Nurses, spill your guts

ShakeyJakey

I've recently tossed around the idea of going to school for nursing. But I'm not sure I'd like it, and there are so many different career paths.

If you're a nurse, what kind are you? What kind of degree do you have? Pros/cons? I'd be particularly interested about those who work in Florida.

ShakeyJakey

Also, the LPN program is significantly easier to get into and starts every semester. Is there a big difference between an LPN and RN?

This school has a bridge program, and also a BSN program, that starts once a year. AKA too far way. 

thebanich

ShakeyJakey said:

Also, the LPN program is significantly easier to get into and starts every semester. Is there a big difference between an LPN and RN?

This school has a bridge program, and also a BSN program, that starts once a year. AKA too far way. 

There is a pretty large pay gap between RNs and LPNs.... At least where I work there is

ShakeyJakey

thebanich said:

Also, the LPN program is significantly easier to get into and starts every semester. Is there a big difference between an LPN and RN?

This school has a bridge program, and also a BSN program, that starts once a year. AKA too far way. 

There is a pretty large pay gap between RNs and LPNs.... At least where I work there is

I was afraid of that, but with the bridge program available a BSN is still an option down the line. That program is part time/hybrid too, for working students.

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ShakeyJakey

justAphase said:

How much longer until you can apply for the RN program? Next fall? Do you have any prereqs you need to take first? My suggestion would be to apply to the RN program and if you don't get in then go the LPN route.

I've only looked up one program so far, and there are a TON here. To get into the ADN program I have to take microbiology, then I can apply for either spring or summer, waiting on a call back to verify

ShakeyJakey

If I did go this route BSN would be the end goal, but at this specific program you have to have an ADN first anyway, so I'd either have to go to a different school or get the ADN First.

ShakeyJakey

Okay, pretty sure I can get into a ADN or BSN fairly soon. What do you all think about ADN vs BSN? 

mstal0929

justAphase said:

ShakeyJakey said:

Okay, pretty sure I can get into a ADN or BSN fairly soon. What do you all think about ADN vs BSN? 

You're just going to make more money, and have more options with a BSN. If you can stand to take the extra 4 semesters I'd say it's definitely worth it. Then you have the option to get your LNP and make the really big bucks.

This exactly.

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MyMorningCoffee

I know where I am, there is a huge push to get everyone who is a nurse to be an RN with a BSN. Most hospitals here will not hire an LPN, and some are even making nurses with 20+ years of experience go back to school if they don't have a BSN. 

I think that the thing that can best prepare anyone for being a nurse is trying your hand as a CNA or something like that for a while. Some patient care technician roles don't require any certifications beyond CPR. This would be a great way to get your feet wet. I know when I started school, our first rotation was though maternity. Multiple people straight up passed out in the delivery room. Other people in my class couldn't handle poop. Not good qualities in a nurse. 

wesleycrusher

I'm a BSN RN, in child psych.  Psych has whole different set of stressors than medical. 

 I'm glad I have my BSN although it has never made a difference in salary for me.  I would like to go back to school next fall for my degree in nursing education.

spainy17

I am an ICU nurse, started at Mayo in 2006 and work in the Twin Cities (Minnesota also for outsiders) since 2007.  I am a third generation nurse actually as my mom and grandmother both were nurses too.

I have my BSN and at least up where I work most hospitals are phasing out LPNs so depending on where you are located in the country becoming an LPN might make getting a job difficult.  That being said I have many coworkers that went that route and did the bridge program later and it worked well for them but again, by the time you graduated I know a lot of hospitals over here are no longer hiring LPNs or ADNs. 

Also, getting your BSN (at least eventually opens more doors for you.  You can choose management or to go back to school for your master's or go on to become a PA/NP/CRNA. 

I fricking LOVE the ICU.  I started in surgical and liked that too (wounds, drains, etc.) but ICU is way cooler. You have way more clout with the docs and you get to use both the nerdy science part that I love with the human touchy-feely part.  We do innercool patients post cardiac arrest, extremely septic patients, alcohol withdrawl patients in four point locked restraints, acture stokes, etc. etc. etc.  I love that it changes every day and that we use both our bodies and our minds.  I am thankful for those that work in a cubicle all day long but I would go crazy in that kind of environment.  I also love how nursing has so much community - we are a clan and can babble endlessly.  There are also SO MANY types of nursing that you are bound to find something you love.  There are types I could NEVER do (rehab, birth center, etc.) and others that are so interesting to me.  You can be as broad or as specific as you want.  I also like have a profession versus a job, you know?  Like I AM a nurse, not just I work as a nurse, if that makes sense.

Anyway, I could talk about this all day but I love the career and I wish you the best of luck!!!

LightBright515

Cardiac RN with her bachelors. Where I live, LPNs don't work in the hospital setting. More for clinics and nursing homes, you lack a bit of autonomy, and it seems to be waste of time IMO. You will report to a RN, and staying within your scope of practice in a hectic environment seems stressful. I work three days a week, I have plenty of options when it comes to pursuing further education, and the fast paced environment is a plus. I'm not sure what part of Florida you're in, but I know a lot of places want you to speak Spanish.

LightBright515

I don't go here (but I want to), but why do you want to be a nurse? That might help guide you in the right direction as well. I find that a lot of people get into nursing for reasons that can't justify their day to day duties..

pepperedmoth

I'm an NP. I recommend starting with the RN for sure but in my area there is no difference in pay grade between an RN with a BSN and one with an ASN. Hell, there isn't even much of a difference with an MSN if you remain at the RN level.

I love my job but not my speciality as my BMB can testify.....

rin89

I highly suggest just going for your ASN right away, it is slowly being faded out but you are more likely to find a job as an ASN than LPN. And as a bonus some employers may help you to get your BSN. I'm working on my ASN right now and plan on going on to grad school for a MSN in midwifery. 

ShakeyJakey

Thanks for the advice and insight ladies! After some research and phone calls it looks like ADN and then bridge will be my best option. Most schools require and AA or unrelated Bachelors tigger into the BSN programs and they look extremely competitive. Fortunately there are several on campus part time bridge programs here as well as online programs. I have to take chem then micro, and an entrance exam, so summer 2015 looks like the soonest I can get in.

pepperedmoth

@justAphase‌ urology. I spend large parts of my day performing rectal exams on elderly men.

Yes, I know it's funny! I know!

ShakeyJakey

LightBright515 said:

I don't go here (but I want to), but why do you want to be a nurse? That might help guide you in the right direction as well. I find that a lot of people get into nursing for reasons that can't justify their day to day duties..

I've always been interested in health care. I applied to the radiography program this semester and I haven't heard back yet, so I'm just looking into other options/trying to see what it's really like.

Ive also though about applying to PA school but you need patient care experience for that (and degrees) and nursing would give me better/more experiences than radiography.

ShakeyJakey

LightBright515 said:

Cardiac RN with her bachelors. Where I live, LPNs don't work in the hospital setting. More for clinics and nursing homes, you lack a bit of autonomy, and it seems to be waste of time IMO. You will report to a RN, and staying within your scope of practice in a hectic environment seems stressful.

I work three days a week, I have plenty of options when it comes to pursuing further education, and the fast paced environment is a plus. I'm not sure what part of Florida you're in, but I know a lot of places want you to speak Spanish.

Thank you! I'm in north Florida. We have some Spanish speakers but nothing compared to south Florida. I probably would need to double major in Spanish to work there. Luckily I don't want to go anywhere that's hotter than the hell I'm already in.

ShakeyJakey

Apparently one of the schools have extensive workshops on applying to the program and nursing as a profession so that looks like my first step!

ShakeyJakey

Dude, they called Bs and Cs low grades. Luckily they weigh gpa based on pre reqs only and those are good grades. This program also bases 50% of admission on the TEAS, so if I rock that I have a decent chance. You should see if the school discloses their selection criteria.

ShakeyJakey

justAphase said:

ShakeyJakey said:

Dude, they called Bs and Cs low grades. Luckily they weigh gpa based on pre reqs only and those are good grades. This program also bases 50% of admission on the TEAS, so if I rock that I have a decent chance. You should see if the school discloses their selection criteria.

Oh they do. I can see the whole point system. It's helpful, but really daunting.


Only one that I've looked at had it right on the site. It really is daunting, but it's a long road. Hopefully I'm finished with a degree before I'm 30.

Mags748

pepperedmoth said:

I'm an NP. I recommend starting with the RN for sure but in my area there is no difference in pay grade between an RN with a BSN and one with an ASN. Hell, there isn't even much of a difference with an MSN if you remain at the RN level.

I love my job but not my speciality as my BMB can testify.....

Exactly. I am not sure about Florida but around here (Milwaukee area) there is no difference in pay between ADN and BSN (and not much more pay if any for masters). I did ADN because I already have a BS in another field and could get into the ADN right away and be done in 1.5 years. With that said I would still advocate for a BSN eventually but it is nice to get an ADN first and start working right away depending on your situation.

I work as an RN case manager. I actually do need a bachelor's for one of the state screenings we do but it can be any bachelor degree, so I qualify. I love my job because I get to stick with patients over the long term and have a hand in all of their medical care and coordination. I find out what needs to be done and set people up with doctors and services.

hbrooks88974

I have one semester left of nursing school. It's absolute HELL, but I know it will be worth it.

pepperedmoth

justAphase said:

pepperedmoth said:

@justAphase‌ urology. I spend large parts of my day performing rectal exams on elderly men.

Yes, I know it's funny! I know!

Lol. How did you get into that?


When I graduated with my RN, I wanted to work on a med-surg hospital floor, and an ortho-uro combination specialty floor offered me a job. I thought it would be a good learning job because it had a great mix of procedures, wound care, etc, plus always had a few medicine patients. It was a great learning experience for sure!

Via said excellent learning experience I figured out I was actually interested in palliative care so I took a second RN job at a hospice.

Then when I graduated as an NP I tried to get a palliative job but they all wanted NP palliative experience, not RN hospice experience.

Outpatient urology, though, was interested in me because via my inpatient urology experience I was already familiar with a lot of the technical skills, like difficult cath placements, doing bladder irrigations, post-op care of prostatectomies, nephrectomies, cystectomies, etc.

So I took the uro job for the NP experience and continue to stalk the palliative job listings......

amberdt03

Lurker, but I agree with everyone and definitely get your ASN. I am not a nurse but hope to be in nursing school next year. I currently work as a Paramedic in a pediatric ER. I hope to do PICU or stay in the pedi ER once I'm done. Good luck!

LoveActually4

I'm an RN with a BSN.

I work in clinical research and coordinate drug trials for cancer patients. I like it ok, it's 8-4 Monday-Friday so that's amazing. I prefer bedside nursing but shift work is too hard on the family right now.

Be prepared, most entry level jobs are shift work and that can be a hard life. I do love the profession and find it very rewarding and interesting.

pepperedmoth

FWIW I loved shift work and prefer it to 9-5. My medical center runs 12 hour shifts so if you juggled right you could get 7+ days off in a row and not have taken any "time off."

KMW08

I'm lurking.

I'm an xray tech and I noticed you said you had applied to a radiology program. While I think that's great, please do some serious research on available jobs in your area in radiology. They are SUPER hard to come by here. And in the larger cities I know a lot of places don't even hire radiology personnel FT because the market is soooo flooded = no benefits and most people I know work 2 or 3 PRN jobs to get 40hrs. Just something to consider if you do get accepted to the radiology program.

It took me 4yrs to find a FT radiology job. I was just about to apply to a nursing program when I finally landed my job. If I could do it over again, I would choose nursing over radiology. Thankfully I like my job, but I'm stuck at the moment unless I go back to school in another career path.

wino2006

I'm a nurse manager now at hospital after working at the bedside for 12 years. I have my BSN and am working towards my MSN with goals of either becoming a director or a clinical instructor. I highly recommend the BSN. Where I am at, nursing is highly competitive. Unless an ADN has experience and is working towards their BSN; I won't hire them. Around here (WI), new grads are lucky to get a job in a long term care facility. Health care is changing all the time. It's a fast pace and we are asking nurses to do more with less. It will be the hardest job you will ever love. What I love most about nursing is that there is so much variety and with a nursing degree you can do anything-patient care, case management, teach, manage....the options are endless.

MintBerryCrunch

I'm a perinatal nurse with a BSN. My old hospital in FL did pay more for BSNs, but not much. Lots of hospitals are starting to require them though even though having one doesn't necessarily make you a better nurse over someone with an ADN. I left Florida due to crappy working conditions and crappy pay. I love being a nurse but Florida is not a great state for nursing.

Mags748

wino2006 said:

I'm a nurse manager now at hospital after working at the bedside for 12 years. I have my BSN and am working towards my MSN with goals of either becoming a director or a clinical instructor. I highly recommend the BSN. Where I am at, nursing is highly competitive. Unless an ADN has experience and is working towards their BSN; I won't hire them. Around here (WI), new grads are lucky to get a job in a long term care facility. Health care is changing all the time. It's a fast pace and we are asking nurses to do more with less. It will be the hardest job you will ever love. What I love most about nursing is that there is so much variety and with a nursing degree you can do anything-patient care, case management, teach, manage....the options are endless.

Where are you in WI though because that has not been my experience? Like I mentioned in my previous post, I am in the Milwaukee are, and all of my classmates with their ADN who were either a CNA or had some connections got jobs at the major hospitals (St. Luke's, St. Joseph's, Children's etc, and even a couple at Froedtert) right out of school. After I got my year of experience (I took a job at a SNF so I could start working ASAP because I didn't want a big pregnant belly on interviews), I got tons of offers for interviews, and I got offers for 5 of the 6 jobs I interviewed for, even if they said BSN preferred. It may help that I already have a bachelors in another field, but many of my classmates did not. 

With the way the population is aging and healthcare is changing, there is more likely to be a nursing shortage in the not too distant future. As much as companies want BSN, many still need to hire ADNs. When I graduated and was job searching in late 2010 early 2011, there were fewer than 1000 RN jobs posted on Milwaukeejobs.com at any point in time. Right now there are 2,282, so more than double! Again, I definitely would recommend the BSN for a greater range of opportunities at some point, but I don't see ADNs going the way of LPNs any time soon. I think if getting your ADN first and then waiting until company helps you financially with the BSN is what works out best for you, it is a good route to go.

janda426

I'm a student in a BSN program. I've had a really long and complicated journey related to my nursing education. I started out taking pre req classes to apply to my community colleges ADN program. Spent two years trying to get into the program with a 3.7 GPA and scored in the 91% percentile on my TEAS entrance exam. Wasn't good enough.

Eventually applied to the 4 year program at my local state college and got accepted immediately. Got my first ever D in chem 2 and got held back a year to retake it. I just passed chem 2 this past spring and am ready to move on to sophomore year. However, as evidence by my siggy, I'm due in March and popping out a kid and heading back to school the next day isn't likely so I need to take a LOA and will be held back ANOTHER year.

Nursing is my passion though and it'll wind up taking me like 7 years to finish my BSN but it'll be worth it in the end. I worked in the ER and loved it so I might be interested in that as a speciality.

I was accepted into an LPN program a while back at a vocational school but it cost $11k with no financial aid and who knows how long it would even take me to make that amount back since NO ONE is hiring LPNs around here. They're phasing them out, it's totally a waste of time and money.

Good luck with your nursing journey!

cblakin

danisgossipgirl said:

I would encourage anyone considering nursing school to really evaluate what they want to do and leave any romantic notions behind. Nurses are not always treated well by their employer, their patients, fellow coworkers, patient families.. which can be true of any job but it really takes a toll. It is really stressful, not entirely in a bad way, but there are days where you feel like you need a break and you have to go in and take on your responsibilities regardless. And it was not the endless sea of good jobs in my search. Not at all, and I had excellent grades and recommendations. I don't regret it at all, but it has been harder and different than I thought it would be.

Excuse crappy formatting, long posts and iPad don't mix

Lurker here, RN BSN and working in a step-down unit (my second).  i agree with most all of this.  there is no nursing shortage, not here in oregon and not really anywhere.  many of my friends had to move across the country to find a job to get enough experience to be able to come back here.  I was lucky that my final semester was in the icu so i was able to get into critical care right away and that makes me a fairly desirable employee.

but but my experiences as a nursing student, even in the icu, are different than my experiences as a nurse.  management, bureaucracy, patients that honestly do not care about themselves, being overworked and taken advantage of; all of this is a huge part of hospital nursing.  i do enjoy my job but i would not do it if it weren't for the pay, honestly.  it's very exhausting trying to help people that do not help themselves and being told to sacrifice yourself for them in the process.  

that being said, i do love the critical care aspect as well as taking care of people.  i'm currently in grad school to become an NP because i cannot stay in the hospital environment and working in other environments just does not pay well, but i knew that and always planned to get my DNP from the day i applied to nursing school.   the awesome thing about nursing is that there are so many career paths that you are bound to find something you do really love to do, just in my experience (and that of watching my nurse friends) it can take some time.  

wino2006

Mags748 said:

wino2006 said:

I'm a nurse manager now at hospital after working at the bedside for 12 years. I have my BSN and am working towards my MSN with goals of either becoming a director or a clinical instructor. I highly recommend the BSN. Where I am at, nursing is highly competitive. Unless an ADN has experience and is working towards their BSN; I won't hire them. Around here (WI), new grads are lucky to get a job in a long term care facility. Health care is changing all the time. It's a fast pace and we are asking nurses to do more with less. It will be the hardest job you will ever love. What I love most about nursing is that there is so much variety and with a nursing degree you can do anything-patient care, case management, teach, manage....the options are endless.

Where are you in WI though because that has not been my experience? Like I mentioned in my previous post, I am in the Milwaukee are, and all of my classmates with their ADN who were either a CNA or had some connections got jobs at the major hospitals (St. Luke's, St. Joseph's, Children's etc, and even a couple at Froedtert) right out of school. After I got my year of experience (I took a job at a SNF so I could start working ASAP because I didn't want a big pregnant belly on interviews), I got tons of offers for interviews, and I got offers for 5 of the 6 jobs I interviewed for, even if they said BSN preferred. It may help that I already have a bachelors in another field, but many of my classmates did not. 

With the way the population is aging and healthcare is changing, there is more likely to be a nursing shortage in the not too distant future. As much as companies want BSN, many still need to hire ADNs. When I graduated and was job searching in late 2010 early 2011, there were fewer than 1000 RN jobs posted on Milwaukeejobs.com at any point in time. Right now there are 2,282, so more than double! Again, I definitely would recommend the BSN for a greater range of opportunities at some point, but I don't see ADNs going the way of LPNs any time soon. I think if getting your ADN first and then waiting until company helps you financially with the BSN is what works out best for you, it is a good route to go.

I'm in Madison. I think it's getting a little bit easier to get a hospital job now, but for a while we did not hire new grads. 

Mags748

wino2006 said:

Mags748 said:

wino2006 said:

I'm a nurse manager now at hospital after working at the bedside for 12 years. I have my BSN and am working towards my MSN with goals of either becoming a director or a clinical instructor. I highly recommend the BSN. Where I am at, nursing is highly competitive. Unless an ADN has experience and is working towards their BSN; I won't hire them. Around here (WI), new grads are lucky to get a job in a long term care facility. Health care is changing all the time. It's a fast pace and we are asking nurses to do more with less. It will be the hardest job you will ever love. What I love most about nursing is that there is so much variety and with a nursing degree you can do anything-patient care, case management, teach, manage....the options are endless.

Where are you in WI though because that has not been my experience? Like I mentioned in my previous post, I am in the Milwaukee are, and all of my classmates with their ADN who were either a CNA or had some connections got jobs at the major hospitals (St. Luke's, St. Joseph's, Children's etc, and even a couple at Froedtert) right out of school. After I got my year of experience (I took a job at a SNF so I could start working ASAP because I didn't want a big pregnant belly on interviews), I got tons of offers for interviews, and I got offers for 5 of the 6 jobs I interviewed for, even if they said BSN preferred. It may help that I already have a bachelors in another field, but many of my classmates did not. 

With the way the population is aging and healthcare is changing, there is more likely to be a nursing shortage in the not too distant future. As much as companies want BSN, many still need to hire ADNs. When I graduated and was job searching in late 2010 early 2011, there were fewer than 1000 RN jobs posted on Milwaukeejobs.com at any point in time. Right now there are 2,282, so more than double! Again, I definitely would recommend the BSN for a greater range of opportunities at some point, but I don't see ADNs going the way of LPNs any time soon. I think if getting your ADN first and then waiting until company helps you financially with the BSN is what works out best for you, it is a good route to go.

I'm in Madison. I think it's getting a little bit easier to get a hospital job now, but for a while we did not hire new grads. 

I was wondering if that is where you were because I have noticed that Madison hospitals seem more likely to want BSNs only (I live between Madison and Milwaukee but Milwaukee is a shorter commute and my inlaws live right outside of Madison so I have checked out some job postings there). I think part of it is that it's such a university town and there are so many highly educated people. My BS is actually from UW but I still don't think they would hire me at UW hospital since I only have an ADN.

pepperedmoth

I really want to second these points PP have made:

-Nursing shortage = BS
-Forget the LPN
-Do try to get a NA/MA job while in school to help build your resumé!

spainy17

I would just like to second the fact that the money makes shoving our body parts into other people's body parts compeltely worth it.

wesleycrusher

@pepperedmoth

it's really interesting that you bring up being "pigeon-holed" into one area of nursing, even as an NP. Some PPs on this post have said "there is such a diverse range" and "you can do whatever" and I heard that a lot in nursing school (although to be fair there was a shortage then- not so much now).  But that has not been my experience in the real world of nursing.  I'm absolutely "stuck" in psych- It would definitely take a lot to get into the medical side of nursing (not that I even want to switch). The jobs I could get would 1. be entry level (like LTC maybe?) and 2. I just don't have the medical skills because they have never been used 

I do think there is a fine line between finding a job as a new grad with no experience /making sure that you like what it is you're doing. It can be hard in the current nursing climate.