Puerto Rico school feedback - thread #2

World US Territories

Published

You are reading page 25 of Puerto Rico school feedback - thread #2

Jen_Jen88

334 Posts

Its a residency program at the VA hospital where you get experience by being set up with a preceptor. Usually in icu. And you get paid as well as getting acls certified, plus much more classes like critical care.

Its a residency program at the VA hospital where you get experience by being set up with a preceptor. Usually in icu. And you get paid as well as getting acls certified, plus much more classes like critical care.

Thanks! Shame I cant do it in Puerto Rico, because I didn't study there. :)

Thanks! Shame I cant do it in Puerto Rico, because I didn't study there. :)

You can apply for it but I am pretty sure you need to apply after your first year. Everyone I know was applying to do it the second year. You have to have enough nursing skills to enter the program. Keep in mind the VA only accepts 2 students from the entire island. We had about a dozen students apply from our school but there are dozens of schools on the island.

Jen_Jen88 probably has a better idea of how competitive it is. But when I went to La Inter they accepted one student from our program, happened to be a fellow CA girl in my glass. The other was a student from UPR.

missfilly

4 Posts

Quick Question: Does anyone know if it is to late to apply for Aug 13? I filled out my application and plan on sending all my transcripts this week. Just wondering if anyone knows if the documents will get looked at and processed within the next couple of weeks before school starts.

MrCAPR, LVN

127 Posts

Specializes in Geriatrics.
Quick Question: Does anyone know if it is to late to apply for Aug 13? I filled out my application and plan on sending all my transcripts this week. Just wondering if anyone knows if the documents will get looked at and processed within the next couple of weeks before school starts.

I would the school of nursing to make sure missfilly. Good luck!

Specializes in ER.
Quick Question: Does anyone know if it is to late to apply for Aug 13? I filled out my application and plan on sending all my transcripts this week. Just wondering if anyone knows if the documents will get looked at and processed within the next couple of weeks before school starts.

InterMetro like some of the other schools on the island work differently from the black and white admissions programs that we encounter in the states. At present, you may still be able to get in but it all depends on the seats the program decides are available. So if you are really interested, I would go ahead and get everything over to them and also ensure you have hardcopies in case something gets lost. Try and go down for the July 24th orientation so you could see if you could get it all sorted while you are on the island. But its all about how determined you are to make it work and if your situation is an easy in.

Specializes in Psych, Substance Abuse.

Hi! I finished in February of 2012, so I'll try to answer your questions.

What do you like most about the program and what do you like least?

I'm going to be brutally honest here, but I liked the easy going aspect of the school the most. Puerto Rico in general is easy going, so it's the norm. I guess that's also what I liked the least as well though. Just because you pass your classes does NOT mean you will pass the NCLEX without a lot of self study. The program is not hard at all compared to most in the states, which can be a double edged sword.

Are the professors helpful in answering questions? Or are they strict?

I'm sure they have a few new professors there, but the ones I had were all AWESOME. They were not strict at all, but they did expect us to get our work done. They were happy to help with anything we needed.

Describe a typical clinical day.

Well, you meet your classmates and professor at the hospital and you get your assignments from there. What you do depends on the class you're taking, of course. I think I did the most in the Adult Care 1 clinicals.

Would you recommend La Inter to US students?

I would. You just have to be prepared for the hoops you may have to jump through for your state's BON. I live in Arizona, and it is a nightmare here since they consider me a "foreign educated" nurse. I have to do an English test (costs about $175) and education verification (costs about $400) because of that. It's nuts. Some states are much easier though. For example, I applied to Wisconsin's BON because all they want is ONE PAPER from the school. Super easy. I just wanted to be able to get the NCLEX out of the way faster, without jumping through all of Arizona's hoops. Now I'm working on getting endorsed.

Where is the safest place to live near the school?

I'm not sure about this one. My husband and I lived in Gurabo since that's where he's from. It's about 30 minutes from the school. Most students who lived near the school lived in Las Cumbres I think. I don't remember anyone having problems there.

Is it necessary to own a car there?

In my opinion, yes, it's very necessary. You can use public transportation if you're in the metro area, but the public transportation sucks if you want to go any further. They literally have huge passenger vans from the 1980's as their "public bus." I'm not joking...it's crazy! You don't pay monthly car insurance in PR, just a registration once a year for about $200 and that includes your insurance. It's very crappy insurance, but you can drive legally. I say get a car and explore the island--it's beautiful!!! Also, a car will help you when it comes time to go to clinicals.

What is the nclex passing rate?

I don't know if anyone has ever figured this one out. I passed on my first try, and I know many people who did as well. I also know of a lot of people failing on their first try. To be fair, they warned us in orientation that we would have to do a LOT of self study if we wanted to pass. It is a trimester program with a lot of info crammed in to a short time, so if the professor skips a chapter or two, make sure that you go back and read them yourself. You can pass, trust me. I have four children, work 35 hours outside the home, work 25 hours from home and I still passed. I literally had NO time to study, but I buckled down and did it.

What advice would you give me that you wish someone toldyou before?

Probably what I just told you about the NCLEX. I guess I was warned in orientation, but I was very scared to take the NCLEX because I didn't feel prepared. Only a few classes actually used NCLEX style questions on their tests, so we didn't get a lot of NCLEX prep. But again, it's doable. It just takes a lot of dedication and hard work on your part.

Are there breaks in between trimesters?

Not really. You might get a week here and there, but not much of a break.

Jen_Jen88

334 Posts

Hey what did you use to study for nclex? I'm using Hurst review, Saunders, Kaplan book, Lippincott , La charity, i downloaded the ati app. I'll take mine in August

Specializes in Psych, Substance Abuse.

I used Hurst for content review. I have Saunders, but I used the CD very little and the book even less. Honestly, what helped me the most were the Q Trainers from Kaplan and the PDA book by La Charity. Those two had questions that were very much like the real NCLEX. I think it's all about knowing how to answer the questions. There are so many diseases, illnesses, drugs, etc., but there's only so much content you can memorize. I had questions on a lot of stuff I had never heard of, but doing the review questions helped me narrow down the best answers.

jsawyer

22 Posts

I have been told that I shouldn't have any issues getting into UMET, is it difficult to find places to live at the Bayamon Campus?

jsawyer

22 Posts

Is the public transportation system in Bayamon good enough to get me to the beach? Thanks y'all for any information. I'm very excited to get into nursing in Puerto Rico!!

Jen_Jen88

334 Posts

Thank you! and Congrats! I take mine in August *fingers crossed*

+ Add a Comment