Support group for ga nurses awaiting board decision

[reneedeana]

I HAVE BEEN AWAITING RN ENDORSEMENT FROM MINNESOTA TO GA. PER THE ADVICE OF EXCELSIOR. THE LAST WORD WAS THAT I WILL NEED 350 HOURS OF PRECEPTORSHIP. I HAVE CALLED ALMOST EVERY HOSPITAL IN GA. WITH NO ONE WILLING TO DO THIS TYPE OF PRECEPTING WITH ME TECHNICALLY BEING AN LPN AN NOT AN RN IN GA. WHICH MAKES SENSE. THEY WOULD BENEFIT IN NO WAY. MOST HIRE NEW RN'S AND PROVIDE PRECEPTING AS A PART OF YOUR ORIENTATION. THIS HAS BEEN A VERY DEPRESSING EXPERIENCE CAUSING ME TO QUESTION SHOULD I HAVE PURSUED MY RN DEGREE AND IS NURSING FOR ME. I STILL WORK DAILY AS AN LPN @ MY JOB WHO IS ANXIOUSLY AWAITING MY GA RN SO I CAN BE PROMOTED BUT THIS SITUATION HAS WEIGHED SO HEAVILY ON ME IT IS A TASK JUST GOING TO WORK EVERYDAY KEEPING MY HEAD UP. IT SEEMS AS THOUGH WE ARE BEING PUNISHED OR DISCRIMINATED AGAINST BECAUSE WE CHOSE TO GO TO A NON-TRADITIONAL SCHOOL WHICH IN ALL HONESTY WAS MORE EXPENSIVE, HARDER IN EVERY ASPECT, OMG NOT TO MENTION THE CPNE WHICH I DO NOT KNOW HOW ANY HUMAN CAN SURVIVE THAT ALONE, ONLY TO KEEP GETTING DOOR AFTER DOOR SLAMMED IN YOUR FACE. I DO NOT KNOW HOW MUCH MORE REJECTION I CAN TAKE. AT THIS POINT I AM JUST READY TO MOVE AWAY, OBTAIN 1 YEAR HOSPITAL EXPERIENCE AND THEN COME BACK. SUCH A SAD REALITY. I SPOKE W/EXCELSIOR ON YESTERDAY AND THEY SAID THEIR ARE ABOUT 25 OR SO STUDENTS IN MY SAME POSITION THAT IF WE KNEW GA WOULD TAKE DIRECT ENDORSEMENTS WOULD HAVE WAITED AND THEY ARE CONTINUING TO SPEAK WITH THE BOARD ON MY BEHALF. HELP!

[elkpark]

It's not that you're being discriminated against -- every BON in every state requires that people have completed an approved nursing program that includes XXX number of hours of supervised clinical experience (broken down into specific requirements for each of the main clinical areas) in order to be eligible for the NCLEX and licensure, and, for some reason I've never understood, EC and its graduates have always been considered a single special exception to this requirement that applies to everyone else. Now, some states are starting to balk at giving special treatment to this particular group of people (although only CA, so far, is flatly refusing to license them). I'm not trying to be mean and I have nothing, personally, against any EC students, but I honestly just don't understand why EC and its students think that they should not have to meet the same standards/requirements for licensure that everyone else does (if it's okay for EC, why don't we just eliminate the clinical requirement for all nursing programs??), and I'm surprised that more states don't put limits on licensing EC grads (although that does seem to be a growing trend). You're not being discriminated against -- you're just not getting as much special treatment as EC grads are used to getting ... :)

[reneedeana]

GOOD POINT. I DO NOT WANT ANY SPECIAL TREATMENT. IT IS NOT TRUE THAT EVERY STATE HAS THESE REQUIREMENTS. I AM LICENSED IN MINNESOTA. AND WILL GO FORWARD WITH GETTING MY ENDORSEMENT IN OTHER STATES. IT JUST HAPPENS TO BE EXTREMELY HARD IN GA. I AGREE THAT CLINICAL HOURS SHOULD BE REQUIRED BUT ALL OF US KNOW THAT AS AN LPN YOU ARE LESS LIKELY TO BE HIRED IN A HOSPITAL. SO WE JUST HAPPEN TO BE IN A CATCH 22. UNLESS YOU HAVE GONE THROUGH A NON-TRADITIONAL SCHOOL IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO KNOW HOW HARD IT IS. AND YOU HAVE TO BE AN LPN TO EVEN BE ACCEPTED IN THE PROGRAM. WHEREAS WITH TRADITIONAL SCHOOLS IT IS ONLY 3 YEARS OF EDUCATION WITH ABSOLUTELY NO PRIOR EXPERIENCE. MY LPN EXPERIENCE AND SCHOOLING WAS GOOD FOR SOMETHING, AND I THINK THAT IS THE PART THAT EVERYONE FORGETS ABOUT BY THE TIME US LPN'S OBTAIN OUR RN DEGREE. SO IN ESSENCE WE HAVE GONE TO NURSING SCHOOL TWICE, BEING A TOTAL OF ABOUT 5 OR SO YEARS. WE ALL ARE ENTITLED TO OUR OWN OPINIONS. BUT IT IS JUST LIKE ANY OTHER PROFESSION THAT OFFERS SCHOOL ONLINE VERSUS GOING TO AN ACTUAL SCHOOL, AS AN ADULT IT IS EASIER TO DO. NOT TO MENTION I TRIED SEVERAL TRADITIONAL SCHOOLS PRIOR TO NON-TRADITIONAL AND THE WAITING LIST WAS SO LONG THAT YOU WOULD BE GETTING A SOCIAL SECURITY CHECK WHEN YOU GRADUATED. AGAIN NO FAVORS WANTED JUST FAIRNESS.