ASU Summer of 2011 applicants!

tttt · Mar 17, 2011

hey everyone! i'm a senior at the downtown phoenix campus and i wanted to wish you luck with your acceptances into the program. it's a terrible wait they make you guys go through, for sure.

stephaniecs · Mar 22, 2011

I just spoke with someone at the front office. She said that the letters are being prepared this week and won't be out until next week. :crying2: I am getting so impatient! I hope they can hurry them out. I already signed a lease on in apartment in the assumption that I would get in, because otherwise I wouldn't have been able to find a place for May. I want to be able to make other plans too.

PineappleCrush · Mar 22, 2011

Hey, everyone!

I just stumbled across this forum (during class, lol), but I am one of the students from the Summer 2010 Accelerated Cohort (I'm currently a Senior 1, yay!). I just wanted to say GOOD LUCK to you all!!! I can still remember the days of rampantly checking my mailbox every day for several weeks to see if the letter comes... and how ASU just loves to try your patience (they continue to do it during the program, so watch out!)!

If you have any questions, feel free to ask! It might take me awhile to respond, but I do promise to respond at some point in the near future! :) I look forward to meeting some of you guys--as fellow Accelerites, we all have to kind of band together to get through the summer months. It's definitely a different experience than all the other cohorts have, but my cohort is seriously the most amazing group of students I've ever met and I feel that we have bonded so much closer than most of the other cohorts because of our experiences together.

Get ready for a wild ride :heartbeat

P.S. If you don't get in this time around, please don't give up. I had to apply twice and got in the second time, and I am SO THANKFUL that I didn't get in the first time because my cohort is just simply amazing. Here's a quote that has fueled the past 13 months of my life:

"Brick walls are there for a reason. The brick walls are not there to keep us out; they are there to show us how badly we want something."

-Randy Pausch, The Last Lecture

I have my fingers crossed for you guys!

tttt · Mar 22, 2011

Hey, everyone!
P.S. If you don't get in this time around, please don't give up. I had to apply twice and got in the second time, and I am SO THANKFUL that I didn't get in the first time because my cohort is just simply amazing. Here's a quote that has fueled the past 13 months of my life:
"Brick walls are there for a reason. The brick walls are not there to keep us out; they are there to show us how badly we want something."
-Randy Pausch, The Last Lecture

I have my fingers crossed for you guys!

this is a fantastic point that you should take away from the many good things pineapplecrush has to say: if you don't get in that first time, don't give up; feel free to despair for a little bit. i almost wanted to just change my major straight away after i got that letter. i know time is of utmost importance, but regardless of when you start, you will find people who are fantastic that will help you get through this whole pile of crap we call nursing school. i applied twice as well and was pretty disappointed that i didn't get to go with the group that I had gone through all of my prerequisites with, but after my first semester with my current cohort, i wouldn't change it for the world.

and i'm in class too (yeeaaaah, pregnant women!). you'll find this a common behavior among your peers

feel free to ask any questions--you've got a few very informative people around to help you out (who also enjoy it, i think). i'm not in the accelerated group, but we do pretty much the same stuff.

d

azita · Mar 23, 2011

Next week?! Noooooooooo!

Thank you tttt and pineapple! I can't wait to start!! I do have a question for you guys. How soon did you start clinicals when first entering the program?

tttt · Mar 23, 2011

Next week?! Noooooooooo!
Thank you tttt and pineapple! I can't wait to start!! I do have a question for you guys. How soon did you start clinicals when first entering the program?

For me, clinical started on week 2, with an intro and orientation to our "Well Elder" rotation. I started going there for actual clinical by week 3. Preschool started about week four, and the two ran parallel for a couple of weeks. Long term care/nursing home started around week 8.

wow, it's definitely been a while.

PineappleCrush · Mar 23, 2011

this whole pile of crap we call nursing school.

haha, oh dear! That's not a very encouraging sentiment to leave them... haha! :eek: It's just all very overwhelming, pretty much all the time. It's a lot to adjust to at first, but I don't think you ever really get 100% adjusted until finals week at the end of the semester to be honest haha. I really cannot fathom medical school--it can't be much harder than what we go through, I swear! It's SO totally worth it in the end, but I know personally I wasn't prepared for how much they would be throwing at us at first haha :uhoh3:

yeeaaaah, pregnant women!

Boo, go little kids and growth and development!!

Next week?! Noooooooooo!

I talked with a connection I have in Student Services and she stated that the letters are slotted to go out on Tuesday next week! If that helps at all... :)

How soon did you start clinicals when first entering the program?

tttt is right, you'll start clinicals in the second week, but I feel the need to define "clinicals." Clinicals in Junior 1 are not what you think of; unfortunately, you won't even step into a hospital until Junior 2. That's just how ASU runs their program. The first week is a lot of introduction/orientation stuff, but in lecture they will throw you straight in. The first part of clinicals will be your Well Elder where you essentially interview an elderly person about medical history, personal history, etc. They'll focus on communication quite a lot in the first couple weeks. Then you'll concurrently work in a preschool, gathering information from them as well, making a teaching plan, and teaching them a lesson. You won't move into Long Term Care until you're at least half-way through, and there you will be doing typical nursing skills like transferring patients, bed baths, feedings, passing medications (injections, yay!), wound care, etc. So you won't necessarily be thrown into a hospital in your first week or anything like that, which is kind of nice, but you won't get "clinical" experience with necessary skills until about the halfway point of Junior 1 semester (which would be around weeks 6-8). :nurse:

:heartbeat

tttt · Mar 23, 2011

haha, oh dear! That's not a very encouraging sentiment to leave them... haha! It's just all very overwhelming, pretty much all the time. It's a lot to adjust to at first, but I don't think you ever really get 100% adjusted until finals week at the end of the semester to be honest haha. I really cannot fathom medical school--it can't be much harder than what we go through, I swear! It's SO totally worth it in the end, but I know personally I wasn't prepared for how much they would be throwing at us at first haha

sorry for the dismal portrayal sometimes it really is kind of a slap--or many slaps--in the face. don't get me wrong, incoming folks: i've had a blast so far and i've learned a lot more than i could even imagine. i hope you feel the same, if not in junior I, at least by the time you graduate.

Boo, go little kids and growth and development!!

i'll be honest with you: i'm not into OB at all. i miss peds. i thought i was going to hate it and ended up having the most fabulous experience i've had during the last four years of school. so yes, go little kids and g&d! i hope you're enjoying it!

and, by the way, who are you? i wonder if i've ever run into you before and not known it, haha

tttt is right, you'll start clinicals in the second week, but I feel the need to define "clinicals." Clinicals in Junior 1 are not what you think of; unfortunately, you won't even step into a hospital until Junior 2. That's just how ASU runs their program. The first week is a lot of introduction/orientation stuff, but in lecture they will throw you straight in. The first part of clinicals will be your Well Elder where you essentially interview an elderly person about medical history, personal history, etc. They'll focus on communication quite a lot in the first couple weeks. Then you'll concurrently work in a preschool, gathering information from them as well, making a teaching plan, and teaching them a lesson. You won't move into Long Term Care until you're at least half-way through, and there you will be doing typical nursing skills like transferring patients, bed baths, feedings, passing medications (injections, yay!), wound care, etc. So you won't necessarily be thrown into a hospital in your first week or anything like that, which is kind of nice, but you won't get "clinical" experience with necessary skills until about the halfway point of Junior 1 semester (which would be around weeks 6-8).
:heartbeat

she's right. again. i should have clarified. you could summarize junior 1 clinicals like this: for the first half, you learn how to "communicate". you get communication drilled in to you.for the second half, you start your CNA like skills and medications in a nursing home setting. depending on the way your rotations line up, you may not be able to do skills in a hospital until halfway into junior II. you could possibly have inpatient psych first half, where you listen and listen and listen some more with the occasional talking.

p.s. take note of the time of this reply. depending on where you are and where you have to go, look forward to it :) if you're like me and live at night, it might be a rough transition.

azita · Mar 23, 2011

I talked with a connection I have in Student Services and she stated that the letters are slotted to go out on Tuesday next week! If that helps at all... :)

Thank you! I guess it doesn't seem that far away, but time will go by sooooo slow until then! It is seriously all I think about. :eek:

she's right. again. i should have clarified. you could summarize junior 1 clinicals like this: for the first half, you learn how to "communicate". you get communication drilled in to you.for the second half, you start your CNA like skills and medications in a nursing home setting. depending on the way your rotations line up, you may not be able to do skills in a hospital until halfway into junior II. you could possibly have inpatient psych first half, where you listen and listen and listen some more with the occasional talking.

You are both so awesome! Thank you so much! It is nice to have some foresight on what to expect. I don't know if I should be excited or scared - but I am definitely both, haha. :)

Do you guys have ANY suggestions on what I should do now to prepare for the program? I need something productive to do to keep me sane...Help!

Also, have you already started to apply to jobs or new grad programs? I am wondering when you have to start that process and how it is looking for you guys so far in this economy.

p.s. take note of the time of this reply. depending on where you are and where you have to go, look forward to it :) if you're like me and live at night, it might be a rough transition.

That had to be brutal to get used to! I can't go to bed before 1 AM even if I try. I am hoping my score is good enough to get placed into Mayo's program. Afternoon/night classes sound much more appealing to me!

tttt · Mar 24, 2011

Thank you! I guess it doesn't seem that far away, but time will go by sooooo slow until then! It is seriously all I think about.
You are both so awesome! Thank you so much! It is nice to have some foresight on what to expect. I don't know if I should be excited or scared - but I am definitely both, haha. :)
Do you guys have ANY suggestions on what I should do now to prepare for the program? I need something productive to do to keep me sane...Help!
Also, have you already started to apply to jobs or new grad programs? I am wondering when you have to start that process and how it is looking for you guys so far in this economy.
That had to be brutal to get used to! I can't go to bed before 1 AM even if I try. I am hoping my score is good enough to get placed into Mayo's program. Afternoon/night classes sound much more appealing to me!

my advice? enjoy yourself. don't stress about what you will get in the program. you will be taught what you need to know. if i had to say something, though, it would be to take your pathophysiology and physiological mechanisms seriously. when you understand those, you won't have to waste as much time researching it when the time comes. another important thing: if you haven't found a good, consistent form of stress relief, start looking now. having an activity where you can withdraw from life for a few moments and enjoy your time without worry is crucial.

i hope that isn't scaring you. it really isn't meant to! i just read back and thought about how negative that sounded haha

PineappleCrush · Mar 27, 2011

Do you guys have ANY suggestions on what I should do now to prepare for the program? I need something productive to do to keep me sane...Help!

I remember asking this same question in the Summer 2010 thread hehe :rolleyes: And I am going to tell you the same thing that those wonderful people who answered told me (and what tttt essentially said as well!): Enjoy your time now! Once you start your program (no matter when, or even what school you choose to go to), you will be very, very busy. I know all nursing students are pretty Type-A people who want to have something to do and be proactive, but enjoying your free time before you start is the biggest suggestion I can have for you right now. I know, I know; it sounds stupid, and I remember scoffing when they told me that and thought they were all crazy. But it is the unfortunate truth. I live at home with my family but I still hardly ever see them, no joke! :eek: And my friends? Not really! I see my nursing school friends all the time (which 95% of the time we're studying, the other 5% we're blowing off steam after a long day/week/test), but my friends before nursing school I see very few and far between. Don't get me wrong, though, there are probably other reasons why I don't see my friends as often as I would like. There are many people in the program who still manage to have social lives, go out, etc. There are many people who are married and there are also several people with children--and even within those people, there are a couple that have three or four kids!! We even had one girl deliver her first child in November (yes, she carried her child through school and clinicals up until the day before she gave birth!!). So it's definitely doable to do all of the above--it just makes things a little more difficult. I highly suggest color-coordinated calendars and lots and lots of list-making :)

Most of the teachers are great and they'll give you the information you need to know in order to be successful. If you really HAD to study something before you get into the program, I would suggest what tttt said and study Patho. But, I also tried that as well despite what the people on the forum told me and even did study sessions with a friend that got advanced with me, but to be completely honest it did not help at all.

One nugget of information that you should DEFINITELY carry with you through nursing school:

You are in

nursing

school; not med school, not pharm school, not epidemiology school.

NURSING

school. You won't need to know a lot of the specific information that you learned in A&P and Patho. Even though knowing the intricacies of Patho (and it's super fascinating!) is great and you WILL need to know most of it in order to explain the disease process to your patients, will it help your patient to manage their Diabetes if you know that the inheritance of the DR3/DR4 markers on the HLA complex on chromosome 6 increases the likelihood of developing Type 1 Diabetes? Not in the slightest!! But, knowing that there is a familial component to acquiring Type 1 Diabetes and knowing that can be crucial to the prevention of the disease--

that

is important for your patient to know, and therefore an extremely important component of your patient education and prevention screening tools. See, there's a fine line between the information you need to know and how you need to apply it--a fine line that students (including myself) are still struggling to figure out in our Senior 1 semester because the exams in nursing school are all very

application

based, not brute memorization of facts and numbers that happens in all of the pre-req classes. That was a pretty big smack across the face for me in 310 haha. Pharm was great because it was a lot of memorization, but in Nursing Fundamentals and in all of the classes in Jr2 + you'll have to be purely application based, which is a lot more difficult than it sounds. Don't get me wrong, either, there will still be numbers and facts you'll have to memorize, it's just that the questions on tests won't be so straight forward like, "What area in the upper respiratory system does asthma effect?" or something. It's much more application-y.

[/soap box]

Also, have you already started to apply to jobs or new grad programs? I am wondering when you have to start that process and how it is looking for you guys so far in this economy.

This is a great question, because I honestly have no idea even though I'm graduating in August. ...LOL! I've heard that you should start applying for New Grad RN jobs about 3 months before you graduate because the process can take awhile (it's usually a three or four interview processes to get a job! Eek!). However, you won't even have started your clinical immersion by that point, so I think that 3 months is too early to be honest, but that might also be because where I'm sitting is about 4 months until I graduate (August 5th, baby!) and I am terrified at the thought that I need to be getting ready to apply for jobs lol.

As far as the outlook goes--not good for New Grads. For experienced nurses with 1+ years of experience, the market is pretty okay, but New Grads are a huge investment for hospitals because of all of the training. Add in all the turmoil with ACCCHS and the AZ Legislature and it makes Arizona a not-so-favorable environment for New Grads. My friend who just graduated from ASU in December was THE ONLY New Grad hired for Scottsdale Healthcare that wasn't already in the system. So, if you can get a job at a hospital as a CNA, PCT or Extern... DO IT!!!! (I highly suggest looking for externships near the end of your Jr 1 semester). It will make you so much less stressed when it does come time to apply for jobs since you'll already be in the system and you'll be privy to the in-house jobs that aren't offered to the public yet. Although I do not know how many ASU New Grads don't yet have jobs, there are several that I know of, unfortunately. But keep in mind, though, it depends on how picky you're going to be about your first job and where you want to work. If you're willing to be flexible, then chances are you'll be more successful. If you ONLY want to work in the NICU on the day shift... well, good luck with that, but you might be looking for quite awhile. Flexibility in nursing is huge! :)

...this is a much longer post than I intended it to be... hahaha. It's a combination of avoiding an Evidence-Based Practice research paper and all sorts of other homework and my own little soap box that I need to get off of haha

With all of it's problems, complications and all the painful hard work you have to go through to get there (i.e. nursing school ), a career in nursing is still SO, SO worth it. So try not to get discouraged by anything you may hear from any of us upper ASU classmen or even any other threads on this site. Nursing school will change your life :)

:heartbeat

NursingApplicant · Mar 28, 2011

Great, thanks. Hopefully the letters come this wait, will be checking the mailbox.