Austin Community College (ACC)

Hello all! Hope you have a very happy holiday coming up. I was able to finally turn in my LVN application today. Woo, what a relief off of my shoulders.

I was finally able to get into an anatomy class with a teacher with great reviews. However a couple of weeks ago I noticed that they took him off of teaching anatomy and thus switched my teacher to someone with not so stellar reviews. This is so frustrating to me, I don't know why they continue to let teachers teach these important and hard classes who have continued semester after semester to obtain poor reviews from students and who have half or more of their students drop their class. Grr.

Anyway, enough venting again happy holidays to all and to those starting their programs and continuing their pre-reqs good luck come january!

Hey, y'all! I just got home from taking the HESI and turning in my ADN application! I think I was the first one done with the test today; I used less than 1.5 hours of the allotted time. I'm usually a pretty fast tester on stuff where you can't go back over your answers, although I did calculate each of the math questions twice before I submitted them.

I've been soooooooooo focused on classes and then the HESI, I don't know what to do with myself now. Anyone else in the same boat?

So relieved it's over and I exceeded the score I needed!

Good luck! How did you feel about the hesi overall? I have heard from many people that it is a lot easier than anticipated.

I expected the A&P to be much, much harder than it was. It literally took me less than 6 minutes to finish it and I got all the questions correct. I felt the A&P section in the review book was a little skimpy, so I used other resources to study: A&P for Dummies, and my old anatomy flashcards (I'm glad I never took them off iflipr.com!).

The math and reading were very similar to the review book, totally straightforward.

Good luck with anatomy! I hear ya on the professor thing. Try going to open labs on the weekends; I found the one at RGC very helpful.

Purkinje,

I took my HESI today also! I thought it was easier than some had said. I was so stressed about it but I ended up making the max 10 points!! I turned in my app right after also. The people in the office seemed a little stressed. I bet they are ready for the holiday break. I hope we can get our petitions to Nursing Skills soon. I just wanna get that over with. I did the CNA course through ACC and I have heard it is very similar to Nursing Skills class. So I am hoping to take the Nursing Skills class through the hybrid option. I can't imagine spending four hours in class learning how to wash hands and make beds again. Oh May 2010 can't come soon enough!!

Radiation: I was the girl who offered a spare calculator. :) I'm glad you maxed out on points too!! When I turned in my app the lady was clearly not in a good mood; I can't imagine how stressful it must be for them.

It's funny you mention the hybrid being your preference... I've got my fingers crossed that I can get into one of the evening classes instead! I would much prefer an evening class to having to convince my job to let me take half-day PTO for a semester (AGAIN, I had to do it summer and fall). I work downtown and live south, so I'm really really really hoping that I can get into one of the EVC sections. There are just so few of them! So far I've lucked out a lot with getting sections I want, and I feel like that luck's gonna run out pretty soon. Man, I wish they had a Saturday option. I'd be all over that!

Did you like the ACC CNA course? I've also heard that Nursing Skills is very similar to it.

Purkinje,

How funny, I sat right across from you! I was sitting next to my friend Gwen, she was the blonde, and my friend Ed was on my other side, he was the tall bald guy. When we went to turn in our apps, I asked the lady if I could have a receipt and the other woman slammed the receipt sheet on the desk and said "here fill this out!" WOW! I only asked for a receipt because that Robin lady said we should always ask for one.

The CNA class was alright. I already have about 12 years experience in the medical field, I just didn't have my certification. So I figured I would do it. I was a little disapointed because it was more geared toward the long term care facilities and their patients. I am not the nursing home type of person, so I didn't learn what I wanted to learn. But it was a good prep course I guess if you have never had any patient contact. When I recently got hired for a second job at Seton, they sent me to a Clinical Assistant class and I learned more there in those 3 days then I did in the 6 weeks of the CNA class. I wish ACC had an evening nursing option like they do down in San Antonio. Then I wouldn't have to quit my full time job. My full time job is in an outpatient radiation clinic, so patients are only there from 8am-5pm. That is why I wanted to get a weekend job on the floor at Seton, so I would have more flexibility once I start the program.

Good luck to you!!! Hopefully we will be starting the program together in August!

Oh yeah one question....I got my email with my HESI login info and I checked to see my results but it said no exams found. You think it just takes awhile for them to post the results? I looked at mine so quickly because I wanted to get out of there. It would be nice to sit down and actually look through the results at home.

Radiation, I know you applied to RN but what exactly does the receipt tell you? Also, I have talked to the same lady in the office the past three times and she was extremely rude to me all times. I understand being stressed out but the amount of disrespect I felt was ridiculous. One of the times I was up there she didn't even let me finish asking my question before she interrupted me, sheesh!

It was just a receipt signed by one of them saying I handed in my complete application to them just in case they lose it. I would've never have thought to ask for one but the nursing advisor told us all to ask for one. I think they are probably tired of all the students calling and asking questions which are clearly listed on the website. I bet they get swamped with those kinds of questions and students all day long. That one advisor, Robin, told us that she was the only nursing advisor and that she usually receives more than 200 emails a day. Crazy!!

Oh okay. I understand they get dumb questions but gosh she was rude! I actually had to talk to 4 different people to get the answer to whether or not I had to take the COMPASS test (LVN requirement) because no one seemed to know.

Radiation -- I remember you! That's such a coincidence that you were right across from me. I was like you, I wanted to get out of there and look at my results at home, but my results still aren't showing on Evolve. It must be a case where the college has to do some kind of data validation or something before the scores display. Did they also say something about a score report being emailed to us? I might have imagined that.

The office lady gave me a receipt without me asking for it, but she definitely didn't seem happy. I think you're right that they're probably very tired of answering questions that are answered on the site.

I've got my fingers crossed for both of us. :)

texascna06 -- I really like the advisor and I bet once you meet with her, you'll find her helpful. I think she's very direct and doesn't mince words. (My husband is from New York, so I'm used to that sort of communication style. )