Nurses?

[nihiles]

Any mags in nursing or studying to be a nurse?
I'm approaching an ABSN in January (U of Miami FL or Rutgers Newark, decisions decision) and am interested in hearing from people I more consider to be my peers.

Thanks.
-n

[mrburns]

I just graduated with my BSN in September. Start my first job on Tuesday.

[MagnificentUnicorn]

Do you like data entry? It seems a large part of a nurse's job now is charting on the computer.

[digitaldeath]

maybe in the techno fascist hospitals

others focus on patient needs

[neufox47]

Nihiles lives.

[MagnificentUnicorn]

maybe in the techno fascist hospitals

others focus on patient needs

I'm starting my 30th year working in hospitals and in almost any hospital most nurses will spend most of their time charting on the computer. Walk through any floor and you will see a bunch of nurses sitting or standing at workstations charting. A lot of what most people think of as nursing duties is now done by CNAs and LPN/LVN. Times change. Of course this depends on what area of the hospital you work in, critical care areas have nurses working more hands on. I'm not making a value judgment, it's just the way it is.

[Iowagriz]

To slightly thread jack....kid is a frosh at a state university, wants to change from Elementary Education to Nursing. School does have a Nursing program that is run in conjunction with another local school. It appears that you could go directly to the Nursing school and not take the typical undergrad classes. Or, you take undergrad classes and nursing classes simultaneously.

So what gives with getting to the RN and above level? Is it normal to take undergrad classes via University? I would have thought it would be more along the lines of a tech school program (but more advanced and focused teaching). Will I be wasting money for my kid to be taking basic Biology and Chem courses at the University?

What am I missing here? Admittedly just starting my education on the topic, I don't want to waste the money on courses if we can avoid it.

[MagnificentUnicorn]

There are two routes, BSN(4 year degree) or RN diploma(2 year, AA). The 2 year can upgrade later. A lot of places are pushing for all BSNs now.

[wildmanwillie]

I did prereqs at a state school then transferred to an 18 month BSN program. I've worked on a busy surgical floor with med/tele overflow at a level 1 trauma hospital for about a year now. The data entry aspect is definitely a downside, I spend about 3 hours charting over the course of an average 12hr shift with 5 pts. Charting is usually the only time I sit down as I also walk around 8 miles a shift. I've hit 12 miles and 24k steps before when short on ancillary staff. I hope to advance in acuity soon because floor nursing is not for me.

[Iowagriz]

Thanks! That helps

[mrburns]

I had a bachelors degree from before (10years+). So I went through a 21 month accelerated program.
Then I graduated with the BSN, passes the NCLEX and then started looking for jobs.

Aaron is right about most places looking for the BSN. Speaking as someone who spent the last few months looking at job postings,most of what I have seen list the BSN as a minimum for new grads. Seems like in today's environment getting your ADN would be kind of selling yourself short. Without a lot of experience or connections it seems like it would be tough to get a job. Also in order to advance in your career (NP, CRNA, etc) you would need to go back for the BSN anyway.

[Idyllwild]

Get pinned and take my oath in 4 days.

[mrburns]

Get pinned and take my oath in 4 days.

Congrats!

[RustyGroomer]

Nihiles lives.

That what I thought. I figured he'd learned enough NOT to ask this place for any advice whatsoever.

[wildmanwillie]

Get pinned and take my oath in 4 days.

Congrats man. If you're looking for NCLEX study materials I thought the NCLEX mastery smartphone app was very useful. It's nice because you can take practice questions throughout the day on your phone highlighting weak areas to study more in depth later.

Also congrats on the job mrburns. The amount I've learned in just a year working is amazing and one of my favorite things about nursing.

[Binky]

Advice to any aspiring nurses or those with children aspiring to be nurses is to seek a BSN or higher. Many hospitals are progressing toward hiring only BSN level nurses. LPNs, and in some cases, two-year RNs, are being phased out. Nurses, who certainly do their fair share of computer work, are being tasked with more responsibilities, especially in budget-strung hospitals.

(husband of an Assistant CNO at a fairly busy Level 1 trauma New England hospital)

[ill-advised strategy]

decent ADN to BSN tracks exist and can save some money. I think you have to choose well. The ADN program I attended (Peninsula College in Washington) had a strong relationship with a more expensive BSN (U of WA) program, the process of getting the ADN and doing the ADN-to-BSN program results in a 4 year process and a BSN from a more expensive school for a lot less $.

[mrburns]

Congrats man. If you're looking for NCLEX study materials I thought the NCLEX mastery smartphone app was very useful. It's nice because you can take practice questions throughout the day on your phone highlighting weak areas to study more in depth later.

Also congrats on the job mrburns. The amount I've learned in just a year working is amazing and one of my favorite things about nursing.

Thanks wild man,
I used the NCLEX mastery app as well and we had the Kaplan class as part of our curriculum. I thought they were both very helpful. I thought the NCLEX was certainly more nerve racking and more difficult than I expected. Glad it's done!

Pretty exited about the job, really ready to get a few days under my belt though, The anticipation is killing me!

[Idyllwild]

Thanks for the congrats folks. Pretty excited to take a nap haha.

[gravitylover]

Nihiles!

Sorry, I have nothing to add to the thread.

[whipski]

Well you can get a 2 year licence (ADN) for $2K/semester @ a Jr College while prob double that in a 4 year program. Get your diploma go to work and get your BSN on line a lt's cheaper and make decent $$ the while.

Re-imbursement for Medicaid/Medicare/Insurance is linked to "Meaningfull Use" i.e. the hospital reports compliance with EMR (electronic medical record) Federal guidelines to maximize reimbursement. Therefore at most hospitals you'll see nurses pecking at keys instead of caring for patients.

[nihiles]

I had no idea there was so many nurses! I thought it was just dentists and lawyers here. Quite reassuring!
The nursing schedule is as awesome as I've convinced myself it is right?
Charting for 3 hours, ok nbd. Every job has a sucky element. I obviously have never done charting but it can't be that bad. Look, I'm entering data right now.

Nihiles lives.

I'm half alive but feeling mostly dead.

I just graduated with my BSN in September. Start my first job on Tuesday.

Good work.

Get pinned and take my oath in 4 days.

See above.

That what I thought. I figured he'd learned enough NOT to ask this place for any advice whatsoever.

Nihiles!

Sorry, I have nothing to add to the thread.

Hi guys. I've been estranged for a while. Had planned to make a surprise appearance at Platts trail day, Magic trail day and UllrFest but I kept getting distracted by people dying.

RUSTY: I've gotten tired of hearing cheerleaders supporting my decision/pursuit and needed to hear it from a group of people I relate to a bit more. Drink conversations with bumble chicks who just met me telling me 'you'll be a great nurse' and 'you'll do great in school' all just sound like proper etiquette bullshit. These people have no idea what I'm doing or who I am. The ABSN route is apparently really challenging and is 'the hardest thing you'll ever do' but I feel that most of these warnings are coming from kids in their mid-20s who only have undergrad to refer to as a 'hard thing to do'. Bet most of them have only had to learn to walk once in their lives. I got my wrist fused, so I've been learning to write again, again.

For those who went through the accelerated, I'd be interested in hearing what typical weeks were like. And if patho/pharma are the 'scariest things ever'. )For reference, braille driving in a white out is pretty high on my scary things scale.)

[frorider]

http://www.theatlantic.com/business/...nurses/509309/

Wear a helmet?

[cmcrawfo]

Diploma nursing is great if you have a fecal fetish...BScN or bust bro.

I have been at the RN game for almost 15 years. Its good gig, as you can work in a wide variety of fields with the same ticket. It also gives the option of shift work (a pro IMO) or the more traditional 9-5.

More significantly, shift work and a steady income afford me the ability to get in a ridiculous number of Ski and bike days.

My advice to those in school. Pick your placement experiences well. Particularly in your last year. As these are likely the areas you will find work in after graduating. Specialty tickets are also very (very) valuable. Finding an employer who is willing to support you (pay for your ticket) is well worth it.

[old goat]

Well you can get a 2 year licence (ADN) for $2K/semester @ a Jr College while prob double that in a 4 year program. Get your diploma go to work and get your BSN on line a lt's cheaper and make decent $$ the while.

Re-imbursement for Medicaid/Medicare/Insurance is linked to "Meaningfull Use" i.e. the hospital reports compliance with EMR (electronic medical record) Federal guidelines to maximize reimbursement. Therefore at most hospitals you'll see nurses pecking at keys instead of caring for patients.

The time nurses spend charting has little to do with computers and everything to do with regulations (in California there are 600 items a nurse must document for each patient, each shift) and the need to document care in the event of a bad outcome and a lawsuit. While EMR's can be overly complicated and take some time to master, if the nurses weren't doing their documentation on computers they'd be doing it on paper charts--that is if they could find the charts. A lot of the need for documentation stems from the desire to reduce medical errors and hospital-caused complications.
A bigger problem with the EMR is that at least in Epic, which is the one I'm familiar with, there is no easy way for a nurse to communicate in an easy-to-locate place things he or she is concerned about. In paper charts nurses would enter progress notes on the same pages as physician progress notes. Now the nurses' notes--if there are any notes;there may only be a lot of checked boxes that don't tell you anything-- are sequestered and easily ignored. Maybe other EMR's are different.