ATTENTION ALL ACCELERATED SECOND CAREER STUDENTS HELP!!!!! (U of D)

I am not at one of the schools you mentioned, but i am finishing my 1st semester. here what my answers are:

1. Stethoscope: I am completely lost, I keep hearing Littman, but I am seeing the price and the names are confusing any suggestions? How often will I actually use this in clinicals? I have a welch Allyn and figure it is good for now, most of my fellow students have bought Littman and love them. But I would go for what you can afford and what fels right for you. It is also the type we used for our BP check-off. I personally wouldn't pay more then $100 for one though. You will use it all the time in clinicals, since you will probably be doing assessments and vitals daily when in them.
2. NCLEX: Anyone that has passed the NCLEX, did you begin studying @ the start of your program? I have a NCLEX book, but I have not found much for fundamentals yet, I figure in my med surg class in the fall I will start to use it.
4. Injections: Has anyone learned how to administer injections in all regions & if so during what phase of the program?
I am just now ready to do the check-off this saturday. we check-off for subcut,& IM
6. Bookbag: Is it necessary to invest in a $65+ roller bookbag? I did, but after the first month I slimmed down what I brought and I now use a normal backpack. however, somedays depending on what i need to bring i still use it.

Good luck with the program you decide on.

Henry Ford Community College.
And you are welcome, I had so many questions and still do and everyone is so helpful here.

Hi God-is-love,


1. Stethoscope: I am completely lost, I keep hearing Littman, but I am seeing the price and the names are confusing any suggestions? How often will I actually use this in clinicals?

I have the Littmann Master Classic II but I don't think you need that nice of one. There is one under that- it would do just as well.

2. NCLEX: Anyone that has passed the NCLEX, did you begin studying @ the start of your program?

NA but I am already starting to study for the NCLEX.

3. Clinicals: UofD- Anyone know where is the furthest clinical site a student got sent to? Are the clinical instructors really as bad as I've heard?

My instructors thus far have been good. They don't care where you live-so your clinicals could be anywhere. People were anywhere from Ann Arbor to Pontiac.

4. Injections: Has anyone learned how to administer injections in all regions & if so during what phase of the program?

We did some subQ injections already but I think thats just because our instructor was cool. Your second semester you will learn injections offically.

5. Nurse Care Plans: It was recommended to review them before the program, any recommendations?

I don't know about that. It may help you. Our fundamentals teacher helped us with knowing the structure for the care plans.

6. Bookbag: Is it necessary to invest in a $65+ roller bookbag?

I would not waste your money on this. All of the buildings have stairs so you will wind up carrying your bag anyway.

First off, congrats on your acceptance to NS! I think you need to stop worrying about so many things ahead of time. I just graduated in Dec. from a second degree accelerated program also. I am 59 yrs old! Didn't even think about NCLEX until last quarter. The reason why: NCLEX is all about critical thinking and you have not even learned theory yet. Your program will start with theory type exams and then as you progress, you will have tests that are more like NCLEX type tests (well, sort of!). Don't stress, just learn all your basics as they come and you will be able to build upon that. You already have a bachelors degree, so you know you have a good brain, right?

I was accepted into SC4's nursing program for this fall and we have the option to take patho before we start. However, it is not a pre-req so you can take it during the program, as well. I currently am taking it online. Yes, it is a lot of work, I would say that I probably spend about 20 hours a week just reading and studying the material. But it is online, so it really is like I'm teaching myself. We can't take pharm until we start the program (I think it's part of our first semester schedule). But I've heard that these two classes are two of the harder classes to get through. I think that as hard as these classes are, they are both very doable. It just takes a lot of dedication and hard work. I have to just keep my eye on the prize, and know that the next two years are going to fly by. And in the end my dream of being a nurse will be realized. Good luck to you and try not to stress yourself out before it starts.

God is Love

As far as your clinical schedule, unless it says your hospital and group on your schedule, then that is just a generic time. We got our official time during our health assessment class which will be your first 2 or 3 weeks.

Any differences between the pm & am clinicals?

Other than the time- I don't know of any differences. I have had clinical on days and afternoons. Some people also had weekend clinicals.

During the first weeks did u have to do the drug dosages test?

We took the test the third week of classes-I think maybe the second? You have to score a certain percentage in order pass. The math is pretty simple.

How is pharm & patho considering they are like general classes are they alot of work?

Yes pharm and patho are a ton of work. Lots of memorizing studying and reading.

Financial Aide: Did u take out any loans or get scholarships, did everything cover tuition?

Yes I had to take out loans. I got a grant from UDM too.

How are you coping with being unable to work this year?

I am doing okay not working. I don't see how you could. This is a FULL TIME program-pretty much everyone is the program is not working.