2soon2beOTC

Stats show that so, so many people struggle with severe depression and anxiety. Sadly folks don't chat about it in microbio, right? Maybe they think no one else ever feels the way they do or that no one will understand. And of course there are people around -- maybe in your class -- silently struggling with the same majorly not fun medical issue, thinking no one else gets it. There is one huge silver lining: you WILL get it. You have empathy and understanding regarding mental health. And for someone in a caring profession, in my opinion that is golden. I am sorry you're hurting, I hope the additional support / care / options you need falls into place stat, and I personally look forward to hearing more about your journey to and through nursing school.

O. M. G. You are a mere child! Yes, yes: Go for it! I'm 50. If I can do it, well, please. Yes, you should.

Two thoughts. 1). I can attest to having to wait forever -- and the worst possible date -- for your surgery. Diagnosed in Oct., had to wait until July for surgery. Nothing life threatening obviously but majorly painful. There was simply no availability. It was frustrating and scary and a hellish year. 2). Your health is priority one. Having surgery in July caused me to miss starting a nursing program in the Fall. I was devastated. But now? I am soooo glad I did it. I have no pain, had no idea what kind of pain I had been living with for years (kinda creeps up on ya), and so it was the best (hard) thing I've ever done. Bottom line: your health is priority one. Take care of yourself and you'll figure out a way (great suggestions above) to handle school.

Thank you so much for your comment. And: "Unfortunately on my floor most patients never seem adequately prepared (lack of education provided by the surgeon BEFORE surgery) for the amount of pain and discomfort they will face. I try to provide as much education as I can immediately into my shift about what they should be expecting. A little education goes a long way." Yes, indeed. I am now fascinated by what regulates information provided prior to surgery. My surgeon's prep for the surgery experience was: "You will hate us." Ha! Yep, for a few days I did.

Right? You people need to be writing an anthology, "Maxims to Live By In Nursing School and As a Nurse." I'm feeling totally blessed right now.

Totally. That makes so much sense. Different roles, different contexts--there are always places or times when whatever our profession, it's different and difficult when it broaches our personal versus our professional lives, right? That's life, basically. Just had never had the experience of major surgery. Who knew? Thank you.

What a beautifully written, thoughtful reply. And incredibly helpful. Thank you.

So sorry you are having a hard time. My opinion only: You making mistakes does magically allow your preceptor to use demeaning terms to describe colleagues ("dumb nurses") or her trainees. As a preceptor, that person is also required to model professional ethics, behavior, chain of command, roles, etc., right? Keep working hard, stay calm, understand your options in case you want to make a calm, reasonable request.

I started the RN path at 47 and, no, I don't think you will be too old. Y ou sound like a solid planner with a long held dream. Make a plan, work your plan and don't give up.

Very good point. Making life decisions less than a week after surgery? Yeah, not so good. You're right and thanks so much.

I just had major surgery and recovery at a local hospital. Went okay and am home. My issue is this: It was intense. These brilliant -- and I mean, really gifted -- nurses just basically saved my soul and sanity in countless ways. No exaggeration. And it wasn't pretty up in there: very sick folks, major decisions to make on your own contantly, a backbreaking workload ... And always had the time to calm me, reassure me, say the right things. So, honestly; I don't think I have that kind of gift. I was freaking out after a long but routine surgery and significant but not the most intense pain (to me it felt ridiculous - I was somehow totally unprepared). I couldn't keep my own self together, and these miracle nurses were there to do it. How can I be a decent nurse if I don't have core unshakability? It depressing, but it was a very profound experience and one I should take the time to learn as much from as possible.

You did the morally correct and kind thing by offering assistance, and maybe a little encouragement, to an elder. But aren't you kicking yourself over all the millions of snappy comebacks you could have thrown at that guy? "Personally, ever since the Unibomber I feel like PhDs are over rated. And you seem reeeeeally upset. Should I be worried?"

If you're not retaining material from just studying the text, try the many visual, verbal and repetitive learning tools out there. I am not affiliated with or endorsing any of these, but examples include easynotecard.com and quizlet for repetitive quizzes. For verbal / visual lectures and quizzing: Khan Academy, Bozeman Science (you tube), Handwritten Tutorials (you tube). Find the one that makes you have an "oh, I get it" response and dig in. I had a similar experience with micro and I had to do all three -- text, repetition and visual / verbal lectures -- to understand it. Looooot's of time studying. Tough class. I hope you do well! Hang in there!

I've known people who got into that kind of debt for an MSW, a career path that can br notoriously low pay and hard to get started. It's insanely hard to get into public nursing programs in California, and waiting to be picked via lottery when you have no job does not sound like fun. I'm backing into my point, sorry, but it is this: only you know what you need. Do you need to get plugged in to a program, soon, with a BSN outcome? Are you willing / able to pay to have that need covered rather than live in some uncertainly? But: Do you know the school is reputable and good (what their NCLEX pass rates are, job placement rate, etc)? My opinion: First, you're young. Can you try out a cheaper route and then have this program as a fall back? To save funds can you move back in with parents / family temporarily while you do prerequisites at a CC, identify public programs and apply for scholarships? Lot's of people don't have family they can crash with or a partner who can pay all the bills for a while, but some do and it's a thought. If not, and you want to move forward: my opinion, that's not an unusual amount of debt for a college degree. Sad but true. And BSN's do get paid better and have better job prospects than many degrees. But it's steep, so it better be a darn good program with good stats. Make sure it's a good program and that they answer all your questions. Ask to speak to some current students and recent grads. Good luck! Don't give up!

You're my new hero! Sorry-- getting the hang of this site. To be honest, my assumption is that I will end up in administration or regulatory work. I have a master's in finance and supposedly had some pretty poofed up jobs. So my "worth" would be in the admin / finance area. What I really want: someone like me, a finance person who had no clinical knowledge, is often the driver of how things are done. And that is not okay. Nurse managers who got it and weren't afraid of finance jargon and spreadsheets pushed back. And they are great managers. What I want is every RN manager -- nurses run hospitals in all ways -- to understand enough finance (it's suuuuuper easy, they just use big words to make it inaccessible) to be able to be in control of clinical decisions. Not insurance companies or accountants. So: I decided to become an RN to bridge that gap. Maybe I could teach finance and budgeting for nurse managers and I could avoid 12 hour shifts! Oh: I used to be a super fit full-time mountain biker waaaay back, so I think once my back is fixed I can get pretty fit. I'm also oddly strong for a small woman. Part Shetland pony ������