DISQUS

Strong One · 9 months ago

BRILLIANT! So eloquently described. Thank you. I still firmly believe we have THE most unique profession and THE most infinite amount of career possibilities.
STRONG WORK.

LastoftheZucchiniFlowers · 9 months ago

A well written description of the abyss which is the alphabet soup of Nsg. These many titles, though all signifying much learning and travail (along with the myriad board certifications therein) have no analog within the rest of health care. Once might make the argument that the MD vs. DO comes close, but they would be wrong. An inherent problem within the nsg alphabet soup is that these divergent means to the same end create various cliques among those who have earned them. Who is the better nurse? Who knows more? Who knows a lot but can't function within the patient care setting(s)? Who can't get what job in the hierarchy because they lack the particular initial(s)? Too many good people are held back for lack of a particular letter(s) and just as many WITH the required initial(s) in positions they should NOT have. The only organization who seems to have dealt with this fairly is military health care. They make it clear: If you want to be an officer in the Nurse Corps you MUST have a BSN? Otherwise, you'll be enlisted. End of story. All military officers must have four year college degrees - in fact THIS is the hallmark of the officer corps (from all professions). So the military has stood up to be counted and make NO apologies. But military nsg notwithstanding, I will only state the obvious: since women (for the most part) comprise the bulk of the nsg profession, all these programs have been borne of necessity. Many come to nsg in mid-life and cannot endure a typical baccalaureate schedule of classes and hence these many programs described by the author erupted. As mothers, many need to work shifts in order to be avaiable to their children/family schedules. And as the single largest segment of the Health care dollar in terms of salaries, the world will never outgrow the need for good nurses, EVER. Here is another fact/problem: in times of economic crisis (like this one) hospitals go begging for RNs. This current shortage, predicted for at least the last decade will result in a glut of applicants for nsg schools (in each of the many programs well described by the author). From that applicant pool, many will be accepted, endure the rigors of their program, graduate, take and pass the NCLEX and begin working in health care. Then the cycle will begin anew. The pendulum will swing yet again. And the problem will become clear: until hospitals/health care organizations let nurses TAKE CARE OF THEIR PATIENTS and STOP making them endless recorders of data, nurses will leave the profession in droves. The main reason people enter nursing IS to practice patient care. Few enjoy or tolerate the endless paper shoved upon them. The paper is what prevents them from doing what is most necessary and those 'old timers' who sing praises to the 'old days' when they had 20 patients to care for on a night shift, alone but for one LPN and one aide on forget to tell you that documentation back then entailed one or two sentences. So folks - when you need the nurse, don't look for them in the patient rooms where they belong (and long to be). You will find them (along with all their initials) chained to the desk/computer/laptop/hospital blackberry/whatever punching in template check offs instead of caring for their patients. The latter activity is the most important reason for their presence; and the once which WILL result in more patients leaving the hospital alive, with fewer infections and with fewer to no complications. If America wants better hospital/health care - it must liberate the nurses from the onerous paper burden. Only then can nurses - ALL NURSES - do their best work. JMHO as an interested observer from another health care profession after nearly 30 years in the biz.

teamrn · 9 months ago

Another route; there are accelerated programs. With a Bachelors degree in a related field, for example: psych, biology or science, you can concentrate on nursing courses only, and get a BSN in 12 months. That's putting it into high gear, but is one more route on the circuitous highway where you can then take boards to become an RN.

teamrn · 9 months ago

Oh, but there's one more way, one more route to obtaining that license. The 12 month accelerated BSN degree program is for adults with a degree in a field related to nursing (like psych, biology, sociology). For 12 months, your focus is only on nursing courses (because you've already complete prereqs (English, chemistry, algebra, etc) and gun it to graduation.

This is one more route open to obtaining a BSN; and then you can sit for the state boards.

teamrn · 9 months ago

Whoa, Nellie! There's another route to becoming registered to practice nursing (RN). These programs are accelerated programs and are open to students who already have degrees in biology or another related field like: psych or sociology.

So when you go to an accelerated program, you spend 12 months focusing on nursing courses and clinicals, graduating with your BSN. Then you can sit for your boards. Not for the light of heart; but if you can see the light at the end of the tunnel BEFORE you enter it, there's motivation!!