Gateway LPN Fast Track

pinklady8888 · Jan 10, 2011

i applied like back in april lol, i wasnt supposed to get in but ppl dropped and they contacted me late novemeber..does anyone know if they are still having probs enrolling in my maricopa? idk why its such a hassle, its really driving me crazy..

rzyzzy · Jan 10, 2011

i applied like back in april lol, i wasnt supposed to get in but ppl dropped and they contacted me late novemeber..does anyone know if they are still having probs enrolling in my maricopa? idk why its such a hassle, its really driving me crazy..

I suspect something's seriously cheesed up in MyMaricopa - I'm showing a $1700 tuition hold, and they were paid in full 5 months ago. (it showed as paid until around x-mas). Most of my classmates have the same thing.

pinklady8888 · Jan 10, 2011

ya they are having problems with my maricopa i just called admissions and they sent me to the nursing advisor went to as long as you and they said as long as you went to orienation you have a place and they are just just having problems in the ciriculum area..idk grr im just worried about my aid..im still waiting to get granted.

sweetjen2006 · Jan 13, 2011

well hope everything turned out fine with the aid. hope you had a good first day of class. how did it go?

*green · Jan 21, 2011

Everybody is too busy with class to be on allnurses :)

miteacher, ADN, MSN · Jan 24, 2011

How is everyones experience so far? I am still anxiously waiting on the waiting list...

miteacher, ADN, MSN · Feb 28, 2011

What books did you have to purchase for the program?

rzyzzy · Feb 28, 2011

What books did you have to purchase for the program?

They have a "book box" at the bookstore that has everything in it, including a license so you can put electronic copies of most of the books on your PC, as well as licenses so you can access case studies on your PC (these are required for the program). There's also a practice "bag" you'll need that has the supplies needed for practicing procedures (fake pills, foley kits, syringes, IV kits, etc) The total "kit" was about $600~ish... but when you're done with the books, you can sell them and get quite a bit of cash back - I think I got $300 or so for mine from Amazon.

If you buy the books used or online, you probably won't get the electronic licenses, and you'll have to buy the case study access code separately, so there really isn't much way to beat the system.

miteacher, ADN, MSN · Feb 28, 2011

So was it $600 for the kit and books? Do you have any books that you would recommend to start reading now while I have extra time? I am trying to see if there are any books that i should start reading now to help me prepare for when I start.

It would be great if anyone could recommend books for me to start.

rzyzzy · Feb 28, 2011

So was it $600 for the kit and books? Do you have any books that you would recommend to start reading now while I have extra time? I am trying to see if there are any books that i should start reading now to help me prepare for when I start.
It would be great if anyone could recommend books for me to start.

You can go to Gateway's library and check out Nclex-pn review books for $0. No need to spend alot of money at this stage. Don't be afraid to start taking practice tests - by going over your answers with the rationales, you'll learn a lot, and begin thinking in an "NCLEX" way - for many students, getting the hang of NCLEX questions is half the battle.

If you want to spend a few bucks on something that may be useful, you can pick up an ipod touch (even a good used one on Craigslist) - there are lots of nursing apps for those, including Nclex practice questions, anatomy & drug practice questions, and several flash card apps that you may find useful. Don't spend alot (used ones should only be $100~ish) - the little 8-gig ipod will hold everything you can think of - including drug books, medical dictionaries, nurse's notes, and thousands of nclex practice questions. It was useful for me, but out of 30 people in my class, maybe half-a-dozen had ipods, so it isn't a requirement.

If you've got Itunes on your PC, there are some pathophisiology 104 lectures from Mesa Community College on Itunes - http://itunes.mc.maricopa.edu/ - Click on "nursing" once Itunes opens up - They're another $0 investment, and you don't have to be a student at MCC to watch them. I enjoyed them alot, and it'll help you get a feel for nursing classes - don't worry if some of it is over your head, it'll begin to make sense as you progress through the program.

mightymurse · Feb 28, 2011

I bought the book-box but didn't use most of the books in there, including the digital versions. Big waste of money for me. I'd buy a used, older edition of the main text online and maybe the saunders nclex-pn review book.

If you don't have a pda, I'd say buy a drug book. But get a used, older edition. It's good enough for how you will use it and way cheaper. I never opened mine and just used the pda.

Labs and other stuff can all be looked up online or on PDA apps, so don't buy the lab book. The pharm book was never opened and it didn't hurt my grades to skip those readings.

You'll have to buy the case studies, since those are mandatory and graded.

Do NCLEX questions to study! NCLEX books from the library have CDs that can be copied to a hard drive and the ipod/iphone apps are great.

The goodie bag they make you buy is a waste of money. See if you can find a used one to buy or borrow. You just need to show up with it, the contents are less important. And you won't lose anything by having used stuff.

miteacher, ADN, MSN · Feb 28, 2011

Thanks for the suggestion. I have an iPod touch, and will look for some apps.