AZ ADN students

cgg702 · Feb 1, 2006

I'm not in the nursing program, but I'm taking a nursing assistant class at Coconino Community College in Flagstaff. To get into the program, you have to take a HESI exam and be a licensed CNA. Required pre-reqs are chemistry, basic english, biology, algebra, and A&P I. I think those are fairly adequate requirements.

As far as your school, it sounds like you're talking about Pima Community College. I actually just called down there the other day to ask some questions and was told that there's a waiting list out to 2008! It seems silly to turn away good candidates if your screening process is so thin.

cardiacRN2006, ADN, RN · Feb 2, 2006

We have to have all the pre-reqs also. We also have to take the HESI, but it doesn't matter what grade we get. We take the HESI after we've been admitted to the program. So you had to take the HESI and be a CNA before you could apply?

Calzonan RN · Feb 2, 2006

I'm in block I of the nursing program at Glendale CC. All of the Maricopa CC's have the same pre-req's and requirements for nursing school. When I applied we needed Eng 101, Psych, Math (not sure how high, I already had it), HCC 130, HCC 145, Bio through Human Anatomy II, Chemistry and our CNA license or class through the community college. We also had to take the NET, have a CPR card, fingerprint clearance and I think that's it. Now they've changed all of the requirements and have actually made it easier to get in. Maricopa CC's have a lottery system to get placed. You can apply during your final semester of pre-req's during an application week and you're given a lottery number. Most people have to sit out at least one semester. Now that they've changed the requirements the wait may be longer because people were waiting for some of the pre-req's to go away before they applied.

I"m not really sure if I like the system they have. I worked really hard to maintain a high GPA and it really didn't matter in the long run. They've admitted people who just barely passed their pre-req's and I really think they'll have a hard time in NS if they had a hard time during pre-req's. It just seems that after all the work of pre-req's, a lot of people still don't graduate. I heard somewhere that only about 75% who enter NS graduate. I have a friend who goes to MCC and during orientation they passed out the sheets to get drug tested. They lost three people that day, before the program even started. That's three slots going to waste that could have been filled by someone 'serious' about nursing school. I'm not sure if using GPA as a determining factor would help. I was in Bio class with a girl who was taking it for the second time because she got a B the first time. She wanted to be a dental hygienist and you had to have a 4.0 to get into the program. That's a little extreme. It would be nice if they weighted a bunch of different information, like ASU does, but then if you do poorly on your essay, you may be sitting out for a couple of semesters, it's sort of hard to plan your life in that case.

Hope I was helpful, good luck with your project.

Keli

boomerfriend · Feb 6, 2006

I'm with you Keli. I think that dropping the pre-req's is a bad idea. I, too, am in Block I but at Phoenix College. There are a lot of sharp people in my class however, there's those few that you wonder how they're going to make it.

I really don't know why they dropped the CNA training from the pre-req's. Can you imagine starting nursing school and have never touched a patient before? There's got to be a point where they eliminate those that are not truly serious about the program -- I thought the CNA class was a good place for folks to see if they are cut out for it. I think it's a darn shame when seats in the class are "wasted" by students who aren't serious.

cardiacRN2006, ADN, RN · Feb 7, 2006

You're right. A lot of people who started my program had never touched a pt or been inside a hospital. One classmate of mine told me that she has never bathed a patient yet and she's in 4th semester! Yet I know smart PCT's/CNAs that are being told to wait until 2009, and they are just giving up. I see people all the time who just entered the program because they think nursing is easy and makes good money. If they don't fail out, they barely make it. I don't want them to be the nurses caring for my mother or husband.

The hardest part of getting into my program is the wait. If the goal of nursing programs is to graduate more qualified nurses, who will actually stay at the bedside for more than 1 year, then they might want to start being more selective about who they admit....

Thanks guys for responding!

Calzonan RN · Feb 7, 2006

I completely agree with you guys. I was told by my teacher the other day that in the full-time program 11 people have already dropped out!!! This is the third week of school!!! It makes me so mad that there's such a long wait to get in and people aren't taking it seriously and are taking up slots that could go to someone serious. PLUS the fact that now they're going to have to incoorporate patho, FON, and CNA in block 1!!! Isn't there enough in block one already?? You have all the skills to learn, add all the CNA skills on top of that, it's going to be insane!! There has got to be a better way of ensuring a higher graduation rate of people entering the program, while making sure those graduates are qualified. I hope they come up with something, I'm just glad I got in now and not in the Fall.

Keli

mandikt · Feb 7, 2006

our requirements was an interview, certain pre-requ. classes, a certain score on the T.E.A.S. test, reference letters....i think that's it. it would be nice to not have any requirments, but i can see why so many people fail out. i think the weeding process is in the acceptance period. they just have to be sure who they are accepting, which still some bad ones can slip through.

Kabin · Feb 8, 2006

I too can understand the weeding out process as the nursing school workload is so great.

As far as the CNA pre-req goes, there are a few nursing masters degree programs that allow non-nursing/healthcare types to enter. The applicants at least have a bachelors degree in some other area.

I've never understood the need for a CNA prereq/experience before entering an RN prep program. I see intelligent high school grads that might have wanted to get into the CC ADN nursing programs, but turned away because of the CNA requirement. The skills aren't difficult to learn and can be easily picked up in the RN program. After graduation, there are so many RN opportunities that even a choosy RN grad that wants to work will still have several job opportunities to choose from.

PhoenixGirl · Feb 8, 2006

I really don't know why they dropped the CNA training from the pre-req's. Can you imagine starting nursing school and have never touched a patient before? There's got to be a point where they eliminate those that are not truly serious about the program -- I thought the CNA class was a good place for folks to see if they are cut out for it. I think it's a darn shame when seats in the class are "wasted" by students who aren't serious.

I have suspicions it's for more money. A person who might have worked as a CNA for 20 years will have to go through CNA training again during block 1?! Whatever for? To get money out of him/her.

I also think it's crazy to put Patho and FON into block one. Beginning students need to concentrate on critical thinking and pharm, patho and FON should definitely stay separate classes.

It is such a waste to see people drop and all these spots go to waste. Critical thinking seems to be a hard thing for many students to grasp, and you really have to have a concept of chem, anatomy and physiology to do it. Just barely passing those classes with a low C is not going to help someone "get it" in theory class.

Calzonan RN · Feb 9, 2006

I was told, when they first considered getting rid of CNA, that it was because people who wanted to get training to become a CNA were not able to because of the long wait thanks to the pre-req requirement for nursing students. They decided to incoorporate it into BLk I so that if you wanted to go to a CC to become a CNA you could without the long wait. It's actually going to be cheaper for new students, 'cause if it's incoorporated you will just be paying for your block I classes, and not the whole CNA class. I just think that there's enough to learn in Block I already, I'm not sure how they'll fit all that other stuff. The CNA program really did cover a lot of skills, they're going to, at the very least, have to increase the number of hours in the class for block one, and that doesn't even cover the patho information.

I'm just glad I got in when I did....

Keli

Nurse-To-Be-Joy · Mar 1, 2006

I am attending Arizona Western. We have to take the NET; if you get lower than the average (56), you basically won't get in the program, but it a pretty easy test. There is no mention of CNA experience, nor is it a pre-req. However, in the 1st semester, your clinicals are at a nursing home, so that's more than enough for me! You are based on your GPA, the score of your NET, and number of co-eqs completed. These each have an equal ranking. (The GPA is divided into 2 parts-GPA of pre-reqs and GPA of co-reqs).