Any CCBC nursing students here? Questions about program.

Streamline2010 · Mar 9, 2010

CCBC in Monaca? I applied there and am waiting for their April decision for ADRN. If you want to know anything about the HSEI exam, just ask, lol. It and the RN PAX are very similar in reading, English, math. There is more A&P and definitely more chemistry on the CCBC's HESI. There was more plant biology on the PAX that I took.

The staff and faculty that I spoke with were very friendly and helpful. The entire campus infrastructure appears to have been substantially remodeled and upgraded very recently, i.e. they've been dumping mega money into updating all of their buildings.

The interesting thing about CCBC's ADRN is that the course work is it's almost all nursing related. You have to get your math skills, units conversions (English / SI), and chemistry skills before you get in there. A&P has lots of chemistry, after you get into the acid-base, Krebs cycle, metabolism, nutrition, etc. So I really don't know how somebody who's never had chemistry would sort all of that out at the same time he or she is trying to memorize all that other stuff. A course in basic human structures and a general college chemistry course would be helpful before starting RN.

geriatricsnursing4me · Mar 10, 2010

Thanks for the reply. Yes, I was talking about CCBC in Monaca.

I was thinking about applying to their ADN program, but they wouldn't be accepting another class until fall of 2011. I have all of the prerequiste/corequisite courses done with the exception of Microbiology. However, they will be accepting for their LPN program starting in January 2011. I really need to get in and start working ASAP.

I've never taken the HESI. How difficult was it? I've taken the NET and scored in the 96 percentile. With CCBC's LPN program, I would have to take the NLN sometime this summer. Do you know if there were alot of applicants? I'm assuming there were.

I was told all of their clinicals were at the Beaver Valley Medical Center. Is that what they told you? CCBC is about a 25 minute drive down the turnpike for me, so I don't want to have to go to clinicals that are too far out.

Thanks for your response. I would appreciate any help you could give me.

Streamline2010 · Mar 10, 2010

Sorry, but I didn't ask about clinicals location and schedule b/c my immediate goal is to just get some RN program to say yes. I have no roots here, no kids, sold my house, set aside money so I don't have to work, and can move anyplace.

HESI is difficult but not as difficult as that prep book's questions. But do buy the HESI book. It's great prep for any of the nursing exams. The free stuff here http://www.testprepreview.com/teas_practice.htm is also good. CCBC omits the entire physics section. It's verbal, reading, math, chemistry, grammar, A&P. You have 3 hours and can do the test sections in any order that you want. Book: ISBN 978-1-4160-5635-5 It was $27 or $30 or something like that. Well worth it.

I didn't get a PAX prep book. I have http://www.mo-media.com/teas/, too, but mostly what I got out of it is test taking strategies. The bonus part has two practice TEAS and some other stuff. There ought to be a national standard like SAT or ACT. Cut all this song and dance with the individual fiefdoms and standardize the admissions testing nationwide. All these tests are more or less the same anyway.

RN PAX is real similar to HESI in reading & verbal & math. Had lots of physics, though. Geometry, too, not just arithmetic. Physics on a prenurse test always amuses me. Most applicants are women, have a life sci background, and physics is not required in even a BSRN. Usually males and people headed for engineering or a career in R/D or want to a major in physics are the ones who take HS physics. As least when I went to HS. But we didn't have A&P offered there, either. PAX has some Ohm's Law questions about series and parallel electrical resistance, currents, & voltage.

For LPN, LPNs are usually employed as team leaders in nursing homes. So for that part of the test dealing with personality, show leadership. I took one LPN test that included a personality test, and I figured I should pick answers that deferred to authority. Nope. Got a real low score in that category, lol. But the real me does not lack leadership, hehe.