Anyone applying to Emory Fall 2013

Shiningstar05 · Jul 16, 2012

Hi guys! I am a senior at Emory, in the BSN track with graduation in May of 2013. If you have any questions about anything, please don't hesitate to ask me. It's a great program!

peachshan, BSN, RN · Jul 17, 2012

Hi Shiningstar05! I wanted know what are the admissions people looking for in the resume? Did any of your classmates work more than 16 hours? This would be a second degree for me and I have a family now so now my main concern besides getting into nursing school is financial aid and class schedules. I hope I don't bother you too much. Thanks!

Shiningstar05 · Jul 17, 2012

Hi ummnasim! You're no bother at all. I love talking about my experience at Emory and would love to help out others as much as past alumni have helped me!

The admissions people at Emory are wonderful in helping people get as much financial aid as possible. A lot of people who really need financial aid are typically happy with what they receive. Even if you come out with a small loan, an Emory nursing education is worth it. Once you complete your FAFSA, they will automatically set you up with grants, scholarships, etc that you will be eligible for. There are also additional opportunities that the financial aid counselor will inform you of, and others that you can research on your own like scholarships that hospitals provide. I wish I took advantage of this early on, but I am now! Hospitals like Northside have scholarship programs that will give you $10,000 a year for tuition, give you PAID nursing shadowing opportunities throughout nursing school (which is absolutely wonderful), and you are guaranteed a job as a RN upon graduation! It doesn't get any better than that!

I know some of my classmates who have worked part-time. It is possible and dependent on the person. Just expect to be very busy and work very hard. I was very intimidated during my first semester of nursing school and I was focused on making all As, so working was out of the question for me. Some people have no choice and make it work, and that's OK too! Looking back, I wished I would have relaxed more and just enjoyed the ride instead of being the "perfect" nursing student. No one's perfect :)

The class schedule the first semester is the busiest but will be something you will adapt to. Your schedule might look something like this:

Monday: Health Assessment 8am-9:50am, Integrated Science 10am-11:50am, Service Learning Meeting 1pm-4:50pm

Tuesday: Health Assessment Lab 7am-9:50am, Professional Development 10am-11:50am, Clinical Nursing 1pm-2:50pm

Wednesday: Integrated Science 10am-11:50 am

Thursday: 6 hours of clinical

I suggest getting a planner, get your syllabi and schedules, & writing down everything so you can be on top of everything!

Let me know if you have any other questions :)

peachshan, BSN, RN · Jul 17, 2012

Thank you so much! That is so cool about the hospitals offering money. I plan on applying as a 2nd degree student. I would love to do the ABSN/MSN program but that might be too much for me right now. Is there tutorial offered for students?

Shiningstar05 · Jul 18, 2012

I'm not sure what you mean by tutorial? There is an information session coming up on August 6th and open house November 3rd from 8AM-12PM for the graduate program. You can go to this link to register: Emory | Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing | Visit Us

peachshan, BSN, RN · Jul 18, 2012

I am sorry I didn't explain myself. I meant to ask if students are offered tutorial from other students if they need help in their classes. I am going to sign up for 2nd degree informational session. Thank you once again:)

meeep, BSN, RN · Jul 19, 2012

Shining star - just a few questions I could think of:

Can you tell us what the clinical experiences are like?

How would you describe the social climate and age range of the Nursing students?

Will financial aid cover living expenses?

Emory is my dream school - super excited to go to the info session this summer!

Shiningstar05 · Jul 19, 2012

ummnasim, Yes! Emory does a great job at helping students who need it the most, and giving students additional opportunities and resources to do well in the program. In the beginning of the year, you are set up with a senior mentor and a second mentor who is a staff member at the school of nursing. They will help you with any concerns you have, giving advice, and developing a plan to make sure you succeed. Additionally, there are tutors that are offered for every class. If there is anything you are not understanding in the classroom, you have more than one person to go to for help. For your more challenging classes, "recitation" is offered after the class if you choose to come. The professor will go over in a more smaller setting what she went over that day, and further clarifying the subject and answering your questions in greater detail. If you still need additional help or you are not doing well on exams, you are still not left behind! You will be set up with a professor to further analyze how to answer NCLEX-styled questions and what you may not be understanding. I have used these resources and it has helped many students in preparing for exams and ultimately doing well in the program.

meeep, my clinical rotations have been very good. My first semester, I was placed at Emory University Hospital-Midtown, better known as Crawford Long. You begin Clinical after the first month or so in nursing school. You have to get your patient information the day before clinical and research his/her diagnosis, look up medications, and complete a plan of care. Your clinical day will be once a week for 6 hours the 1st semester. You will have 1 patient and paired with another nursing student. You get used to taking vital signs, checking blood glucose, hanging and spiking fluids, giving shots, administering medications, and giving your patient a bath & making a bed while someone is still in it. You learn a lot during the first semester. You might be placed with a more challenging clinical instructor with very high expectations or you may have a very down-to-earth one....either way, they are very experienced and you learn a lot from them. You are expected to be prepared but it is not a military style of nursing school. My second semester, I was placed at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta-Egleston for the first half of the semester and Northside Hospital the second half of the semester. We had clinical 1 day a week, 12 hour shift, and you could take on your patient by yourself if you like. If you are even more comfortable than that, you can take care of 2 patients by yourself. You have post conference after each clinical day and at this time, you go over your patients diagnosis, what you learned during your shift, and just talk about your experience.

The students at Emory are very diverse and have very unique backgrounds. In our class, we have had people from the age of 21 to about 50. We had the most males ever during our class. There are a good amount of students who have children, married, already have degrees, and even one who has already earned her doctorate in another field. There was maybe about 12 that are from different countries. Majority are wonderful, caring, and very helpful towards each other.

Also, Financial aid should cover living expenses! You are at the right place! Hopefully I see you all at the information session :)

peachshan, BSN, RN · Jul 19, 2012

This has been a lot of information! I have a friend that is starting in the Fall and she is already raving about the school. Let's keep this post going!

meeep, BSN, RN · Jul 20, 2012

Wow, thanks so much for all of the information. I did not know about the senior mentor, that is really wonderful! Did you find that the tips you received from your senior mentor were helpful and accurate? The clinicals sound amazing! I am going to the Aug. 6th session, I hope to see you there!

Shiningstar05 · Jul 20, 2012

You both are very welcome! I had to reach out to my senior mentor periodically for the first semester because I had so many questions and so much anxiety when it came to those infamous NCLEX-styled exams and how to prepare. She was very accurate and gave me realistic expectations while still building my confidence. She would tell me what to expect from certain professors and classes, how to study for each class, and give me hints on whether the class notes/ power points, or reading the entire chapters were helpful or not. The program is not perfect and everything is not handed to you, but being prepared, working hard, and developing a strategy early on is very helpful. Having someone who has been through it, and simply tell you that they did it, and there is light at the end, can make a hard day not so bad. I would not change school's if given another opportunity because I know I'm receiving quality education, and I have already been given job opportunities because of my experiences and education at Emory.

meeep, BSN, RN · Jul 24, 2012

Shiningstar,

Do you happen to know how recent Emory grads have fared in their job searches? I keep hearing about how saturated this area is with nurses and how difficult it is to find employment. Do Emory new grads find this to be a huge issue?