Brookhaven Nursing Program

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Hello everyone!! I have been doing my support courses for the last year and a half and I'm going to apply for the nursing program at Brookhaven this month. Though I'm not really stressing about it I am a little worried. This is my 3rd attempt at college and the first 2 times I did horrible!! Since I made the choice to go to nursing school in Summer of 2009, I've brought my GPA up from 1.76 to 3.0. And, all my grades in my support classes have been A's and B's except 1, Nursing Pathophysiology. I made a C in that class and it would have been a B if I had not made one mistake at the end of the course. So, my question is does anyone think that C in that class will hinder me much? If anyone can offer any insight it would be great. Thanks!!

For me, there isn't one class that I have to study more for. But what I do is focus on different things, like one week I focus on lecture stuff because there is a test, then my focus shifts to the upcoming check off, then it will be clinicals, etc. etc. you will learn to become efficient with your time!

For clinicals, I think it really depends on you. For example, I really struggle with walking into peoples rooms and being comfortable, but I am decent at doing care plans. Another girl in my group is really good at talking to people but struggles with care plans. So it can really vary. As far as the drugs go, you will be looking up the drugs that your patient takes the day before your clinical so there won't be any surprises in what you are expected to know.

You do stuff during clinicals! Basically the first semester you are doing nurse tech stuff, baths, ambulating, wiping behinds, vital signs, etc. We did give medications, but only when the instructor is with you, and you can do anything that you have checked off in skills lab as long as the first time you do it the instructor is with you. Oh, and you always do an assessment on your patient! I think the most interesting thing I have done is take out an IV (it was so cool!). Which brings me to another thing, first semester there are NO needles, that means no shots, no inserting IVs, that comes second semester. Charting I think depends on your instructor, where I was we had minimal charting to do and we didn't have access to input stuff on the computers, but I know others have had to do extensive charting. Maybe sweetpea can field that answer!

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Where did you have clinicals for the first semester?

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Are you in pairs during your first semester clinical? My best friend is in UTA's program and she always was paired up with another student (the same one all semester I think) during her junior I clinicals. I think they each had separate patients, but they would go with each other to their patients' rooms and help each other.

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Thank you sweetpea and ktosch :D I agree with fortylove lol thank you both so much for your helping us new people ;) I really am learning a lot! You two will make great nurses!

I am actualy out of questions at the moment! I liked Kinckymarcia and Ashlee's questions about where your clinicals are and if you work in clinical pairs. I am sure I will have more ? later, just havent had time to think, Im at work and trying to get homework done.

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The hospitals for us this semester were Baylor Garland, Baylor Irving and Medical Center of Plano (you are only at one). These may be totally different for you guys. We were not in pairs, but in my group we were definitely helping eachother out! Not sure if this would be okay for the other hospital/instructor situations, they are all very different.

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Specializes in home health- pediatrics.

Ktosch and I were in different clinical groups. For my first day we were in a pair, but after that we were on our own! It is a little nerve wracking at times, especially in the beginning because you feel awkward figuring out what needs to be done, and getting into the swing of things. And you should brush up on your people skills now! My clinical instructor had us do more paperwork than any other group, including charting, which you will learn. Hobbits, I am somewhat relieved that you are out of questions for now because you are jumping ahead of yourself! You will have a few weeks of class before you even start clinicals. You won't be doing anything in the hospital that you have not practiced and passed in the classroom. We are usually pretty busy with our own patients, but it's great to help others out! I am regularly asking my classmates for help moving a client or completing tasks I don't have time for- and as good classmates and nurses, you SHOULD help each other out! My last day a classmate offered to change my bed linens because she saw me running around with my head cut off, and I was grateful! I was able to return the favor later that day when her completely immobile patient had a BM in the bed. If you haven't helped someone a few times before the end of your first semester clinical, there is something wrong with that.

The most challenging thing for me in clinicals is time management, and some instructors are BIG on that. Don't worry about it for now.

And thanks, Ktosch for answering! Honestly, I don't have a lot of time to answer like I have been, and have been neglecting my major care plan! This is just more fun and fulfilling to me!

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Specializes in home health- pediatrics.

But to make you guys sweat a little bit.... not only were we alone at clinicals, we had two patients!:lol2::D

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thank you sweetpea and ktosch, for all your time spent answering our eager minds:confused:. we are all here to help people, and as future nurses, we should put it into practice from the start. you both are great examples of helping others and you both are going to be excellent nurses. once again, thank you :loveya:

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Sweatpea...once again, thank you for your informative posts. Now, get on with your MCP! I want to run into you in the halls in the fall!!

Rain, rain, go away, I need to play some tennis today:grn:

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I made a facebook group for our new class Fall 2011 that anyone attending brookhaven is welcome to join. I have a feeling this will be very helpful to stay connected online for school and life. I still plan to post here on allnurses.com ;)

Brookhaven FaceBook group for class of Fall 2011

I liked what you said about helping eachother out. I most definatly will help my classmates as much as I can! It's part of being a nurse and a good person. What comes around goes around.

Does anyone know the link from the brookhaven website that lists all our first semester RN required classes? It used to be so easy for me to find but I guess its moved now. I am trying to estimate my class load and how much moneyz its going to take.

P.S. don't let my FB profile picture scare you ;) my brother and I have a compatition on who can look the most... intresting?

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Hobbits here is the web-site to the required classes:D

https://www1.dcccd.edu/cat1011/programs/degree.cfm?degree=aas.nursing.bhc

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Thanks Lupe :D Im so excited!!!! I wish this semester was over already so I can start studying lol... as nerdy as that sounds!

Things I plan to study thanks to Sweetpea and ktosch:

Patho study cards

Pharm study cards

Hope these are enough to refresh my brain lol. They have pretty pictures so they are easyer on the eyes then a boring review but I feel like I learn the same amount. Anyone have any other study tips or ideas?

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