My hospital is going to require diploma nurses seek a BSN. I am near retirement and can't afford the time and the cost of doing this. What should I do?
Question - Dear Donna, My supervisor told me the hospital is going to have a requirement that RNs wit..
Dear Donna replies- Dear Resistant to Higher Education, Your employer can make that a requirement for continuing employment, and many already have done so across the country. Presumably your employer ... read more

I reported my clinical instructor for threatening behavior and now I feel I am being discriminated against for speaking up. What can I do?
Question - Dear Donna, I am a senior nursing student who reported my clinical instructor for her thre..
Dear Donna replies- Dear Threatened Student, If you believe you are being discriminated against or punished as retaliation and your education is being jeopardized, I recommend you find a nurse attorne... read more

Would you recommend substitute nursing for a new grad RN with very little experience?
Question - Dear Donna, Would you recommend substitute nursing for a new grad RN with very little expe..
Dear Donna replies- Dear New Grad, When you say substitute nursing, I'm not sure if you mean substitute school nursing or float pool work in a hospital. If you're referring to substitute school nursin... read more

I graduated in 2007, but never took my boards. Can I just take a refresher course before I take the NCLEX or do I have to retake the whole LPN program?
Question - Dear Donna, I completed a nursing program in 2007, but never took my boards. Can I just ta..
Dear Donna replies- Dear Never Took NCLEX, You should be eligible to take the NCLEX-Practical Nurse now, without doing anything further. Check on this with your state board of nursing. You would likel... read more

Is it possible for a nurse practitioner to hold a part-time job as a legal nurse consultant or are the jobs conflicting?
Question - Dear Donna, Is it possible for a nurse practitioner to hold a part-time job as a legal nur..
Dear Donna replies- Dear NP, There is no conflict that I can think of in being an NP and a legal nurse consultant. You are still a nurse and merely providing consulting services to an attorney or an i... read more

I am interested in opening my own business, maybe an assisted living or adult day care facility or a nursing agency. Which one is most profitable and least complicated?
Question - Dear Donna, I have been a critical care nurse for eight years and am interested in opening..
Dear Donna replies- Dear Wants to be an Entrepreneur, Although one is not necessarily more profitable than the others, the one that would require the least amount of startup money, time and red tape w... read more

I have a license with probation and can't seem to find anyone who will hire me. How can I overcome this?
Question - Dear Donna, I graduated from nursing school in 2011. It took more than a year before the b..
Dear Donna replies- Dear Hopeless, Your situation is challenging but not insurmountable. You should start by doing volunteer work as a nurse in a healthcare setting while you continue to look for paid... read more

I am a new graduate having difficulty finding employment. Would it be professional suicide to take a job in a skilled nursing facility for one to two years?
Question - Dear Donna, I am a new graduate and having difficulty finding employment. Formal new gradu..
Dear Donna replies- Dear Unemployed New Nurse, With the job market as it is right now, especially for new nurses, you would be wise to take any decent patient-care job you can get rather than staying ... read more