RNs- good and bad please

[Cooky]

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[Mandychelle79]

Im currently in the nursing program at my local college. 2 yr adn. I would never suggest going into the nursing program without having most if not all of the co-requisites done. Also those who work in the medical field already seem to do better.

 

[CaliforniaDreamin]

Sorry I'm just now responding. Thank you all so much for sharing your advice and experiences. I just found out about a summer camp called Camp Med and it's a one week camp sponsored by Wake Forest Baptist Hospital and it's for high schoolers interested in medical careers. Of course it's too late for this summer, but if she still shows interest next spring, I'm going to do everything I can to get her in.

I'm worried because she is a very sensitive person. I don't want her to develop a tough exterior, but I would like her to be able to be in nursing without getting emotionally exhausted. Honestly, I was surprised when she said that is what she wants to do. And I didn't mention this previously, but our family has dealt with 2 deaths this summer. One being her grandmother, who she was very close to. So, this death may have certainly played into her decision to go into nursing (maybe she could save someone and feel control or something like that).
Another poster mentioned her missing the university experience and I agree 100%. I have always wanted both my DDs to attend 4 year schools. It's so much more than just for academics, but you learn who you are. The studying is actually almost secondary to the life experience.

I know there is some sort of program off high school campus where she can get some sort of college credit by doing some clinical things at the county hospital. Neither one of us are sure of the details, but I'm going to ask her to meet with her guidance counselor and make sure she is on the right track.
From what I read in the literature for the ADN program at the community college, it looks like she will need to take a general education test and have a MAR(S) review which seems like they are going to go over any experience she has (none at this point) and her high school classes. This is the schedule for the ADN. Does this line up with what you guys had to go thru?
Thanks!

Course Course Title Hours
Lec Lab Clinical Crd
Fall Semester
ACA 118 College Success Skills 1 2 0 2
NUR 111 Intro. to Health Concepts 4 6 6 8
ENG 111 Expository Writing 3 0 0 3
BIO 168 Anatomy & Physiology I 3 3 0 4

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

11 11 6 17
Spring Semester
NUR 112 Health-Illness Concepts 3 0 6 5
NUR 212 Health System Concepts 3 0 6 5
BIO 169 Anatomy & Physiology II 3 3 0 4
PSY 150 General Psychology 3 0 0 3

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

12 3 12 17
Summer Semester
NUR 114 Holistic Health Concepts 3 0 6 5
ENG 114 Professional Research & Reporting 3 0 0 3
PSY 241 Developmental Psychology 3 0 0 3


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

9 0 6 11
Fall Semester
NUR 113 Family Health Concepts 3 0 6 5
NUR 211 Health Care Concepts 3 0 6 5
COM 231 Public Speaking 3 0 0 3

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

9 0 12 13
Spring Semester
NUR 213 Complex Health Concepts 4 3 15 10
*Humanities/Fine Arts Elective 3 0 0 3

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

7 3 15 13
Total Credit Hours 71

*Preferred Humanities/Fine Arts Electives:
PHI 240, HUM 115, HUM 120

 

[tvguy]

My mom is a retired RN. OR nurse for 45 years, and a graduate of a 3 year program. They always referred to graduates of 2 year programs as "2 year miracles", felt they really needed another year in school because they spent at least their first year on the job learning stuff they they should have learned in school. Always felt a BSN was only necessary if you want to be a manager.
My cousin is an RN and a graduate of a 2 year program, but went back to get her BSN because she wanted to move into management. She agrees, the 2 year program isn't enough. She recomends a 3 year program for RNs who don't want to be managers, and a BSN for those on a management track.

 

[CaliforniaDreamin]

So could someone take 3 years to complete a 2 year program? I know with most all other degrees, you can take as long as you need to complete. I wouldn't care if she needed more time, we are going to support her financially regardless, as long as she is in school.

 

[CaliforniaDreamin]

I am from Greensboro and actually work at High Point Regional. I do know there is a volunteer program at HP as along with other area hospitals. I believe all of these programs start at the beginning of the summer.

I take it you live in Winston Salem? You are lucky because there are many nursing schools options in the area and highly suggest she looks into as many as she can to see what each one offers as well as the requirements to get into their program. Since it is so competitive she would have backup plans. Also most have the same requirements she would just have to apply to each one and submit transcripts. We have the clinical groups from about 3-4 of the different schools on my floor and they look like they would be an awesome school to attend.

From what I seen to get into Brenners, they hire their own. Meaning you need to be working for Baptist to get in. I highly suggest if that is the area that she wants to work at look into their volunteer program at their facility or even if they offer a "shadow" program, where she can go and observe a nurse for a day or two. This way she can ask what she needs to do to get a job there.

I agree with the PP about become a NA. Most nursing school if not all require you be a NA before you apply. I was a NA but didn't work as one before nursing school and I know I struggle the first two semester of clinicals because I was not familiar with the hospital setting and giving baths in a timely fashion. However the ones that had worked as a NA flew by with flying colors.

Let me know if you have any more questions, I will be glad to help you in any way.

I do have a couple of questions, so thanks! We don't live in Winston, but we are only about 40 min away. She was born in our town and had to be transported to Brenners when she was born.

Ok, with the NA or CNA, is this something she should try to do before entering the ADN program or is it something she could do simulataniously?

I've always heard the Anatomy class is the most difficult...that makes a lot of sense. Anything else in high school she can take? It's a small school and she is going to take Biology this year and Chemistry her Junior year. I am a bad mom because I can't remember what math she just completed. I think Geometry. Should is almost done with meeting her math requirements for 4 year college. But should she take more math as an elective? Is this something that would benefit her? Or if there is a Chem 2 or something like that, would that be better?
Her GPA is 3.5 and I don't want her to drop any points, so I don't want her to overload and burn out before she gets to college or she may change her mind about going.

 

[minkydog]

I"ve been an RN for 34 years, mostly pediatrics. I got my ASN (2yr) first, then later acquired a BS in another field. Nursing has been both good and bad for me. Nursing has allowed me to be independent in my profession. I can make enough money to support my family, if need be. But nursing has also been hard on me physically.My back & feet are ruined. I have sleep disorders from working nights. Nursing is a very hard job, but is very flexible which is one reason that I went into it. I can work different shifts, different departments. I can be a bedside nurse in a hospital or I can work from an office where I never touch a patient.

I know that the colleges around here only accept 30 to 40 into the ADN a year. But she is a good student and I know she will do well in the placement test.

Tell your daughter to keep her GPA as high as is possible. And go heavy on the maths and sciences. Most nursing schools have prerequisites that must be completed before they even look at your application. Admission to the college does not guarantee admission to the school of nursing. And it is veeeeeryy competitive.

Dissecting a pig may be a problem, but it's better than a human cadaver.

Dissection is a very, very small part of nursing school. Tell her she can put some Vicks Vaporub under her nose and get on with it. I only had it bother me one time.My A&P teacher issued me a dead cat that looked just like my beloved orange tabby who had run away. Now, I know it was not *my* cat, but it upset me greatly. That was the only time I ever threw up in nursing school


A couple more questions. Do you regret getting into the field? Also, say someone wanted to specialize in a certain field, like pediatrics or labor and delivery....is that extra schooling or on the job training? I have no clue!

As with any career, there are times when it's good and times when you'd just rather not. Most nurses do end up specializing in something. I knew coming out of school that I wanted to be in Labor & Delivery. However, after working there 2 years I realized that I really like working with mothers & babies post-partum better.From there I was able to get into NICU, where I stayed for over 10 years.

I'm a CNA (nurse's aide), not a nurse, but I'd recommend that your daughter look into becoming an aide or something first. I was looking into nursing school and then became a CNA and then changed my mind about nursing. I've decided to go back into hospitality and go back to school in January. That's just my decision, though. Everyone's different, obviously It's just not for me.

I think you are very wise, Firefly. I was going to suggest the same thing. I was a CNA before I was a nurse, too. It gave me a chance to see how nursing worked and I got to try it on for size. In my case, it was a great fit. But it still would have been a good idea, even if I didn't want to be a nurse. THere is great value in knowing what you DON'T want to be.

Right now it is extremely difficult in my area for a new grad RN to get a job period, I am applying out of state and relocating. I know it is a regional thing and fluctuates from year to year. Most new grads these days start with "whatever job they can get" and then aftr a year or two transition into the specialty they want. It is usually on the job training. In some areas of the country, new grads are able to jump right into a specialty field. The nurses I work with tell me I need the skills of a Med Surg floor before transition into a specialty to make me a better nurse, but to each his own. There is no one path! Many new grads go right into a specialty and do well.

I think this is true all over the country. Nursing schools are churning out BSNs left and right, but hospitals aren't hiring.They want experienced nurses--it costs about $50,000 to train a new grad for their hospital, about half that for an experienced nurse. And the experienced nurse will up up on her feet in a matter of weeks, not months. Many nurses graduate and pass their exams, but can't find a job in the field. Most of them will take just about anything but pole-dancing, just to have a job. The more flexible you can be, the more likely you are to find a job. Even so, many new grads are finding that they must move to other states to find a job.

The matter of which degree to get will never be settled. They've been threatening to go all BSN ever since I graduated in 1977. FRankly, I prefer to work with new ASNs because they come out of school with a lot more at-the-bedside training than the BSNs do. The ASNs seem to not be so shocked about the job as their fellow BSNs. In my experience, a lot of BSN grads have much less experience at the bedside, maybe working at the hospital one day per week, with one or two patients. They get hired and WHOA! they have to take 5 patients! OMG! While their ASN-trained collegues have been going into their hospitals 3 days a week for months. Not so say that ASNs are better nurses than BSNs. But ASNs often feel less panicked because they have so much more time working at the bedside.

On the other hand, if your DD is thinking about going further than the bedside, such as management, nurse practitioner,clinical specialist in her field, she will HAVE to have a BSN. And possibly a Masters and a PhD. So if that's the direction she thinks she's heading, it would probably be better for her to just bite the 4yr bullet.

Best of luck to your daughter. Nursing has been a good field for me, for hte most part. I left the bedside 15 years ago and never looked back. I'm a school nurse now and I love it! But I would never, ever go back to working in the hospital.

 

[CaliforniaDreamin]

Ok, it sounds like everyone is overwhelming in favor of starting out as a CNA. So how long? A year? Does being a CNA count as any credit towards the ADN? Is that a dumb question? I will talk to her about this. Financially, it makes really good sense to get her feet wet, rather than drop out or stay in and be miserable.

Thank you everyone! Sometimes I love the Dis

 

[neodisneyfan]

I am not an RN but I am a respiratory therapist and I work along side RN's everyday. First it varies by state but an RN is a 2 yr or 4 yr degree. In Ohio the pay is the same for both (except LPN that is one yr) If you want to advance in management than a BSN and MSN are required. The pay is very good and body fluids are relative. When I started school I was very squemish about many things and now 17yrs later I am used to it all. Dont let that hold her back the more you are around it the easier it is. I have 2 children and working 12 hr shifts has made being there for my kids much easier than if I worked M-F. Also there is usually always a need for healthcare professionals even in a recession. I will encourage both of my children to enter the health care profession for job security and good pay.

 

[npmommie]

Op, working as a cna will not count towards her RN degree. but it will help her a lot when she gets to that first nursing clinical.
she can do cna work before and during nursing school.
there are so many pros and cons to nursing, but I believe the pros certainly outweigh any cons.
there are so many areas to work in, and there will always be a nursing job somewhere.
I would push toward the BSN, only because you will find in many areas, hospitals prefer it, I know around here they do.
and if she ever wanted to further her education she will need it, also some jobs will require it, not only managerial.
good luck to her,
maybe she can start with doing some volunteer work at a local hospital, then she can see the nurses in action first hand.

 

[minkydog]

Ok, it sounds like everyone is overwhelming in favor of starting out as a CNA. So how long? A year? Does being a CNA count as any credit towards the ADN? Is that a dumb question? I will talk to her about this. Financially, it makes really good sense to get her feet wet, rather than drop out or stay in and be miserable.

Thank you everyone! Sometimes I love the Dis

No, none of the CNA program will transfer to the ASN or BSN program. The reason I suggest being a CNA first is so that you get an opportunity to "try it on" before you invest $70,000 into an education that you may find out you don't want after all. I cannot tell you how many new grads come out of school and are totally shell-shocked when they arrive on the hospital floor. It is not AT ALL unusual for these nurses to quit within the first year. I used the think, how could they get all the way through 4 years of nursing school and NOT KNOW what being a nurse is like? But I understand better now--nursing schools don't do a great job of preparing nurses for actually WORKING.

When I graduated nursing school, it was a bit different. In my ASN program we were taking 3 patients, 4 days a week. By our last semester, we were running parts of our hospital floor ourselves. So when we graduated and took our first jobs, we were pretty much ready to work without a long, protracted orientation. Because we had BEEN working for at least a year already. Today, nursing students simply don't get that kind of training in school. Today's RNs come out of school with a lot of nursing theory, nursing philosophy, and other esoterical stuff in their heads, but they struggle with the daily routine because they just haven't been exposed to it as much.

 

[npmommie]

No, none of the CNA program will transfer to the ASN or BSN program. The reason I suggest being a CNA first is so that you get an opportunity to "try it on" before you invest $70,000 into an education that you may find out you don't want after all. I cannot tell you how many new grads come out of school and are totally shell-shocked when they arrive on the hospital floor. It is not AT ALL unusual for these nurses to quit within the first year. I used the think, how could they get all the way through 4 years of nursing school and NOT KNOW what being a nurse is like? But I understand better now--nursing schools don't do a great job of preparing nurses for actually WORKING.

When I graduated nursing school, it was a bit different. In my ASN program we were taking 3 patients, 4 days a week. By our last semester, we were running parts of our hospital floor ourselves. So when we graduated and took our first jobs, we were pretty much ready to work without a long, protracted orientation. Because we had BEEN working for at least a year already. Today, nursing students simply don't get that kind of training in school. Today's RNs come out of school with a lot of nursing theory, nursing philosophy, and other esoterical stuff in their heads, but they struggle with the daily routine because they just haven't been exposed to it as much.

exactly, you have 1 patient, you have time to do EVERYTHING for them, time to write up your fancy dancy care plan,
then you graduate and get to med/surg and have 6, 7 8 patients, and you don't even have time to go potty in your 8 hour shift ..........LOL

 

[kchughes]

hi i am an RN with 15 years experience in a variety of settings. I would recommend a job shadowing or HOSA classes while in HS if possible. if your daughter is still interested, and it is an option financially, i wouyld recommend a BSN now as opposed to an ADN. I have an ADN and everyone in my classes was going to work for a few years and then go back to get their BSN, I think 2 people have. It just opens a lot of doors that are much harder to accomplish when you only have a 2 year degree. Here is my list of Pros and Cons:
Pros:
Flexibility, respect, helping people, financial independence

Cons:
Bad hours as a new graduate (nights, weekends, holidays. you will work Christmas), sometimes you come home stinky, nursing school is HARD and you must do it their way.

Having said all of that, I love what I do and I am currently in a position where I make a good salary with great benefits and no nights, weekends, holidays or call. It took 13 years to get into this position, but I had no family when i started, so the off hours did not matter so much. now that i have a child, i am glad to be home everynight and holiday.

Hope this helps. We would love to have her in our "club'

 

[intheworks]

Tell her to check out allnurses.com-she can lurk there and get some good info.

 

[DisneyFirefly]

Ok, it sounds like everyone is overwhelming in favor of starting out as a CNA. So how long? A year? Does being a CNA count as any credit towards the ADN? Is that a dumb question? I will talk to her about this. Financially, it makes really good sense to get her feet wet, rather than drop out or stay in and be miserable.

Thank you everyone! Sometimes I love the Dis

One other thing to keep in mind about becoming a CNA first is that SOME (not all, but some) programs actually require their nursing students to have CNA certification before they'll be accepted into the program. There's a school near my ex-boyfriend's house that I was looking into that had that requirement, but the school I'll be going to come January (and my coworker, who IS trying for nursing, also attends that school) doesn't have that requirement, but will use certification as a tiebreaker between two otherwise qualified applicants. If one's a CNA and the other isn't (and also isn't an EMT), the CNA will be accepted first. So I would definitely look into her school's policies toward certification. It's not "credit" (honestly, the only really medical thing I know how to do is vitals, everything else is ADLs), so you don't get anything toward your courses, but some schools require it and others don't, while others may use certification as a tiebreaker, like mine does.

ETA: Also, some CNA programs are longer than others. Mine was eight weeks through my old employer, but one of the ladies I work with went to a six-month program at a community college. Mine was also free (condition of employment), whereas hers was well over $1500. Another thing to look into.

 

[Avojeo]

I do have a couple of questions, so thanks! We don't live in Winston, but we are only about 40 min away. She was born in our town and had to be transported to Brenners when she was born.

Ok, with the NA or CNA, is this something she should try to do before entering the ADN program or is it something she could do simulataniously?

This is required for her to have before she can even apply to any ADN program. It takes about 16 weeks with a test that she has to pass before she becomes a NA. In high school there is a program she can take her last two years and will become a NA. Check with the guidance counselor and they can give you more info about it.

I've always heard the Anatomy class is the most difficult...that makes a lot of sense. Anything else in high school she can take? It's a small school and she is going to take Biology this year and Chemistry her Junior year. I am a bad mom because I can't remember what math she just completed. I think Geometry. Should is almost done with meeting her math requirements for 4 year college. But should she take more math as an elective? Is this something that would benefit her? Or if there is a Chem 2 or something like that, would that be better?
Her GPA is 3.5 and I don't want her to drop any points, so I don't want her to overload and burn out before she gets to college or she may change her mind about going.

What she is signed up for will be very helpful however if the high school offers a separate Anatomy class, I would advise to take it as well. Anatomy is very tough as well as Chemistry. If she does have a Microbiology class offered at her school that would be helpful as well. I do highly recommend her to talking to her guidance counselor and letting her guide her in all the electives she should take that way she takes what she needs but doesn't overload her!

 

[ReneeA]

I just finished up my ADN last year and work on an ICU stepdown unit. I graduated at 36, and this was my second degree.

The community college I went to has a better reputation than most of the BSN programs due to the method of instruction and the choices of clinical sites. They train us to be bedside hospital nurses, and most of the BSN programs spent time with community based nursing (like home healthcare, clinics, etc.). We only had hospital clinicals with lots of opportunities to experience specialties (I spent a semester shadowing in the ICU). Like others have stated earlier - it's longer than the traditional 2 year degree because you spend a year on prerequisites. We also only spent about 1 lecture on nursing theory, and otherwise dove right in head first. It would be wonderful for your DD to get a job in the hospital so she can get an idea of what exactly nurses do, because so many don't truly know what the job entails until it's too late.

When I graduated, I beat out 20+ others for my job...most of them had their BSN. The hospital I work for pays the exact same starting wage for ADN and BSN. They also have tuition forgiveness (all my loans were paid off within my first month on the job) and tuition reimbursement (so my classes toward BSN are paid for). The pay is really good, my benefits are good, and I love only working 3 nights a week and having 4 off with my family. I work in a place with high turnover (most training to go onto the SICU or OR) so I'll be on days within the year of getting my degree.

I adore my job. Yes, there is lots and lots of body fluids to deal with on my unit - everyone is on a ventilator with tracheostomies with tube feeding. You are looking at cleaning up 5-10 loose stools a night on average, and with tracheostomies - lots and lots of sputum to deal with. The wonderful thing is that you get close to families and patients and really care for them. I feel like I make a difference everyday that I go to work.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

CD, I would encourage your daughter, since she'll be right out of high school, to go directly for her BSN. When it's done, it's done, and if she doesn't care to, she'll never have to set foot in a college again, yet many, many jobs will still be open to her (there's a little known fact that if you do want to go into management, you don't always have to have a master's in hand, you can be matriculated in a program to get the job if that's what you want to do). Once she's working, she's not going to want to go back to school. With BSN in hand, she will be very well prepared for ANY entry level job she takes (yes, in direct disagreement with some of what's been said about BSNs on this thread - not my experience at all w/ a quarter century of training nurses on the job).

 

[MrsPete]

I have always wanted my DDs to go to a 4 year college. My dd 15, is starting to look into a 2 year RN program at the local community college. This, of course, has thrilled me to no end. If this is her decision, I will NEVER nudge her in the direction of a 4 year college. I think its a wonderful profession, job security and very good money.

Don't think 2-year or 4-year college . . . think about the degree she's going to have when she's done. If she attends a 2-year community college, she'll come out with an AS in Nursing (Associate of Science in Nursing). This will allow her to take the state RN exam, and -- assuming she passes -- she'll be an RN. If she attends a 4-year university, she'll come out with a BS in Nursing (Bachelor of Science in Nursing, a degree that is considered much better than an AS). Again, she'll have to take the state exam to become an RN.

Either degree will lead her towards an RN, which is an excellent field. The pay is decent, the work is available anywhere, and they can't ship the job overseas. My daughter, who is working toward the same thing, says that her teacher says that realistically their first jobs will likely be in nursing homes. Those are the jobs that fewer people want, and they're the jobs that pay less. She also says that almost all nursing students start with the same dream: They want to work in Delivery with newborn babies. In nursing school they'll be forced to work in every section (geriatrics, cancer, surgery, etc.) so they'll be well-rounded, and some of the students will realize that they really like one of these other areas. This is good because everyone can't work with the sweet little babies.

Back to the two different degrees: Regardless of which degree she chooses, she'll get work as a nurse. But if she has the 4-year degree, the BS RN, she'll be more employable. She'll be more likely to get the better shifts, to become a shift superviser, etc. more quickly.

However, if she's dead-set on an AS and finishing in two years, she can always do that NOW and then complete the BS later. I know a couple people who've done that, and it's not a bad path (though I'm glad my own daughter is sure she's heading straight for the 4-year degree -- it's just easier to get it all out of the way while you're already in the habit of being a student).

So could someone take 3 years to complete a 2 year program? I know with most all other degrees, you can take as long as you need to complete. I wouldn't care if she needed more time, we are going to support her financially regardless, as long as she is in school.

This is a question my high schoolers ask all the time. Going to college for 2 years or 4 years does not = a degree. Completing all the required courses = a degree. Some people (perhaps those who are working full time or who have children) will require 3 years to complete what's laid out as a 2-year program of study, or 5 years to complete what's laid out as a 4-year program of study.

Many of you have suggested some exposure to the nursing world. I wholeheartedly agree. I had a dear friend in college who was WONDERFUL in her first two years of nursing classes (biology, chemistry, labs) and was quickly and easily admitted in the the nursing program her junior year . . . but from the moment she set foot in a hospital as a student nurse, she HATED it. She despised everything about the hospital and came home crying every single day. Despite ability, parental support, and no financial problems, she ended up dropping out of college. How much better off she would've been if she'd had some exposure at an earlier age!

My own daughter is involved in a wonderful program at her high school. She's already finished two "this is the medical field" classes, and when she's a senior she'll go to the hospital two periods a day. She'll earn a CNA license while she's in high school. This isn't a pre-req for an RN, but it'll give her real-world experience, which'll help her KNOW that this is the field she wants. It'll also allow her to work in a low-level nursing job while she's working towards an RN degree.

I'm pushing my other daughter (who'll be 14 next year) to volunteer at the hospital next summer (they don't say candy striper anymore, but that's what it is). I'm hoping it'll catch her interest too.

 

[Judy from Boise]

great post, I was going to clarify the same thing....you can't get an RN degree, as it is a license.
I believe that the reference to a "3 year program" was describing a hospital based diploma program. These are very hard to find anymore. I am a proud graduate of one of the best LA County/USC Medical center school of nursing. I am a big advocate for the BSN.