RACC (Reading Area Community College)

alovesjos · Jun 7, 2009

Hi!

I am entering the program this fall and I just registered for my classes. This is how it goes:

If you are accepted, you will get a letter with an appt. time to register for your classes. You will be taken into the office of one of the nursing administrators in groups of 2 to conference and register for about an hour. At that time you go over all your paperwork, your math test, and choose your group.

There are 9 groups with 10 people each. Groups 1-7 are daytime and groups 8-9 are evening. You get a paper that lists the groups and each group has a specified class time, lab time, and clinical time. The clinicals are also at different places depending on which group you choose. (es. St. Jos., Reading Hosp. Ephrata hosp. - you start out at a nursing home for 5 weeks than switch to the hospital) You only get a few min. to look over the list and then you have to give your choice and you get a paper back that you use to register for that group. It is first come first serve... so if you are one of the groups scheduled for a later day, you get what is left.

When I went into my meeting, I was lucky to be one of the earlier groups scheduled and already groups 1,2,3 were filled. I am going to be group 4. I have class from 8-10 on M and W. Lab on T from 2-4:50. Clinicals at Berks Heim and Reading Hospital Th and F from 8:30-2:30 approx. The evening classes meet M-Th up until 9-9:30 pm. I had friends that did that route and said that it was much harder and you don't get the same quality as day students. There are also only 20 evening spots and 90 new nursing students.

Hope that answered some of your questions. I am going to be working too and I am luck to have a job that is very flexible, but I can still only fit in 20 hrs because of how classes are organized and the course load and travel and prep. times for clinicals. Good luck and feel free to ask any other questions you may have.

FirstyrRN · Jul 30, 2009

I just completed my first year in the nursing program at RACC and I did not find them to be flexible at all. I worked full time also but my job was very flexible. If your job is not flexible you will have a difficult time. I was in the evening program and it is the same program as the day including the same professors so there really shouldn't be any difference in the quality of education between the day and the night group. The second year from what I have heard is a lot more challenging and most people do not reccommend working at all, but I have to so I will be working part time. A few times they switched the hours for certain events and the expectation is that you make arrangements so that you can participate. Good luck, I hope this info helped.

alovesjos · Jul 30, 2009

Hi! Thank you for your reply. It is always good to hear from someone who is going through the program right now.

I actually have a question. I recently found out that I am pregnant with my 3rd child. I have 8.5yr old twins and this is a complete surprise. The timing couldn't be worse as I am set to begin my clinicals in 4 weeks. My OB has ok'd my attending school but I am terrified of what the instructors will say. The baby is due on Mar. 5, 2010 and will fall 2 months before the end of the second semester. I plan to go to school and hopefully only take off a week and go back to school. I know it will be ridiculously hard. But I have to play with the cards that I have been given. I worked to hard to drop out now. My husband is very supportive and has a lot of vacation time he can use to help me accomodate my classes. I will also not be working once the baby comes.

Has anyone in your class ever had this issue? Do you know the policy for pregnancy?

FirstyrRN · Jul 30, 2009

Congrats on your pregnancy! Noone that I was aware of in my class was pregnant. I don't think that RACC has a policy towards pregnancy in clinical/the nursing program. If you get overwhelmed with life events, they did seem to be good about letting people stop and start up again next year where you left off. If you complete the Fall semester and in the Spring semester you find it all to be too much they will probably give you a spot in the next year's Spring semester. You would have to start from the begining of Spring semester though. To my knowledge they do not let anyone start in the middle of a semester. I would talk to my advisor if I were you.

GuestRN · Mar 18, 2011

WOW, What can I say about RACC Nursing Program. Well for one they are interested in,..... not you. We started with seventy some odd students, finished with twenty something. That speaks loudly, if a teacher is not teaching then the greater part of the class is failing (and most times they replace said teacher). The reason they are allowed to get away with such insanity, the NCLEX. The facility wants a high NCLEX pass rate, so they allow the nursing "professors" (I use that term lightly) to go crazy cutting those that cant teach themselves. Pssst here is an insider tip, Mastery is a waste, their lectures are a waste, I only passed because I kept my text books close and tabers closer. Seriously they are teaching nothing, my first test I glanced over the reading material, then went to lecture, wrote and studied what they taught, wow a 68%. Now most college professors try to help out at this point, instruct the student how to better themselves, nope not RACC they called me in and explained that Nursing may not be right for me, I responded that I know how they test and I will be fine. I studied the books and reading material, I read my books during lecture, then I got a 98% for the next test, hmmm so what are they doing up there. They really arent teachers or professors, rather think of RACC nursing as a FORCED MARCH and therefore at the end of the two years only the strong are left, they have done nothing, if you make it, or have made it congrats you are the best of the best. Hell I have friends that went to med school and dental school, even law school and the instructors try to help you, if their fail rate was as high as RACC the state would shut them down. So what are they worried about, well if not the students then what? The NCLEX, they are worried about keeping a high percent pass rate. Well how do you do that, well for starters, they adjust the grading scale, think your getting an A, nope you are getting a B+, may be that works for you, not for me. That is why I cant get into any real graduate school today, 9 credit course average at a B range really, really, really brings that old GPA down. Why did I go to RACC, a fine question,... lack of funds, I went to RACC because I didnt have enough cash, even working full time (my dad was unemployeed and my mom didnt make enough cash, you can piece it together). It was nearly impossible, I would work nights then come in to class or clinical, I remember running down stairs and switching my name tag as I worked as a NA at the time. Worst mistake of my life, I regret it completly, nursing as a whole is a strange profession as well. Why does a group of highly educated individuals who are responsible for human lives let bean counters and idiot administration staff tell them what to do, yet if their patient is at risk they will fight to the bitter end. Hell I've seen a nurse stand in the door way of a patients room, barring the head of surgery from entering until hand washing and Proper ppe were implimented, yet quietly accept a pay decrease. Ohhh okay Im done for today, this thread is old, no one is going to see it anywho.

JadamR15 · Apr 11, 2012

"GuestRN" - you sound bitter.

I found the RACC program very helpful and a great program - and this is coming from someone who nearly failed out, but righted my ship and ended up with a respectable GPA, and A's for the last two semesters.

You'll study like never before, but you learn a great deal from the profs as well - who are actually quite skilled at lecturing. I lost many classmates too - but that was mainly because the students were not used to challenging material. Most students who failed out of the RN program were students who barely passed A&P I and II - not academic stalwarts. Also, being right out of HS, many students are immature and expect to keep up the 'party' lifestyle during RN education - which just isn't feasible in any RN program.

I still maintain a few relationships with the profs there nearly 10 years later. Overall a good experience.