What's the deal with Columbus State admission?

U.S.A. Ohio

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My friend applied in January 2009 for their traditional ADN program and was accepted (as all students are) and was told her start date was March 2011. In the meantime, she applied twice to their online program and was rejected.

Their website states for application dates...

Traditional Track

  • Jan. 6-15, 2010 for the Autumn 2010 class
  • July 1-9, 2010 for the Spring 2011 class
  • Jan. 10-19, 2011 for the Autumn 2011 class

I called the school and asked: "So, If I apply during the July 2010 application period and meet all the requirements, I'll definitely get to start in March of 2011?" Their answer? YES OF COURSE YOU WILL!

Is the waitlist gone at CSCC or is the nursing school misleading me? I don't want to hold out and stay in Columbus an extra year only to be disappointed and realize I could have started at Tri-C sooner after all.

Also, what is the deal with CSCC requiring the anatomy, physiology, chemistry, and biology sections for the Hesi A2 exam?!

They require organic/biochem as a prerequisite, but a lot of the chemistry seems to be stuff covered in general chemistry (nuclear chem, molar relationships, stoichiometry, etc). Additionally, biology isn't a prerequisite in any way, shape, or form. Anatomy and physiology are taken during the nursing program and are not requirements. The Hesi review book states: "A one-year course in anatomy and physiology should be taken before the student prepares for the anatomy examination." Yet, CSCC expects us to rock that section BEFORE taking any form of A&P. What is up with all that?! Luckily I've taken biology and general chemistry for science majors and I've taken anatomy (not physiology) so I'm a bit better off, but that seems really unfair. Additionally, I took anatomy twice (As both times) and both were high level with human cadavers taught by medical school faculty and there is a lot of anatomy stuff in the review book I never learned. Needless to say, I'm frustrated and worried.

Thoughts?

I've been trying to figure out the sequence of clinicals at CSCC, but I haven't been able to figure all of them out. I did this by looking up the required textbooks for the courses :)

First quarter: LTC

Second Quarter: OB

Third Quarter: Med/Surg

Fourth Quarter: Med/Surg

Fifth Quarter: ??

Sixth Quarter: Psych

Seventh Quarter: ??

I've decided I'd like to do Trauma Nursing elective 4th quarter, Critical Care elective 5th quarter, and Neonatal Nursing elective 6th quarter. There aren't any electives offered during the quarter my 7th quarter will fall into, but that is okay because I should focus on my last 8 hour clinical and studying for the NCLEX anyway.

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Specializes in Psych/med surg.

I think in the seventh quarter you get to use the simulator labs. When we were in Patient care skills class they took us down there and they told us we were be doing that 7th quarter. The simulator mannikins are cool, they breathe, they have a pulse and their eyes dialate. I don't know what kind of clinical we will do. I can't wait to do the OB and psych clinical.

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I'm looking forward to my electives more than anything :)

You also use the simulators in the elective NURS 189: This course is designed to introduce the student to the basic concepts of trauma nursing. The focus of the course will be the exploration of major concepts and issues underlying the specialty of trauma nursing. Through an organized and standardized approach, students will review the mechanisms of injury, problems arising from these injuries, and related nursing care. The course will include content about adult trauma nursing, triage, airway management, shock/cardiac arrest, trauma to specific anatomic and physiologic systems, psychosocial impact of trauma, and organ donation. Learning opportunities will include use of the Human Patient Simulator. Students must receive a grade of "C" or better in this course as a prerequisite for subsequent courses. This course may be used to fulfill the elective requirement for nursing.

I'm surprised you don't use the simulators sooner. I know at Tri-C and Kent State you start using them first semester and use them every single semester. At Kent, you use them 2x a week as part of your lab class in the accelerated program every semester.

I scheduled out my "course plan" today. I'll hopefully start March 2011 and graduate December 2012. I have between 6-10 credit hours per quarter of the nursing program.

I find it interesting that you do the OB clinical right after the LTC clinical and before doing any med/surg. Anyone else find that different than the norm?

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Sounds like a great course plan. I have been trying not to think that far ahead. I know what areas I think that I would like to work. However, I know that that could change drastically as I get into the program. Right now I simply focus on Physiology and finishing my last couple of co-reqs and try not to think too much about my wait for a decision on whether I'm in for fall 2010.

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Sounds like you mostly got it right!

First quarter: LTC

Second Quarter: OB (this includes L&D, mother/infant, and high risk OB)

Third Quarter: Med/Surg

Fourth Quarter: Peds or Med/Surg/surgical shadowing

Fifth Quarter: Peds or Med/Surg/surgical shadowing (whichever you didn't have the quarter before)

Sixth Quarter: Rehab/Psych (half one, half the other)

Seventh Quarter: Med/Surg, Preceptorship, there's also a trauma clinical offered at Grant but you have to have taken the trauma elective in order to get in, and your spot is not guaranteed, there are more people in the class than there are room for in the clinical.

My clinical experiences have been really good, peds I mostly had trachs, med surg I did ortho and renal, and I'm in a preceptorship seventh quarter in oncology, which is what I requested.

Michelle

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oh, and the simulator lab is for electives, we used it in critical care, you run codes,etc. I'm sure they use it in trauma, neonatal/peds too.

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Specializes in Psych/med surg.

Yeah I heard you should relax a bit before you get into nursing school because there won't be any relaxing once you get in there. I still have physiology, microbiology, and pathophysiology to take before I start.

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Yeah I heard you should relax a bit before you get into nursing school because there won't be any relaxing once you get in there. I still have physiology, microbiology, and pathophysiology to take before I start.

You are the exact same as me, except I have exactly 3 quarters to do them in! I'm taking full time classes at Tri-C right now that won't end until mid May so I'm not going to start at CSCC taking stuff til summer quarter (then autumn and winter quarters) then start spring quarter assuming there isn't a wait list!!

Anyone who applied to the traditional program - what is the application like? I know you want to submit it as fast as possible, so I'd like to be prepared as to what type of information they ask you on the app so I can get it filled out asap!! :)

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Thanks Michelle. That's great information.

Foreverlaur - have you taken the HESI yet? How did you find it? Did they combine the sections to get your average or do you have to get over 75 in each section?

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Foreverlaur - have you taken the HESI yet? How did you find it? Did they combine the sections to get your average or do you have to get over 75 in each section?

I have, but for Tri-C. I've wondered the same thing actually. I'm hoping you need a 75% average because I got a 90% average when I took it. I got a 100% on math, 97.4% on English Language each (Reading Comprehension, Grammar, Vocabulary), an 80% each in A&P and Chemistry and a 76% in Biology.

I was pretty happy with the science scores because I didn't study at all and it has been around 4 years since biology or chemistry, about 2 years since anatomy, and I've never taken physiology. I didn't study a wink for the exam (any parts) so I feel confident with a little studying some and doing well on the exam for CSCC either way.

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Michelle - I am wondering whether you use an ipod or other PDA in school, particularly with your clinicals. Is that common in Columbus? Are there particular applications that you or your classmates have found indispensible?

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Most of us had some kind of device, either an ipod or a palm or something. I had a palm and got it before the ipod touch came out. I recommend them (palm, ipod) because they don't have a camera or a phone in them and some units don't allow you to carry either.

And having a whole drug book in your pocket with a fast search option is awesome. You can't pass a med without knowing what it is so you need access to one. You could buy a book, I have both, and use them equally, my vision sucks.

So for software a drug book is a must. There are others like epocrates which I have but don't really use, although others do and love it. I bought the skyscape software, and davis drug guide for my palm, and just recently bought the NCLEX review software, so now I have practice questions everywhere I go which is nice.

At CSCC they're not yet mandatory, and I don't know that they will be, but the are super helpful!

Michelle

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