Calling all Paducah, KY Nurses!

greeniebean · Jun 24, 2009

Also, were any of those 1st 3 clinical sites total hell? I keep getting scared by all the posts about horrible instructors, mean nurses, and crappy clinical placements. How was your 1st semester of clinicals?

SHW129 · Jun 24, 2009

WIA (workforce investment act), once you have that accepted into program letter, call them and set up an appointment and they will tell you what you need to bring. All of these women I have talked to are wonderful. Nursing is on the list!! Depends on which is closer for you there is Paducah Career center, 416 South 6th St, 270-575-7000 or the Mayfield location, 1002 Medical Drive, 270-247-7171.

Hope this helps. It really does make nursing possible. If you call they will give you the income for family of XXX amount in household over the phone.

SHW129 · Jun 24, 2009

Monday was 930-1230.

Tuesday clinical or off or AP II lab.

Wed was 930-130

Thurs clinical or off or AP II lab

Friday was 930-1230

Friday was nursing only!! EXAM day!! Your AP II will have to be M/W due to clinicals on T or TH. Really look at when you want to schedule lab. This is the class that made some people have to choose a certain clinical day. (This is why I did mine on Wed so I could have one day off to study).

I had AP II lab on Wednesday and it didn't let out till 4pm so I was running with clinicals on Thursday!!

SHW129 · Jun 24, 2009

I enjoyed all of my clinicals. All three instructors are awesome. The time will fly by with them. It can be fun!!!! I loved the nursing home. Some people did not and that is okay. Some liked the hospital and others didn't. I thought I would love the hospital and really didn't care for it. Some parts of the hospital I did. This is a way to see exactly where you may want to work after ya graduate. Figure out your calling so to speak. :) (peds, trauma, etc)

I dreaded the hospital too!! It wasn't bad at all. The day flies by and it feels good to be putting what you learn into use. Go in with an open mind.

You not only have nursing home and the two different floors at Lourdes, you will also do rotations to different speciality areas. You won't go to all of them, just three. There is pastoral care with the chaplain, dietician, pain management, surgery, same-day surgery, wound care, out patient services and I think maybe one more I am forgetting. No, you don't get to pick!! They will assign them to you.

With the rotations thrown in there, you will actually do two clinicals at parkview and then one rotation, then two clincials with one instructor at Lourdes on TCU floor and then one rotation, then two more clinicals on the other floor (can't remember) with the other instructor and then last rotation. It might be less with holidays thrown in there. We had shorter time due to ice storm.

I know some of the rotations like surgery you had to be there by 7am and then others like pain management and outpatient services was at 9am. Most of the time on clinical days you were done no later than 2pm. Just in case, plan till 4pm. Because, if you do get out early, study until 4pm.

I tell you all this so you can let sitters know you might be dropping little ones off early. I thought all my classes started at 930 for nursing and didn't expect some clinicals to start at 7am. Had to quickly arrange my daycare schedule.

Hope this helps and that I didn't confuse you too much.

SHW129 · Jun 24, 2009

Also with the schedule, the first two weeks of the semester you will be in classroom five days a week. No clinicals and no days off. Tuesdays and Thursdays it was 8-12. It is boring. It gets to be long. Pay attention. The first test is that second Friday. It is a doozy!! After the first exam, you will know how to study and will see exactly what the questions are like. Good luck!!

SHW129 · Jun 24, 2009

I hope I have answered all of the questions but if not just ask. I wished there was somebody that I could have talked to before starting nursing 101. Good luck and you shall be getting your letters soon!!

greeniebean · Jun 24, 2009

Thank you so much for all your help. I feel a lot more confident going in now (I don't know anyone so I'm nervous about that). I'm so glad I've met people here who are going through the same things as me!! I'll definatley be applying to WIA.

greeniebean · Jun 24, 2009

I try to find a lot of this out on the website but some of it is so outdated! I got an e-mail today saying they were re-doing the site but it's going to be a few weeks! Hopefully they'll put up some new info!

Also, I've been really discouraged because everyone keeps saying how it's so great that a "non-traditional" student like me is going into nursing. So does that mean most of the students are "traditional" as in they don't have children? I mean I feel like I can apply myself even with all my responsabilities but I feel like people think I'll always be using my kids as an excuse to miss class and stuff! and that's so not the case. I actually had an 18 year old girl in one of my pre-reqs say "well I just dont see how people with kids do it. Dont kids always get sick, because this is nursing school and they wont let you use that as an excuse"!! I'd never do that. (and I'm happy to say that I finished the semester ranked 1st out of 32 students in that class, even with my kids!!!)

SHW129 · Jun 25, 2009

In our class we had about 70% non-traditional from young adults with kids to I think the oldest in our class was near fifty plus. The other 30% were traditional students. The ones with no kids/spouses are the ones who came in late and missed the most.

In my experience, the ones with the most to lose or have had to pay for their education, do better. I never missed a day and had to pay for my books, tuition and $800 a month for daycare. Yes, I am serious. This is my future. Don't worry, there are many different types of people and by the end of the semester you will know 90% of them and will have several close friends. :)

The instructors do understand if something comes up as long as one you phone one of them. You can make a clinical day up, but try not to miss those. I think you get 12 hours of absent time in the classroom (for emergencies, kids sick, etc). Never miss an exam. You cannot make it up.

Relax, you will do fine.

greeniebean · Jun 25, 2009

I definatley wont be slacking off. This is all I ever wanted to do, so I have no plan B!! I unfortunatly do have to take A&P ll with NSG 101, but I willing to put in the extra work. I'd hate to put off going into the program over 1 class. I'm thinking if I really focus on A&P l this fall and really absorb the info I'll have an easier time in A&P ll.

I really can't wait to get my letter because even though it's not really plausible I just keep thinking that maybe 80 people do have more than 93 points! Until I hold that letter in my hand I won't let myself think I got in.

Did any of you guys apply anywhere else? I didn't because I've heard such good things about Paducah's Program. Actually before I started college I had planned on going to Madisonville but I everytime I had a question they would never answer the question, or I couldn't get ahold of anyone.(took me 2 weeks just to schedule a testing appointment!) I never had that problem with WKCTC so I went with them, and I'm glad I did.

SHW129 · Jun 26, 2009

I took AP II and so did alot of others in nsg 101. It can be done. Just alot of scheduling of your time. You can do it.

I didn't look elsewhere for school due to WKCTC being close and saving some gas money.

When my letter came in the mail, I was scared to open it. I thought well, it says I didn't get in so go ahead and get this over with. Had to read it three times before it sunk in that I was in and on my way to becoming a nurse.

Totally understand the waiting part and not knowing 100%.

keithjones · Jun 26, 2009

only 5 more days until the application deadline, should know something soon!