Broward College starting Jan 2013

MurseMike33322 · Jan 11, 2013

WOW! It's soooo quite in here since classes started. Hmmmm, could it be everyones studying? Organizing themselves? Practing clinicals? So much to do, so little time.... :up:

Larimar7 · Jan 21, 2013

WHERE IS EVERYONE? How's it going for all of you?

vader147 · Jan 22, 2013

How did everyone's first exam go?

sweetf · Jan 22, 2013

At north we have ours on Friday. How was it?

vader147 · Jan 23, 2013

Not as bad as you've heard. Just be prepared. Good Luck to you and the rest that will be taking it.

Nurseritis · Jan 24, 2013

Hi all. How is it going for all of you so far? Good I hope :up: I'm wondering if any of you could help me or reassure me of some things. First and for most, I am a full-time student with the advantage of not having to work this semester. I'm taking CHEM1032, APII&lab, and HCP0001. During the first session of summer, I will be taking Micro with lab and the SLS course designed for nursing students (1501?) As well as the HESI exam. Goodness... I've heard so many good and not so good rumors about Broward's Nursing Program! How has it been so far? Or is it too soon to tell? Although I'm ecstatic to be applying soon, I'm SO NERVOUS :barf02: I got an 'A' in lab last semester and a 'B' in lecture. So I'm becoming to feel uneasy about this semester. I need to get 'A's in chem, AP and lab. I know this is very possible but I'm scared. I'll be applying from July-September for the January 2014 program. I spoke to an advisor last semester and I will be again in 2 weeks. Sometimes I feel they aren't completely confident with the information they're providing me. Or I'm being paranoid. I do know 2 friends of mine (planning on applying to the program) were quite disappointed after speaking with an advisor. This will be the third time in 6 months for me. Maybe I'm crazy but I don't want any surprises during the summer when I go to apply. I received an 'A' in english 1 which I know is included in the GPA for admission. How does the point system work? Say all goes my way this semester (and summer) and I receive the As I want in chem, ap2 and micro. How many points will that give me given I got a B in lecture? I think I'm rambling now but geez... these are the nonstop thoughts of mine on a day to day basis lol I really feel like I'm only going to get accurate responses from people who know exactly what I'm going through and who can be completely honest with me. What did all of you think about the HESI in regards to difficulty? Did you find the anatomy section more challenging than others? Or was that pretty basic stuff? What materials should I purchase to study for the HESI? Anddddd I'm rambling again. So, if any of you can be of any help to me I would SO appreciate your time and opinions. Hope you're all having a good third week! Happy studies!

OH, some more questions came to mind, of course; Do I need a degree to apply or just those pre reqs? I have a bunch of other courses under my belt but have not received a degree yet. Since Microbiology and the success class, for August 2013 and beyond applicants, is now required prior to applying, will that be incorporated into the GPA? And last (probably not last) but not least, is there a waiting list to be accepted? I've read some programs have a year or so of a waiting list. Does this go for BC too? Thanks everyone, sorry for the dragged out post :x3:

YourSoulVain · Feb 2, 2013

Hey, Jen Nic. This may have changed entirely by now, but I'll say what I can lol. Also, this is strictly from me. My experiences and my personal knowledge is all that I can offer you here. I won't go into specifics about any of the testing because obviously I'm not in the mood to get a nice talking to from the 3 BC campuses' health admissions departments that frequent these threads.

The program is hard, but it's supposed to be. Nursing is a profession whose name is thrown around as if anyone who has no other idea for a job can do it. Any nursing program will be hard at any school because when we come out of this, we are all held at the same level of responsibility and skill. Nursing is a difficult, consuming profession and this program will show that to you very quickly. I go to bed at 9pm every day and wake up at 5am. We read chapters and chapters a week and you have tests, skill demonstration tests, pharmacology tests, math tests. This may seem like too much, but you can ask anyone in any nursing program around the country and they'll say the same thing. It is definitely worth it if your calling is to be a nurse. Before you apply, do your homework. There are people in my class that went through all this trouble and paid plenty of money to realize that being a nurse is nothing close to what they wanted. See what a nurse's life really is and why they do what they do. Wanting to "help people" isn't always enough. You need to want to be one of the biggest differences in someone's life when they need someone the most.

The requirements have changed since we were admitted so the information I give you might not be accurate. The best you can do is to talk to health science admissions at your preferred campus. Ask around and make your own judgements about each campus's program. Look up the professors and their previous students.

They told some of us that the point system was applied and some not.

They take the classes you are required for application (your pre-requisites) and add up their grade points and that GPA is assigned points between 1-16 (1 point for 2.5, 2 for 2.6, etc.) or something like that. Worry less about how many points you have and more about how much you've learned. :) Getting 15 points doesn't mean much if you're accepted and you don't know anything about physiology. I had a 3.57 pre-req GPA which equates to 11 points and 1 point added for being a Broward resident. This information might be irrelevant to you now.

The HESI is a toned-down version of the SAT or ACT. It's used to see how you do with basic skills applied to nursing. You take 5 sections of the HESI: reading comprehension, grammar, vocabulary, math, and anatomy/physiology. The sections are straight forward. You can look into HESI preparation books if you feel you're lacking in one of the major components. The anatomy and physiology section is not a section you will pass if you don't study up. From what my questions were, it was not very basic. I'm pretty sure the BC bookstores have a HESI prep book, but how useful it is to some is not the case for others.

To apply, just the pre-reqs are required, but be sure to see what classes are required to graduate from the program. If they require microbiology and psychology and whatever else down the road, make a wise choice about when you plan to complete them. Before you start the program is the most appropriate in my book, but that's just me. I don't know anything about the new requirements because honestly, I haven't checked any of that since I dropped off my application last year lol. The waiting lists are probably not an issue anymore because people are no longer allowed to defer their seats to a later term.

Study, do your best, and take a deep breath. How many things in life that you want so badly are easy?

MurseMike33322 · Feb 3, 2013

SOOOoooooooo much WORK!!!!!!!! At the periphery of impossible. But possible. Who woulda thunk it? Keep your chin up soldiers. Keep your eye on the prize: State license with YOUR name printed on it! I am tough, but on that day I WILL CRY like a baby....

Larimar7 · Feb 5, 2013

I have never, ever studied this hard. Still hanging in there, though. Lost some folks this week, unfortunately. Do they really have to make it so difficult...? It seems deliberate. I want to be a good skilled nurse, but some folks who didn't pass-barely- the written test would have been fine nurses, too. Maybe with a little less material or some targeted test reviews? Just saying...

christophernftl · Feb 5, 2013

Study, do your best, and take a deep breath. How many things in life that you want so badly are easy?

I couldn't agree more! Maybe it is because I grew up going to college preperatory schools where an intense environment was not an option, or because I am not actually being pummeled by the RN program at BC yet (crossed fingers), but nursing isn't some mickey mouse program that anyone can do.

People's lives will be in your hands every single day, and yes, you will have to be prepared and competant to take on that type of responsibility. If you think this is regular type classes that you have had before then you are in the wrong program, but it will be well worth it in the end.

Just remember that YOU CAN DO IT with enough work and dedication, and I personally have faith in all of you.

Good luck guys, and God Bless!

Larimar7 · Feb 6, 2013

I couldn't agree more! Maybe it is because I grew up going to college preperatory schools where an intense environment was not an option, or because I am not actually being pummeled by the RN program at BC yet (crossed fingers), but nursing isn't some mickey mouse program that anyone can do.

Thanks for the good wishes. But nursing school I can guarantee is nothing like any prep school. So good luck with your application and start reading ahead of the start of the semester. :)

GMG RN · Feb 11, 2013

I have never ever studied this hard. Still hanging in there, though. Lost some folks this week, unfortunately. Do they really have to make it so difficult...? It seems deliberate. I want to be a good skilled nurse, but some folks who didn't pass-barely- the written test would have been fine nurses, too. Maybe with a little less material or some targeted test reviews? Just saying...[/quote']
Im a BCC Central grad, its very sad to see people fall out, but unfortunately its survival of the fittest. BCC puts out excellent nurses and your almost guaranteed to pass the NCLEX with how they prepare you. Focus on yourself and not what goes on around you, congrats on staying in the game and keep on moving forward. It will all be over soon, keep doing those Nclex style questions from an nclex book and remember the abc's. what is the question asking? Underline the key word!