Queston for nurses?

[imabrat]

What are your shifts for those that nurse?

My main hospital is 6am-6pm for 2 weeks and then switch to 6pm-6am for another 2 weeks.
Or vice versa.
Another hospital I went to worked either 7am-7pm or 7pm-7am. They never switched on and off and always worked either the night shift or the day shift.

 

[SueM in MN]

I have a BSN and have been out of school long enough that I don't remember a lot of specifics about what classes I took.

I agree with the others that it's best to start with a BSN if you can. The hospital I work with (along with a lot of others) is involved in trying to get Magnet status. Education is very important in the "Magnet Journey" and a lot of the nurses at my hospital are working now to complete their BSN.

 

[SydSim]

I have a BSN and have been out of school long enough that I don't remember a lot of specifics about what classes I took.

I agree with the others that it's best to start with a BSN if you can. The hospital I work with (along with a lot of others) is involved in trying to get Magnet status. Education is very important in the "Magnet Journey" and a lot of the nurses at my hospital are working now to complete their BSN.

Yup, having a BSN is good ( I have mine ), but if money is tight, you can always get your associates and work at a hospital that will pay for you to complete your bachelors. I've been a nurse for over 21 years and I have no aspirations to be anything other than a staff nurse, so my BSN is just find (and an associates would do as well).

As far as shifts go, at my hospital, my nurse manager will take anything! 7a-3p, 7a-7p, 7a-11p, 11a-3p, 11a-7p, 11a-11p, 3p-7p, 3p-11p, 3p-7a, 7p-11p, 7p-7a, 11p-3a, 11p-7a, 3a-7a (my favorite). As long as the shift is covered, she doesn't care. I'm typing this while working 11p-7a.
Some may say that I don't have any drive - I say that I have other interests that fill my life. I work a little (per diem) at my hospital, and I work a little at another job. Add in hubby and child, and my floor nurse job is good enough for me!

Yes, U of P is an excellent school for nursing, but extremely competitive. There are numerous schools in the area that offer nursing programs - Widener, West Chester U., Seton Hall, Temple U., Rutgers, Penn State, etc. The list goes on and on. Good luck!

 

[Patricia]

Just finished looking at colleges for my daughter who graduated in May from HS. She has always wanted to be a nurse and I could not be prouder of her!

There are some terrific schools on the east coast with excellent nursing programs. Among the ones we visited and thought were worthwhile are University of Delaware, The College of New Jersey, Villanova, Fairfield, Quinnipiac. I know Drexel and Rutgers have nursing BSN programs as well.
No, all colleges do not have nursing majors. My daughter was advised to start out asap with nursing as her major as the course load is rather specific. Not a problem for her, she knew before we started the search for the right college that she wanted to be a nurse. Be sure to do your research about the school before you look. THere are a few, Loyola and Gettysburg for example, that work with other schools to allow you to complete a BSN, but they do not have the program on campus. FOr example at Loyola, you have to take classes at Johns Hopkins to get your BSN .After you complete three years at Loyola, you must apply to Johns Hopkins and, if you are accepted, you do two more years there... not toward a Masters, just to finish your BSN. SO, although when we visited we were told that she could major in nursing, when we dug a little deeper, it did not make much sense to do 5 years for a 4 year program. Lots to think about for you!
Good luck!

 

[Disney Doll]

I've been a nurse for 25 years...got a diploma through a local school of nursing, got a job at a local hospital, then went on for my BSN which the hospital paid a fair amount of money towards. That being said, I would recommend anyone going in to nursing now to immediately go for the BSN. It'll save you time. Especially if you're young and would be going to college for 4 years anyway...why not just get it out of the way? Plus, as others have said, BSN will soon be entry level requirement for most nursing jobs.

I don't remember much about college..it was a long time ago. I will tell you that Nursing is alot of common sense and organization. The advice others have given you about being comfortable with Math, science and chemistry is good.

Don't limit yourself to looking at just one college. Lots of colleges offer very good nursing programs, so look around and find one that is a good fit for you.

Good luck! We need good nurses.

 

[Judy from Boise]

ATP is what is produced by the "krebs cycle"....adenosine triphosphate, It is what cells use for energy. I believe this takes place in the mitochondria of the cells.

I practically "cured" my fibromyalgia when I found a good ATP supplement !

 

[KimStaR]

hey. I apologize for this being short in advance (i work 7p-7:30a medsurg and I just got home from work)... I have been a nurse for a little over a year and I have my associates degree. I am currently enrolled in a BSN program and I will be done this fall. Although I do agree with everyone advocating the BSN, I would like to mention that if you need to for whatever reason (money, housing, grades, whatever!)... an associates program is a GREAT entry into nursing. I went to an excellent community college, and I am so glad I did that first. I think these larger colleges charge you SO much for the same classes you can pay a third of the price for. I took everything I possibly could at my community college, including nutrition and statistics for my BSN and transfered it over to Rutgers. It is extremely cost efficient and I felt like I was eased slowly into college as apposed to immediately going off to a four year school. And like some others have mentioned, some facilities will give you money towards a BSN. I am currently doing that. It is great, no loans! Whatever you do... best of luck.

 

[Lilsurfer_Chick]

Sorry, but I don't want to interupt or anything with this thread, but I've read pretty much all of the replies previously posted and I was wondering if anyone here is a psychiatric nurse? I'm intersted in a career somewhere in that realm. What kind of classes would I need to take? Is there any advice or information that I should keep in mind about this area in the field of nursing?
I've already taken AP Biology and I'm going to take Chemistry Honors next year, my sophmore year. Any information would be helpful. Thanks.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Sorry, but I don't want to interupt or anything with this thread, but I've read pretty much all of the replies previously posted and I was wondering if anyone here is a psychiatric nurse? I'm intersted in a career somewhere in that realm. What kind of classes would I need to take? Is there any advice or information that I should keep in mind about this area in the field of nursing?
I've already taken AP Biology and I'm going to take Chemistry Honors next year, my sophmore year. Any information would be helpful. Thanks.

It's funny, Lilsurfer_Chick - I was a psychology major for 4 years before I changed my major to nursing. My intention was to be a psychiatric nurse; it seemed perfect. While I was in nursing school I took a co-op position in an ER, and many tell you (or at least they did back then) that even in psych you have to get a year of Med/Surg under your belt first, so as a new grad RN I took a position on a cardiology unit. Well needless to say, 21 years later, I'm still in Cardiology!

Different doors open up to you as you go along in school and work. Sometimes you wind up a little far from your original intention, but it's all good, and that's the nice thing about nursing, there's so much you can do - anywhere in the world. Sorry I can't answer your original question as I'm not a psych nurse, but I do think that anything you learn in psychology will be helpful, as well as practical experience in a psych facility. As a psych major, I worked in a psych facility for brain injured patients on behavioral protocols, and that experience has helped me a lot in my nursing career in the hospital. Occasionally we get psych patients and guess who likes to take them? Yup, me.

 

[xCourxCorex]

ATP? I probably know it but the name is slipping my mind right now.

Does anyone have any reccomendations as far as schooling goes? Do most 'regular' universities have nursing programs or would it be better off attending a medical school?

I'm really un-educated in schooling to become a nurse. But it's become a big passion of mine in the last year, and I'm willing to learn.

Oh, and yes I do plan on getting the BSN first. Do schools require you take a minor, or can you just declase Nursing from the start of freshman year?

Many of the schools I researched do not require a minor, and most you must tell them when you are applying that you want to be a nursing major. It is very competitive to even get into the programs at many schools, and the slots fill up fast. Like at Saint Anselm, they only accept 70 or so students for Nursing, and they said over 300 apply.

But I know other schools where you can apply, check off Nursing as your major, and they will accept you into a "pre-nursing" program for your first year. Then, depending on how well you do in the required classes (science and whatever else you take) you can be accepted into Nursing program.

It really just depends on the school, and what their specifics are. It can vary a lot from school to school. Also, when the time comes, look into where they do their clinicals. I was very interested in St. A's (which is in Manchester NH) until I realized 90% of their clinicals were back in Boston... that's a long commute for clinicals even just once a week, let alone twice or more!

One reason I chose my school is because it is close to Boston, so many clinicals are done at the big hospitals like Children's, Brigham & Women's, Mass. General, etc. But it is also close to smaller, more local hospitals which I liked too.

 

[Denine]

Another RN here. I went straight for my BSN, but that was 18 years ago. It was pretty much dictated what classes you took. We had A LOT of biology and chemistry along with nursing classes and the traditional "well rounded" education classes.
I considered going for my MSN, but have since changed my mind. My life has gone in a different direction.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

One reason I chose my school is because it is close to Boston, so many clinicals are done at the big hospitals like Children's, Brigham & Women's, Mass. General, etc.

Ditto. I went to college and did all of my training in Boston, and have worked there for 24 years now as well. Great experiences.

 

[Denine]

I went to Kent State here in Ohio. It was close to all the big hospitals here. It was also the best nusrsing school in the state.
I should say that I graduated 18 years ago.

 

[Cool-Beans]

Some schools don't require Organic Chem, only if you want to go on to anesthesia school...

Well it turns out my program doesn't require Organic at all...

I stand corrected.

When I went to school, we had to take Organic Chem. I think it is excellent that schools (at least some, obviously) are no longer requiring that. It was the hardest class I took and - for the most part- worthless.

I appreciate Organic Chem. I'm glad that people are out there learning it, advancing the field, etc. I am absolutley sure that it makes my life better. I am grateful that they do it. And I'm wicked impressed by people who work at it for a living.

I just hated Organic Chem. Even now, I have to stop thinking about it for fear of nightmares.

I adored Anatomy and Physiology. If your high school offers it, take it! It will help SO much!! I really think that every high school should require it. We have an entire country full of people who have bodies but absolutley no idea how they work. I think that is nuts.

 

[minkydog]

hey. I apologize for this being short in advance (i work 7p-7:30a medsurg and I just got home from work)... I have been a nurse for a little over a year and I have my associates degree. I am currently enrolled in a BSN program and I will be done this fall. Although I do agree with everyone advocating the BSN, I would like to mention that if you need to for whatever reason (money, housing, grades, whatever!)... an associates program is a GREAT entry into nursing. I went to an excellent community college, and I am so glad I did that first. I think these larger colleges charge you SO much for the same classes you can pay a third of the price for. I took everything I possibly could at my community college, including nutrition and statistics for my BSN and transfered it over to Rutgers. It is extremely cost efficient and I felt like I was eased slowly into college as apposed to immediately going off to a four year school. And like some others have mentioned, some facilities will give you money towards a BSN. I am currently doing that. It is great, no loans! Whatever you do... best of luck.

I second this suggestion. There were BSN programs available when I went to nursing school(back when the world was flat ) I enrolled in a small college that had a nursing school in it and worked all my breaks & summers as a nursing assistant in local hospitals--that's where I *really* learned to love nursing. Even the stuff nobody wants to think about(use your imagination); I love that too

The thing I liked about the ADN is you start the nursing program almost immediately and take a full course load of basics and nursing classes. With the BSN there is a year or two of basics before you ever see your first patient. ADNs take the same test for licensure that BSNs take. Of course, persons with a BS or masters degree are usually preferred for any position of responsibility such as head nurse or any management position.

Nursing programs cover the same stuff pretty much, so there's not a program for oncology nurses and a different program for psychiatric nurses or cardiac nurses. A lot of programs allow you to take some classes to specialize toward the end,though. Hospitals also have their own classes for graduate nurses which will prepare you to work in the area for which you are hired, such as intensive care or trauma ER. Almost every nurse will benefit from gaining at least a year of general medical/surgical nursing experience.

I've been a nurse for 31 years.I needed to get myself financially independent as quickly as possible. So the Associate of Science in Nursing was the better choice for me. I started out in Labor & Delivery, switched to Medical/Surgical, then ER and Neonatal & Pediatric Intensive Care. I have worked every shift imaginable and every holiday there is.

Along the way I went back to school and got a BS in Elementary Education--my mother always said, "A wise rabbit digs two holes." (Incidentally, all the hospitals that I have worked at have paid me more for having the BS than for the ADN alone. They didn't particularly care that the BS is not in nursing.) I also got married and had three kids, one of whom is severely disabled. No other career could have afforded me the flexibility that nursing gives me, to stop & start or branch out if I want to and learn something new.

Now that I'm over 50 I work as a school nurse, so my hours are 8:30 to 4:15 and I have summers off; full benefits. Truthfully, I could not have done this job as a younger nurse--every experience I have had in the past comes to bear when working in a school. Anything that can happen in a hospital can *and does!* happen in a school, without any backup. No way would I have felt up to the challenge in my 20s or 30s. I will probably not work in a hospital again, unless a very special situation came up. I love working independently and I love being a nurse, so I'll probably do home care, respite care, or hospice. Personally, I was better suited to the higher intensity-type nursing when I was younger. Nowadays my feet hurt and my back hurts, but my mind and my judgement are as sharp as a tack.

Good luck! Evaluate all your possibilities. Nursing is a great big beautiful world.

 

[WonderfulDreamer2]

Here's another RN checking in. I am BACK in school for my RN to BSN and will then start a Masters tract. I too strongly encourage you to go straight into a BSN program...wish I had. It has taken me 16 years to get back into school. Best of luck and our profession needs motivated people with the calling to healthcare. Don't do it for the glory, there is none. Don't do it for the money, it's not what it should be. Do it for the love and compassion you have for people. A smile and a thank you will be your reward. There are days you will walk away wondering why you do what you do and then you have 1....just 1 patient who will say something that will give you all the answers as to why you come back day after day. It's the grossest, least thankful yet most rewarding career you wil ever find.

 

[Judy from Boise]

This is a really good web site for researching Nursing as a career
http://www.discovernursing.com/home

 

[Corryn]

If I started a thread just for Nurses/Nursing Students, would it be a violation of HIPPA law to discuss certain situations and related personal cases without mentioning names?

 

[gutterpunk]

If I started a thread just for Nurses/Nursing Students, would it be a violation of HIPPA law to discuss certain situations and related personal cases without mentioning names?

As long as no identifying personal information is given, including cities, hospital names, ANYTHING that can possibly identify a patient, then no, it would not be a violation of HIPPA law.

 

[imabrat]

Judy from Boise, thank you! That site really helped.

I think I may have been steered away from being an Oncology nurse, though. Whenever I see ANY type of chemo, whether it's being administered, or being prepared, I get sick. I get nauseated and I have flashbacks from getting it myself. I'll have to get over it though, but no doubt it's going to be hard.
See, where I was treated, you could get chemo either in the hospital or one of the 2 cancer centers. (I was treated at Pennsylvania Hospital, as part of The University of Pennsylvania Health System in Philadelphia)
In the center, there were only Chemotherapy nurses, who administered chemo and worked as a tech.
In the hospital, there were techs and nurses. And then there were nurses who also did chemo. Only a few of them did chemo, but all of them accessed ports and the like. (Which would also be hard for me, I know how much it hurts and I'd hate to do that to someone. But, like I said, it'll be hard but I need to get over it.)

Thanks again everyone!