Hprs 1204 - Dcccd

Is this the Basic Skills class? I took it last summer on weekends and the "lecture" part was hurriedly gone over in class. The class itself isn't all that difficult - it is the check offs that get everyone. And not that they are necessarily hard - there are just so many things to remember to do or not do. There are 3 check offs and certain things that have to be said/done and not forgotten.

It sounds like are you dedicated student, so I don't think it would be a problem for you. The was a thread in the Pre-Nursing Student Forum back in Oct 2007 titled "About HPRS at El Centro". Maybe you can PM one of them.

Good luck....

I am currently in my second semester in the DCCCD nursing program. I was admitted the semester prior to HPRS 1204 becoming a prerequisite. Long story short, I would highly, HIGHLY suggest taking the course over the long semester. It might be different at El Centro as opposed to North Lake (where I took the class), but I found my instructors to be severely lacking during the summer course. They were chronically late (we began after the lunch hour). They would then proceed to chat with us a bit, demonstrate the specified skill, and then ship us off to lab. The kicker is that they would then disappear! I'm talking THREE instructors working on one class, and they would all be gone. After talking with fellow students who completed the class in either the fall or spring, it appears that you'll have a much better chance of succeeding if you skip the summer.

HPRS1204 is an easy class. It's all internet based with skills lab. You watch a ton of boring videos (bad camera skills) and do medical terms quizzes. The quizzes can be a lot to keep up with but if you dedicate the time a course thats a few weeks will be fine. Make sure you sign up on April15 or the classes will be full and you wont have a chance to sign up. The HPRS classes fill up VERY fast. If you really want to, find out what time the system starts registration and start then.

If its possible, take Dr. Alegre at North Lake. Hes a great instructor and has all sorts of stuff on his website that none of the other teachers help you with.

All you learn in that class is vital signs (temp, b/p, pulse, respirations), wound bandaging, and in and out catheters. Pretty easy stuff....The teachers seem to tell the students not to expect an A in the class... I wondered why until I started the class. There is no real study material. The teachers really dont teach anything in class.

HPRS is not bad at all, I took it last fall and it was one of my favorite classes. The instructors try to make it seem like it is tough to get an A but it is doable. I came out with an A! All the lecture portion is online, a lot of people feel that they are supposed to have lecture when they go to lab, no. Lab is to teach you the skill, they will review the material with you but they expect you to already have watched the videos and know some information prior to coming to the lab. I also did the handouts provided. If you keep up with your lab modules you will do fine. I could have easily done a flex term, considering I was done with all my lab modules but the end of September (mind you school started at the end of August). I was done with all my check offs by the first week in October. The problem a lot of people ran into was that they waited to the last minute to get all their modules and check-offs done, not a smart idea. Get them done and out of the way!!

The Med-Term portion is a piece of cake, the book is so user-friendly and your able to retain the information very well to apply it to the test.

As far as your check offs, DO THE SKILLS OVER AND OVER until you know it with out looking at any papers or getting help from anyone. Rehearse it like a play. You are going to have to truly pretend you are with a patient in front of the instructors. That means you will have to vocalize by asking the patient their name, birthdate, allergic reactions, etc. It may seem silly now but know that you gotta do it in order to pass. Simply not asking the patient if their allergic to anything can fail you from the skill. Simply not washing you hands (use hand-sanitizer) can fail you from the skill. I passed all three on the first try. I took HPRS at El Centro and I was also lucky to have good instructors on all three. Be confident, study hard, practice your skills, and stay on top and you'll do just fine.

I'll have to agree with modelmamma. Practice like it is a play - over and over again - until it is second nature. You'll feel silly but it will greatly help you. For the wound care and foley check offs, I used a stuffed animal as my "patient" even utilizing a long neck beer bottle for the foley practice. I had Ms. Beecham at El Centro - she is tough but knows her stuff. I got an A...so it is doable...