Anyone else applying for fall 2010 SPC nursing program?

dzesika · Apr 23, 2010

thanks for the info! The website also said that the program was 4 semesters so is it Fall, Spring, Summer, Fall?

scrapworking · Apr 23, 2010

I thought I read somewhere that the summer term was only for those enrolled in the evening RN program. That may be old news though. I looked all over SPC's site for the program, but couldn't find anything definitive. I'd be interested in knowing too.

I'd forgotten about their being a Spring enrollment too. I guess I can add that as a possibility if I don't get in for the Fall...and can survive that long $$-wise.

Morgan0429 · Apr 23, 2010

The summer term is for enrolled students only and the space is limited. You are also in school 5 days a week and the material is crammed into 10 weeks vs. 16 weeks. I have heard it is hard to get through it

ADeks · Apr 25, 2010

Can you tell me what the dress code is, want to start looking for scrubs. And I was going to buy a Littmann stethoscope.
How hard is it to get the schedule you ask for; advisor told me I have a good chance of getting what I want, but I wondered how many people really do. And just one more question; as I understand, you can pick your site for clinicals, so without posting any hospital names (don't know if I'm allowed), if you had a choice between a VA hospital and a level II trauma hospital, which would you pick? .

Uniforms: Classes at HEC is a white polo with the patch on it then any navy, khaki, or black pants (these can be scrub pants or slacks), and your shoes don't matter. The uniform at clinicals are white shoes, a white scrub top (any style as long as there isn't any cleavage) and navy blue scrub pants.

As far as supplies you'll need a stethoscope, pen light, and a manual BP cuff. The bag they make you buy is a skills kit that you use to practice your skills in class. - I have a Littmann and I like it. Don't buy the cheapos. With learning to listen to heart and lung sounds, it really does make a difference when first learning to differentiate.The penlight and BP cuff, just get the cheapos.

Schedule: At orientation, they give you a piece of paper with a list of teachers and the hospital they will be at. You will have to number your choices in order from 1-7 or however many choices you are given. And if I were you, I would look more to your quality of professor, right now. You will only be in level 1 and that means you will only be at the med/surg floor. So you really won't see a chance to see critical care yet. And the schedule changes from semester to semester. Sometimes the VA is there and sometimes it's not.

The only thing that you may wanna do now so that you're ahead is get your blood work done. Go down to the health department and get your health immunizations records. And you probably need titers done for MMR and Varicella (Chicken Pox). Also you need 2 PPD tests. And they give you a form for a physical. Oh and btw, some people told me titers take like 6 weeks, and they only take like a week or two...

Good luck :) and it'll seem like a lot, but it's okay!

ILRunner · Jun 2, 2010

Well, the 2nd round of letters are going out soon...

studentinnursing · Jun 2, 2010

Good luck :) and it'll seem like a lot, but it's okay!

Thank you so much! I was told the packets are getting sent this week and I finally found out the orientation date, excited all over again, so I probably won't be too far ahead on the bloodwork. I have no immunization record, I'm 37 years old, so I better get started on that. My doc should know what I'll need for school, right? And I need the physical anyway.

I did my CPR already.

I will get my shoes, any suggestions?

Littmann SE II is what I was going to get for stethoscope. Let me know if there is another you think might be better. I want to be able to hear as well as possible considering I'll have no clue what I might be hearing/not hearing. I figured what they gave us in the skills kit would be the cheap stuff, so I will go ahead and order my stethoscope; it'll be engraved, so I wanted to be sure.

They explained a little to me about the sites and I do have first and second choices figured out, but I better look into some more hospitals. I just want to make sure I have a chance at ICU upon graduation, not a year later, ya know (hoping to work upon graduation where my clinicals are).

I hear med/surg is one of the hardest semesters, so I'm glad we do that first, I think, get it out of the way.

Thanks again!

studentinnursing · Jun 2, 2010

ATDeckSN, can we use laptops? Or does it depend on professor. I type way faster than I can write--course in A&P we did so much drawing I switched back over to handwriting, but I would rather type notes if I can. And I've never used a recorder but hear it's a good idea; are we allowed to record? Or will that also depend on professor? I just got a Blackberry so I can download epocrates and some other stuff, but I've only downloaded free stuff so far; not ecstatic about any that I've seen yet, any suggestions - or - do you really use that stuff--lots of NS on here seem to love lots of the drug guide apps, etc.

One thing I'm scared of is med conversions and plain old metric conversions. Anything I could buy quickly and be looking over, over the summer. I looked at some of the practice tests on the NIP site and was thinking 'oh my goodness' . . . or is there a book I can buy ahead of time for that, that I'll need first semester anyway?

Sorry for all the questions. I think that's it!

Morgan0429 · Jun 3, 2010

I just finished my first semester @ SPC...about to go into level 2..to answer a few of the questions on here....in your skills kit, you get things like bandages, saline, sterlie gloves...things like that. No sharps. You need to buy a stethoscope, BP cuff and pen light as well. You don't need that stuff the very first day of class, so it is okay if it take you a week or so to buy it. The skills kit you need within the first week. And it is the biggest waste of $115 ever spent! We used it all of 3 times last semester.

Med/Surg is not in level 1...it is level 2..or at least I didn't have it last semester...

As for the computer thing...no one brought their laptops the first week or so of class, but by the end of the semester EVERYONE was using one!!! And most professors SHOULD let you record...a few did in my group. Just ask them :)

Don't be too afraid of med math. I was at first, but it REALLY isn't that bad. They ease you into it and there is A LOT of help if you need it and practice tests. If you can add, subtract, multiply and divide...you will do fine. Also, they let you use calculators on all the tests. They figure..you get to use them in the real world so...

Good luck! hope this helps :)

ADeks · Jun 3, 2010

The skills kit you need within the first week. And it is the biggest waste of $115 ever spent! We used it all of 3 times last semester.

You use your skills kit every semester to practice. First semester it's pretty much bandage changes and enemas. Second semester it's IVs and foleys.

ADeks · Jun 3, 2010

I have no immunization record, I'm 37 years old, so I better get started on that. My doc should know what I'll need for school, right? And I need the physical anyway.

If you just go to the local health center they should pull you up. And if not you'll have to get titers done for Varicella (Chicken Pox) and your MMR. Plus you need 2 TB tests! But don't stress out too much, they don't really need all that till like a month or two after you started. You just don't wanna wait last minute.

Shoes: Get whatever you feel is comfortable! They're your feet! But in the beginning they're a little picky about your shoes but as long as they are predominantly white, you're good!

Stethoscope: I like the Littmans! I think you hear great through them. You may want to check out Ultrascopes as well. They are pretty much the BOMB! And you can get them in fun designs!

Clinical Sites: PM me if you want specific teachers I would suggest...

Bad news: Med/Surg is EVERY semester... get used to it!!! It's not that bad... You only have one patient for teh day :)

Laptops: Just like Morgan0429 said. In the beginning most people didn't but by the end EVERYONE had theirs there. Hahah. There are a LOT of powerpoints! But they're VERY helpful, too. ---Some teachers don't allow for recorders because they sometimes "forget" that they are up there when we take breaks... And it happened in my class that they had said some things that they did not want to be recorded!!! Hahaha, but I didn't feel the need to have one, I just took notes :)

Phone Apps: To be honest, I used my med/surg, lab and nursing diagnosis books only. I didn't have any apps on a phone or PDA for level 1 or 2. I just got an iPod touch to see and some of the apps are $$$!!!! So you're guess is as good as mine. Though I have been researching and epocrates seems to be pretty good. I believe there are threads on here about apps so you should be able to find some good ones!

Math: Don't freak. Even if it's a hard subject for you! And honestly, don't worry about it till you're in class! Enjoy the rest of your summer and RELAX... Buy yourself a massage and get a pedicure, don't do math! It's really not as hard as it seems, it's just a few basic formulas, that NEVER change... And they will teach you ALL about it. In fact, they do a math workshop that you should go to. That is all you will need! I promise!

And Morgan0429: Whatever clinical experience you had in level 1. That would be considered Med/Surg... And it doesn't really change to much either.

If I didn't answer something, I'm sorry! Ask me again or message me! :)

studentinnursing · Jun 3, 2010

Thanks so much.

I have been on allnurses for 2 years and haven't PM'd anybody yet, so I don't know how, but I will figure it out! I want to know about the prof's for sure. I think I know who I want to take for first semester, although I don't know which, if any, clinical site she will be at (when I checked out last fall's schedule, she was not at a site, so I hope she does lecture), heard this prof speak at the A&P thing they did last year, and she was so pumped, seemed very into teaching and loving what she does. That being said, I have my heart set on a clinical site for later employment, well 2 of them, but with it being first semester, a great professor surely won't hurt! I didn't have daycare for my 2-year-old last semester, so had all online classes and wished I would have been on campus for micro cause I probably would have learned a lot about all this from classmates.

Med/surg is what I thought I wanted to do (if I understand it right) until I heard how boring it was, then I hear how hard it is in NS, so I won't let that scare me! Boring is what I'm scared of :)

I do fine in math, so if I have a formula I'm good to go, conversions is what I dont' have memorized. Our micro prof had us do it for the first test, minimal, and that was it.

I might have more questions, been up since 5 a.m. and I will get back to you when I figure out how to PM.

Thanks to both of you.

studentinnursing · Jun 3, 2010

If I didn't answer something, I'm sorry! Ask me again or message me! :)

I have never recorded, so I'm not too worried about that. If they say it, I can type it; if I can use my laptop to take notes that should be all I need.

Thanks for answering all my questions!