RNtoACGNP

My mom started nursing school (a year before I did) when she was 48, with three kids and a sick husband, it can be done!!!

I agree with PP, also I bought a ton of review books and it really made no difference. Our required textbooks are more than enough reading, it's difficult to get through the required readings let alone supplemental books.

I totally know how you feel, they say they don't expect you to know every detail, but the exam questions say different

I am in U of M- flints DNP program! I started in September. The fall wasn't as bad as this winter semester has been, overwhelming to say the least .

If you are concerned about experience, have you thought to be a nurse for a couple years before you start a program? Working two jobs with a family is stressful for anybody, adding grad school into the mix so fast out of nursing school is a whole different ball game. Your first couple years as a nurse you will be learning an overwhelmingly new amount of information and skills, maybe try focusing on that and becoming a competent nurse before pursuing grad school, just my thoughts if you are concerned. In my own experience, I feel like my 4.5 years as a floor nurse was the perfect amount of time before pursuing graduate school.

I have been told that since the day I started nursing and I realize now that I was misinformed, thank you for pointing that out. I guess I have never looked far into it because 1- I don't work for a magnet and 2- I started on my BSN right away so never worried.

Any "magnet" status hospital will require a BSN. In the 5 years I've been a nurse, I have noticed in my area (Detroit/Metro Detroit) all of the big name hospitals are leaning towards BSN nursing staff more and more since I've graduated. They warned us of this in the ADN program but we all just thought they were scaring us into going back to school, but they were right. Granted, magnet hospitals are the only ones I know of that "require" a BSN- others just "prefer".

I feel that white lab coats show professionalism of non-direct care providing professionals. I know plenty of NP's and PA's that wear them, as well as some nursing supervisors. I've never seen a white lab coat worn by a staff nurse. I even know an NP (DNP) that keeps one in the hospitalist office just to put on when he has to attend meetings and/or meet with families. I think it shows class, professionalism and a general understanding that these white lab coat wearing professionals are educated beyond a staff nurse- just my opinion, and what I've seen at the facilities I work at. I think they look nice and respectable (unless they're dingy/not ironed/dirty).

That is definitely something I will look into! Thank you for your understanding and kind words! Good luck to you as well! :-)

It is usually possible in electronic charting, but I would try your best to avoid it. Do your charting AS things happen, as hard as that is it will save you in the long run. I found a new way of remembering things in the last year that helps tremendously. We have a separate "report" sheet for each patient that we receive during report, it has all of the information you could possibly want, but it can be hard to scribble notes and actually remember to look because there's so much other info. So what I do is I write recent lab results and my assessment findings on each individual report sheet, I staple them together with a half sheet of blank computer paper as the top sheet. On that half sheet I write room numbers and names, and leave an adequate amount of space to write notes throughout the day. I write any tests, pertinent vitals/critical labs, weird meds that are scheduled at odd times, and ANYthing that comes up during my shift that's a change from how I got the patient at 0700. It helps soooo much with charting and giving a good report to the incoming shift. Another thing that helps is I write in different colors like bright red, blue, green.. To help things stand out to me.

That is so uplifting, thank you so much! I have been working out pretty routinely again which is probably the only thing I do for "me time". You are absolutely right about the endless possibilities, I always tell friends and colleagues that when they are unhappy in their position. I guess I haven't thought to take my own advice because I'm not unhappy, just tired and lacking much motivation. I am going to start meditating I've researched up on it and have been wanting to try, this would be the perfect time!

Thank you, I think I am going to start doing that.

Wow, 25 years, you're a trooper good for you! I am probably going to start doing more towards the minimum, and I have actually been looking for other types of jobs (teaching, tutoring, telephone triage nursing, the problem is finding a PRN job in any of these categories.

Thank you, and wow that does sound just like me it's scary. I quit a job on cardiac step down after a year (in 2012) because I was on nights and it got so boring and redundant. I worked LTACH for 4.5 years and despite what people think LTACH really is- I can say it's very stressful and lots of adrenaline, I chose to be on the rapid team every night so I could run the codes because I loved it. I never thought about that and you might be completely right- I'm bored! All of these feelings really did come after things went south in mgmt at the LTACH and I had to resign because I knew my license was at risk. I never put those two together, thank you!

Those are things I have thought about as well, I have just recently started going back to the gym routinely so maybe in a while that will have some effects on my mood, once I've been going consistently for a length of time.

That is a good idea. I actually just went to Arizona for a week but I just kind of went last minute to get some sunshine , I had two midterms when I got back that I had to study for every single day so it wasn't really a "vacation". I think I will just work once a week, maybe the same day every week so it becomes routine and I hopefully won't dread it. Thank you!!

Call your DON and ask if they can give you any information on the lowest GPA that is usually accepted

That's amazing! Good for you, it is great to be passionate about your future. I am most definitely passionate about my future deep down, I'm just in a bad rut right now.

I am in the same position as you. I did not save a ton but I did move back home. I work per diem 1-2 days a week as well and it is amazing knowing it's by choice which is why I haven't worked "full time" since I was a new grad. I wish I didn't dread work so much. I used to love it.

I totally understand where your coming from! I will occasionally bring notes to study at work but even if I do get a down time I cannot shift my focus and I never end up actually studying. What program are you in? I'm thinking we are feeling opposite about school being energizing because I have been in school almost straight through for 8 years, I am ready to be done!!

Good job on thinking about your future now. I will say this, I am almost 27 and the biggest thing I can tell you is that you will change so much from now until college. I'm guessing your about 14 years old, and it's great that you want to be a nurse and are taking CNA courses. Asking if you should become a nurse is not something anybody can answer for you, but just know that as you progress through high school and college your perspectives will change tremendously, so just do the pre nursing stuff you're doing now and don't plan too far ahead past that because frankly you just won't know until you get there. Once you become a CNA your answer will clear to you.

I got denied at a competitive school with 3.7, retook a class and got accepted with a 3.82. I am now in the mindset where I ALWAYS strive for 4.0 in every class I take, you should do the same. Do what it takes for that 4.0

I have been a nurse almost 5 years, graduated when I was 22 with my ADN, took a year off, started my BSN and right away started the DNP program (graduating 2019). For 3+ years I worked 5-6 12 hour shifts a week, I got addicted to the money and never minded going to work. I was kind of in a robot mind set, wake up go to work, come home pass out and do it all again the next day. I moved back home when I started this program, for financial reasons and it's been good. My problem lately is I truly do not want to work even the 2 measly days I'm working every week. I'm contingent, I have been for the past 3.5 years and I wouldn't have it any other way. I make great money and pick my hours, minimum 3 days a month. I've never dreaded work until the past 3-4 months, I dread it to the point of wanting to call in for no reason at all. I work oncology and medsurge at a great hospital, they treat employees great and I never feel like we're understaffed. Talking to friends and even reading blogs on here, I feel truly lucky to work for such a great hospital. I don't know why I hate it, there really is no reason. I just get so exhausted after work since I've cut down hours, I am always an energized person who lifts the mood of the unit but lately I'm just tired. I have talked to many nurses (and most of my graduating class that I still talk to) and we are all just feeling burnt out and honestly sick of floor nursing, it's exhausting and draining even in the great hospital I work at. Luckily I have a light at the end of my tunnel because I'm furthering my education, but I'm at the point where I don't even know if I want to work in a clinical setting once I'm done, I might just teach full time, maybe round for a doc or two but I have no plans to be employed at a hospital, frankly I'm sick of the hospital. I'm looking for people that went through this or are going through this and can offer some insight, some positive uplifting or something. I think being in school full time is what's making me feel this way, it's hard to focus on two things at once for me and I just feel like I'd be happier focusing 100% on school, but giving up this job would be so stupid because I can work as little or as much as I want during school.

So, you're facing the stresses we all face everyday as a nurse, you'll get the hang of it. It gets better, kind of. You learn how to cope and how to become a strong, competent nurse. The reactions to this post may not be what you expected, but that's life. Maybe you just posted this to vent or release some frustration but people are always sitting behind screens waiting for a chance to let their anger out on strangers, you have to stop taking it personal. The doctor was rude and the nurse was not wrong for calling, any good nurse would report such a change of condition. Dealing with rude people is something you just have to get used to, don't feel like you have to constantly defend yourself. Your a grown adult in a very respectable, professional career- so portray yourself as that.

If you are starting PDN I would definitely choose patients with conditions in which you are familiar with.