Nurses, Student Nurses and Pre-Req takers October 2009 - Page 2

[major_mama11]

Congrats purplevega!

[Eeyore_fan]

Originally Posted by purplevega

I got my letter of acceptance. I am an RN student!!!!!

Congratulations, purplevega!!

[Gator-mom]

I should be hearing back from my school the weekend before Thanksgiving if I've been accepted into our program. I'm at a private university and will be getting my BSN.

Taking Patho and micro right now, and so far so good, but seriously having trouble focusing with the holidays coming!!

I was doing private care home health on the side too, but my client passed away 3 weeks ago.

[Redheaded_Momma]

Hey All!! I've been working as a school nurse for 7 years and I absolutely love it!! Marilynmama I highly recommend becoming a school nurse! It works out so well with DS and childcare. It helps too that I really like being in the school system. I love getting kids glasses and helping them see for the 1st time. I am often the primary care provider for a lot of my students.

I've worked mostly in home care and physical medicine and rehab.

Good luck to all of you who are in school. It's really the toughest part!

[geekgolightly]

Redheaded Momma, my favorite band is from Columbus! Scrawl. Best band in the world.

I'm still hanging in there in ICU. It's been over a year now and I am feeling slightly more comfortable. (worked various floors for six years before coming to the MICU) I work part-time and that helps to have more rest between shifts. I typically work 3-8 hour shifts a week, with extra time sometimes along with committee work. I love the excitement. I would love even more to have a baby and stay at home taking care of bebe full time, but for now, I am happy doing what I do. Battling to keep someone alive minute to minute is very exciting and fulfills my adrenaline junkie needs.

[purplevega]

Thanks everyone for the love. I am very excited and very nervous. I am taking my Pharm classes right now so semester 1 I will only have clinicals, lab and lecture. Still alot but less then added pharm.

Kim

[e'smommy]

still here in the CCU, our hospital is starting to get busy. Lots of flu-like symptoms, several are coming back H1N1 negative though. It will be interesting to see what the rest of fall and winter brings...

[Funny Face]

Hi everyone!

I'm an RN- I graduated the day before ds was born and I've been home since then. Suppose to start internships in January.

Is anyone here a non-vaxer? How does that go down at work? For nursing school we didn't have a choice and luckily I was up to date at the time since my parents vaxed me as a child/teenager.

What happens if you don't want to vax?


Looking forward to getting to know all of you!

Congrats purplevega! Nursing school is quite a ride!

[purplevega]

Originally Posted by Funny Face

Hi everyone!

I'm an RN- I graduated the day before ds was born and I've been home since then. Suppose to start internships in January.

Is anyone here a non-vaxer? How does that go down at work? For nursing school we didn't have a choice and luckily I was up to date at the time since my parents vaxed me as a child/teenager.

What happens if you don't want to vax?


Looking forward to getting to know all of you!

Congrats purplevega! Nursing school is quite a ride!

I got an exemption from the health department for my vaxes. Do you have this in your area?

[Leta]

Hi!

I met with a nursing counselor today. I thought I was going to get my LPN, but the counselor convinced me otherwise. I have a BS in Community Health Ed, and she told me that an LPN would be 5 CH prereqs and nine months of clinicals, and a BSN would be 11 CH of prereqs and twenty months of clinicals. (For some unknown reason, this school doesn't offer an RN program. IDK why.) So while she DID convince me to just go for the BSN, now I'm kinda like "WHOA". What am I getting myself into?

Anyway, I'm here for support, but also to ask some questions-

Any good scholarships out there?

What's the pay like for BSNs?

Do BSNs mostly do paperwork and dispense meds? Or does it depend on the job?

Any international job opportunities?

Anything that anyone thinks I should know?

[anj_rn]

Graduated 10.5 yrs ao w/ my BSN. I did 5 yrs in NICU and PICU, and then 5 years in community health. Noe I am a SAHM w/ my sn daughter (trach, g-tube, s/p anoxic brain injury). I love being a nurse. RNs do make more than LPNs, but there is not usually a pay difference between BSNs and ADNs, unless they take a management route. What you do depends on the job. PICU and NICU in Houston do not use LVNs or many assistants, so you do all the direct patient care.

[canuckgal]

I graduated in 1992 from a hospital based diploma program. Did some small hospital do-everything work (and I mean EVERYTHING...CSR stuff, dispatch own ambulances, etc) and have also done some med surg, and maybe I'd say 80% of my career has been L&D and postpartum and nursery 34 weeks and up. Right now I work on a combined surg-LDRP unit, with surgery (and medical overflow) and a baby a day on average. I work half time, so 10 shifts (12h ones) in a 6 week schedule. I get anywhere from 4-9 days off at a stretch. I also picked up a per diem/casual position in the recovery room/day surgery starting next week to supplement my hours.

Good to see so many RNs here!!!

[NCmama]

MICU ~ RN here. Currently out on disability for pregnancy issues. Managed to get out before the mandatory flu shot/ H1N1 shot. Been there 6 years, and am obviously a glutton for punishment because you never stop moving!

[Eeyore_fan]

I am a new RN (passed boards in June '09) and work on a stroke floor at a fairly large hospital. I am still in orientation and struggling with time management. But my leaders want to make sure I am at the advanced-beginner level before I am on my own, so they are extending my orientation by a few weeks. Hopefully I will be able to handle things better by then. I like the people I work with, so that is a plus.

[Funny Face]

Originally Posted by purplevega

I got an exemption from the health department for my vaxes. Do you have this in your area?

Yes, we have exemptions here, I don't think you even have to go through the healthy department. I'm just wondering if my exemption will affect my employment.

[purplevega]

So I got my schedual for classes. I have 4 days of frontloading before clinicals. Anyone know what I should expect?

Kim

[marilynmama]

Originally Posted by Funny Face

Is anyone here a non-vaxer? How does that go down at work? For nursing school we didn't have a choice and luckily I was up to date at the time since my parents vaxed me as a child/teenager.

What happens if you don't want to vax?

Then you don't vax, it's really not a big deal. You can pass on HepB and flu. Like nursing school, they will require you to show immunity to CP and the MMR.

You will be fine. You certainly wont be the only one refusing HepB and flu, seems most nurses I know refuse them.

[marilynmama]

Originally Posted by purplevega

So I got my schedual for classes. I have 4 days of frontloading before clinicals. Anyone know what I should expect?

Kim

You will do great! I didn't think nursing school was "hard" just VERY busy! I loved it! We started clinicals right away as well in my BSN program. Nursing school can be a lot of fun. Find a good groups of friends....that is my only advice.

Every semester is different,you will see yourself changing and growing each semester.

[hopefulfaith]

@Leta -- I have been glad to have a BSN through the years. It has provided me with a lot of flexibility as far as expanding my professional horizons. Two of the positions I've had in the last ~12 years have been required-BSN positions -- my favorite one was being a clinical educator for an ED in a busy trauma center. It was a blast, and if you're looking at being a nurse in any capacity which might build on your community health education background (clinical educator, health program development, etc.), then I would definitely recommend a BSN.

As far as being a staff RN with a BSN, I have never noticed a difference between ADN/BSN as far as payscale/staff RN responsibilities, etc., but it made a difference for me when I moved in and out of staff RN roles and into different nursing roles.