Hi all,

I am thinking about going into nursing at the ripe old age of 41. I have a four-year degree in English, which I earned almost 20 years ago (WOW) and ended with a GPA of 3.0. I am wondering if any of you have applied to, are currently attending, or have attended FKCC in Key West or Marathon, FL?

Any info you have on how competitive it is there, what it is like...and also, any info on the TEAS would be great. I read one thread on here about FKCC but it did not really go into how hard it is to get in or anything like that. I know the college has had its ups and downs. I spoke to the department that handles applications. They told me I needed to apply to the general part of the college first, which I have just done. It's so hard to get anyone in the nursing dept. to call back that I haven't been able to discuss whether they would accept a 3.0, how far their waiting list goes, etc. They say they require a 2.8 as of this year. I have read that often that still means you need a much higher GPA if there are lots of students with good GPAs.

I have the basic prerequisites they require (math, english, psych), but just about the only health-related courses I took were medical terminology, and a couple of biology courses. I have very little chemistry knowledge, but pick up everything quickly and am hoping I can memorize enough of the basics to score high on the TEAS. I love learning and look forward to the challenge of taking on something new. My grandfather was a doctor and had his office in south Florida while I was growing up (my mom worked in his office)...I always loved being around that and the hospital, and hearing about his experiences.

My goal is to attend FKCC and then ultimately find a nursing job in the Lower Keys, as we live here and my husband owns a bait and tackle shop here which I can guarantee he is not planning on leaving. :-)

Thanks in advance for any information, tips, advice. I just bought the ATI study guide for the TEAS, and have been brushing up on my math and science online.

P.S. If you are a nurse in the Florida Keys, I'd love to hear what you think of it -- good or bad.

Did you ever get any info on Florida Key Community College? I am the ripe age of 43 and going back. I finished 2 out of 3 prereq's plus other classes. I am going to take intermediate algebra through my math lab and finish it by April 1. I already emailed them asking if they will accept an unofficial transcript until the official ones come out in May.

I have been looking for apts which are crazy expensive. I am coming with two young kids..1st and 2nd grade. Any suggestions that is close enough not to spend a lot of money on gas. I really appreciate all the help you can give me. By the way have you taken the teas

I was about to apply there a few years ago!!!!

I lived in miami, and the drive was extremely tiring-- so I decided not to even apply. But I did have a friend who was accepted there, and unfortunately for her, she did not pass the first semester.

But also, she did not have a difficulty getting in!!! she said that many people do not apply to the school, because there are 3 campuses-- upper, middle and lower keys. as long as you meet the minimum requirements you should get in.

one thing that I did not like about the school is that, the upper key school is at a high school! yes, at a high school. in the classroom of nursing, they have a huge screen, where via satelite you see your teacher, and on each desk there is a triangle looking microphone, that you press to answer a question, or ask the teacher a question.

So, I ended up at Broward community college--I drove there, it was very tough of what I went through, having a baby through school and all, but I finished, and I am hitting my 2 year of RN this november!! whohoo for me!!

Hi

Can you tell me more about Broward Community college? How tough was it to get it. I am in California right now and there is nothing even close to being open out here. I was thinking about going to Florida [which is where I want to move anyhow] and do my prereq's and start applying. I am on financial aid and low income...so I can't go to any private schools..unless there are major scholarships available

Myra

Broward College (formerly BCC) used to have different criteria to get in. It used to be based on a waiting list. Now they go by points, and Im not sure how tough it is to enter the school now.

I had a friend, who like you was from a different state and moved here to FL for nursing school, did not get accepted to 11 schools she applied to, but one.

Manatee community college.

MCC, i applied there too and got in! manatee cc is in bradenton florida, west coast, and the area is very nice, the apartments are reasonably priced. my friend paid about $500-600 on rent for a one bedroom, here in miami a one bedroom is double that amount.

anyways, if you are just fresh to florida, i would give then a try. a few years ago they were going by waiting list, not sure how it is right now.

best of luck

i know a guy who just turned 50 graduated from FKCC in Keywest.

i know a guy who just turned 50 graduated from FKCC in Keywest.

Can you have him get in touch with me. I would really appreciate any info I can get. I can't get much out of the school

Broward College (formerly BCC) used to have different criteria to get in. It used to be based on a waiting list. Now they go by points, and Im not sure how tough it is to enter the school now.

I had a friend, who like you was from a different state and moved here to FL for nursing school, did not get accepted to 11 schools she applied to, but one.

Manatee community college.

MCC, i applied there too and got in! manatee cc is in bradenton florida, west coast, and the area is very nice, the apartments are reasonably priced. my friend paid about $500-600 on rent for a one bedroom, here in miami a one bedroom is double that amount.

anyways, if you are just fresh to florida, i would give then a try. a few years ago they were going by waiting list, not sure how it is right now.

best of luck

thanks for the info. I checked into that program. I also found Edison college in Fort Myers and Port Charlotte. The reason I was interested in the keys was because it is 2 years with very few prereq's. Edison college isn't bad and MCC is great too. I found a 3 bedroom apt in Port Charlotte for 674...income based..nice ...good schools for kids and also after school program.

That is great!!!

the cost of living in miami, and florida key's is pricey, a 2/2 is about $1200/month plus utilities.

my friend got into manatee just based on a wait list, and i was accepted there too on the wait list, but was accepted to bc first.

If recolating to florida, i would chose those cities that you mentioned above, before coming to miami, or the key's.

best of luck to you!!!!!!!!!

Careful, this school has suffered serious plummeting of national board results in recent years. It is difficult to find some of the articles since one of the responsible parties has paid to have the articles removed from major search engines. But it still can be found in accessmylibrary dot com. The terrible passing results are more likely due to poor school leadership (multiple newspaper articles in the Keynoter over time) than poor students. It would be horrible to spend that much money on living and tuition, then not be prepared well enough to pass!

Hi!

I am a current student at FKCC and I can tell you its not that easy to get into their Nursing Program. There were 110 applicants this time and I have a 4.0 GPA, 83 on teas, and 3 more core classes to go and I was denied for Spring 2010. They score applicants on points for entrance essay, experience (current LPN/CNA etc.), interview, classes completed, etc. I have heard they approve almost all men because there is a high demand for them, not sure if this is true or not but I thought I would put it out there. They also prefer you to have all your core classes done before you get accepted into the program (I assume this is why I did not get in). I have enjoyed my experience so far at FKCC, but I agree with the original poster that its near impossible to get a hold of anyone within the nursing department.

I wish you luck! Don't be discouraged! I recommend getting all your core classes out of the way before applying.

I know this is an old post, but I'm putting this out there in case anyone else is interested. I attend FKCC Nursing and it is a challenge to get in. To set the record straight, their NCLEX pass rate is extremely high (higher than MDC, BCC, etc). Due to this high pass rate we find the level of difficulty for the tests to be high, probably for the school to maintain the pass rate. I live in Miami and it is tough to drive down, but the material learned in school seems to prepare you to be a good Nurse. Some things are unorganized, but the school is working on fixing these issues. The most frustrating thing is many classes are done via VideoConference. If you are a person that can study independently you shouldnt have a problem.

I know this is an old post, but I'm putting this out there in case anyone else is interested. I attend FKCC Nursing and it is a challenge to get in. To set the record straight, their NCLEX pass rate is extremely high (higher than MDC, BCC, etc). Due to this high pass rate we find the level of difficulty for the tests to be high, probably for the school to maintain the pass rate. I live in Miami and it is tough to drive down, but the material learned in school seems to prepare you to be a good Nurse. Some things are unorganized, but the school is working on fixing these issues. The most frustrating thing is many classes are done via VideoConference. If you are a person that can study independently you shouldnt have a problem.

wow! I'm sure that the NCLEX pass rate is extremely high because not very many people graduate from the program. It reminds me of BC, when we had a 97% pass rate... but that't because 18 people took the test out of the 50 students that started.

when you look at the site where they tell you the pass rate, they tell you how many students took the test as well.

the drive from miami to the keys is tough, I go there just for the day to enjoy the boats and beautiful scenery. I am so happy BCC took me in, because it was a safer drive than just one road as in the keys.

that videoconference is the thing that I disliked about the school so I never applied. My friend got in the program, she said there were only 24 people in the class, and about 10 or 9 people failed the first semester, including her. she said that they told her that not very many people applied to the program either, so it was not a difficult program for her to get in, as comparing to MDC.

but anyways Caring4Others, just the best wishes for you and the program . Nursing is a rewarding and challenging career.