Beginning Charity in January - advice wanted

mel-nola · Jun 21, 2010

Hi, i will begin in Jan 2011 too!!!! I'm excited but scared at the same time!!!!!

brittemmons · Jun 21, 2010

I know, I want to get a jump start as well!! I will have alot of time on my hands, and I know that i will regret it if I dont use it wisely. I also am wondering if I should get a jumpstart on buying school supplies,books,and study aides so that it is not financially overwhelming all at once.OR maybe, just maybe, I am just overly excited and anxious:rolleyes:

oldsouth · Jun 26, 2010

Mel-nola, I am totally with you. I am so excited, but petrified. You get no second chances in nursing school. 77 is the lowest grade accepted. As far as brittemmons is concerned, I think you should take pharmacology in the fall. I went to Charity yesterday and I was told that it is a very difficult course and a fair amount of students do not pass, so if you are able, take it before hand. They scared me so I registered to take the class this september. good luck everybody! Keep posting.

brittemmons · Jun 27, 2010

Thank you for the info, oldsouth! Didn't realize you could do that. Where do you take it at?Charity or Delgado?? Definitely sounds like it would help:) Thanks again!

oldsouth · Jun 29, 2010

Hey brittemmons! I am taking it at Delgado next semester.

redbeans · Jul 14, 2010

Pharm is not that hard. I just took Basics and Pharm last semester and Pharm was a breeze.

Just listen to what she says in class. That is the important stuff ::hint hint::

davidnikkitylerskye · Sep 9, 2010

I'm in Basics and Pharm now and I find Pharm to be incredibly easy...but then again I have a college background in math. Start studying your basic algebra now because that is basically the gist of pharm- converting and dosage calculations!!

These weeks have flown by and i can't believe that we are already only 2 weeks away from clinicals!! If I could give you any advice from my time so far it would be to 1. breathe!! 2. Don't fall into the hype of having no life and studying 8-12 hours a day. That is ridiculous and insane even though you will hear it about 100 times a day at orientation. I have 2 young children and only get to see my husband on the weekends because he is a soldier stationed 4 hours away and I have ample enough time to play with my kids and help my son with his homework. But when it's study time, they know that they need to let me study. My parents help out a lot with that also. I guess what I am trying to say is don't get lost in studying because the tests are made in such a way that basic knowledge of the material is a must, but even that will not get you an A. I am used to being a straight A student and studied 6 hours a day up until our first test, had no life and put my children off to study and guess what? I still made a very low C on the first test because of the way the questions are asked. You have to have solid critical thinking skills to do well on these tests. Out of the 8 people in my clinical group, myself and 2 others are the only ones who passed. The other 5 people failed. The girl who did make a 98 has a Bachelor's degree that is based on solid critical thinking skills- hence the highest grade in the whole Basics semester. I ordered the Fundamentals Success book yesterday because she said that will really help me since I am such a concrete thinker. I wouldn't start buying stuff now because I did and we don't need 85% of the stuff that I wasted my money on. Especially books!! If you need any encouragement please PM me. I would be glad to talk you through it because we all go through this together. I have already made a bond with my clinical group that will last far beyond our schooling at Charity. So, once again breathe, stop worrying and get ready to enjoy the ride that is Charity School of Nursing!! Congrats on getting in! We are ranked right now as 3rd in the country for Associate's programs and in all of the years that Charity has been around they have NEVER fallen below tenth place- even for Katrina!! You're in great company and getting the best possible education so pat yourself on the back and don't ever give up!!

:yeah:

su9032 · Nov 28, 2010

Here's what my friend and I did before Basics to get a head start. We went to the library and watched some of the Tegrity CSN multimedia videos. We were the only new students who did this, but it was. There are like 100 videos so for Basics, you should watch: sterile dressing change, physical assessment (there are 2- watch these several times), medicine administration (just get the gist of it), communication, culture, and The Nursing Process. There are also some videos on mobility, turning, and bed making that are helpful. Many of the videos are for later courses so don't overwhelm yourself and start watching a bunch of random stuff.

If you decide to do this, call ahead and make sure that library will be open. The librarian is super nice and helpful.

pochadad · Dec 3, 2010

Im starting in jan also. Im grateful for all of the helpful advice. I'm not yet sure how I'm going to balance supporting my family & succeeding through the next 2 years, but ready or not here I go. I'll be doing clinicals at EJ. If anyone wants to group up I'm sure we'll need all the support we can get. I live on north shore but work on south shore. Good luck everyone!

su9032 · Dec 4, 2010

Pochadad,

How many children do you have and what ages? Also, are you trying to work full-time? Do you have a good support system in place to help with the kids. When I went through Basics, my son was 1 years old and I managed with the help of my parents and his father. It is a lot to juggle though and I didn't work at all. One thing that helped me was trading babysitting with one of my friends. The Sunday before a big test, I would drop him of for a long play date. I help her between semesters so it evens out. FYI, the semester is about 16 weeks long and you will have 8 tests and 2 final exams between pharm and Basics. After the 2nd or 3rd week, you will have a test on most Mondays. Good Luck.

nursevandy · Dec 4, 2010

Good luck to all of you...I am starting NAC2 in the spring...graduating in May 2011. Let me know if I can be of ANY help...