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Last Thursday I was at the college for the purpose of collecting my Chemistry grade with some classmates. Apparently, there was a graduation ceremony for RN's going on that night as well, and my friends started talking to one student to ask her about the program. I didn't hear the entire conversation, but one of my cohorts told me the student had stated that ELEVEN people had failed out of NUR-181 alone during her course!
Now, there's always a chance there was some sort of misunderstanding or miscommunication, but does this sound right? For what it's worth, I would think the application process and competitiveness of getting in to the program would assure a strong student population, so it makes me nervous to hear these things. I already received some insight from someone privately, but I was wondering what the public population made of this info.
Thanks!
WOW, thank you so much for sharing all of that information including the tips..
you answered so many questions that I had but did not ask..yet.
you know its funny b.c. people always ask me, "are you sure you want to be a nurse, you have to wash and bathe people ALOT and clean up after them this that this that" and i'm like that's not all you do, nursing can be very rewarding and their are SO MANY specialties you can choose from... theres obviously more to nursing than jsut that!
It is funny, however, that in our training we ACTUALLY WILL BE washing people all day....
that is okay though, just something we must go through during the training
Hi Again
You are so welcome for the info. It's nice to help someone that really wants to get into the program. I've found that most students who are on this site are the 1's that get into the program. FYI, you're not washing the patients all the time, but it is part of the training, thats why I picked a saturday rotation..you have more time with the patients to find out about very interesting stuff. you learn about those 3rd n 4th sounds of the heart, you learn the correct terminology for everything including the names of the tubes (check this out Name the tube | Nursing | Find Articles at BNET) the 2 day clinicals are very rushed and things get confusing for everyone..oops..Im at the library so I have to go again..later FIV
HI,
It may sound corny , but the best part was the people you meet and the new friendships you form. Some are "C's" or "P's" but the 1's that you get to know will be friends for life.
Also how those same friends pull together to help someone else in class who is in trouble...I've also made friends in other levels...who are now considered good close friends....you learn to have patience & not to judge & be grateful for what you have and who you have in your life...cause that can all change in a flash..hey, call me corny..I've been called worse, sometimes father hen....also your never too old to learn & never give up....ok..gtg..FIV
Hey,
FishermanIV thanks for all that information- there were so many helpful tips.
I actually think I may have ran into you at the library last semester- I can't imagine ANYONE else being this helpful. Don't call me weird lol- I just ran into a guy there who gave me so much info on the nursing program...
I'm really eager for this month to pass and to finally know... I really want to get in but, I'm really uncertain & scared. And I look forward to all those levels and doing different things- I'm not excited about bathing people and such but, you learn and start at the bottom for most things...
Hey KK101,
Hey that was probably me..I'm always taking to someone somewhere...Its something that you should get comfortable doing since its a big part of nursing. you have to make the patient at ease and you have to be at ease with the patient. When you do a process recording , you will find some patients that won't talk or you are not comfortable talking to, so start doing it now..go up to a stranger and strike up a conversation..you'd be amazed at what you can learn about that person..learn to read their body language....This will also be helpful in your psych rotation. It's something that can't be taught by a teacher, you have to have it in you or teach yourself. Keep in touch , let me know when you get your letter of acceptance ..FIV
PS..Since the nursing field is becoming more saturated ..esp in N.Jersey, the boards are getting harder..theres a new NCLEX book out with a lot of great info. It is ISBN 13:978-0-8036-2187-9..I bought mine at borders w/ a 40 % off coupon, so I paid $30 ( and i have a &5 rebate to send in )..I forgot to tell Moojie that in level 2 you will have to hand in 50 NCLEX questions on ea topic..resp, cardiac, and Fluids & Elecs..you just copy them out of the book, but once in the program start doing 25 questions a day, then 50, then 100 to build up your knowledge also your stamina..its not important as you get it right as it is why it is right..THE RATIONALE..ok..off to study
keep the questions coming..its gives me an excuse to take a break and practice my typing..lol
i know you said that you basically do a lot of washing and safety of the patients, but can you think of anything else, some other things that you also do during clinicals at the hospitals?
my personal experience:
my son, age two, has asthma and he's been in the hospital a couple of times for maybe 5 days each.. every single time we were there, there were always the student nurses who came in, but it was usually in GROUPS of two or three, they bathed him and listened to how he was breathing..
were you always in groups when you were assigned a patient? were their any times you were not in a group and you were by yourself?
what are some of the other things they have you do during clinicals?
HI TDAG90,
I may have miss lead you, we don't spend A LOT of time washing the patient. It is part of their AM care. We do a full assessment of the patient..Vitals signs- BP, resp, Pulse, ..., lungs sounds, bowels sounds...THE ENTIRE BODY..we are not in groups, we are assigned 1 or 2 patients at a time for the day..if you are doing a 2 day clinical, 1st you do pre-conference to get assignment, do a brief stop in on your pt., then off to the primary nurse and get full report, you get your vitals -some are done while doing the bed bath, do full assessment ( Lung sounds, bowel sounds, apical pulse ...), change the sheets, do your nurses notes, formulate a nursing diagnosis, recheck you patient and sign off to the primary and off to post conference to give your clinical instructor a report and nursing notes. ( with a 1 day -10 hr clinical..you still do the same stuff, buy you're not rushed and you have more time to learn.as your level goes, so do your responsibilities..giving meds, changing IV's ( this is when the clinical instructor is present )but during this whole process you are learning..most importantly you MUST check that patients ID everytime you do something with him/her..even if its the only patient you have..This may not seem like a lot you you , but you have to remember everytime your done and about to leave that room...IS THE PATIENT SAFE..IS THE BED AT THE LOWEST POS...ARE THE SIDE RAILS UP..IT'S an ongoing learning process.
To KK101 when you said, "I really want to get in but, I'm really uncertain & scared. And I look forward to all those levels and doing different things- I'm not excited about bathing people and such but, you learn and start at the bottom"..let me to you, we are all still uncertain and scared..that will go away with learning and knowledge..it may take years..even when you go for your first job, if your not scared and nervous-you're nuts..lol..you'll all learn these things..I know it's nerve racking not knowing if you're in or not..but like I said..the students in here have already taken the step to learn more ..and these are the 1's that I've seen make it into the program..I have friends in ever level, all in my diff. classes and I just start up a conversation and am amazed at how much I learn just hearing them talk about the learning process...holy crap..I've talked too much..I gotta get goin..2 big final coming up and I'm working 24 out of the 48 hr weekend..nite all....you have a lot to look forward to..esp making new friendships..FIV
When you say, one of the things to look forward to is friendships, I can already see exactly what you mean. It is so nice that you are taking the time to help people, pre-nursing students who are not even accepted into the program yet. If their are more people like you, I'm sure we will all make plenty of friends and feel less anxious and overwhelmed, also very happy lol. I can't remember if you are the one who shared the story about one of the patient's falling face first on the floor while the nursing student was speaking with others right outside of the patient's room. That scared me, I hope that never ever happens to any of us! Your tips, to think of the patient's safety first, already has me thinking non-stop, "is the patient safe?"
By the way, to share, one of the funniest threads I just read is the one that's called
"things we'd LOVE to tell patients but can't" or something along those lines... some of the things are hilarius!!!!!!! I was literally cracking up,
BUT some of the things were very insensitive, and made me think, maybe nursing is not the best career for some of those people- some of them need some empathy in their lives.
Hey,
If I can help 1 student who becomes a nurse not make a mistake or help 1 student get into the program then I am happy...you have to have that in your mind at all times "is the patient safe " even when it comes to making the bed-are the side rails on the other side up, are the wheels locked, --look under the sheets to make sure the pt. doesn't have a tube in that you might pull out. the best thing about these posts are that next year you will be writing in giving some advice and hope to another anxious & hopeful nursing student..Its what its all about..you would not believe the people in the program, people I thought I would never be friends with are calling me at midnight asking questions..seeing what I'm doing over the weekend , asking if I want in on the study group....SO YOU KEEP THE BALL ROLLING..& I better see you in September.....keep in touch..FIV
kk101.....as happy as I am for you that you have until May 19th...I am so ANNOYED!!!!!!! UGH! Why did they FORCE us to take this thing so early if it didn't matter either way?! The whole "wave" process of having some people take it in March, then April and now the end of May is a load of crap. Again, this has absolutely NOTHING to do with you and I truly am not aggravated with anyone who is taking it later...it's just all the drama that I went thru for a 2 week period of time from March 1st until March 17th, had only 2 weeks to prepare, AND had to jump thru hoops with my eyes closed, hands tide behind my back and on one foot....only to see that others had till almost June.I can say with all certainty that while I am fine with my score I would have done much better still had I had another month or 2 to study. I was crammin that stuff in morning, noon and night yall!! Haha!! At work, on my lunch break, thru the weekends AND had to beg for work to give me a day off with short notice so I could go take it. Not to mention that I totally got lost in downtown Patterson on my way!! No offense to anyone from Patterson, but a Kentucky girl like myself has NO business in downtown Patterson!!! LOL!!
Well, kk101 - good luck on the test!!!! Have you been gettin at it much yet?
i completely agree with you, i got my letter to register march 5, registered that day for the last possible day to take the test at the time which was march 19th. i literally had a week and a half to study bc i am also currently a full time student, and getting everything done was a hassle. i got an 88.19 on my exam and i have a 4.0 gpa. im freaking out bc of this whole waiting process and i felt like if i had more time, i wouldve done alot better. i spoke to the office and said they are still process applications. im freaking out. has anyone heard anything else?
fishermanIV
71 Posts
HI, She didn't ask what color her underwear was, but her questions come out of left field and she tells you that everything in those chapters is fair game...Like during what war did such & such happen..for the CPR, just punch in CPR training in your yourtown or american heart assoc. or this link...BZ Emergency Training - Healthcare Provider CPR
For the uniforms ..there's a place in paterson, but you will get all the info once you get into the program. As far as the shoes..YOU ARE ON YOUR FEET FOR 12 HRS A DAY..GET A GOOD SHOE..I got 2 pairs , Merrils & a pair of euro moc pros...a solid white shoe..you have you buy your kit thru the school, but it doesn't come w/ a stethoscope- that you have to buy yourself. The store in paterson sells a stethoscope for 80, but if you go online and do some research you can find a good deal on a nice 1 of good quality. I bought a Littmann Cardiology III thru allheart.com. Like I said, the school will send you all the info of what you need. Try and get the CPR certification out of the way. Make sure you have all your shots and a record to prove them, you have to go for a TB check and show proof, also you have to go to your doctors and have him sign off on a form for your health records , also you have to get malpractice Ins..its not much..I think 28 for the yr...and they say there is no quota, but I do remember finding somewhere that the nursing program had say..10% male, 10 % asian...also if you know someone ..it helps..okI have class in an hr and have to eat, so ttyl...FIV