I'm an RN now

With little or no readers of these post I find myself writing to air my own frustrations.

On a positive note, I passed NCLEX on my first time. Can't say the same for every one of my friends.
I did the Pearson Vue trick and it worked. The "Good Pop-up" showed when I attempted to pay for a second test. I also obtained my results approx. 43 hours after taking NCLEX. I also learned you can log into the states system, and after logging in you can see your own license or you can not log in and search for you name as any person of the pubic could do.

I also will start a new RN job in shortly. The non-BSN degree didn't hurt me in that ball park but I still think it could hurt me if I had wanted to work at certain locations. I know this for a fact because those places told me or a classmate of mine. The funny thing is that my school professors can't see around their frustrations in us students asking these questions. They are so used to saying we will be okay rather than actually fixing a problem.

I still continue being frustrated with my nursing program at the school I'm attending. A friend of mine I've known for a long time prior to nursing school is a teacher in the nursing program now and I see it affecting this friend in so many negative ways. My friend had a light of joy inside but now it seems to be a distant shadow. I pray my friend's own gusto can overcome the assumed negatives around that seem to be snuffing it out.

Weather I ever write here again or not I will leave you with this parting words...

If you want to go to nursing school, first ask yourself why?
     Wanting to help people is a fine answer but will dwindle away after time. If it is a job you just love, then job feet first. Learn something new each day and do your best not just for the patient, although that is your customer and that should be enough, but because you have a standard that you expect.

Then ask yourself what nursing school?
     A BSN program should be a requirement as ADN's are putting out fine nurses but hospitals are beginning to not hire them. Don't believe everything or anything in their sales pitch. Ask questions about their NCLEX pass rates. What resources they have for struggling students who don't pass or who struggle to pass ATI, KAPLAN and/or other semester tests while going through the program. Ask to speak to a senior RN student and ask them hard questions. Did you feel supported in clinical? Do you feel comfortable doing a physical assessment on a patient or where you expected to look in the MAR (digital chart) to try to find answers for clinical paperwork rather than being taught how to do nursing skills?

Do I get an advanced RN degree?
     MSN then maybe a DNP or PhD.
     First a MSN; CNS, NP, Education, Management, Informatics...  There are a handful of masters degrees. Many of my classmates and I wanted to be NP's. Having now worked with NP's, they are not allow to do what they can in some states. They are often relinquished to urgent cares or clinics while MD's and even PA get to deal with critically ill patients. This was not what I thought NP's got to do.
     Your school may push the Ed. route. That's because we are at a great shortage for teachers. PROBABLY WHY MOST OF THE RN TEACHERS SUCK!!!

DNP or PhD?
     First off, I'd suggest making sure you get this degree and maybe even the Masters from different schools you obtained your bachelors from. You will just be more well rounded.
DNP: Bedside
PhD: Research
Your choice!  

Last Class

Took my last test today & now I'm eligible to sit for NCLEX. Waiting on an ATT date!

Last week of nursing school

Classes are complete, 3.9 overall nursing GPA and I don't feel like I've learned much or will be able to pass the NCLEX whenever I get my ATT. 

I thought I would be more excited at this point in school but I'm more frustrated with my school and the program I'm in. 

Frustraited with my school yet almost finished

I am just days away from the end of my 3rd semester of nursing school. Because it's accelerated, its like I'm a 5th semester going into the last stretch known as 6th semester in BSN circles. I'll do this last semester in the fall and then sit for boards hopefully September or October.

I titled this post frustrated so let me explain why.

As I mentioned before I'm in an accelerated program that gets me enough information to side for RN boards but makes me stick around as I get an MSN which will back up my nursing license (required by my state).  At a recent job fair I went to put on by my own program, I learned that this pre-degree RN license is not welcomed to many employers.

So frustrated!!!

What's next...

I don't write very often because I'm just too busy.  I'm approaching the end of my second semester of accelerated nursing school. Next is critical care, OB/Peds and more fun.

I look back on my semester were I have worked on a telemetry/stoke wing of a county hospital. I've also done clinical days in a mental health facility and SNIF (Certified Nursing Facility).

In the SNIF I saw a lot of pressure ulcers.
Mental health was interesting. What you may not know is that I was a police officer for many years and the "mental health" people I ran into were problem makers.

The telemetry wing of the hospital is where I spent most of my clinical time. I've seen catheters, NG tube feedings and people being rolled off to surgery yet I've done very little.

I have gotten a successful IV stick, I've tried to chart but I need lots of help. What I have going for me is that I'm a people person, so my confidence makes it look like I have things down. The truth, I'm not ready for the next phase.

The Eve of Semerster 2

I sit here on the eve of semester two just minutes away from midnight. My day tomorrow, a Friday no less, is mixed together with 2 classes not even set to meet this day, but with new building construction we are asked to "adjust and be flexible" as things come together.

For the most part the professors this semester seem to be excited about their class(es) and I hope to learn a lot. Let us see if I am singing the same song in December.  What I have come to realize though is that there is a disconnect between the teachers and the students. Not in the way you are probably thinking either. It's in the way that they think we have certain information when we don't and that we understand something when it has been previously taught to us in a manner as clear as mud.

This semester, my portion of the class will be studying Gerontology, Adult Health 1 and Psych. In total, we started with 39 in our program that was supposed to have 40 and we ended the semester with 38 (yes that means we lost 1, due to personal reasons). We were surprised our program allowed some to continue on. I say that based on the grades I know they got, but I myself may have received above average grades but I learned so very little, so maybe the low grades and my understand match and we are all in the same boat.

I'll be honest, that if it wasn't for the Fundamentals of Nursing teacher from semester 1, I would not be so jazzed about school. She was great and laid the ground work for things I will now build on.

I now will have 3 clinical days per week, which is not a big deal. I hear our undergraduate counterparts are a bunch of winy brats complaining about full day classes and expectations (hearsay).

I write you all of these feelings and experiences so that if you are going through a similar program, looking into a program or maybe in a program you think is super hard, you can relate and de-stress a tad and power on. In the end, we work as a team, so lets "get er done!"

Pre-semester hick ups

I expect to have some give and take as I sprint through my program. I however can't stand when the powers that be change our classroom meeting days 1 week before class starts and when book lists don't match teacher vs school bookstore. I wrote that somewhat confusingly because that is exactly what it is. CONFUSING!