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.
is the externship required or you did it voluntarily? you applied for externships at hospitals? is this only allowed after level 2? do you know if hospitals will hire new nursing students at all?
in what level do you learn how to draw blood? i heard it's called venipuncture? i just saw a clip online and I am so scared. I know im going to be a nurse and this should be easy, but i am shaking just looking at it. what if i make a mistake??
is the externship required or you did it voluntarily? you applied for externships at hospitals? is this only allowed after level 2? do you know if hospitals will hire new nursing students at all?
the externships are not required but can help with landing a job later since it will allow you to get your foot in the door and you are gaining experience....real experience.....but it is not required....you can still land a job without doing an externship.
Its allowed right before your senior/last semester of school......they start excepting resumes during Level 3...thats why i said after Level 2....get your resume together....because the date to submit starts in November for some.
Hospitals will hire new grads...some will, but its getting more competitive. there are about 80 graduating with me......and remember there are a load of other schools locally (seton hall, PCCC, Rockland County, Holy Name, Englewood, Ramapo, Fairleigh, William Paterson, Rutgers, UMDNJ...etc)....so there will be 1000+ vying for a fraction of the positions available in the area. so network, try to get an externship, and network.
in what level do you learn how to draw blood? i heard it's called venipuncture? i just saw a clip online and I am so scared. I know im going to be a nurse and this should be easy, but i am shaking just looking at it. what if i make a mistake??
I never seen anyone drawing blood. You will administer meds, blood glucose checks, hang IVs, Injections, enemas, dressing changes, wound care, Pin care, trach suctions, post mortem care..etc
the craziest thing I can recall doing was picking up a necrotic toe off the floor. Pt was diabetic and a toe fell off when we had to wrap/rewrap his bandage.
and oh...another tip....buy some vicks vapor rub to keep in your bag just in case you cant tolerate some of the odors. you can always put a little in your nostrils to try and mask the smell.
nothing worst than changing a pt with Cdiff and you vomit all over them...LOLOL that may not be a good look for you nor the pt.
My most challenging time was the end of Level 1, right before the finals and the following summer.
not because of the workload from the program....but the balancing of school and personal stuff.
My Mom was diagnosed with Stage 3b Lung Cancer on May 5th, 2009. I explained this to my Profs and was able to get a couple of extra days to get my head together for the final exams...and yes i did pass.
I registered for Microbiology 104 (required class) for the summer. On Wednesday, July 29th (the last week of class), God decided that he had bigger plans for my Mom. I had a presentation to give on Thursday, but was in no shape to do. I emailed my Prof and explained what happened....and he suggested that i come to class. The presentation was part of our grade. I showed up late and asked if we could talk briefly in the hall. I asked him would it be ok if I did not give the presentation and he understood. However, he thought it would be in my best interest for me to still do it. I reiterated that i was a little out of it mentally and he again understood and strongly suggested that I still give it.
I go back in class with my sun glasses on. I was called up to present. I apologized to my class for the sun glasses and explained that my Mom had just passed the day before. The class was silent as you can imagine. I started the first couple of words...and lost it for a bit. Took a couple of deep breaths and continued.....and finished the presentation. I ran into the hallway to take a couple of deep breaths and came back into the class.
After class condolenses were expressed from everyone and hugs....which i appreciated. Most in the class was from the Nursing program.
Later on that night I emailed my Prof to say THANK YOU !
We had a few email exchanges back and forth......and he explained that he too lost his Mom while in school so he understood what I was going through.
But the big thing here is that he not only taught me Microbiology, but I learned from him, and by this experience that life is not always kind and that the world is not going to always stop for us, so that we can get our thoughts together and regroup. We have to push on.
so yea, I wanted to stop and just retreat into my room....because I lost someone, that I love more than I loved myself. but when word spread to the other classmates about my Mom's passing, the text messages and emails were plentiful and very therapeutic which helped tremendously.
sorry for the long reply.....hehehe
You're reply really had me in tears. I am very sorry for you loss. I am glad to hear you pulled through and made it thru your presentation. My grandmother was recently diagnosed with Pancreatic Cancer and I am not looking forward to what's ahead. I will tell you this, I will keep your story in mind. If she takes a turn for the worse I can only hope I am as strong as you were. thank you for sharing this with us.
You're reply really had me in tears. I am very sorry for you loss. I am glad to hear you pulled through and made it thru your presentation. My grandmother was recently diagnosed with Pancreatic Cancer and I am not looking forward to what's ahead. I will tell you this, I will keep your story in mind. If she takes a turn for the worse I can only hope I am as strong as you were. thank you for sharing this with us.
Stay HOPEFUL best friend. This is a rule not only in nursing but in life.
PS:
The Microbiology Prof name is Dr Jimenez. I believe he was specifically picked since many health science students need this class as a requirement. If you need Micro 104....try to get into his class. He's EXCELLENT.
I start the nursing evening program this spring 2011. Trying to meet anyone who has been accepted and what see what the deal is with the list of the books. A few have a choice of either one or the other.. How would you know what to pick? do we wait till the professors indicate what they prefer?
I'll be starting in the Spring as well. I bought the main books listed for 181-183 Pharmacolgy/Physical assessment/Fundamentals of Nursing.. anything that had an either or choice I read the reviews for each before I decided to buy it. so for example I purchased Davis' Drug guide for Nurses as opposed to Moby's Drug reference based on feedback reviews.
I just finished taking microbio this semester on Saturdays. My professor was Prof. Arvind Patel. Very blunt but funny person. I would recommend him if you're only able to take Sat classes. I also took Scuba this semester as my 2nd WEX class. I just needed to get it signed off by the department heads. We use the pool for training. You do not need to get Scuba certification to pass the class.
swtchariot
106 Posts
DaddyO,
is the externship required or you did it voluntarily? you applied for externships at hospitals? is this only allowed after level 2? do you know if hospitals will hire new nursing students at all?