Every where in the media these days, one sees stories such as the one
featured below, hailing nursing as the hot job for the coming decades.
Students and new grads ranging from the formerly unemployed, downsized,
and so forth are featured in such reports all beaming and joy over their
new career choice.

What follows is the usual information from hospitals, DONs and so forth
about the shortage of RNs and the numbers they will be seeking for
current and future positions.

However one really wonders if marketing nursing as something to be
picked up when one either cannot find other employment and or has little
insight into just what the profession is like today, especially hospital
and nursing home settings (where the bulk of the shortage lies), without
telling the other side of the coin is really wise.

For instance, it may come as a shock to many but there isn't a
"shortage" of RNs, indeed if one examines all living and properly
licensed RNs via state board's records, there is probably a surplus to
requirement. What one does not see in media reports is the reasons why
RNs leave the profession or at least are turning away from hospitals in
droves.

There is also no one really explains just how difficult nursing school
is, even "second degree BSN" programs.  Caps and pinafores may be gone,
but the educational requirements are difficult in some cases even for
the most academically gifted of persons. This is increasing as the
powers that be not satisfied with killing off much of the two year
programs, have focused their attention to loading those that remain into
quasi four year programs.

What one fears is that these new grads won't last any longer, for the
most part than those who came before, and we will be back to square on
in a few years.

http://money.cnn.com/2008/03/25/news/economy/nurse/index.htm?postvers...

What one fears is that these new grads won't last any longer, for the
most part than those who came before, and we will be back to square on
in a few years.


http://money.cnn.com/2008/03/25/news/economy/nurse/index.htm?postversion=2008032614

On Fri, 04 Apr 2008 22:45:56 GMT, "Candide" <PityMePines@anywhere.com
posted:


What one fears is that these new grads won't last any longer, for the
most part than those who came before, and we will be back to square
on
in a few years.



http://money.cnn.com/2008/03/25/news/economy/nurse/index.htm?postversio
n=2008032614



Along those lines...from an Ohio newspaper today:

http://blog.cleveland.com/medical/2008/04/northeast_ohio_patients_dont_g.html

Chemistry is being pushed by the "nurses in white coats", NLN, etc for
all two year programs. Much to the dismay of the later.

Previously organic chemistry or at least a general chemistry class was
required by most BSN programs, though some Associate and Diploma schools
required either or both as well. In the case of the former, it may have
simply been the case that the state mandates those receiving any BS
degree to take chemistry, or simply a requirement of the nursing
program.

Hopefully one will be
lucky and if not gifted with understanding chemistry, getting a
professor who will take pity and "give us the A", on the assumption one
knows all the chemistry a nurse should know.

Chemistry is being pushed by the "nurses in white coats", NLN, etc for
all two year programs.  Much to the dismay of the later.

However pushing chemistry onto two year students in many cases is
causing huge problems. Many nursing programs not affiliated with a
college or university do no have the funds to hire or have a qualified
organic or general chemistry teacher on staff. Add to this chem.
requires a lab component as well, means the school must either build
(very expensive) or some how acquire that as well.

None of the above bothers the aforementioned nurses in white coats, as
they would love nothing more to get shot of the remaining ADN programs
and finally have the mandatory BSN as entry into the profession.

On Sat, 05 Apr 2008 05:37:44 GMT, "Candide" <PityMePi...@anywhere.com

Hopefully one will be
lucky and if not gifted with understanding chemistry, getting a
professor who will take pity and "give us the A", on the assumption one
knows all the chemistry a nurse should know.

Yep, that's exactly what happened to me 30 years ago.  Our first
chemistry course was a joke. The prof gave us the answers before the
tests, and told us how to do the labs, step by step.  Our organic
chemistry was a nightmare.  I'm no dummy, but she may as well have
been teaching it in some long lost foreign language, as I was
completely lost the entire semester.   At the end of the semester, I
sat in her office and cried until she told me I knew as much chemistry
as a nurse needed to know and gave me a C. That never affected my
ability to be a great nurse, but it was wrong on many levels. They
dropped the requrement a couple years later; not sure if it's required
at this time.
Becky

My school just added another wrench into the "2-year program." They
have decided to make "Chemistry for Health Sciences" a prequisite for
Anatomy. Of course, since "Survey of Chemistry" is a prerequisite
for "Chemistry for Health Sciences," you need TWO semesters of
Chemistry before you can even take Anatomy. So let's look at how long
a two year ADN degree takes for a laid-off finance worker who hasn't
taken any science classes in over 2 years:

Best advice can give anyone considering a nursing program is to be
prepared to eat, sleep, and drink nursing for the duration. Even for the
most academically gifted students, nursing school is HARD, and if they
keep loading more requirements onto the programs, one might as well go
to med school.

2. It is NOT a 2-year program. Applicants are judged based on their
completion of over a year's worth of "prerequisites". Those with the
most prerequisites finished with the highest GPAs get in. Others
don't. What's that? You have a Program Catalog that fits all ~60
credits in two semesters? Well, throw it away, because if you don't
have half of those 60 knocked out, you don't get accepted because
others DO. That catalog has to be printed that way because we are,
after all, a "2-year college."

And after you've spent five years getting your two-year degree, you'll be
told you're not good enough and should go back for your BSN. Which is also
not good enough, so you'd better plan on a master's. Oh, wait...NPs are
going to have to have a doctorate as entry level APRNs. When being Doctor
Nurse is now mandated, something is majorly wrong.

Times are different now. I didn't decide on nursing school until about
February, so a lot of fall slots were already filled. So I applied to six
schools, blew away the entrance exam, and was immediately accepted for the
fall class by four of them, and was wait-listed by the other two because
they were full. I was required to have college English, sociology, and
psychology before entering the program I eventually chose. Everything else,
including A&P, chemistry, and microbiology, was taught by the school's
instructors. Of course, the courses aren't considered "college level." But
just try and differentiate me from a BSN.

dannyc12@gmail.com> wrote in message

snipped some great stuff

2. It is NOT a 2-year program. Applicants are judged based on their
completion of over a year's worth of "prerequisites". Those with
the
most prerequisites finished with the highest GPAs get in. Others
don't. What's that? You have a Program Catalog that fits all ~60
credits in two semesters? Well, throw it away, because if you don't
have half of those 60 knocked out, you don't get accepted because
others DO. That catalog has to be printed that way because we are,
after all, a "2-year college."

And after you've spent five years getting your two-year degree, you'll
be
told you're not good enough and should go back for your BSN. Which is
also
not good enough, so you'd better plan on a master's. Oh, wait...NPs
are
going to have to have a doctorate as entry level APRNs. When being
Doctor
Nurse is now mandated, something is majorly wrong.

Times are different now. I didn't decide on nursing school until
about
February, so a lot of fall slots were already filled. So I applied to
six
schools, blew away the entrance exam, and was immediately accepted for
the
fall class by four of them, and was wait-listed by the other two
because
they were full. I was required to have college English, sociology,
and
psychology before entering the program I eventually chose. Everything
else,
including A&P, chemistry, and microbiology, was taught by the school's
instructors. Of course, the courses aren't considered "college
level." But
just try and differentiate me from a BSN.

cat wrote:
And after you've spent five years getting your two-year degree,
you'll be
told you're not good enough and should go back for your BSN. Which
is also
not good enough, so you'd better plan on a master's. Oh, wait...NPs
are
going to have to have a doctorate as entry level APRNs. When being
Doctor
Nurse is now mandated, something is majorly wrong.


So are these MSNs and PhD Nurses going to wipe asses with the rest of
us? I
think not. It's a fine idea on their part. Unfortunately, it doesn't
leave
anyone to do the work. As I recall, the definition of nursing is to
"do for
others what they themselves would do for themselves if they were
able". I don't
see anything about paradigms and endlessly rewriting policies in that.
They
stop being nurses, no matter what they call themselves.

Times are different now. I didn't decide on nursing school until
about
February, so a lot of fall slots were already filled. So I applied
to six
schools, blew away the entrance exam, and was immediately accepted
for the
fall class by four of them, and was wait-listed by the other two
because
they were full. I was required to have college English, sociology,
and
psychology before entering the program I eventually chose.
Everything else,
including A&P, chemistry, and microbiology, was taught by the
school's
instructors. Of course, the courses aren't considered "college
level." But
just try and differentiate me from a BSN.


Believe me, on the floor nobody gives a shit. All you need is a
license and a
pulse. You know what gives me seniority over other nurses? It's not
degrees.
It's time on the floor. My 16 years on the floor trumps a BSN unless
they've
got equivalent time. Then we're equals.


--
Mortimer Schnerd, RN
mschnerdatcarolina.rr.com