I was accepted into the fall 2012 nursing program at my local community college. Our classes start on Aug 13 (yay!). We haven't had orientation yet, but our online content was just opened yesterday along with our calendar for the semester. When I looked at our calendar, I was surprised to learn that we have class scheduled 5 days a week. The reason why I was surprised was the scheduled class times when signing up for the class only stated MTWF as class days. My questions are: has this happened to anyone else? and is this something that I should expect the rest of the time I am in nursing school?

It's been my experience that this is pretty standard for nursing school, especially in regards to clinical times. During my first semester, class times were changed and mailed to us a month prior to class. When my second semester rolled around, the clinical times AND the lecture times had changed from what we originally signed up for. I'm entering my third semester now and we've been told to expect our rotation assignments to not be mailed to us until mid-August and to expect them to be different from what we signed up for with advisement, in addition to having to attend separate observational experiences, and other mandated times where we'd need to be present. That's just the nature of the program and the best advice I can offer you is to make sure you have a flexible schedule!

That is typical, as the other poster said, make sure you have a flexible schedule! We don't find out our clinical days/times until1-2 weeks before our clinicals. They change the times/dates ALL of the time, for classes, finals, clinicals. It does suck to have class 5x's a week though, we have only had it 2 days a week throughout the whole time.

We didn't even have a choice of what to sign up for. Our class times were just chosen for us. We do only have class 3 days per week, but the other two days are scheduled as clinical and labe days. I'm not sure how it will work once we actually begin in a couple of weeks because we haven't had orientation yet.

Ours were scheduled for us. I have class 5 days a week for 8 weeks, 4 days the rest of the semester. I also was a little surprised because we were all told we only will be going 4 days a week. But they also told us to be flexible. Nursing school! Oy vey!

We didn't even have a choice of what to sign up for. Our class times were just chosen for us. We do only have class 3 days per week, but the other two days are scheduled as clinical and labe days. I'm not sure how it will work once we actually begin in a couple of weeks because we haven't had orientation yet.

That's how ours was as well, but our clinical and lab times were included in the 4 day schedule. The extra day is a test day. I just assumed we would be taking our tests during class times. I guess not! :)

I start my first semester at the end of the month and have no clue what my schedule will be for the Nursing I class. The school doesn't even bother to list the times in their semester by semester course schedule. You take the lecture and the clinical during the times they assign. 'not sure of any recourse beyond possibly swapping with another student if their times are different, but better for you.

I have classroom time Tuesday and Friday 8-1. Lab on Wednesday 8-12 and clinicals on Thursday 6a-6p. Monday is not a mandatory day but the labs are open for open study and the professors are available so I would be crazy not to go and take advantage of the additional time.

I was surprised actually how little I would be in lecture class.

Bahahahhaha-Yes

Yes pretty common. I haven't gotten my "real" schedule for the Fall yet, but when we reg, the schedule says M/F clinicals 7-3, and Class-Tues/Thurs 8-950. Generally what happens is that we start clinicals mid way through the quarter, and we have class 8-3 4 days a week. It kinda sucks b/c I like to be prepared with how classes will be.

Oh, yeah. Never forget the most important "F word" in nursing school: FLEXIBILITY!

We do not get to choose our own schedule either; we pick days or nights at the beginning of our 2 year program, then our schedules are made for us. So far I have lucked out, and only have 2 days of lecture and one day of clinicals. At orientation, we were also given a list of mandatory additional lectures, SIM lab days, etc..some of which conflict with other lectures. Oh, and one is on Labor Day, which I found strange, since the rest of the college is usually off...I'm guessing the week before someone will notice and dates will be changed.

Gotta love nursing school!

Yes pretty common. I haven't gotten my "real" schedule for the Fall yet, but when we reg, the schedule says M/F clinicals 7-3, and Class-Tues/Thurs 8-950. Generally what happens is that we start clinicals mid way through the quarter, and we have class 8-3 4 days a week. It kinda sucks b/c I like to be prepared with how classes will be.

I'm a planner as well. I think that's why it caught me off guard. I had been planning all summer on having Thursdays off, and now my planning is all messed up. I have two kids, you would think that I would have learned that lesson already. :)

in my school the class you choose by registration is the one you get unless you decide to switch to monday clinical instead of thursday or something like that. the only class that changed from what we signed up for was the math for meds course. the choice was tues or wednesday midterm and final. in the end, both classes were given the final/midterm on a monday! was no big deal because they gave lots of notice. I didnt know it was common for schools to change the schedule after everyone had registered. weird

because i got to choose my own schedule, I never had a 5 day week. most semesters were MTWT except one semester was MTThF and one was MTTh.