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RNs out there. Can you help?
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Just One




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Feb 12 2020, 10:23 pm
I've always wanted a career in healthcare. Right now I'm in my mid twenties with a young growing family. I have a steady, stable yet boring and dead end office job. I feel like it's time for me to start looking into programs for a more satisfying career.
What would becoming an RN entail? How many years of school total? I would be starting out from scratch as my highest level of education is a high school diploma at this point. What are the best programs, financially, religiously etc? Money is tight. What is the average cost?
I would love to also have some autonomy to make decisions, figure out diagnoses and treatment plans when dealing with patients. Is that at all possible in nursing? Or is it all just following doctors directions?
Any help would be very greatly appreciated!
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amother
Sapphire


 

Post Wed, Feb 12 2020, 11:15 pm
sounds like you want to be a nurse practitioner... RN is a first step.
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amother
Oak


 

Post Thu, Feb 13 2020, 2:10 am
Nursing as a job is a good and fullfilling job but IT IS NOT EASY. There is physical work and long hours -but I love it!

In terms of schooling it will take a minimum of 3 to 4 plus years depending on if u do full time or part time. Clinicals are long days but u will only have that after u start ur nursing classes

If u want a Jewish program bulka is good but expensive, they do help with applying for financial aid. They are a full time, accelerated program.

Not jewish good school is beth israel in manhattan. I have a few friends who went there. It is cheaper, also only a 2 to 3 year program becuz u only get an associate degree. I recomend getting ur bachelor degree right away becuz that is what the hospitals want. They may hire u without a bachore degree but u will be expected to be in school getting that degree all while startimg a new job.

I agree with the above poster, if u autonomy then go for ur nurse practioner degree. Best is get ur RN and work the floor and critical care if u can first before getting ur nurse practioner cuz that floor knowledge is invaluable. (Nurse practioner is another 2 to 3 years after RN)
Although an RN job is technically follow orders there is still a lot of critical thinking u must do. U must catch mistakes, u dont just follow MD order blindly if it doesnt sound or feel right...u are also at the bedside and u must see changes in ur patient and see when a doctor must be called, when to intervene before ur patient crashes...
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amother
Royalblue


 

Post Thu, Feb 13 2020, 4:42 am
Just an FYI, some hospitals/health care agencies pay for continuing education. So if you are a CNA or LPN, they may pay for you to get your RN or for and RN to get a NP. But it does come with a commitment to stay a certain amount of time.
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amother
Pumpkin


 

Post Thu, Feb 13 2020, 5:08 am
My DH is a nurse. I'd recommend going to a community college and getting your associates in Nursing and RN licence. You can then get a job and build up your experience, you may not be able to get a job in a hospital, but there are plenty of other nursing jobs out there. You can then get your BSN online while you work and gain experience and many employers offer tuition reimbursement and then you can get your masters the same way. Many MSN programs are designed for nurses that are working and are mostly online. I honestly don't see any point in an accelerated program, you'll just end up with lots of student loan debt and it will be hard arranging childcare for a short and rigorous program.
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amother
Pewter


 

Post Thu, Feb 13 2020, 5:10 am
Amother oak gave you great advice.
I will share my experiences. I joined the Bulka program when my youngest was 5 years old. It was 3 years from high school diploma, prerequisites and then nursinng school to rn, bsn. I had New York state grants that covered part of my prerequisites and a HRSA Nursecorps scholarship that covered nursing school 100% including a $1300 monthly stipend.
Nursing is long hours and hard work but if you have a passion for medicine and patient care than it will be a job you love. I look forward to going to work and still find it exhilarating after about 2.5 years in the hospital. My experience has been that the nurse on a hospital unit is a respected member of the team and her input is included when making decisions. Of course it is the medical provider MD, PA or NP that makes medical diagnoses and the plan of care medically, but the nurse can and does give her input which is appreciated by the medical team. I love the interaction between all the patients providers, nurse included, as we decide what will work best for the patient, each provider providing input based on the scope of their particular profession (ie. Md, pa, np, Pt, rt, social worker etc). I too wanted to be a part of the diagnosing and formulation of the plan of care so I have applied to nurse practitioner programs. I intend to continue working as an RN while I do my schooling part time since one of my benefits at work is that my employer will cover the tuition for my graduate education. As the others have said, 1st one becomes a nurse and then you can go further to become a primary provider. Good luck!
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Just One




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, Feb 13 2020, 6:21 am
Got some great advice here. Still trying to figure it what my first steps should be. It seems like there are different viewpoints here regarding starting off with an associates degree vs BSN. Can I get some opinions on that?
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Just One




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, Feb 13 2020, 6:23 am
amother [ Pewter ] wrote:
Amother oak gave you great advice.
I will share my experiences. I joined the Bulka program when my youngest was 5 years old. It was 3 years from high school diploma, prerequisites and then nursinng school to rn, bsn. I had New York state grants that covered part of my prerequisites and a HRSA Nursecorps scholarship that covered nursing school 100% including a $1300 monthly stipend.
Nursing is long hours and hard work but if you have a passion for medicine and patient care than it will be a job you love. I look forward to going to work and still find it exhilarating after about 2.5 years in the hospital. My experience has been that the nurse on a hospital unit is a respected member of the team and her input is included when making decisions. Of course it is the medical provider MD, PA or NP that makes medical diagnoses and the plan of care medically, but the nurse can and does give her input which is appreciated by the medical team. I love the interaction between all the patients providers, nurse included, as we decide what will work best for the patient, each provider providing input based on the scope of their particular profession (ie. Md, pa, np, Pt, rt, social worker etc). I too wanted to be a part of the diagnosing and formulation of the plan of care so I have applied to nurse practitioner programs. I intend to continue working as an RN while I do my schooling part time since one of my benefits at work is that my employer will cover the tuition for my graduate education. As the others have said, 1st one becomes a nurse and then you can go further to become a primary provider. Good luck!

Your post was really helpful and practical. Makes me feel like I can do it! I would appreciate if you could pm me so we can continue the conversation
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amother
Pewter


 

Post Thu, Feb 13 2020, 6:37 am
Just One wrote:
Got some great advice here. Still trying to figure it what my first steps should be. It seems like there are different viewpoints here regarding starting off with an associates degree vs BSN. Can I get some opinions on that?


I dont know where you live. I'm in Brooklyn and it is impossible to get a job in a hospital with an associates degree . As I understand, most of the jobs you can find with an associates are low paying and demoralizing, with high nurse to patient ratios-in nursing homes and ltachs. Id hate you to burn out in that way. If you are idealistic and passionate, go for the bsn and strive for a job in a top facility where you will be proud to work and you will learn and grow.
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Just One




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, Feb 13 2020, 6:47 am
Yes I'm located in Brooklyn. Any specific BSN programs I should look into?
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amother
Pewter


 

Post Thu, Feb 13 2020, 7:03 am
Just One wrote:
Yes I'm located in Brooklyn. Any specific BSN programs I should look into?

I dont know. I only looked into Bulka because
I appreciated that my jewish needs would be easily addressed. I knew that going to school for the 1st time in many years would bring its own difficulties and going with Bulka got the Jewish factor out of the way. One less thing for me to worry about. At work of course I have learned to navigate working and my Jewish needs, holidays dress codes etc and I am applying to general population nurse practitioner programs because at this point I want to make sure that I have a program that will be fully financially covered by my employer and the Jewish run program available costs more
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Just One




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, Feb 13 2020, 7:19 am
Are they the only frum program? How much did the program cost you in total?
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amother
Pewter


 

Post Thu, Feb 13 2020, 7:41 am
Just One wrote:
Are they the only frum program? How much did the program cost you in total?


The only totally frum all female program. Many programs especially in the tristate area are fakiliar with our needs and will accomodate with a bit of explanation, but there may well be classes and exams and clinical days missed thst need to be made up.
Touro has a bsn program. Maybe LIU? Also NYU.
I don't t remember what I paid. It was zero for nursing school as I said before...plus a stipend for me. Prerequisites were partly covered by Pell and TAP grants and I took one loan of about 3k.
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amother
Babypink


 

Post Thu, Feb 13 2020, 10:30 am
If money is a factor for you, getting an associates first will be faster, and then you can work while you complete your BSN online. I did that through Beth Israel, but afaik they recently changed their programs, I don't think they have an ADN program anymore. But I highly recommend them! They are very understanding of frum people/needs, and there were lots of frum women in my class.
It is HARD to get a hospital job, especially if you only have an associates (but if you are enrolled in BSN program, that helps). And the 12 hour shifts are not for everyone...
Good luck with your decision!
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Just One




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, Feb 13 2020, 10:54 am
I'm a hard worker, especially something I feel passionate about. Are nursing jobs in general hard to get? I don't want to go into a field that's oversaturated
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Just One




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, Feb 13 2020, 10:58 am
I'm getting the feeling that the only advantage of getting an associates is that I can work while I continue school towards my BSN. I do have a stable job now though, so I don't think that needs to be my first priority. Hopefully once I start school I'll be able to get my intellectual fix there
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crbc




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, Feb 13 2020, 11:11 am
For more info there is Orthodox Jewish Nurses Association https://jewishnurses.org/ and FB group , where schools and nursing programs are constantly discussed. GL.
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amother
Pewter


 

Post Thu, Feb 13 2020, 1:26 pm
Just One wrote:
I'm a hard worker, especially something I feel passionate about. Are nursing jobs in general hard to get? I don't want to go into a field that's oversaturated

Getting that first nursing job in a hospital.is hard. Once you.have a year of experiemce there are many opportunities. I dont think.its saturation, since other jobs exist, ie home care, its just that positions for rns with no experience are very competitive
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amother
Taupe


 

Post Thu, Feb 13 2020, 1:57 pm
If you move to Israel it is very easy to get a nursing job in a hospital even with 0 experience, if you are in Jerusalem or the central district. You can basically pick which department you want too. In the south it is a little more difficult, and in the north nursing jobs are hard to come by. Shifts are 8 hours long, not 12.
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amother
Maroon


 

Post Thu, Feb 13 2020, 2:25 pm
amother [ Pewter ] wrote:
Amother oak gave you great advice.
I will share my experiences. I joined the Bulka program when my youngest was 5 years old. It was 3 years from high school diploma, prerequisites and then nursinng school to rn, bsn. I had New York state grants that covered part of my prerequisites and a HRSA Nursecorps scholarship that covered nursing school 100% including a $1300 monthly stipend.
Nursing is long hours and hard work but if you have a passion for medicine and patient care than it will be a job you love. I look forward to going to work and still find it exhilarating after about 2.5 years in the hospital. My experience has been that the nurse on a hospital unit is a respected member of the team and her input is included when making decisions. Of course it is the medical provider MD, PA or NP that makes medical diagnoses and the plan of care medically, but the nurse can and does give her input which is appreciated by the medical team. I love the interaction between all the patients providers, nurse included, as we decide what will work best for the patient, each provider providing input based on the scope of their particular profession (ie. Md, pa, np, Pt, rt, social worker etc). I too wanted to be a part of the diagnosing and formulation of the plan of care so I have applied to nurse practitioner programs. I intend to continue working as an RN while I do my schooling part time since one of my benefits at work is that my employer will cover the tuition for my graduate education. As the others have said, 1st one becomes a nurse and then you can go further to become a primary provider. Good luck!
[b]

You mean you had a high school diploma and 3 yes later a BSN?
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