Anyone applied to UF's accelerated BSN?

mcs1505 · Apr 1, 2009

OH! and do you have any reccommendations for a good stethoscope and/or shoes?

Wow I totally missed the "and/or shoes" last time. So sorry.

I wear running shoes. I bought official nursing shoes but they hurt my feet after a few hours. The "white shoes" rule can be bent a little: mine are white and silver with a little light blue and no one has ever said anything. As long as they are mostly white and HAVE A BACK (that's the biggest thing) you'll probably be fine. Oh, and no Crocs with the holes in the top. Big no-no. You want to be able to run in them if need be, and not be able to spill anything on your actual feet.

A lot of people love Danskos. I've never tried them. I want to get MBTs after I graduate. Again, there are a lot of different threads about this.

To sum up: white or mostly white, with a back, no holes in the top, that you can stand in for at least 8 hours straight.

That's all.

gatorgrad · Apr 1, 2009

Wow I totally missed the "and/or shoes" last time. So sorry.
I wear running shoes. I bought official nursing shoes but they hurt my feet after a few hours. The "white shoes" rule can be bent a little: mine are white and silver with a little light blue and no one has ever said anything. As long as they are mostly white and HAVE A BACK (that's the biggest thing) you'll probably be fine. Oh, and no Crocs with the holes in the top. Big no-no. You want to be able to run in them if need be, and not be able to spill anything on your actual feet.
A lot of people love Danskos. I've never tried them. I want to get MBTs after I graduate. Again, there are a lot of different threads about this.
To sum up: white or mostly white, with a back, no holes in the top, that you can stand in for at least 8 hours straight.
That's all.

Do they have to be all leather?

UF_Ashley · Apr 1, 2009

Tuna I am going to try and make it but my job is pretty crazy and I might get help late.

Shaunna · Apr 1, 2009

I was thinking about doing lunch this Thursday 4/2 at 1230 at Cafe Gardens (it's behind--north of--the Swamp restaurant.) Anyone want to join?

I'll try to make it. My class usually gets out around 12:20, but no promises. :)

Wow I totally missed the "and/or shoes" last time. So sorry.
I wear running shoes. I bought official nursing shoes but they hurt my feet after a few hours. The "white shoes" rule can be bent a little: mine are white and silver with a little light blue and no one has ever said anything. As long as they are mostly white and HAVE A BACK (that's the biggest thing) you'll probably be fine. Oh, and no Crocs with the holes in the top. Big no-no. You want to be able to run in them if need be, and not be able to spill anything on your actual feet.
A lot of people love Danskos. I've never tried them. I want to get MBTs after I graduate. Again, there are a lot of different threads about this.
To sum up: white or mostly white, with a back, no holes in the top, that you can stand in for at least 8 hours straight.
That's all.

So are the type of crocs without holes okay? Like the bistro style with the partial back and straps and no holes? Thanks!

Oh, also, do a lot of students take notes with laptops? Are there any professors who don't allow computers in their classrooms? I'm thinking of getting a new little laptop, but I don't want to spend the money and then have teachers who don't want them in class.

Galore · Apr 1, 2009

I graduated from the '08 ABSN program and would just like to reiterate that you don't need to buy half the stuff they tell you to. For your summer books, you definitely don't need the patho book, big waste of money. I used the Essentials and Assessment book since we had to take the online quizzes. If you're worried about the access codes, you can buy a used book online and then order the access code packet separately. The pocket companion for Assessment is convenient but probably not necessary. Don't buy a dictionary, you can just look up stuff online. The drug guide is convenient because you'll have to look up many, many meds for your clinical paperwork, but you can also look those up online. We also had a lab values book that was recommended - I referred to it occasionally but you could also look up this stuff online. I had a different teacher for dimensions, but I would probably wait until class to see what the teacher says. This is more of a discussion class so you could probably share a book with a classmate if you must purchase one. My biggest piece of advice is buy used from amazon.com or a used textbook site, the bookstore is way overpriced. For the books you do need to buy, the older edition is often just as good.

For scrubs, I like the Florida Uniform Store at the Creekside Mall, it's off of 34th St and SW 2nd Ave. They also give a discount with your student ID and can do special orders at no cost if they don't have what you're looking for. A lot of people bought expensive stethoscopes. This can be a good investment if you know what you want to do after graduation. I bought a cheap Littman lightweight, and this worked out for me because in the unit where I work now each patient has a stethoscope at the bedside.

I can't remember what is on the required list for clinicals, if anyone wants to post it I can see if there's anything unnecessary. You will likely need a penlight, small calculator, black ballpoint pens, bandage scissors. To be honest you hardly do anything in summer clinicals, mostly it's AM care and VS. You don't need to pay to have your patch sewn on to your white scrubs, just safety pin them. Most of the clinical teachers weren't too picky about the shoes, as long as they are mostly white. I think a walking/running shoe is most comfortable but it can be hard to find them in white. What I did was used Zappos.com to try out a few pairs and you can return the ones you don't like for free.

Hope that helps! Just remember that summer is the hardest semester, but it will go by quickly and fall is much easier.

mcs1505 · Apr 1, 2009

Do they have to be all leather?

No. Mine are New Balance running shoes. A lot of us just have sneakers.

So are the type of crocs without holes okay? Like the bistro style with the partial back and straps and no holes? Thanks!

I think they said they were ok if they didn't have holes as long as there was a back. It comes down to whether or not that little strap is going to keep your shoes on if you have to run for the code cart.

Oh, also, do a lot of students take notes with laptops? Are there any professors who don't allow computers in their classrooms?

A lot of us bring laptops. I think more and more as the semester has gone on and Senioritis has gotten worse. :-P Outlets are a problem in most of the rooms so you wind up having to get there early to claim your spot. None of the professors have said anything, though Nealis (our Peds prof) once walked all the way to the back of the room an stood by me so she could see our laptops (half of them were watching movies and I think she caught on).

I don't know what I would do without my laptop. It's been threatening to die for the last month and I'm going crazy. It's so nice to bring up the powerpoints they post online and then type right into them. Or be able to google something they mention in class that you don't understand (especially for Weber in the fall *hint hint*). Or take your practice NCLEX tests when you get uber bored in the spring...

mcs1505 · Apr 1, 2009

You don't need to pay to have your patch sewn on to your white scrubs, just safety pin them.
...
Hope that helps! Just remember that summer is the hardest semester, but it will go by quickly and fall is much easier.

Yes! No need to ruin perfectly good tops or going through a bazillion patches by sewing them on to all your scrubs.

Hey, side note since you already graduated: was HESI as bad as they made it out to be? They're telling us all that we only have to get 900/1600 but then that "almost everyone fails the first time" and we're finding it hard to believe that.

Galore · Apr 1, 2009

Most of us passed the HESI on the first try, although there were a few who had to retake it at least once. The questions were pretty random so it's hard to study for it, it's basically like the NCLEX so I just used the Saunders review book and went through the practice questions on areas where I felt weak. There's also a review book specifically for the HESI exit test but by that point I was tired of spending money for nursing school and got by without it. It tests for specific content as well as things like prioritization, delegation and therapeutic communication. As the test got closer they also gave us access to a website with practice tests and there are CDs or videos that you can check out from the library (I never used them but classmates thought they were helpful).

UF_Ashley · Apr 2, 2009

Tina I showed up for lunch and no blue hat???

julie888 · Apr 2, 2009

Hi everyone! I've been following the thread for awhile but haven't posted anything yet. Thanks for all of your great info!! I've been wondering about financial aid, loans, and scholarships etc. There is nothing posted on my ISIS account and I'm starting to get worried! Does anyone have information about when we'll find out if we need to apply for private loans, or any scholarships we can apply for??

Thanks!

UF_Ashley · Apr 2, 2009

Julie I just talked to Mike the loans loaded on isis last night. And I checked my account and the loans showed up.

gatorgrad · Apr 2, 2009

Tina I showed up for lunch and no blue hat???

Sorry, Ashley. I couldn't find my blue hat so it was orange. We sat on the patio right next to the door. We're going to try to meet again 2 weeks from today. Sorry we missed you. There were only 3 of us due to the short notice. We'll try again, though.

Best,

Tina