Samuel Merritt ABSN 2010 San Mateo

BetsyBeans: Based on your experience, if you could do it all over again, how would you prepare yourself for this program?...I was thinking of buying an NCLEX book and reviewing it...Do you think that will help? Does the program revert to alot of the information that was covered in Anatomy and Physiology, Micro, Pathophys, and Pharamacology? What would be the best way to get me ahead of the game assuming i were to get in this program? And congratulations on your success thus far into the program!!

Dave

This is something I have given a lot of thought to. Honestly, it is kind of like kids...it is really hard to describe/understand until you have done it! Here are some things that would be helpful, but I would not stress out about any of them! If you can do 1 or 2, that will put you ahead of the game:

-NCLEX books...buy and review Saunders: focus on respiratory and cardiac - obviously those are two of the most critical areas and in this program, you will be flying!
-Learn how to read EKGs...just the basics will give you a jump...just how the EKG strip is set up and/or a few main patterns, NSR, VTACH, AFIB, that should be enough
-Review all the classes of drugs you learned in pharmacology and understand them somewhat
-Understand diabetes, CHF, and fluid imbalance

Any of those things would give you a big head start. The best advice I can give you is PACE yourself! The first six weeks is the "easy" part of the program. Enjoy it. It will end as quickly as it started and then you will be RUNNING! Also, be sure to use this site for help with care plans! I never did that and spent more time than I would have if I had known about this site. Enjoy your free time now and see everyone you love....then give them a hug and a kiss and let them know you really are going to need them to be there for you this year!!! You will return the favor when you graduate!

BetsyBeans: thank you so much for the information!! I have already placed my order on Amazon for that book. I have already asked two of my friends who are currently in nursing programs (not an accelerated) and neither of them could give me an answer. If im lucky enough to get accepted, this will definitely give me confidence going into the prgram.

You are welcome Dave! I hope you get in. ) We really need more men in nursing. I have worked under some fantastic men in the hospitals during this program. Which campus are you applying for? Does San Mateo start in November or December? I know they start earlier than Sacramento - we are a January start campus. Keep us posted!!!

Sorry, that should be a I always do that!!!

I applied to the San Mateo Campus. It starts in January as well. My main concern is not having that much experience. But where im lacking there, im hoping my grades will compensate for it. I have a 3.9 in the science courses, a 3.6 in my last 90 quarterly units, and an 85 on the tease test. According to the information given to me at the seminar, the average for the 2009 admission was a 3.5 in the science classes, and a 3.4 in the last 60 semester units. So on paper, it looks like i have a good shot, but it all depends on how they do their selection.

That is great! I do not know how they do it there. I had a very high GPA for the last 90 and science and we did not have to take teas - we took NET which was super easy and I scored 100% on the math...I like math, but am not a whiz! Also, I did not have any real medical experience....if it is meant to be, it will be!!!

hi elle, last saturday (sept 28) i got this email from Che Abram the Assistant director of the ABSN program...
______________________________________________
Hi david,

To my knowledge decisions have not gone out yet or have been made. Hopefully, they will go out in the next two weeks.

Best Wishes,

Ché

Ms. Ché L. Abram
Samuel Merritt University
Assistant Director of Admission
370 Hawthorne Avenue
Oakland, CA 94609
O: 510-869-8984
F: 510-869-6525
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Like you, im always holding my breath whenever i open my mail box. Since i haven't received any phone call from the school, im always praying that there is no rejection letter in there. I don't know about you, but i have all of my hopes just in this cohort.