Georgia Perimeter's Nursing Progran

U.S.A. Georgia

Published

I have applied to the GPC program for FALL 2012. Are there any current nurses attending GPC that can tell me anything good about the program? I have only heard bad things and people are telling me to get out while I can.

Specializes in Mental health, LTC, Correctional.

Any advice on what to study for first semester students?

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Pay attention to your powerpoints, take your outline for the class and read the sections in the book the correlate in the outline (don't ready pages 250-550 just because they were assigned,), use the Fundamentals Success and Reviews and Rationales book to answer questions. It's answering the nursing school questions that's the hard part, not necessarily the content.

Any advice on what to study for first semester students?
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Great info! Thanks for sharing all of this! Do you still feel the same way that you did last year when you wrote this? I was accepted and will start Fall 2013. Any advice for the "newbies"?

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I'm staring down my graduate date of May 1st. It's been a long, terrifying, exhausting experience. I don't really know what kind of advice to give. For me, I don't read the book. I study the power points, use outside sources like the "reviews and rationales" series, and anything I can find on the internet to help me understand. I study pretty much every day, even if just for a few minutes. I work in the ER as a tech and I carry study guides with me and annoy the nurses and docs with questions. OH! Record the lectures and listen to them all the time; in the car, at the gym, while you're cleaning, absolutely everywhere. That's honestly why I have done so well. I'm not big on study groups, but I do have one friend with whom I've studied a few times right before exams. Groups work well for some, but not for me.

Fundamentals, for me, was easy. Don't sweat it. I never missed more than 4 or 5 questions an any of the exams. Med-surg 1 got a little tougher, but much more interesting. I got a little lazy in my studying and scored a B here and there but still came out with an A. Third semester, however... holy balls. It was more of a time issue. You take psych online the entire semester, then OB and PEDS are divided into little minisemesters. PEDS was kind of easy. OB was tougher. Psych was OK. It's just that you'll feel super overwhelmed with the schedule and having more than one class to study for again. We lost quite a few really great students to OB. Prepare to become the most organized person ever. The schedule kind of gets crazier and crazier as you go, then fourth semester it slows down a little and it's almost like an online course. We only meet as a class the week before exams.

Fourth semester is really killing a lot of folks. I'm finding it to be pretty awesome. It pulls from everything you've learned so far, and builds on it so if you didn't get it down in fundamentals and med-surg 1, it'll be really rough. It's been my favorite so far because it feels more like real nursing.

We also utilize ATI. It's a sort of NCLEX prep/passing predictor program. We have practice tests, books, and skills videos. Every course requires passing the exit ATI exam with a level 1 (3 is the highest) or better. If you fail to get a level 1 in two attempts, you're out. I don't think we've lost anybody that way yet. Also, we take a few dosage calculation tests that are the same deal, two attempts and you're out. We didn't lose anybody to those either.

Some clinical instructors are better than others. Some let you go everywhere, see everything, and do lots of cool stuff. Some don't. That's just the luck of the draw.

Also, y'all win because you no longer have the "three strikes you're out" rule for skills check offs. That was a nightmare.

One thing is certain, you will be prepared for the NCLEX. When I first started I thought I would be nervous about it but I'm not the slightest bit concerned about passing.

So basically, study. A lot. If you're a reader, read. If you're like me and it's pointless, skip it. Don't freak out. Go to the teachers if you're having trouble and don't wait until it's too late. We lost a few that way. I would suggest trying to get a tech job as well. Not only do you get to do more stuff in the hospital, but you have a much better chance at finding a job when you're done. And listen to your recorded lectures. Listen to them constantly, until you practically have them memorized lol. That's what's gotten me really great grades so far. And know that it will be over eventually. And you'll want to burn your white uniform, and you'll hate care plans with the fire of a thousand suns, but if you can keep reminding yourself about how you feel *RIGHT* *NOW*, then you'll do fine. Whenever I start to be filled with the dark, scary nursing school rage I just remember how I felt when I got my acceptance letter.

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Thanks so much for this thorough break down! I do best re listening to lectures rather than reading so I'm happy to know the professors don't mind students to record them :) u are almost there! U must be counting down the days. Can't wait to start this journey and get it over with!

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Just one note.. I am in med surg now.. and we have 3 and out back in for the skills lab. We did not for first semester..but it is for this semester. They did not label it as such. But if you dont pass it by a certain date after 3 attempts you fail clinical, and if you fail clinical you fail the class. We are just about to start 3rd attempts. I am glad I passed on the first one. :)

But learn how to take the test.. Read Test for Sucess. The test are a little game. Once you firgure out how to take them, they are not so bad.

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Glad to hear they've implemented a limit again. We were glad it changed from the way it used to be but felt that there should be some incentive or gpc wouldn't have the skilled graduates like it has for so long.

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Specializes in NICU.

Thanks for all your info and advice! Congrats on your graduation, you're so close :) I'll be starting gpc in the fall and I'm super excited but extremely nervous. Did any of you work during the program? That is one of the things I am concerned about is what I'm going to do about bills. If you worked about how many hours a week did you work? I was thinking about trying to do just two days a week. Also I read that you mentioned getting a job as a tech so I'm very interested in looking into that in the future!

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A lot of us work. It all depends on what else is on your plate. I wouldn't recommend trying to work more than 20-30 hours a week. The most ideal job would be something you could schedule around exams and clinicals and check offs. I tend to work a lot right after an exam, then it tapers off leading up to the next exam, then repeats.

As for tech jobs, most floors just require one semester of nursing school. I ended up in the ER, which requires two semesters of clinicals. I'd ask around on the floor where you end up for clinicals. Also, you can see if your clinical instructor could send out an email to other units for you. Most of us got our tech jobs either through faculty, or on our own by asking around on the floors where we had clinical. The best part is you can work PRN, where you make your own schedule.

Good luck! It's a great, tough program, but it churns out some of the best nurses in the area. And the people who do the hiring will tell you the same thing.

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A lot of us work. It all depends on what else is on your plate. I wouldn't recommend trying to work more than 20-30 hours a week. The most ideal job would be something you could schedule around exams and clinicals and check offs. I tend to work a lot right after an exam, then it tapers off leading up to the next exam, then repeats.

As for tech jobs, most floors just require one semester of nursing school. I ended up in the ER, which requires two semesters of clinicals. I'd ask around on the floor where you end up for clinicals. Also, you can see if your clinical instructor could send out an email to other units for you. Most of us got our tech jobs either through faculty, or on our own by asking around on the floors where we had clinical. The best part is you can work PRN, where you make your own schedule.

Good luck! It's a great, tough program, but it churns out some of the best nurses in the area. And the people who do the hiring will tell you the same thing.

I agree. My classmate'a wife is the hiring manager at Gwinnett medical in the OR and told him that they look highly at GPC graduates and will often times hire them over other graduates bc their clinical knowledge is so strong.

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I work. But I did not start until mid oct last semester. I would recommend if you can don't work the first couple months. It can be stressful getting used to the schedule and the first semester is tough because everything is so new. And make sure you have all your prereqs out of the way so all you have to do is NS. Between skills labs and clinicals and class first semester can be tough. (It was for me).

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Specializes in PD,Nxstage,hemo.

You can do it! I was a single mom of a 10 yr boy and I worked about 25-32hrs a week. I will say that I had a job that always worked with my school schedule though (I was a LPN).

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