Godsgal

p.s. I am going to be in the accelerated nursing program which starts in May, and that's why I am moving there in May. Anyone in that program or going into that program, I would love to hear from!

I got in! Yay! And you? I am looking for a roommate(s) to share an apartment or home, and would prefer they be going through what I am. So anyone who has gotten into CSU-Pueblo for 2018, please contact here. My phone is 303 926 4341. I have a Westie who doesn't get along with cats, so hoping to find someone with no dog or a dog (for company). Thanks. Shooting to move down there end of April or May 1.

I have applied there, too (for May 2018). Would love more information from anyone who has been through the program. Is there any way for people to talk outside of all nurses or contact each other personally through this site? I have not figured out how to yet. Thanks, GG

I don't have time to read all the comments, but I want to throw in my two cents, which is if you live in an area where you are not afraid to drive and be "out" in the neighborhoods, try home care. I went from LTC facility to homecare and the change made all the difference. Also I went from graveyard shift to day shifts (which you can almost always find jobs in home care doing). As a CNA the pay wasn't that much different, but the atmosphere was completely different. I never felt like I neglected anyone when I was in home care (except once I did something technically wrong, but thank God, it didn't hurt the patient). AS a nurse, you visit them and assess things and check on them IN THEIR HOME, and oversee the CNA's, so it's a wonderful service and you get to be one-on-one. It is often flexible and you can listen to podcasts or your own music in your car and you usually get paid for driving time/gas. You meet all kinds of nice people, who often even become like friends. You don't get this in a high turnover situation, nor do you get that in a nursing home where people are waiting to ultimately check out (it just makes you depressed you can't offer them good care or that they are even IN that situation at all). Often in home care, you work with younger people mixed in with older people, so you don't serve just the elderly. If you are looking for transition work, this may be your ticket as well. YOu can work part time while figuring out what you want to do with the rest of your life. Just go on craigslist and you will see that home care is often advertising for nurses and CNA's. Also, one other cool job I've seen nurses do is work for insurance companies, going round to people's houses and assessing their applications (take BP, etc) and make sure they're not lying before they get an insurance policy (life). Other traveling jobs, if you don't mind a cut in pay, is traveling phlebotomist, where you do kind of the same thing, in people's homes (for whatever purposes). And it's an excuse to update your car, lol. "I need a new car if I'm going to be driving around!" Just thought I'd mention it, because a cut in pay, even to do something you are overqualified for (like phlebotomy), might be the ticket. Best wishes to you!

Sorry I repeated what someone else previously said, but it is true and an important element some others are missing. : )

Hi, I first worked as a CNA at a LTC facility, which had a depressing element to it already, but what really plunged me into a deep sadness that made me tired and sad all the hours I wasn't working was just this: working night shift. Melatonin production is disrupted when your circadian rhythm is disrupted. Any sleep disruption or change can contribute greatly to depression and studies have shown nurses who work night shifts are more prone to stress-related illnesses like cancer (and other stuff). So I'm going to guess (I'm not a doctor or psychologist, just a CNA taking pre-nursing courses, like patho and A/P) that part of your problem is the hours you are working, and since everyone working that shift is in the same boat, it is probably both the department and the hours, but I bet if you worked ortho during the day, and got your melatonin production back to normal, and honored the body's natural night/day hours, you would be a LOT more joyful and energetic. I know this is a hard "pill" for nurses and medically employed people to swallow because sometimes it's the only job we can get. I am now unemployed because I am having trouble finding a job that doesn't require night hours, but I really don't ever want to do that to myself again. It's not worth it to feel so depressed all the time, and isolated from much of the world.