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Fatty Patty posted:I think your questions would be answered here: http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=2250971&userid=0&perpage=40&pagenumber=1 thanks Fatty - apologies for not finding that on my own
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Jun 5, 2009 21:01
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I'm an RN-applicant at my local school, starting up my prerequisites in August. One of my classes will be A&P I. I've heard that this class is a kick to the nuts and weeds out a majority of people, and I've heard it ain't too bad. Is the class worth doing a little preemptive studying over the summer?
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Jun 12, 2009 04:43
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Hughmoris posted:I'm an RN-applicant at my local school, starting up my prerequisites in August. One of my classes will be A&P I. I've heard that this class is a kick to the nuts and weeds out a majority of people, and I've heard it ain't too bad. Is the class worth doing a little preemptive studying over the summer? There isn't a whole lot that can really prepare you for that class. It is definitely difficult, but having a good professor will make all the difference in the world. For me and most people I've talked to, there's usually a point at which you just 'get it' and things start coming together and making sense. A good professor will steer you in that direction. Bad ones will just teach all the poo poo independently and impatiently, and this makes the class a loving nightmare. If at all possible, get the same professor for lecture and lab, because as I mentioned above, this further complicates things if you have two different people screwing around with different stuff the other won't give a poo poo about at all. Chillmatic fucked around with this message at 05:45 on Jun 12, 2009 |
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Jun 12, 2009 05:42
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PacoTheMightyTaco posted:I'm a male nurse from Spain, I worked in a ICU and now I looking for working in a prison, it's a little dangerous but they pay well Can you tell me more about the nursing profession in Europe (particularly Spain and France)? What sorts of programs do you have to become a nurse? Do you go through a normal University? How long does it take? What are the requirements for earning a degree? What are the costs? I'm an American male with a BS in Accounting and I'm currently looking into going back to school, possibly for nursing. However, I'm interested in living and studying outside of the U.S. Were there any foreign students studying in your degree program?
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Jun 12, 2009 13:06
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I'm in nursing school in Europe (Norway) and I was wondering if someone could clarify what you'd have to go through to work as a nurse in the US? I imagine the whole imperial measurements thing would be a bitch, but what are the legal and practical hoops?
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Jun 12, 2009 14:29
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Jiriam posted:I'm in nursing school in Europe (Norway) and I was wondering if someone could clarify what you'd have to go through to work as a nurse in the US? I imagine the whole imperial measurements thing would be a bitch, but what are the legal and practical hoops? We use metric for all medical measurements, from kilograms to milliliters.
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Jun 12, 2009 20:39
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Two people in my family are RN's that work in a florida nursing home. from what i can tell of their work, the nursing home administrators are stingy bastards but RN's are required to be on staff by law so you got job security, even in this economy(honestly it would take another great depression to impact the "dying old people in florida" market). they can get overtime pretty easily too. the nurses who aren't RN's have a much higher turnover rate. all i know about the profession is from second hand information but from what i know, getting your RN is a really good idea, and so is staying out of the narcotics cabinet.
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Jun 13, 2009 02:30
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Jiriam posted:I'm in nursing school in Europe (Norway) and I was wondering if someone could clarify what you'd have to go through to work as a nurse in the US? I imagine the whole imperial measurements thing would be a bitch, but what are the legal and practical hoops? Solaron posted:Great to know, heh. I'm contemplating the move from IT to Nursing, and I'm on a 1-yr waiting list. I'm looking forward to doing something that I think will actually be somewhat rewarding, but I've also heard there's a lot of poo poo (and not just in the literal sense) to deal with. Banana Factory posted:...but from what i know, getting your RN is a really good idea, and so is staying out of the narcotics cabinet.
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Jun 13, 2009 13:39
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Hughmoris posted:I'm an RN-applicant at my local school, starting up my prerequisites in August. One of my classes will be A&P I. I've heard that this class is a kick to the nuts and weeds out a majority of people, and I've heard it ain't too bad. Is the class worth doing a little preemptive studying over the summer? I actually really enjoyed A&P. It's pretty tough but to be honest, not nearly as tough as many people made it out to be. It helps to start studying for your tests a couple weeks in advance and go to every single class. One thing that helped me was to make flash cards. Thousands upon thousands of them. It breaks down the material into smaller, more managable pieces and really helped me focus my studying. And the lab was pure awesomeness. The fact that by the 2nd semester I was completely unphased by holding a severed human leg or studying a head that had been cut in half is amazing to me. Plus the lab really helped me get an A in the class. Don't worry too much about it. You just have to study. And ask questions.
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Jun 13, 2009 15:17
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Mangue posted:I actually really enjoyed A&P. It's pretty tough but to be honest, not nearly as tough as many people made it out to be. It helps to start studying for your tests a couple weeks in advance and go to every single class. One thing that helped me was to make flash cards. Thousands upon thousands of them. It breaks down the material into smaller, more managable pieces and really helped me focus my studying. A coworker of mine took A&P last semester and I'd help her study..quiz her, hold up flashcards etc. I'll be taking A&P next semester and just from helping her all those hours, I feel like I won't have any problems with the class. She says if I pass the class on the first try, she'll try again..she's taken it 3 times so far and hasn't passed it yet. Tis a shame.
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Jun 13, 2009 16:10
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Absolute Evil posted:A coworker of mine took A&P last semester and I'd help her study..quiz her, hold up flashcards etc. I'll be taking A&P next semester and just from helping her all those hours, I feel like I won't have any problems with the class. She says if I pass the class on the first try, she'll try again..she's taken it 3 times so far and hasn't passed it yet. Tis a shame. Yikes...is your coworker trying to get into nursing as well? If she can't pass A&P after 3 tries she will never get through classes that are 10 times harder, like pharmacology or pathophysiology. A&P is cake compared to those classes (in my opinion, of course). Trust me, it's really not that difficult.
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Jun 13, 2009 18:04
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Not to mention that a real understanding of basic A&P is absolutely necessary to even understand pathophysiology. Nursing and nursing school is all about building a foundation of knowledge that's easy to build on -- like Legos. If you understand how the renal system works, you can easily understand the illnesses that affect the renal system. Prereqs are almost more important than actual nursing classes in that way.
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Jun 13, 2009 20:23
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Pixi posted:Not to mention that a real understanding of basic A&P is absolutely necessary to even understand pathophysiology. This really can't be stressed enough. Too many people blow off the prereqs untill they get to the "real" nursing program, but they're critical to actually knowing what you are doing. This isn't a history or english degree, this stuff really matters with regards to doing your job. Not to mention the fact that getting into most nursing programs without straight A's is pretty rare these days. Not unheard of (some people have a B here or there) but it's better to be safe than sorry, especially since actually doing prereqs can take almost two years. in itself.
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Jun 13, 2009 20:44
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AquaVita posted:This really can't be stressed enough. Too many people blow off the prereqs untill they get to the "real" nursing program, but they're critical to actually knowing what you are doing. This isn't a history or english degree, this stuff really matters with regards to doing your job. I'm a non-nursing student, but my program is within the school of nursing & human health (environmental & public health) and some of my lower level requirements overlap with nursing requirements. I took A&P last semester as a junior, and probably 200 of the 250 students in the section were freshmen pre-nursing students. I thought the course was very easy (but I'm also used to harder courses like O-Chem or upper level biologies), but there were quite a few girls who struggled with the material, and were only taking 12 credits. The nursing program here is so competitive that advisers tell hopeful applicants to take only 12 credits and shoot for a 4.0 to increase their chances of getting in. I don't understand why they don't take into account courseload as well as GPA - if I were on the acceptance board, or however they decide, I'd much rather accept a student who took 18 credits and got a 3.7 than a student who took 12 credits and a 4.0. Our school has an accelerated BSN program for students who have completed pre-requisites and have completed a four-year degree, which is 58 credits over a 13 month period. I am considering applying to it after I graduate if I am not accepted into pharmacy school (which is a definite possibility, as I am expecting a weak LoR from my department's head [he's an unreliable moron], and my experience is probably marginal compared to a large percentage of applicants, but I do have a 3.81 GPA having taken 17-18 credits per semester). If I were to opt for this route, I would hope to become a nurse anesthetist (who doesn't?). My friend's uncle is one and he said it's an awesome job, he gets a lot of vacation and doesn't work too much over his 40 hours/week, but is on call a lot (he works at a smaller hospital). He is hoping to stop working full-time and work on shorter, as-needed contracts... I can't remember the exact term, but hospitals might require a nurse anesthetist for a 3-week period, so they hire someone to come in and work for that period. I'm also considering picking up the BSN as an extra degree and continuing my education elsewhere or joining the PHS. I've heard that someone with a degree in public health who also holds a nursing degree would be eligible to run a smaller city's public health department, but that doesn't really interest me. Anyways, for A&P, as mentioned, for the classwork I would recommend using flashcards, and for labwork, go over models in open lab time. I rarely used the models to study, but it's hard to point out a muscle on a model you're unfamiliar with when you have been using pictures in your lab notebook to study from. If you're considering nursing as a career and are going through college for your first time, I'd highly recommend getting a job as a CNA to judge whether or not the field is for you. It's not worth the trouble of going through all the pre-reqs only to find out you don't want to be a nurse. Of the courses you will take as pre-reqs for nursing, I would say maybe 40% will translate as coursework for a separate degree (which is a lot of wasted time). MaineMan fucked around with this message at 18:23 on Jun 14, 2009 |
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Jun 14, 2009 18:12
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To see if nursing is really for you I would: If you have friends, one of them is bound to be a nurse/have nurse parents/relatives; ask to shadow. You may not get to go into patient rooms (although most probably won't care) but you will still get a good idea. Ask about scheduling, funny patient stories, funny staff stories, the many many many areas that they can work in, how was nursing school for them. Volunteer at a hospital, apply for something that is actually on the floor (i.e. NOT gift shop), make friends with the staff, they will show you cool stuff and gossip about everything and anything. I wouldn't suggest asking a nursing student to let you shadow around. While most staff won't care about breaking minor rules they are sticklers with making students follow rules to the t -- with good reason. Watch Scrubs, except imagine that half the stuff that the docs do on that show is stuff that you will actually be doing, and that dealing with red tape is doubled. freshmex fucked around with this message at 21:05 on Jun 14, 2009 |
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Jun 14, 2009 20:47
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I've been reading a bit online and have seen a few people say that the job market is fairly gloomy for new grad nurses in Cincinnati. Anyone know if that's really the case? I'm not sure what to expect pay or location wise - I'd rather work in a hospital than in a nursing home, but beggars can't be choosers.
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Jun 21, 2009 17:18
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I have a tattoo on my left forearm and one on each wrist. Do hospitals look down on this when hiring you as do many public jobs?
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Jun 30, 2009 03:54
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instant japanese posted:I have a tattoo on my left forearm and one on each wrist. Do hospitals look down on this when hiring you as do many public jobs? To an extent, yeah. Just wear long sleeves under your scrubs. Works for me. 
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Jun 30, 2009 05:02
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MaakHatt posted:
Perhaps I'm jaded. But the only thing becoming a CNA would tell you is whether or not you're good a buttwiping. The CNA program here is around a grand for the class itself and the books. That's a nice bit of cash for a 3 month course. Around here though if you're in the nursing program or are planning on trying to get into it, you must take and pass the 12 week CNA course..it's part of the curriculum. Good idea, perhaps more nurses would stop treating aids like brainless peons. You can always tell which nurses were aids first, they're more polite to the aids and more patient with the patients.
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Jun 30, 2009 16:03
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I'm a laid off mechanical designer. Lately I've been considering going back to school. Unfortunately the local technical and trade schools mostly revolve around aircraft manufacturing. There are a few non-manufacturing courses though. CNA, LPN/LVN, and Medical Assistant appear to be my options. Would it be a good idea for someone to become an LPN, then study for an RN after completing that?
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Jul 2, 2009 13:55
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I'm starting my nursing degree at the beginning of next year, and I'm very excited I'm in South Africa, and you are obliged by law to do a Zuma year, a year of poorly paid government work in the busiest and understaffed hospitals. I'm hoping to becoming a registered nurse and eventually working in Australia (they get you residence within 2 weeks and you have a salary 3-4 times that you get in South Africa). I'm not in Nursing for the money, but if my boyfriend and I are going to raise a family, a South African nursing salary would not suffice.
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Jul 2, 2009 14:29
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I just graduated from the University of Iowa with a BA in journalism and studio art a couple months ago. Since then, I've not been able to even get an interview with anyone for full-time employment, and will be starting the prereqs for an ADN program this fall. I'm really looking forward to it. My mother has been an RN for 15 years and she was ecstatic to hear that I am interested in the field. I'm also a large-stature male with a friendly persona...many people have told me that I will be instantly employed because of this. This is going to be a long three years, but definitely worth it.
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Jul 7, 2009 05:35
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Just a bit of a bump- I have a question about accelerated programs. I am 2 quarters away from getting my BA in psychology from UCSC. I have completed the required classes for the nursing program at the local community college, because I was planning to get my ASN. However, I have found this program at UCSF: http://nurseweb.ucsf.edu/www/ps-em.htm (Basically, if you have a BA in pretty much anything, there is a 3 year program to get your RN the first year, and your MA in Nursing to be a NP in the last two years) Since UCSF is not only expensive, but hard to get in to, I was wondering if anyone knew of any other programs like this one. I really don't want to only apply to ONE school after graduating. So- Does anyone have any more information about this program? Anyone know anyone that has been in it or around it? Are there any other schools with programs like this? Just a side note: I am waiting for a spot in an externship for my Phlebotomy license right now. I have completed the classes and am just waiting to get my field experience, then take the test. I predict I will be done around Christmas time. This will hopefully help me hopefully save up some money. Will it help with my application as well?
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Jul 8, 2009 04:25
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Starla posted:I have a question about accelerated programs. http://www.csulb.edu/colleges/chhs/departments/nursing/studentinfo/ApplicationsHandbooksandHand-outsforUndergraduates.htm#ELM Check out other CSUs, I know nothing about others' entry level master's (ELM) programs. A phlebotomy license will be a neat when you get to show off to your classmates that you have some skill already...you could bullshit about how it inspired you to want to be involved in direct client care in any potential interviews...and that's about it.
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Jul 11, 2009 00:10
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I just got accepted into my school's nursing program and start my first block in august after waiting 1.5 years to get in. This thread has been a great read to drive home how hard it can be to get through the schoolin', but I've found the most interesting thing to be the suggestions that doing CNA work isn't really necessary or as valuable as some make it to be. This sort of relieves me because very few places are hiring CNA's around me right now anyways, and I feel overwhelmed as it is just reading about what I'm going to be going through with school alone. My question for the thread is: I understand the school portion is extremely involved and I'm prepared to focus on it, but as far as the career afterwards is; is it very life-consuming? I've been worrying about this for awhile and have tried to ask my father about it (Who is currently an ER nurse) but we don't speak much anymore. What I mean is, does one have to be overly resilient to put work behind them when they're at home so they can relax and enjoy hobbies? or is it more of a burnt-out feeling during time off in which you want to just be in an anti-social shell? I'm sorta interested to hear about that.
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Jul 14, 2009 00:43
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Datsun Honeybee posted:What I mean is, does one have to be overly resilient to put work behind them when they're at home so they can relax and enjoy hobbies? Trust me after busting your rear end for thirteen hours, when you get home you'll barely remember the day. You also aren't going to magically deeply care about every patient either, don't get me wrong you'll do your drat best to keep every last one as well and comfortable as possible/their condition allows. But there is so much documentation to do some days you'll come home bitching about how your patient wouldn't leave you alone long enough to get your hours of charting done on time. It sounds hosed up but it happens. Most days are not "I hope Mr. Soandso pulls though" but "God I hope I charted everything perfectly to cover my rear end if he goes down the tubes." Iron Crowned posted:
Bum the Sad fucked around with this message at 04:34 on Jul 14, 2009 |
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Jul 14, 2009 04:23
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Datsun Honeybee posted:What I mean is, does one have to be overly resilient to put work behind them when they're at home so they can relax and enjoy hobbies? I had problems, especially when I first started, where even when I was home I would think about all the things I'd done wrong at work or worrying that I didn't chart everything or do everything I was supposed to do in the shift. I think that kind of thing is fairly common, especially with new nurses. miso fucked around with this message at 04:50 on Jul 14, 2009 |
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Jul 14, 2009 04:45
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miso posted:I had problems, especially when I first started, where even when I was home I would think about all the things I'd done wrong at work or worrying that I didn't chart everything or do everything I was supposed to do in the shift. I think that kind of thing is fairly common, especially with new nurses.
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Jul 14, 2009 04:49
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Yeah, you probably never totally get rid of it. It's a sucky feeling though because you want to leave your work there where it belongs and not take it home with you, but it can be very hard not to, especially as a newbie. I was always thinking, "Did I remember to do this? I think I forgot to chart that..." etc.
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Jul 14, 2009 04:54
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lately I've heard about a lot of people who are graduating with degrees where they can't find jobs then heading to their local CC/back to school to get a nursing/similar degree. How is this affecting the job market?
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Jul 14, 2009 05:03
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Fatty Patty posted:lately I've heard about a lot of people who are graduating with degrees where they can't find jobs then heading to their local CC/back to school to get a nursing/similar degree. How is this affecting the job market? You can always find a good paying job as a nurse. It may not be where you want it though. Like if you want a job in San Francisco or San Diego or some poo poo you may have a lot of trouble. But if you're willing to movie it's not hard. Not to mention there aren't enough slots in the academic programs to glut the market.
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Jul 14, 2009 05:06
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Fatty Patty posted:lately I've heard about a lot of people who are graduating with degrees where they can't find jobs then heading to their local CC/back to school to get a nursing/similar degree. How is this affecting the job market? I find this is overblown. Older nurses piss and moan about this all the time, but it just shows that they completely forgot what school was like. It takes years in most cases to get into a nursing program. Most people who want to switch careers just to get something easier are not willing to go through the absolute hell it takes to get into a nursing program. And if they DO go through, loving hell, they earned it just as much as me or anyone else.
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Jul 14, 2009 05:21
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AquaVita posted:I find this is overblown. Older nurses piss and moan about this all the time, but it just shows that they completely forgot what school was like. I don't think the UT system wait-lists or any of that poo poo. I think they just give their slots to the most qualified who applied that semester.
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Jul 14, 2009 05:25
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I've been following this thread for a bit and I know I have posted in some earlier SA threads regarding nursing. I have been working as an RN on a Cardiothoracic telemetry unit for almost 6 months now. I finished nursing school in June 2008, passed NCLEX-RN in August 2008 and started working in my hospital in early 2009. I work in a very large metropolitan hospital, very busy ED, and my unit's primary patient load is 1-3 day post-op open heart patients, usually valve replacements, CABG, and many other open heart procedures, no transplants though. I also get patients who have something else wrong with them, but are in my unit because they also have a heart complication, such as a patient I had last night who had a history of breast ca with metastasis. Patient was post-op after having a splenectomy and a pancreotomy, but she was on my unit because she went into A-Fib sometime during her post-op stay on a different unit. I also have ED patients who come in with chest pains, etc. If its summer time, that means less surgeries are done, so we have more varied patients because the ED will send us anything they have if they need a bed. Empty bed = no money. In any case, if anyone has questions, I would be glad to answer them. Nursing school is 1+ years ago now, but I still remember a bit, first year nursing is where I am currently situated in, so I can answer stuff about that too.
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Jul 14, 2009 05:46
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miso posted:Yeah, you probably never totally get rid of it. It's a sucky feeling though because you want to leave your work there where it belongs and not take it home with you, but it can be very hard not to, especially as a newbie. I was always thinking, "Did I remember to do this? I think I forgot to chart that..." etc. I'm 1.5 years post-graduation and I still fret about poo poo like this. Granted, my patient load can change every 2 hours, so there is a lot more "transfer of care" bullshit to chart and complete. Luckily for me, no one is going to die if I forgot to document their enema. Having to double-chart in two completely separate computer programs is crap, and just encourages errors and lazy charting. 
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Jul 14, 2009 06:21
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Bum the Sad posted:Does it? I keep hearing this from people. I just got my pre-reqs done at a CC then applied to the University and well got my BSN. Getting a BSN is easier upfront because fewer people apply for it. It costs so much more, like 5 or 6 times as much easily, that for most people it's out of their range. It's not the wait list that is the issue, at least not for a lot of people. The prereqs often take a year and a half to two years, and for most people, that's not acceptable in terms of the time it takes from start, to job.
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Jul 14, 2009 06:36
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AquaVita posted:Getting a BSN is easier upfront because fewer people apply for it. It costs so much more, like 5 or 6 times as much easily, that for most people it's out of their range. where I live (Arizona) the community colleges have waiting lists of about 1.5 yrs. for the associates degree programs. each school's program in the district takes like 40 people at a time, with something like 2,000+ people in the waiting pool. I personally finished everything in October of 2007 and just now got in. Everyone in my class is nervous as hell because if you fail out of Block I they just stick you back at the bottom of that shuffle. The universities here did something recently, I think either raised tuition or requirements, and all the fall-out has come on the community college programs. Also thanks for the re-assurance.. I guess I just overthink it because all my jobs up until now have been mickey mouse poo poo like tech support or whatnot; things with little responsibility or liability on my part. Datsun Honeybee fucked around with this message at 07:04 on Jul 14, 2009 |
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Jul 14, 2009 06:56
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Still taking my prereqs, but thinking of branching off into health informatics. Will a nursing degree help or should I go straight for the health informatics degree?
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Jul 14, 2009 09:40
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My wife is an ER nurse, and recently she's been talking about joining a DMAT (Disaster Medical Assistance Team). These are regional teams that can be activated by the federal govt during a national disaster or other emergency. They were sent to Katrina, and I've heard second-hand that a lot of the people on these teams got very sick due to exposure to all the toxic poo poo in the flood water. Wife is a little weird, and hanging out next to piles of rotting corpses is an experience she might enjoy, but I don't want her to get sick doing it. Anyone here ever served on a DMAT? I'm curious about actual experiences being deployed, I've already read wikipedia.
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Jul 14, 2009 12:15
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Datsun Honeybee posted:where I live (Arizona) the community colleges have waiting lists of about 1.5 yrs. for the associates degree programs. Which college are you going to? I'm finally ready to apply to the program at PVCC just gotta wait for my drat fingerprint card
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Jul 14, 2009 20:01
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