Hi, I am almost finished my pre-nursing classes at a south Jersey community college. I am getting ready to apply to this school's 2 year nursing program but it is very difficult to get into.At the last information session that I attended, the instructor was extremely discouraging. Because of that, I am thinking it would be best to apply to several nursing schools. It seems that is what most people do.

Before I apply to any school, I would like to know what their lab equipment is like because the lab equipment my school uses, is just terrible. During a recent Lab, we were suppose to learn how to take blood pressure on a classmate. We have about 25 students and only two WORKING stethoscopes. The teacher was not even aware of this until the students told her that 6 of the stethoscopes were not working. (We even saw her put them back into the cabinet after class!). Another problem is with models; bones, hearts, etc. In A&P1 last semester, the bone models were so bad that students were getting questions wrong on the practicals because you could not tell things apart.

Has anyone had similiar problems or have any suggestions? I am an adult returning to school and have children to support so the cost of my education ways heavily on which school I can attend.Of course, if the most affordable school has terrible supplies, it isn't really affordable!

Appreciate any input. :)

I get a bit torqued when I hear about nursing programs that don't have adequately stocked skills labs. TWO working stethoscopes for twenty-five students? Bone models that are so worn that the students get things wrong because it's impossible to differentiate anything on the models?

Excuse me. :flmngmd: :flmngmd: :flmngmd: :flmngmd: :flmngmd: :flmngmd:

Thanks. I feel better now.

I once taught skills lab in a facility that had a few issues with supplies. My students couldn't even practice spiking an IV bag or setting up tubing because we didn't have enough supplies. It was a disservice to the students and robbed them of the chance to practice skills in a non-clinical setting. Even if I never teach skills lab again, I will NOT teach in a place that does not have adequate supplies (or hours) for the students in skills lab. I also strongly advise any prospective student looking at any program to think twice before committing to a program that is so poorly financed that it has to cut corners on skills lab supplies.

I would run like the wind out of the place you're describing, gorgeous gracie!

Thanks for replying to my message:)

I went to a so called great college, and get this, we were told not to practice learning how to do an IV on our classmates. So we never learned. They said it was a liability to the college? Also, we never had new supplies, they were always already opened, etc. So, when we practiced we had to say, spike the bag, prime it, attach it to fake it on dummy arm and then take it all off so next person could use it. And it sucked because when I'd get to a floor for clinical I had no idea what I was looking for because I never seen those items in packaging, nor did I know the tricks to get them out of their packaging. Stupid little learning stuff like that, that we missed made us all feel soo dumb in clinicals!