rnnluvnit2006

Sharks in the water!! Welcome to the Lions den! Seriously....some nurses are awful, and like to eat their young. You are new, you are learning, and unfortunately you get to learn about human nature and evil people. As a new nurse , and this goes for old nurses that are new to a different facility. People feel threatened by new people. Its crazy. The best way that I have found to integrate into a unit is not by acting like a know it all...but by approaching people with the attitude of ...You show me how you want me to do it. That way it leaves the control in their hands, and they are more receptive to your ideas when you make suggestions. Seriously...even if you know what you are doing, let them think they are teaching you something....

Education is nothing to scoff at. While there are many hospitals that will hire an ADN or LVN, the reality is most will not The competition is quite high, why would you not align yourself with the competition to increase your odds at a better job or position? If you are content where you are, kudos to you, the reality is if you want to advance you are going to have to go back to school. I worked at one of the Baylor facilities in Dallas with 4 LVNs, and guess what? The hospital was trying to achieve magnet status, and gave them 2 years to get an RN, they did not, and their positions were phased out. No more LVNs at Baylor, which happens to be one of the largest systems in the DFW area. There ARE ADN nurses that work there, and they are stuck, unable to move up , or laterally to any other system in the area. Is it because they are not skilled? Absolutely not. The reality is that most hospitals that are MAGNET or attempting to get it will not hire without a BSN. Its an argument as old as time. The only nurses that knock the BSN are the ones that don't have one. In a field with so much competition, it is career suicide to limit yourself.Are BSN nurses better? NO !Are they more marketable? YES! If you don't want to be stuck in the same job forever, you are doing yourself a favor when you improve yourself.

Princess Bride Night shift is awesome!... I have worked nights for 11 years, and would never dream of going on days....nightshifters are just different personality wise than dayshifters... You say you are always tired...your problem is you are trying to live days while you work nights. Who says you have to live a conventional 9-5? I have readjusted my schedule so I am 12 hours off from the norm...as in if it is 12 noon, that is midnight to me... I live it, and it works. I am able to have a very full social schedule, I managed to raise children who were in school, because I would get them off to school, and go to bed, wake up by 4 when they came home and stayed up until they left in the am. It works... One of the hardest things is getting people to understand that you are a nightshifter, so you don't answer your phone during the day. No one dares to call me before 5 pm or after 9 am. I leave my phone off while I sleep, because I am sleeping and will not be available. if an emergency should arrive, the cops can come wake me. I hope you find a shift that works for you

Nursing school tests are nothing like college tests.... You need a base knowledge, but you also have to be able to think outside the box...critical thinking... every answer could be right, but you must pick the most right, based on your knowledge of ABC, prioritizing and other factors... Rather than studying the notes, add in a few hours of nclex review questions. Knowledge means nothing if you can not apply it... I had a really hard time in nursing school, and even as time has gone in in my ncc exam and annual recerts. The tests don't ever change...they are impossible...but I have learned to break the question down, dump extraneous information, and focus on what they are really asking. Usually the answer is much simpler than you think. good luck

I believe when you go onto nursys and enter your credit card info, you also enter the states you want notified of your verification. I know I also printed it out and sent it in with my application, which is 17 pages long!

NURSYS verification is instant As far as BON and time...When I put in for my license, I also applied for a temporary. That was issued about 3 months after I applied, and then I received countless letters about my transcripts, and having to prove I took a chemistry lab and anatomy and physiology...mind you these were PREREQUISITES for the BSN program I completed, so clearly I had them. However the board kept reviewing the transcripts and kept saying I needed more classes. I had been licensed over 9 years in TEXAS, where I went to school at the University of Texas Health Science Center... After much ado about nothing, the board finally issued my permanent CA license 10 months to the day that I applied. If I were you I would not wait out the 10-12 weeks...make a trip to Sacramento...especially since you cant work until you have it....

Jules Since most hospitals In todays market are attempting to obtain magnet status, an ADN prepared nurse is going to have a hard time finding employment when the requirement for an incoming nurse is to have a BSN. The competition is higher, and although ADN prepared nurses are grandfathered in, new ones have fierce competition. It is highly unlikely that an ADN prepared nurse fresh out of college is going to make 160K a year, since most starting wages across the nation fall into the 50K range. Even a BSN prepared nurse is not going to make that. The

Most ADN programs require almost the same number of prereqs as a BSN program My advice to you is this... Many people start with the thought process of the fastest way to get there is to get the ADN then go get the BSN. Many people graduate with their ADN and NEVER go back to school and get stuck in jobs because BSN is required for advancement. They become financially dependent on their job, and because they have a job, are no longer eligible for financial aid. Stupid, but true. Most hospitals REQUIRE a BSN for employment. Does it make a BSN nurse better? NO...but in the game of life sometimes you have to fake it to make it, and play by the rules to succeed even if you don't agree with them. So this is not a debate about what is better. You sit for the same NCLEX that a BSN prepared nurse does, so go get your BSN. If you are going to climb the mountain, why only go half way? Take the prereqs required for a BSN program, and apply for that track. If you are unable to get in, take the ADN as a back up. Many people don't want to do the prereqs for a BSN program because you are required to take statistics and algebra, which are not required for the ADN. You need to go to the academic advisor who will have the prereq list for area colleges and have her help you organize a plan so that you don't take unnecessary classes, and you maximize your time in college. Its going to take a minimum of 2 years full time to get all of your prereqs done. GOOD LUCK

How exciting to be able to go back to school... What kind of work are you doing now? You mentioned you will need to take prerequisites to get into a nursing program so at this point in time, the nursing program hours at the school you are considering is irrelevant. You can take most if not all of your prerequisites online. If your math or sciences are over 5 years old, you will have to do them again. This is good news for you though, because online classes are pretty easy to manage with a family You need to go to the school that you want to attend and sit down with an advisor and see what classes are required for admission then you need to go the jr college or university of your choosing and do the same thing, and see if the advisor can assist you in creating a schedule that will work for you. It can be done, but requires a little bit of planning an commitment on your part. I went back to school with 6 kids at home. I got pregnant with the 7th in my last semester of nursing school. It was a 5 year trek from prereqs to completion, but well worth it. It was a challenge, but do-able. you will also be able to qualify for financial aid, not necessarily grants, but Stafford loans are always available. You will need to fill out a fasfa to find out what your eligibility is. Its a long tough road, but well worth it. Good Luck

PKU s are not my favorite either, however as seasoned mom baby nurse I can give you a few pointers Heel warmers swaddle the baby with the foot out put the crib at an incline with the head elevated do it under the heat lamp hold the heel in the grip for several minutes BEFORE you lancet it make sure it is nice and red and warm do NOT touch the heel to the pku slip, it will cause a clot at the bleeding site when you are gripping the heel, you milk it out, not squeeze it... if the baby is crying give it a pacifier or sweetease...screaming babies don't bleed because screaming causes vasoconstriction You will master the grip in time, and when you do, it will be second nature... hope that helps

"Why did I go through this whole story? My "new " PCP (I was her first repeat patient) that I had to go to because of my pain meds when I was discharged recently sent me this e-mail...."I know you still have terrible pain but "we" need to dc your pain meds with the opiate crisis they way it is." REALLY? What does a drug addict have to do with my pain" YES! That... I was recently diagnosed with esophageal cancer, secondary to grade D esophagitis...I have horrifying pain in the right side of my chest that pierces from front to back. I don't have it all the time, but when I do it is awful. Upon d/c from the hospital I was given 30 tabs and told to follow up with primary care for refills. After 2 weeks...yes 30 tablets lasted me 14 days...not abuse in any way shape or form, I requested a refill. My idiot family doctor who could not possible know the pain I have, states to me that I can have 1 5/325 tablet a day for 30 days, and there will be no refills, makes me sign a pain contract and states if I violate the rules I will never get pain meds from him again! Are you freakin kidding me? When I went to the pharmacy with the script the pharmacist asked if he was retarded...I stated of course.... Good thing I know many street pharmacists...which is unfortunate that we are forced to seek help from shady sources when we have a legitimate problem...

Good for you for pursuing your goals... A few words of advice and some FYI Nursing school is NOTHING like college...it is extremely intense and requires a lot more than knowing how to study.... Many 4.0 students are very disappointed when they realize most of those that enter with a 4.0 don't leave with one... The Hesi sucks...when I went to nursing school they were trialing that as part of the program so we had to take it, but it didn't count, thank GOD, because if it did I would be a garbage man instead of a nurse!! Retake your classes that you can to raise your GPA...find out what matters more...the overall or just core gpa... If you get passed over, there is always another way to get where you are going. 10 years ago I was waitlisted with a 3.93.... I exited nursing school with a 2.6 Do you know what the difference is between an RN who graduated with a 4.0 and a 2.6?? NOTHING! We are still RNs! and contrary to what new grads think your gpa doesn't really have much to do with you getting hired out of school! I understand how bad you want this...I wanted it more than anything in the world...and I got it....but not without perseverence, commitment and a ton of hard work! Good Luck in your journey!!

Think of it as a right of passage...your preceptor was preparing you for being thrown to the dogs... I remember my first night off orientation, I started with 8 patients, discharged 3 and picked up 3 more...OMG!!!...I was on a 12 hour shift, hit the floor running and didn't see the nurses station until 11 hours later...it was awful, horrible, exhausting, and yet looking back it was probably one of the best things that ever happened to me. It was a learning experience that was invaluable. As much as I was challenged, that first year I picked up every extra shift I could, because what I realized was the more I was there, the more efficient I became. You WILL get it...

OMG!!! I get so angry when people sit and talk about other peoples mistakes...good lord, we have all made a few in our lives... I guarantee you at least half of the nurses you work with would have made the same mistakes as you did...but I bet they wont admit it...I know EVERYTIME I have to hang blood I pull the policy and my second nurse and I look like dumb and dumber as we attempt to prime the lines and prepare to give it...DO NOT feel bad... Mistakes are good to make...they teach us what not to do...you will never make the same mistake twice, and you are all the wiser for it... You already know the work place can sometimes feel like the lions den or a shark tank...you have to grow really thick skin...and just let the mill run dry...you could take the opportunity to tell everyone about your mistake, that way rather than the inaccurate details of a rumor, you can ensure that its only facts that are being spread...somehow when its factual people don't want to talk about it...its not as juicy... And to lighten the mood let me tell you about the big boo boo I made, In my 10 years of being a nurse, I have always spiked the IV bag in my hand and then hung the bag and primed the line...Im pretty short, so that kinda stems from IV poles sometimes being a bit to high for me...anyway...I started working in this new LD unit, and this nurse would hang the bag, and spike it while there...and you know when you pull off the cover it doesn't come out until you spike it...well genius me sees her do this , and I think...hmm how cool...I wonder if there is like a shut of valve inside the bag...so I hang a bag of LR on a laboring patient and put the pit bag up too so that I can spike it when she delivers....she delivers...and I leave the lr bag hanging, pull the spike out to spike the pit, and OMG LR is spraying all over the room like an out of control garden hose...AHAHAHAHA!!...As soon as I realized what I had done, I was like oops...but the other nurses were calling me a moron and a dingbat and a tard and talking so bad about me...understand I have ALWAYS changed a bag in my hand, so I assumed when it was in the upright position there was a shut off valve.... I apologized to the patient, who was laughing so hard she could barely breathe...it WAS funny....and when I left the room and the nurses were dissing me I just let it roll off... I don't work there anymore, but I tell my story all the time to students...its funny, it breaks the ice, it really happened...and IT WILL NEVER HAPPEN AGAIN!!! You are always learning....the minute you stop, its time to move on.... Take care!!

You are never too old to go back to school! If your dream is to become a nurse by all means...become a nurse!...Even if that means you don't graduate until you are 50! That said...in my humble opinion...Do not waste your time getting your LVN, unless you want to work in a nursing home...because that is the only place you will be able to work...not to mention many LVN programs, like the ones offered by galen...are overpriced... Most hospitals require a BSN to be hired...so that is the most efficient way to go... Many people make the mistake of obtaining the bare minimum then say they will go back to school later....problem is later never comes... You will have to retake your sciences...they are only good for five years... I went back to school and started from scratch when I was 31 and had 6 kids. I graduated in when I was 36 with my BSN...it was a long and eventful journey, but worth every minute...I initially thought I was too old, I would be 36 when I graduated...then I realized I was going to be 36 anyway...whether I went to school or not!!! So at 36 when most nurses are well into their careers, I was starting....Im 46 now and will graduate with my MSN in less than a year... Go to the local university you want to attend, sit down with the nursing registrar and go over the prerequisites required. Then go to the community college, and have the advisor help you set up a schedule to follow for your prerequisites...so you have a clear cut breakdown of what classes you need and what electives they will take. Then register, start going, and never look back!!! GOOD LUCK!!!