs and it is very difficult to get a job as a NP without experience. Something else to consider is, if you take some time to get experience, will you go back to school? It does become harder to find motivation to go back and earn an advanced degree as time passes. In short, my opinion is get your BSN and find where your passion is in nursing. After getting experience, get that advanced degree.

I am an OB Mother/Baby RN. We do give our C/S moms narcotics 3 day PO, but not all choose to take it. It is very common for moms to still be taking narcotics even after they are discharged. They were afterall, cut open and a baby was removed from the uterus and the uterus is involuting on top of that. I don't agree with this being neglect, because, at our facility, when we bring baby in to breastfeed, mom accepts responsibility of infant. I know at my facility, we are required to do 2 hour rounds on nights for PO 3 C/S moms. I would not be surprised if this mother was warned several times throughout her stay about sleeping with the infant. I sometimes have to remind moms several times throughout the night to not sleep with their infants and I usually get a "I am the parent and I will do what I want" or they ignore the warning. All we can do is chart that we warned the mother about sleeping with the infant and that we explained the consequences of continuing to do so. Don't get me wrong, I think this is a terrible tragedy and cannot begin to understand what this mom has gone through. At some point though, the mom has to take some responsibility. If the mother felt sleepy, she could have told the nurse that she wanted to sleep and to do a bottle. I know this isn't ideal for some, but it is better than falling asleep and something like this occurring. We aren't going to be with these moms when they go home and routinely they are provided narcotics for home. If this was something she felt uncomfortable with, then she has the responsibility to tell the RN that she would prefer not to have any narcotics, because it makes her too drowsy. At some point, the patient has to speak up about her care. We cannot read the patient's mind.

Hello All! I am a RN with 1.5 years experience in OB postpartum. Recently, during a really (and I mean really) bad low census, my manager decided to send me to another floor to train as a Discharge Nurse on Tele/Med-Surg floor. This is considered a temporary job and my OB position is still secure until census picks back up or our hospital move in November. Though I initially wasn't happy with this placement (it was mandatory), this experience has really opened my eyes. I have found that, though I enjoy bedside nursing, I may really want to pursue something more outside of bedside. I am responsible for coordinating care such as procedures, consults, appointments and sometimes calling for medication coverage to ensure that the patient is discharged in a timely manner. I have really enjoyed this job and have realized that I may have really found my niche in nursing. I enjoy coordinating care and helping the nurses on the unit. I plan to approach my new manager about possibly turning this into a permanent job in the next two weeks, but I am wanting to make back-up plans if this job isn't something I can do permanently. Obviously, I wouldn't leave my unit in the lurch if they needed me now, but I know that I would like to move on. I guess what I am asking is that, if this job isn't something I can turn into a permanent job, would case management be an option for me? I know I don't have a lot of nursing experience, but I have really learned a lot in the last two weeks and know that I enjoy this side of nursing. Are there other options I should consider other than case management? Any advice is greatly appreciated!