mizbear
Senior Member
Stand back. I have a budget, and I know how to use it.
Joined: Jan 2, 2011 13:12:46 GMT -5
Posts: 3,958
|
Post by mizbear on Sept 29, 2011 17:51:15 GMT -5
HUGS newmummy. I firmly believe you can do anything.
|
|
Frugal Nurse
Familiar Member
Joined: Jan 3, 2011 18:19:55 GMT -5
Posts: 988
|
Post by Frugal Nurse on Sept 30, 2011 8:01:38 GMT -5
I'm just going to go out on a limb here, but you went through one of those CNA schools that churn out CNAs in 10 days, charge like $700, and don't teach you much, right? I know the CNAs that come from the places like that around here come out not knowing much about taking care of patients, and many don't pass the state board exam (which baffles me- I took that exam while I was in nursing school. The questions are along the lines of "If patient Jones calls me a bad name, it is ok to slap him. True or False").
Anyhow, if being a CNA is something you truly want to do, then I would recommend going through your local community college. You sound low-income, and can likely get financial aid to pay for it. Better yet, get a job at the hospital (in housekeeping, food services, as a clerical assistant, transporter, anything), and then have the hospital pay for your CNA course (many hospitals offer tuition reimbursement).
I would also re-evaluate how much you are contributing your opinions, personal anecdotes, off the wall questions during lecture time. There is always a person like that in every class, who wants to tell about how their uncle's cousin's ex-boyfriend's dead grampa had condition X and he presented differently than the book says. Nobody in the class cares about that. They are there to get through the class and pass the state test, that's it. Save your anecdotes and questions for after lecture, when you can approach the teacher on your own time. Sorry if that is harsh, but it will be that way in nursing school too, so consider this a heads up.
Best of luck to you!
|
|
showtime
Junior Member
Joined: Jan 6, 2011 12:28:29 GMT -5
Posts: 125
|
Post by showtime on Sept 30, 2011 9:48:23 GMT -5
Frugalnurse
Do you have to take the classes in order to take the board exam or can you self study?
10 days...if it takes 10 days to complete the classes...then CNA's sound more like a cram session to prepare for the board exam.
-showtime
|
|
mizbear
Senior Member
Stand back. I have a budget, and I know how to use it.
Joined: Jan 2, 2011 13:12:46 GMT -5
Posts: 3,958
|
Post by mizbear on Sept 30, 2011 10:46:48 GMT -5
showtime- Unfortunately- some states still allow minimum hour, minimum requirement courses for some support positions. I do not believe that everyone should have to have a college degree, but yes, some places allow it. Here the CNA course is 6 months.
That said, whereas I have the utmost respect for nurses (I have 2 aunts- 1 semi-retired, 1 retired from the profession)- the support positions tend to be the ones that get- pardon the term- crapped on. Around here they get paid less than most fast food employees and get less respect.
|
|
Clever Username
Well-Known Member
Joined: Jan 27, 2011 14:15:59 GMT -5
Posts: 1,313
|
Post by Clever Username on Sept 30, 2011 10:53:09 GMT -5
Mummy. I think you're too emotional to actually answer this question. So, maybe offload it to a true friend. Someone willing to make a hard decision and even give you bad news if that's the correct answer. Here are the questions: 1. Shoud I have shut up? You've already shown in this thread that you're willing to overblow a situation. I'm not sure where the line was crossed, but when you equated getting called out on your trouble coping with Apartheid...... 2. Should you pursue this career? Nurses deal with death & dying. They deal with it on a different plane than mothers. Successful nurses acknowledge their sexy little nurses hat when they deal with the nurse version of death no matter their other experience. Did I see that you want to go into hospice work? 3. Were they right to force you to restart the program? Really, one person told you to shut up. You're not over that by now why?
|
|
mizbear
Senior Member
Stand back. I have a budget, and I know how to use it.
Joined: Jan 2, 2011 13:12:46 GMT -5
Posts: 3,958
|
Post by mizbear on Sept 30, 2011 11:04:09 GMT -5
clever- I think the whole thing about the Crusades and whatnot was because they are saying it has to be specifically a Church based grief counseling program. Not everyone is affiliated with a church or has Christian beliefs. I personally find that a little hinky.
|
|
NomoreDramaQ1015
Community Leader
Joined: Dec 20, 2010 14:26:32 GMT -5
Posts: 47,320
|
Post by NomoreDramaQ1015 on Sept 30, 2011 11:08:07 GMT -5
I still think she should request to see the complaint, she has the right to. She also has the right to contest it if she feels it was out of line, doesn't mean she will win, but she has the right. She also has the right to petition the request to drop the course/failing.
This does require a pretty thick skin though because you might not like what you read. I got a disciplinary notice at work once and it really upset me at the time, but it benefited me because it gave me food for thought when it came to getting another job.
I sure wouldn't after investing so much time and expense just roll over and take it. While the decision may be upheld at least I know I exercised my rights.
|
|
Frugal Nurse
Familiar Member
Joined: Jan 3, 2011 18:19:55 GMT -5
Posts: 988
|
Post by Frugal Nurse on Sept 30, 2011 11:41:18 GMT -5
Frugalnurse Do you have to take the classes in order to take the board exam or can you self study? 10 days...if it takes 10 days to complete the classes...then CNA's sound more like a cram session to prepare for the board exam. -showtime I don't know about other states, because CNA licensing is maintained by each state's board of nursing, but here in Kentucky it is a 75-hour course that must include 16 hours of clinicals. I really don't think CNAs need more training than that, at least in my state. I worked as a CNA while in nursing school. The job is physically demanding, but doesn't require much thought. I mean, you make beds, you clean bottoms, check vital signs. They aren't allowed to administer meds or do anything sterile. They do have to know CPR and how to tell if a patient is unresponsive. My issue with the schools that market towards CNAs is that they don't even teach that stuff very well. They basically just take the money, don't prepare the students for the board exam, and then most of the class fails (I had a few friends that went that route). Community college programs offer the CNA class because it is required for the nursing program, and they want their students to know the material so that they don't have to re-teach it during the first semester of nursing school.
|
|
Frugal Nurse
Familiar Member
Joined: Jan 3, 2011 18:19:55 GMT -5
Posts: 988
|
Post by Frugal Nurse on Sept 30, 2011 11:42:33 GMT -5
That's amazing that you are having this much hassle. EVERYONE needs CNA's because no one wants to do the work for the pay. Meh. Depends on the facility. My hospital pays 10-15/hours for CNAs, and in most areas of the hospital, their jobs are not that hard. Nursing homes however are notorious for large patient loads and low pay.
|
|
showtime
Junior Member
Joined: Jan 6, 2011 12:28:29 GMT -5
Posts: 125
|
Post by showtime on Sept 30, 2011 12:26:31 GMT -5
showtime- Unfortunately- some states still allow minimum hour, minimum requirement courses for some support positions. I do not believe that everyone should have to have a college degree, but yes, some places allow it. Here the CNA course is 6 months. That said, whereas I have the utmost respect for nurses (I have 2 aunts- 1 semi-retired, 1 retired from the profession)- the support positions tend to be the ones that get- pardon the term- crapped on. Around here they get paid less than most fast food employees and get less respect. Mizbear, What are "support positions"?? And what are the pay scale like? I remember reading an article that RN's and traveling nurses were paid very handsomely. But, then I read that you're paid less than fast food employees? Also, do nurses (like doctors) specialize in a particular medical field? Would an ER nurse make more than an ICU nurse? or vice versa? Sorry for all these questions, you just got me curious. I, for one....love nurses...especially their nice pretty outfits...and And then...they stick you with a needle and become ugly and mean!!! -showtime
|
|
Agatha
Familiar Member
Yes, I guess I'm a rather sedate dragon. Fire-breathing only at request or when absolutely necessary
Joined: Dec 20, 2010 22:21:21 GMT -5
Posts: 644
|
Post by Agatha on Sept 30, 2011 13:28:21 GMT -5
"Also, do nurses (like doctors) specialize in a particular medical field? Would an ER nurse make more than an ICU nurse? or vice versa?"
Showtime, I'm sure frugalnurse will answer your questions but I couldn't help answering this one. Simple answer: yes. But it isn't in the same way a doctor specializes. No additional formal schooling as such. Most nurses specialize simply through experience. For example, surgery (OR), orthopedics, case management, neuro-science (neurosurgery and neurology), renal, psychiatry, are just a few of the "fields". Work long enough and you can qualify for certification. Of course, you have to take the exam for the field and maintain your certification with a required number of CEU (continuing education units). Sometimes the certification is mandatory for a job; sometimes it is not.
There are some which require actual class room or course work like wound care and ICU. ICU can also require an "internship" of up to one year, depending on the hospital that requires it.
Now does an ER/ICU nurse make more? It depends on the hospital they work for. Some do pay more; some don't. But from what I've seen in the field so far the three nursing "specialities" in the highest demand are ICU, ER, and OR. As in any job, I suppose, high demand should yield higher salary. I've worked for hospitals which did and hospitals that didn't but that applied only to ICU nurses.
|
|
turbothumper
Junior Member
Joined: Dec 23, 2010 10:19:44 GMT -5
Posts: 241
|
Post by turbothumper on Sept 30, 2011 14:12:53 GMT -5
newmummy: *HUGS* and good luck with whatever path your future takes you down. You could be the most together person in the world, who cracks under no pressure, but when you are going through a tremendous amount of grief, it changes how you process things and how you react. That being said, it has been my experience that some of those changes don't go away. Maybe before you went through the tragedies you have endured, you would have made an excellent nurse. Maybe after some more counseling, you still would. But maybe, because of who you are now, you would make a better _______. I think you have made a smart choice to take a step back at the current point in time. And then, give yourself permission to be a little different than "before". When you know for sure who you are again and what you can handle, fill in the blank. Again, *hugs*.
|
|
mizbear
Senior Member
Stand back. I have a budget, and I know how to use it.
Joined: Jan 2, 2011 13:12:46 GMT -5
Posts: 3,958
|
Post by mizbear on Sept 30, 2011 15:39:33 GMT -5
showtime- I don't feel that you truly take the profession seriously to be honest given your decisively chauvinistic comments. However, since you don't understand, I will explain:
Support positions are all of those "little people" that make a nurse's job easier to do every day. The ones that in the first 2 weeks of my LPN class we were told you don't disrespect because at the time they were making as little as $3.75/hour (minimum wage back then) to clean up after patients and sometimes staff. Yes, your phlebotomists, ultrasound techs, radiology techs, etc- they will make a bit more- but CNAs, GNAs, housekeeping in most cases, dietary- they are at the bottom of the pay scale.
Nurses and nursing assistants do specialize. The GNA certification is for those who specialize in geriatrics. Trauma nurses make very good money and are in high demand- there also was a hgh burn out rate. Nursing itself is a high burnout profession- but when you get into trauma, hospice, and other specialties- it really takes a toll. Especially now that there is a shortage. And new requirements have driven some good nurses and support personnel out of the field. Medication aides for instance are a novelty. These people specialized in delivering medications to the right patients on time in the proper dosing. They could also deliver PRN meds under the instructions of a higher certified party- such as the charge nurse, RNP, PA, or Dr. Very few exist now. That position freed nurses up for other duties that they are needed for. Same with CNAs. CNAs here can't even take vitals. They give baths and clean up crappy butts. You have to have a different title to take vitals. And I also feel sorry for LPNs- unless you work in a really old school hospital that values its nursing staff- LPNs are the redheaded step children of nursing.
Sorry if you didn't mean to offend- but my aunts took/ take their nursing careers very seriously. And I value all of the nurses in my area very highly. Especially the ones who saved my life 20 years ago.
|
|
Frugal Nurse
Familiar Member
Joined: Jan 3, 2011 18:19:55 GMT -5
Posts: 988
|
Post by Frugal Nurse on Sept 30, 2011 15:46:24 GMT -5
showtime- Unfortunately- some states still allow minimum hour, minimum requirement courses for some support positions. I do not believe that everyone should have to have a college degree, but yes, some places allow it. Here the CNA course is 6 months. That said, whereas I have the utmost respect for nurses (I have 2 aunts- 1 semi-retired, 1 retired from the profession)- the support positions tend to be the ones that get- pardon the term- crapped on. Around here they get paid less than most fast food employees and get less respect. Mizbear, What are "support positions"?? And what are the pay scale like? I remember reading an article that RN's and traveling nurses were paid very handsomely. But, then I read that you're paid less than fast food employees? Also, do nurses (like doctors) specialize in a particular medical field? Would an ER nurse make more than an ICU nurse? or vice versa? Sorry for all these questions, you just got me curious. I, for one....love nurses...especially their nice pretty outfits...and And then...they stick you with a needle and become ugly and mean!!! -showtime I think you are getting confused between nurses and CNAs, they are not the same thing. A nurse holds a college degree, has passed a nurse licensing exam, and generally hold several certifications. Starting base pay for nurses around here is around $22/hr, plus shift differentials, which bring it up to $26-$35/hr, depending on experience. A CNA has completed a CNA certification course, which is generally pretty short. CNAs are not licensed to do sterile procedures, gives shots, administer meds, etc. They do vital signs, take weights, answer call lights, give baths, etc. They are paid OK, but it isn't enough to support a family on. To answer a few other questions, I am an ICU nurse. I do not get more money for being ICU specifically, but I do get more money for holding extra certifications that a floor nurse may not have. I have not "specialized" yet, but I supposed some nurses do. I only plan on being at my current job for a couple more years, then being a travel nurse. Travel nurses do generally make great money, but they are constantly moving and being the "new" nurse, since contracts are generally 13 weeks. Also, all the other nurses at the hospital are spiteful towards travel and agency nurses, because they get paid twice as much for the same work. I could "specialize" through several different nursing accreditation councils, but I choose not to, because it isn't necessary. Then of course, an RN can always go to graduate school to become a Nurse Practitioner, which is essentially a physician. I think Nurse Practitioners do have to go for a specialty.
|
|
showtime
Junior Member
Joined: Jan 6, 2011 12:28:29 GMT -5
Posts: 125
|
Post by showtime on Sept 30, 2011 15:59:26 GMT -5
MY goodness...
The old saying, a joke will always offend someone.
You actually couldn't see the humor involved with my comments, but could see them being chauvinistic? Did I use the wrong "emoticons"?? Of course I didn't mean to offend....if I meant to offend, I wouldn't ask the questions because it would be a waste of my time to do so.
Seriously though, people need to lighten up...and not take everything so offensively.
However, if many of you feel I went over the line...please let me know. In the meantime....since I didn't offend...I accept your apology!!! ;D (See, this was meant to be a joke too!)
-Showtime
|
|
midjd
Administrator
Your Money Admin
Joined: Dec 18, 2010 14:09:23 GMT -5
Posts: 17,719
|
Post by midjd on Sept 30, 2011 19:36:57 GMT -5
Frugalnurse, Miz, and Agathas - thank you for the education! My aunt is an RN, DH's sis is an obstetrics nurse, and my younger sister is in her junior year of college (hopeful pediatric nurse) but I didn't have a clue about the differences between RN/LPN/CNA or the different specialties, or the pay scale. Now I can sound like I kinda know what I'm talking about at the next family gathering Newmummy - I will say that my aunt, SIL, and sister all have very similar personalities - caring, but also very matter-of-fact and brisk. It takes quite a bit to rattle them. So if you are someone who easily loses your composure - no judgment here, when faced with death or bodily fluids, I do too - it may not be the best career path. Doesn't mean there aren't another 1,001 things you can do Showtime, you didn't offend me, but it takes quite a bit
|
|
mizbear
Senior Member
Stand back. I have a budget, and I know how to use it.
Joined: Jan 2, 2011 13:12:46 GMT -5
Posts: 3,958
|
Post by mizbear on Sept 30, 2011 21:42:34 GMT -5
I take offense to the sexy nurse comments because of the disrespect professional women- such as nurses- were shown in my father's family. We are talking about men who didn't mind that I had the chops to enter the high school LPN program (I could get a good paying job and support them- I wanted to work in pediatric trauma) but thought that a short candy striper or nurse's whites outfit with thigh highs was great for Halloween or in the bedroom. Pigs. Otherwise- I don't usually offend easily when it comes to that. So if it was meant to be a joke- I'm sorry.
I will mention this- where I live in particular- it is difficult to keep any type of staff below the RN level. My cousin works in housekeeping at the local hospital and has been there for as long as I can remember (I'm 35). She makes better money than the CNAs, GNAs and some of the LPNs (few that they hire- they are just now starting to hire LPNs again). That's how bad the pay scale is. I have a friend who is a CNA- when she worked at the nursing home and I was working fast food- I was making $3/hr more than she was to stand in one spot and hand orders out the drive through. SHe is making better money now at the hospital- but instead of having full time work- she is PRN. More pay- screwier hours. I personally think the whole thing sucks.
ANd just in case anyone questions why I didn't finish nursing school- my parents divorced halfway through ninth grade. My nursing instructor was willing to let me stay with the program but the school systems wouldn't work it out. By the time I had the money to go as an adult, the director of the nursing program told me not to try because they require perfect attendance for certain sections and that is impossible with my doctor's appts. She didn't want to set me up to fail. She gave me a list of other options to check in the medical field that didn't have the attendance requirement or could be bent around my doctor's visits.
|
|
whoami
Well-Known Member
Joined: Jan 8, 2011 12:43:49 GMT -5
Posts: 1,292
|
Post by whoami on Oct 1, 2011 0:16:29 GMT -5
I took the CNA course in high school around 1983 or so (which was several months long and had many hours of clinicals) and worked a short stint while in high school at a nursing home and again for about 2 years when I was in my 20s. It was the reason I decided to get my college degree. There was no way I was doing that type of work for the rest of my life. I don't remember the course or the state certification exam being particularly difficult, but the clinicals were a bit shocking for a 16 year old girl.
IME, its a crap job. The pay stunk and we were subjected to all sorts of abuse by the patients and sometimes their families. We were always short. I'd been screamed at, spit on, physically attacked, groped, heard filthy degrading sexual comments...the list went on and on. I personally dealt with several deaths and had to prepare them to be picked up by the funeral home people. We had a few young people there, one man who had a brain tumor and an impossible family who was always at odds with the wife. They made our lives miserable while he was there. I was there the night he died and his young sons were out in the hall crying. We had a young woman who was born with horrible deformities.....she scared the *&^% out of me the first time I saw her.....we had a patient choke to death in front of us on phlegm......even with the nurse trying to suction him out.
I haven't even touched on staffing and management issues.
I don't know where the OP was planning on working, but she seems pretty emotional and I can promise you a nursing home isn't the place for someone who gets easily rattled.
|
|
newmummy
New Member
Joined: Apr 3, 2011 22:12:53 GMT -5
Posts: 34
|
Post by newmummy on Oct 1, 2011 8:32:10 GMT -5
Message deleted by newmummy.
|
|
mizbear
Senior Member
Stand back. I have a budget, and I know how to use it.
Joined: Jan 2, 2011 13:12:46 GMT -5
Posts: 3,958
|
Post by mizbear on Oct 1, 2011 9:26:05 GMT -5
newmummy- If your finances allow- I would make the suggestion to go through the grief counseling ou are currently in and then talk to a medical professional you can trust. I don't want a nurse who doesn't care or makes assumptions. Being bipolar I get a lot of grief in the ER- every cut is a suicide attempt, etc. I had a severe asthma attack one night on top of double pneumonia and was told that I was having a panic attack and needed to calm down. (The charge nurse's response to Nurse Smarty Britches was "You would panic too if you couldn't breathe"- she was in there when I had collapsed 3 days earlier and been diagnosed with double pneumonia). My point is this. Take some time and then go back and re-evaluate if nursing is the way to go- or if you should go back to teaching history or maybe something else in the medical profession with different requirements. I am studying medical transcription and will add health information management to that degree. Still the field I want, but it works with my illnesses and the ton of doctor's appointments.
We are here for you and know you will succeed. This is just a speed bump.
|
|
qofcc
Well-Known Member
Joined: Dec 20, 2010 13:30:58 GMT -5
Posts: 1,869
|
Post by qofcc on Oct 2, 2011 10:31:56 GMT -5
newmummy, have you ever thought of a career in patient advocacy or social work? It seems that either of those professions would be more in line with your goal of changing the system and making things better for individual patients. It's unrealistic to think that you could change the system from within as a CNA, LPN or even an RN.
|
|
mizbear
Senior Member
Stand back. I have a budget, and I know how to use it.
Joined: Jan 2, 2011 13:12:46 GMT -5
Posts: 3,958
|
Post by mizbear on Oct 2, 2011 13:28:05 GMT -5
qofcc- KARMA for you! I think that is a wonderful suggestion.
|
|
NomoreDramaQ1015
Community Leader
Joined: Dec 20, 2010 14:26:32 GMT -5
Posts: 47,320
|
Post by NomoreDramaQ1015 on Oct 3, 2011 10:17:56 GMT -5
It sounds like an oxymoron, but the more I look at it, the worse nurse I would make because I actually care too much. I would choose the patient's welfare over mine or the hospitals every time, and that is apparently not the way reality works.
That's not a bad thing to realize about yourself. You have to be able to turn it off and not bring all the crap you witness home with you otherwise you'd be eaten alive.
Part of being a nurse is being able to detach yourself from the patient and not get too emotionally involved. If you can't do that then it's not the right profession for you.
|
|
showtime
Junior Member
Joined: Jan 6, 2011 12:28:29 GMT -5
Posts: 125
|
Post by showtime on Oct 3, 2011 11:44:01 GMT -5
Ok. First off, Apology to Mizbear...did not mean to offend... Second, thanks Frugalnurse for your input on the breakdown of positions within the nursing field. Can experience trump/replace college education. In other words, if you nurse for 10, 20, 30 years, can you move from a CNA to RN by experience? Or do you need the necessary education to be a RN or higher? In the business world, education will help you immensely get a higher position job...but you technically don't need it. I do know of some people who only have a high school education but worked their way up (One of them eventually was the Chief Accounting Officer of Mellon Bank and she didn't have a CPA or college degree). MidwesternJD...would it help to say I find female office outfits incredibly hot too!!! Something about an educated woman in a sharp outfit does it for me... Then again, being a guy....I'm not exactly one that's hard to please Yes, I can be a pig...(probably no surprise there)...but c'mon ladies...there are outfits and things in guys that do it for you too right?? Man in uniform? Construction (remember that diet coke commercial - even I found that hot!! Wait...scratch that...I didn't just say that!), Sharp dressed suit? Chippendales? Anyways, NewMummy...please don't stop caring...believe me...the world is better off with people like you caring more than companies looking to make a profit. Be strong, and don't take anything personally. I've been chewed out at my work...just comes with the territory. Instead, you keep learning (experience). But don't ever stop caring! -Showtime
|
|
formerroomate99
Junior Associate
Joined: Sept 12, 2011 13:33:12 GMT -5
Posts: 7,381
|
Post by formerroomate99 on Oct 3, 2011 13:03:39 GMT -5
NewMummy, yes, you should take some time to recover from your grief.
No, nursing is not the right job for you. Nurses have to endure the stress of the job, along with constant verbal abuse from the doctors, patients and patent's families. Sometimes nurses get beat up by their patients. One reason I'm an only child is because my mother was working as a nurse when she was 8 months along and lost the baby after one of her patients punched her in the stomach. Other fields are not nearly as stressful or political. Radiology techs and medical sonographers are pretty much in charge when they are working. Lab techs aren't interacting with patients at all.
I don't really understand your attitude towards community colleges. There are many pricy private institutions whose graduates pass their exams at much lower rates than the community colleges.
But no matter what you do, you need to learn when to keep your head down and your mouth shut. You're in class to learn, not to get on your soapbox. When you make your life an open book, you make it very easy for people to cut you to the bone.
|
|
Agatha
Familiar Member
Yes, I guess I'm a rather sedate dragon. Fire-breathing only at request or when absolutely necessary
Joined: Dec 20, 2010 22:21:21 GMT -5
Posts: 644
|
Post by Agatha on Oct 3, 2011 14:53:01 GMT -5
Ok. . Can experience trump/replace college education. In other words, if you nurse for 10, 20, 30 years, can you move from a CNA to RN by experience? Or do you need the necessary education to be a RN or higher? In the business world, education will help you immensely get a higher position job...but you technically don't need it. I do know of some people who only have a high school education but worked their way up (One of them eventually was the Chief Accounting Officer of Mellon Bank and she didn't have a CPA or college degree).-Showtime Showtime, you can "nurse" for 50 years as a CNA and the only thing you will be is a CNA with 50 years of experience. Sorry. As an LPN/LVN you will need at least one year of schooling, ie classroom and clinicial. For a two year or ADN you have to have 2 and a BSN can take either four or five. It's a matter of knowledge base. I cannot state as an absolute what courses every program requires but strictly as basics or pre-requisites the program I took required: chemistry, biology, anatomy, physiology, sociology, psychology, math, English, technical writing, physics, and philosophy. Up to eight hours for some of those. Then one goes into actual nursing classes where one starts to pull everything into focus and adding more: pathophysiology, disease process, nursing process, and pharmacology, just to name a few. And not just for the adult population but from conception to end of life issues. RN, BSNs more than ADNs, will also take on management and economics. And how could I forget (as if!) nursing theory? Nope, can't get all of that simply by experience alone. I doubt, quite seriously, if you should even try to take the NCLEX, even if it were an open test one could challenge. No, you need the education/training, thank Florence! It's exhausting, stressful, and intense as any nurse can tell you. But the rewards aren't half-bad: tucking a newborn into the crook of his mother's arm, watching a stroke patient feed herself for the first time, seeing the tears in a family eyes when the dad they saw lying senseless in the bed yesterday start to reach for a hug. No, not half-bad at all. Want to give it a try, showtime? Plenty of men in the profession these days.
|
|
Frugal Nurse
Familiar Member
Joined: Jan 3, 2011 18:19:55 GMT -5
Posts: 988
|
Post by Frugal Nurse on Oct 3, 2011 15:21:54 GMT -5
It sounds like an oxymoron, but the more I look at it, the worse nurse I would make because I actually care too much. I would choose the patient's welfare over mine or the hospitals every time, and that is apparently not the way reality works. That's not a bad thing to realize about yourself. You have to be able to turn it off and not bring all the crap you witness home with you otherwise you'd be eaten alive. Part of being a nurse is being able to detach yourself from the patient and not get too emotionally involved. If you can't do that then it's not the right profession for you.[/quote] Hmm, i must be a totally sucky nurse then! I thought one of the mainstays of the profession was to care. Nurses treat the patient, emotional needs and all, not just the disease.
|
|
NomoreDramaQ1015
Community Leader
Joined: Dec 20, 2010 14:26:32 GMT -5
Posts: 47,320
|
Post by NomoreDramaQ1015 on Oct 3, 2011 15:27:07 GMT -5
I guess I piss poor worded it. I know I wouldn't make a good nurse because I can't handle seeing elderly people dying alone in a nursing home/hospital without wanting to bawl my eyes out.
I "care" or whatever you want to call it TOO much. I wouldn't be able to shut off my brain at the end of the day.
I'm not cut out to be a nurse because my emotions would eat me alive. If newmummy can't make it thru the course without falling apart, I really see her being able to handle the day to day of a nursing home or hospital.
And that's a good thing to realize upfront rather than going thru all the time and expense only to find it out after the fact.
Lots of people can't do my job because they can't kill a harmless animal. Better to know that ahead of time before we/you have invested time/money in training. I still care about the animals and I apologize ever time I kill one, but I have to be able to distance myself at least somewhat from what I do otherwise I'd never get anything done.
I refuse to do dog research, the idea of it turns my stomach. Far better for me to know that about myself before signing myself up to join a lab that works with dogs.
That isn't fair to myself OR the lab that hires me to do the work.
|
|
showtime
Junior Member
Joined: Jan 6, 2011 12:28:29 GMT -5
Posts: 125
|
Post by showtime on Oct 3, 2011 15:33:35 GMT -5
Agathas.. So many Acronyms... As for being a nurse...I don't think I can handle the stress you guys go through. If I "F-up" at my job now, worse I get is my butt chewed and ridiculed by my peers. It can all be undone and redone. I "F-up" as a nurse, and a person dies. Your rewards are awesome and uplifting...my rewards are monetary (If I do a great job...I get a nice bonus check!) However, I have recently taken a CPR/First aid course at work and am now trained in performing CPR and using an AED unit! Which I almost go to use the other day. A co-worker bumped his head on the cabinet door. He was a little stunned and dazed. I told him I could help him out...but he first had to stop breathing. He looked me in the eye...and said if he stopped breathing...to just let him die rather be resuscitated by me. Nevertheless...if you're ever open to switching jobs for a day...let me know... But, you need to agree to exchange our jobs back after the end of the day!!!!! -Showtime
|
|
speechchick71
Familiar Member
Get it? Chick?
Joined: Dec 21, 2010 21:51:38 GMT -5
Posts: 521
|
Post by speechchick71 on Oct 3, 2011 20:10:33 GMT -5
Newmummy: I think you may have realized this already but maybe it wasn't one incident that made your teachers realize you shouldn't be in this program. Frugalnurse mentioned that maybe you have been not adding to the class in the appropriate manner, etc. I say this because I was the supervisor for a speech assistant who was working on her Masters in speech therapy and doing the classes online. Had I been her clinical supervisor (instead of just the masters level therapist signing off on her work notes), as in, if this had been clinical work for her for her schooling, I would have failed her. She was a horrible therapist. I had to have a conference with her every week (for the 15 weeks that I was there) and discuss with her how she could have done things differently and gotten better results. Her biggest fault was talking too much...especially to the kids who had comprehension problems! She was also quite unprofessional, bringing in her outside life and sharing personal events with the kids she was working with: they don't need to know everything about your life! The problem, on top of all of this, was that she didn't seem to learn from those conferences week by week; she continued to do the same thing.
Had she been in a program that she had to be in front of a professor, I would hope that professor would tell her that this was not the field for her instead of her wasting her time and money. I hope that this is what happened for you! I hope that your teacher did this with all the best intentions so that you did not feel like you could do this job when, in fact, it was not for you. This will give you an opportunity to find out what you want to do.
If you have a degree, even just in History, why not just look for a job doing something you like. Your job doesn't have to be in your degree field! I know plenty of people who are not working in a job that they got a degree with in college.
|
|