Austin Community College Fall 2011 Hopefuls

Hey guys,

Do you know if a nursing student is required to carry a health insurance?

I just learned that a friend of mine, a nursing student too, but in a different state had to submit a proof of insurance before starting the program.

ACC does NOT require proof of health insurance.

no Mom- nurses on this forum???

Hi tat nurse,

I'm a Mom of a 2yr old son & I'm just completing level 1. At this moment (Mother's Day) I'm at the library studying for my final b/c I can't study at home...to loud. It has been difficult trying to manage time with him, husband, dogs and yes I've cried because I feel guilty about not spending time with them. The first 8wks was easier content wise, and felt that I didn't have to study as hard. Then the next 8wks came around & I found myself failing. You have to study harder (8hr a day) to pass. My instructor told me that this is the way it will be from now on. The first 8wks was fluff. There is a lot of paper work for clinicals, before going & to turn in the following week (usually Mon.) plus study time. So long story short, you may need to have someone watch your child on the days off from class. My son is too young & needs constant care. Your child is 5yr & if they entertain themselves then you'll be ok. My schedule is Mon., Tues Wed. out of Lec/Lab by 11:30am; Thur/Fri Clinicals 6am-1pm. My son is in daycare so I have 1pm-5pm to study, then 7pm-10pm more study. I only see my son (awake time) about 4hrs during the week, weekends a little more. It's hard but managable. There are a lot of parents in my class. Our instructors told us that it wasn't mandatory to come to lecture, so I found myself not going during the second 8wks just to have the extra study time for the tests. I wasn't missing much on the lectures b/c they were just going by the powerpoint slides & games to test knowledge. I felt my time was better used studying on my own. Hope that helps.

To answer the question about the working it depends on the person. I am moving to level 3 this summer/fall and did not work the first 8 weeks of level 1. I did very good. The second 8 weeks I got hired as a tech and did well with an 89 but would have had an A had I not worked. I know someone to worked 36+ hours and started to not come to class because of no study time, but at the end of the semester that person started to come more because their grades were not doing as well. You can do part time but you have to balance and come to class. Missing class means you miss valuable info for the test that is not on blackboard from what I've seen. I come to class all the time and I do good. Level 1 is vacation. Level 2 has horrid clinical HMRWK but you will make it. If you work as a tech/ca partime time i would do it because you have a better chance of a job then those who don't work and have straight A's. Experience is huge for ADN's. The rule of thumb by ADN is they don't reccomend more than 20 hrs a week. I find that true. I do about 16 and have found balance in that. Hope it helps

I just finished level 1 hybrid yesterday....96% on the final exam! Yay! I worked about 24-30 hours a week and found level 1 more than manageable, ended up with an A for the first 8 weeks and now an A for the second 8 week session. But I think like someone mentioned above, it all depends on the person. I had classmates quit their jobs and just focus on school and they were scraping by with a C and others who worked part-time and made great grades.

The majority of the girls in my class are mothers. One of them has 5 kids and the other just gave birth to twins 6 weeks before this semester began! Don't ask me how the heck they did that!

The content in level 1 isn't necessarily hard, it is just lots of it. Add that to the paperwork you have required for clinical and it can be overwhelming. They ease you in to the clinical paperwork week by week so that helped. By the end of this semester my clinical group had been assuming care of two patients for 10 weeks. The tests are all multiple choice on computer and they really focus on building your critical thinking skills.

*Insider tip* - what really helped me was the test taking resources on Blackboard. Once ya'll get access to your courses there is a tab entitled "Test Taking Resources" and it is loaded with helpful videos and practice tests to help you get used to the testing format. In fact, they have practice multiple choice tests for every module. I would print out the tests that included the answers and would study off of those as a supplement. I liked those because they gave you the correct answer and the rationale as to why it was correct and why the other answers were wrong. There is also a link to about 15 videos which walk you through how to eliminate wrong answers on nursing exams. This helped me tremendously all semester because even when there was a question on the exam that I did not know the answer to, I knew how to throw out the wrong answers because of the way they were worded. That method usually left me with 2 possibly correct answers and I would go with my gut instinct.

Hope that helps some of ya'll!

Jackfackmasta and RADIATIONRN2BE,

I know it all depends on the person regarding work and the ADN program but would the type of program also be considered....such as EVC or CEC vs Hybrid?

Thanks!

Jackfackmasta and RADIATIONRN2BE,

I know it all depends on the person regarding work and the ADN program but would the type of program also be considered....such as EVC or CEC vs Hybrid?

Thanks!

Hmmmm good question. I think the main thing between the sites and working would be lecture. In hybrid of course it is done online and you can do it whenever you wish. From the onsite people I know I believe even their lectures aren't mandatory.

The content doesn't vary that much between campuses. We all have the same modules for level 1. Clinical instructors and their expectations can change though. Heck, that can even be different in the same campus. I know my clinical instructor required different homework layouts than another clinical instructor in hybrid.

To answer your question about the differences in campuses and being able to work, I don't think that would matter. A person working 20 hours a week and going to the CEC campus wouldn't have it any harder or easier than a person working the same hours and going to the EVC campus. Scheduling will be different from campus to campus so the days you are able to work might be different.

It's all about the person. Some people go full time and do well and those not working can struggle. When you start you will be able to get an idea on what works best for you. The material content wise is the same i believe but which modules are on which test are often mixed up through the different sites. I know at CEC lecture is not mandatory but I know those who come do better than those who don't, but there are some exceptions probably. However our teachers will tell us info not in the book but was on the test. Like a juice question about hyperkalemia.

I just ordered my Nursing Skills textbook from Barnes and Noble. I went ahead and got the bundle with the study guide and dvd pack. I used a 10% off coupon (code P4U7L9E) and got the hardcover book with the total being $160 with tax and free shipping. I just wanted to make sure I had it for the start of class as the consensus seems to be the DVD's are very helpful. Since it is only a 6 week class this summer, I feel any extra help will be beneficial.

I will be taking Nursing Skills in RR on Mon/Wed. Anyone else taking this class?

I have a very general question. It says for the prereqs.... you have to pass with a "C" or better with a GPA of 2.7. Can someone please explain this to me? Unfortunately, I have 2 C and 1 A for my prereq and 5 A with the other classes. I am taking Pharm with Intro to Chem this fall to help me with physiology next spring. I am hoping to get atleast B's in the last two classes.

Thanks for your help :)

I have a very general question. It says for the prereqs.... you have to pass with a "C" or better with a GPA of 2.7. Can someone please explain this to me? Unfortunately, I have 2 C and 1 A for my prereq and 5 A with the other classes. I am taking Pharm with Intro to Chem this fall to help me with physiology next spring. I am hoping to get atleast B's in the last two classes.

Thanks for your help :)

I believe you have to have a GPA of at least 2.7 in the 5 pre-req classes to even apply. They won't accept any classes below a "C".

I know..... But the confusion is the GPA of the Prereqs..... if all the classes you made C's in does not give you a GPA of 2.7