Tacoma Community College Nursing Program - Page 5

BHAM104, You have a great chance of getting in with that gpa. Mine was a 3.95. Plus if you're not applying till fall it will give you a chance to finish your co-recs. I got in sooner than expected so now I have to take sociology and speech this summer. That is, if the program deos'nt go through the summer. Does any body know whether the program goes through the summer if you start in spring? I guess I'll find out in orientation! I keep you posted about extra info after the 21st. Counting down the days!

Hi Irene joy,
If you are in the full-time program you will have the summers off. the part-time class goes during summer quarter. Are you super excited about this Friday? I can't wait! My name is Deborah, by the way....looking forward to meeting you! Yay!!!

Anyone knows how many LPN-RN students accepted into the program? Thanks you,

Hey SadHana, Yes, I'me sooo exited for friday, we've waited along time for this. I'm glad I get the summers off. I am trying to plan a trip to california and I need to take two more classes, soc110 and speech100. Hopefully I can take them on line. Seneyka, I think they admit either 12 or 15 a quarter for the lpn bridge program, but don't quote me. Deborah, my name is Becky, see you friday!

WOW! It is so great to find this site!!!! The nursing program at TCC seems like such a secretive thing. Nobody will give out any information about it. I personally have children and I am applying to the program after spring quarter. It is frusterating because we need to call around and get daycare and figure out prices. The nursing people will not answer any direct questions, and it would be great to know a general idea of what is going on. Know what I mean??? It would be wonderful if you guys who are accepted into the program would keep us informed! How great to finally have contact with people!!!! Also, I am soooooo crushed. I have had a 4.0 up until this point, but I just found out that I am 5 points shy of a 4.0 in A&P! Isnt that horrible. I worked my butt off all quarter and to be off by 5 points is heart breaking. Is it going to be hard for me to get into the program with one A- and the rest as 4.0's? I am so nervous!!!
Thanks for any input you have!

Yes, I agree. TCC is acting like their nursing program is some secret club and will not answer any of my questions. I understand that they cannot give me an exact schedule, but a little idea would be nice. I'm trying to line up daycare for my 4 children and it's not something that can wait until last minute! I'm trying to research facilities and prices right now, and I want to get spots reserved as soon as I figure things out because it's going to be hard to find room if I wait until August. BTW, I'm getting a 4.0 in my prereq's and I'm almost done so it's not like I'm just a slacker trying to get info from them. I'm a serious student who is likely going to make it into the program my first try. Why can't they just answer my questions! LOL

So please, please, please, anyone who is in the nursing program already or those of you going to orientation on Friday, give me an idea! I did read this thread and there was some helpful info already. But I want to see if it's still the same. I understand that the schedule can and probably will change for fall. I just need to get an idea. I'm mainly confused about the clinicals because I have no idea how that stuff works. I can see the class schedule online and it looks like classes are 3 days a week. That's good to know. But how do the clinicals work? Any and all information would be so greatly appreciated!

During one of the info sessions, the lady said it is possible to request evening/night clinicals but they don't have very many spots available and there is no guarantee. I'm really nervous because I have no idea how we're going to afford any daycare, let alone full-time. I'm currently a SAHM with 4 kids: a baby, toddler, 1st grade, and 2nd grade. I'd love to get my nursing classes during the time my older 2 are in school so that I only have to pay daycare for the younger 2. And then try to request evening/night clinicals so I can leave the kids with my husband. Otherwise, might have to try and get a job AND go to nursing school just to be able to pay for daycare!

Also, do you know where the clinicals are (like do you have a list, cause I know there are many sites)? Just curious if they are all in Tacoma or if there are any that are closer to me. I live up in the Kent area and drive down to Tacoma because I heard TCC has such a great nursing program.

I'm sure I have a million more questions, but I'll save them for now Thanks!!!

Hey all! I would be happy to post our scedual and any other info I can after our orientation. I had the same problem with the lack of information. I also have kids at two different schools with different drop off and pick up times and the nursing dept was not at all helpful in giving me an idea about our class and clinical hours. If it was'nt for my mom being so flexible to help out when needed, I don't think I could attend with out some very hefty daycare bills.

Hi all!
I am a sixth quarter student at TCC and thought I might be able to answer some of your questions.

First off, get used to not knowing your schedules until right before classes start. It is like that every quarter because the clinicals need to be scheduled first, and then they figure out the class schedules. The school has contracts set up with different facilities, but they need to set up the clinicals based on what the facilities are able to provide, and since some of the clinical instructors are also teaching the lecture courses, things sometimes don't get figured out until the last minute.

As far as evening clinicals, there weren't any available during first quarter because they put you in a variety of different places, but after that, you are able to request where and when you would prefer to do them and they do their best to place you. It is not a guarantee, but they really do try. Clinicals are typically done at Tacoma General, St. Joe's, Good Sam and a couple of LTC facilities in the surrounding areas.

The curriculum is typically like this:
1st quarter: Lecture course focusing on the nursing process, therapeutic communication and basic nursing skills. Lab time where the skills are taught and checked off. Gerontology online. Clinical time at assisted living facility and various clinics. LS 102 which is a course designed to help prepare for the research paper

2nd quarter: Med surg I lecture course, pharm I online, lab time and clinicals at hospitals and LTC

3rd quarter: Mother baby lecture, lab time and clinicals twice a week at hospitals, and Pharm II online

4th quarter: Med surg II, lab time and clinicals at hospitals, and leadership/management class

5th quarter: Mental health and chronic illness lecture course, mental health and LTC clinicals, and end of life class. No more labs at this point

6th quarter: Trends and issues, NCLEX prep course and preceptorship full time.

A research paper is started in first quarter and expanded on every quarter until fifth quarter where you have the option of submitting it for publication.

The instructors are great! Very helpful and really want you to succeed.

In my opinion, first quarter was the hardest because the schedule is erratic and requires a lot of organization.

Hope this helps, if there are any more questions I would be happy to try to answer them for you!

First of all, Thanks! to sandjomp for submitting information. I'ts great to hear from a sixth quarter student. For first quarter I am in the A class. My scedual is as follows
Mon- 10:30-12:50 Theory111
Tues- Library science. 9:00-10:20, Theory 111 10:30-12:50
Wed- clinicals started on third week Nursing Home 10:00-11:20
Thursday-113Lab 10:30-12:20, 112clinical 1:00-3:50

The B class is very similar sharing some classes with us and others that are started around 8-8:30. There are no evening clinicals offered first quarter. And they basically said that the scedual that is released in the catolog is never right, because they are required to submit something whether the clinical sites and times have been desided or
not.

I hope this helps!:wink2:

Thanks ladies! You have been very helpful so far! I just don't understand why they couldn't tell us this info up front. I do understand that the schedule changes and that we can't know our schedule until right before the quarter starts. I just needed an idea so I can find childcare, you know? So first quarter looks like around 15 hours a week for class/clinicals. Does that sound about right?

Can you give me an idea of hours for clinicals after first quarter? I thought I read somewhere that they are mostly 7-3 or 3-11. Does that sound accurate or are there many more choices than that? And how many days a week are clinicals after first quarter? I thought they said at the nursing info session something about classes usually being 2 days a week (like M-T) and clinicals being the other 2 or 3 days, but I can't remember. One more question specifically about clinicals...besides first quarter, when do clinicals start? I mean, do you usually have a few weeks of classes in the beginning of every quarter and then the last weeks of the quarter are clinicals?

I also have a daycare question related to clinicals. I'm thinking about using TCC's daycare which is a minimum of 5 hours per day 5 days a week. Will I need that much? So far that full-time price at TCC is cheaper than even the part-time price of daycares in my area. But another question I have is in regards to hours. I think the daycare hours are from 7-5:30 which will pose a problem probably. If the clinicals really are from 7-3 and/or from 3-11, I won't be able to use the TCC daycare. Another question, do you ever have clinicals the same day as classes (like class Monday morning and then clinicals Monday afternoon)?

I'm sorry, I know these are probably hard questions to answer because the schedule is always different. But you've been so helpful giving me an idea of what to expect so far, I thought I'd go ahead and ask. Based on the schedule you've told me so far, and on the fact that I might be able to get night clinicals, I might be able to get away with part-time childcare and I need to know if that's an option. How many days a week, usually, will I need childcare? And approximately how many hours a week, both first quarter and also subsequent quarters? THANKS!