Anyone else apply to or starting at St. Joe's in the fall?

Hello,

I start fall of 2009 too!! Can't wait! Don't know of any others...

I would love to chat if you want to exchange emails? I just joined this site so I don't know much about it. I feel the same way u do, nervous but thrilled and so lucky to get accepted during such competitive times! R u finished with prerequisites?

Hi, my name is Josh, I'm in my second semester of my first year at St. Joe's. I am one of only 2 males in the class. If you have any questions at all, let me know. I've seen a classmate of mine Nicole post on here a lot and I'm sure she will be glad to help as well.

I love St. Joes. I obviously can't compare it to other programs but it does have a great rep and I can tell you that the teachers are great for the most part.

First semester was basically like this:
Monday: Nursing 8:30-11:30
Tuesday: Nutrition 12:30 to 2:30ish
Weds-Friday you will have nursing arts labs scattered about with some days off until early october when clinicals start, then you will have clinical either Thursday or Friday from 8-3. You will go in the day before to pick up your assignment and review charts (takes 30-60 minutes). Even though the scheduled is all over the place, you do have a lot of free time to study and work if you can.

Second semester is a bit busier. Usually you will have nursing monday 8:30-11:30 and pharmacology tuesday 8:30-11:30. You have clinical Thursday and Friday EVERY OTHER week (pick up assignment on Wednesday) and you will have nursing labs the weeks you do not have clinicals. The schedule is not static though, it does change a bit so there might be a stretch of 3 clinical weeks in a row and then 3 weeks off (but you'll have labs). Wednesday is the only true day off from school but you still have to drive to the hospital to get the assignment. And the labs are only an hour and 15 minutes so they aren't bad. For the nursing labs you will do a homework assignment before day 1 of the particular lab (for example learning to give bed baths) then you will learn the skill on day 1 and repeat the skill for the instructor on day 2. Some labs are just demos, i.e. you watch the instructor show you a skill but you don't have to do it yourself the next day.

So second semester is definitely more difficult and busy than first. Pharmacology is by far the WORST class I have ever taken both in terms in DRYNESS of material in lecture and difficulty of the testing, and I took some real beauties as an undergrad at Providence College. It is one of those classes where you KNOW you will never need to know all the info but you have to do it, kinda like algebra in high school. There are 6 tests in the semester and you have to know the drugs inside and out. Nursing is more theoretical than fact based so it is easier to digest. I really wish nursing school was just labs and clinicals because I enjoy that so much more than theory, but what are you gonna do....

All in all though, it is a great program, you learn a hell of a lot, and the teachers are very nice and hands on with you for the most part. Besides pharmacology, my only gripe is the dreaded AM report which is the report you must do after every clinical experience. You'll do about 6-7 a semester in addition to care plans, and they are just awful. But you'll see for yourself.

Anyway, I hope this helped and let me know if you have any other questions. Have you gotten a lot of your pre-reqs done? I hope so, it frees up a lot of time for you. And make sure you save your pennies, tuition is expensive. I'll see you in August, good luck!

Josh, your post is so perfectly helpful.. My biggest concern was the details of the schedule and that helps alot. I have only micro and ethics left and i am not sure which to take over the first summer session? Any thoughts? lol I can't do both and ethics is more convenient but i want them out of the way! I heard the nutrition class is really hard as well? Did you finish all your pre-reqs? And my final question is what is the earliest time you have had to be at school for?! I hope 8:30am? lol Thanks again for the info.....

Glad I could help.

I don't think it would matter all that much if you took micro or ethics this summer. You'd probably feel better getting micro out of the way though. That is the only "pre-req" or "elective" or whatever you want to call it that I have not taken. If you don't take it before freshman year, you HAVE to take it in the summer before 2nd year, the school makes it mandatory. On the other hand, ethics is not required to be completed until 3rd year so you have more flexibility that way.

Nutrition wasn't that hard for me, and it is nothing compared to pharm. Again, it is a lot of material, but I thought a lot of it was interesting and you can apply it to your own life as well as nursing practice. Plus the tests are more fact based in nutrition than the nursing exams which are more application based. Oh ya that is the thing about the exams in all classes. They are like mini NCLEXs. They take the material from the lectures and readings and form a lot of "what if" and "what do you do" questions like you'd see on the NCLEX. Everything is multiple choice, but there are always 2 good answers, you have to pick the best!

As for class times, the earliest classes are 8:30 but clinicals start at 8:00 and some instructors want you there 15 minutes early. There are 4 time periods for the labs starting at 8:15, 9:30, 10:45, and 12:30, so if you like to sleep in like myself, try to get the later labs (although you have to pick out of a hat to get your time, but you can switch with someone who is willing).

Well that should cover it. Yes it is 1:45AM right now. I have a test in the morning, I've been studying all night and I needed a break before my brain turned to mush. We had a test monday too, so it has been a busy week. They don't usually schedule tests one after another like this but it happened to be that way this week so everyone is going nuts.