CCAC Fall 2011

mzk8 · Apr 6, 2011

Thank you for your encouragement. This will be my second career. I have a BS with a job that barely pays more than minimum wage and I am laid off almost half the year. Getting accepted would just be a great opportunity to start again and to do something that I should have done to begin with.

rebecca6890 · Apr 6, 2011

:heartbeathi nurses2b:

im rebecca. accepted in day program at south for fall 2011.

was accepted last year also and did go through the entire semester but unfortunatley didn't make high enough test grades-the final killed me completely and i had 1.1% too low of the needed 75.0% to pass nrn101...believe me when i say that nursing school will be your life. you must have very good studying skills and know how to "think like a nurse" (which will come with time unless youre trully gifted). thinking like a nurse is where i went wrong last semester. i am a very well memerizer made great grades in micro, a & p i and ii so i tried memerizing word for word and have you seen the nursing books? lmao theyre like 3 books in one! when it comes to nursing-memerizing is a waste of time and well-needed energy that i had to learn the hard way...these nursing tests are ridiculous critical thinking. i took every test, thinking to myself, where in the world was this answer? you have to want it, i mean really really bad. dont give up!

i know what is to come, especially what not to study lol if you have any questions im glad to help in any way...this time im not letting anything hold me back from graduating in 2013 with adn...

im looking for a few new nursing student friends/buddies to have study groups together and of course vent to when needed! :lol2: we could do 'em at my house :) im so excited to have another oppurtunity to experience nursing school again!!! and anyone accepted in the day program at south message me so we can get to know eachother........

good luck to all! its tough, im not gonna sugar coat it up... but if it were easy then everyone would be a nurse-and we really don't need nurses like that, right? be in it to practice your dream....:redbeathe

kh321 · Apr 6, 2011

Hi Rebecca!!! (It's Kelly!) I'm so happy to hear you are coming back in!

What Rebecca says is absolutely true. It is seriously hard and you really have to want it. The only thing you have time for is Nursing. It takes a lot of adjustment to go from regular test taking to test taking as a nursing student. Anyway while it is tough it is also an amazing experience.

2brnsomeday · Apr 6, 2011

Hi Rebecca and Kelly. My name is Lori. Looks like we are in the Day South program together. It will be nice to meet you and have some familiar background. Rebecca so you did the whole first semester and now you are retaking it over? Kelly are you in the program already? Where were your clinicals? I also heard that there is a dosage calculation test in the first few weeks, and you have two chances to pass - if not you are kicked out of the program.. is that true?

rebecca6890 · Apr 7, 2011

kelly!~how r you??? u in for fall again too???????

nice to meet you! and yes we will hav to get to know eachother!

what they say about drug calc is TRUE. its something everyone must know. the tutors will giv us all a huge packet full of problems and the answers are alll worked out in the back. from what i understand theres a drug calc every semester of nursing so if u cant pass it then i dont think u should b in nursing school. i think ur allowed to miss 2. 92% or above i think. if not u get sent to tutor and review and review then take again. if u go in there miss like 5 1st time around then go back and miss more than that then ya im pretty sure they'll jus drop u out. its serious n i think alot of ppl just go in thinkin they can just retake n retake. if you dont show that ur trying theyre not gonna waste their time trying to help you. theres also two 10 question quizzes on lab along with drug calc. they r both on medical terminolgy, tehy giv us a list of words and break them up into 2 sections. 1st half is what u study for 1st test n same w 2nd half for 2nd test.

rebecca6890 · Apr 7, 2011

i had clinical at Jefferson and absolutley LOVED it. wouldnt trade it for world. i think jefferson is best to get for 1st semester for sure. 10$ per SEMESTER for parking! everywhere else is jus bad i heard.....i would never work for jefferson tho. i jus dont like the set up there i guess. i like pittsburgh better! :redbeathe magee is my dream...

yes i went til the very last day of clinicals and everything. and yes my weighted total was 73.9% and you need 75.0%. so i started all over. u hav to go thru n re-apply and do all the screenings again.......

kh321 · Apr 7, 2011

Hi!! I'm good!! How are you, Rebecca?? I was at your work a couple of weeks ago but I didn't see you. Megan waited on me!

I'm currently struggling through 102. I have a 74 since I bombed our last test. I seriously dropped 4 percentage points. I'm studying my butt off for the final and the next lecture exam.

What Rebecca said about the dosage calc exam is true. They don't want you to fail though. They will work with you. The tutors at South are amazing people. Honestly. In 102 we had 2 dosage calc exams. One was normal meds and the second was for pediatric patients.

As far as clinical goes I was at McKeesport for 101 and I am currently at Jefferson for 102. I did my OB rotation during this term at West Penn. There are students this semester at Mercy, Mon Valley, St. Clair, McKeesport, Jefferson, Magee (OB), Children's (peds) and West Penn (OB) this semester.

sewnmom, BSN, MSN, RN, APRN, NP · Apr 8, 2011

I am going to do some serious studying this summer. After A and P I is over beginning of May, I am going to CLEP out of Hum Growth and Dev. I am going to start studying some medical terminology. I got a dosage book from Half Price books to study for the PAX so I will work in that.

I am pretty organized with school stuff. I am going to get a net book to take on the run with me and a roll up key board. That way I can work no matter where I am. NOTE: a really great program is CUTE PDF - anything that you go to print you can "print" as a cute pdf - it saves the document as a pdf file you can read any time. I already have an adroid phone, but it is hard to read.

With non-driving, working teens, I have opted to NOT take any summer classes. I think a regimen of my own might be good.

Lots to do, but exciting!

mzk8 · Apr 8, 2011

I got my acceptance notice today :) Can anyone tell me how much total the first semester cost (not including books)?

sewnmom, BSN, MSN, RN, APRN, NP · Apr 8, 2011

I estimate with the extra health care fees and the testing fee - if you are an Allegheny county resident - tuition will be in the area of $1489.26 - that is just an estimate. OH and that is based on MY taking of 12 credits - if you have more classes then it will be more. This is for A and P II with a lab - NRN 101 with a lab (I assume that you have to add the lab fee in ADDITION to all the healthcare class fees)

Base is 1169.40 - fees with tech. fee and college fee

add 20 for the two labs (again based on my class schedule)

160 for the health care fees per credit (20 per credit NRN 101 is 6 credits)

128 (some testing fee that has to be added)

7.70

4.16 (malpractice and something else)

Also you will need to get:

scrubs ( tunic, creased pants, flare pants, lab coat - all with emblems - estimated cost - about $85)

stethoscope

watch with dial (my friend said get timex that you can replace because it will get wet)

Pen light

WHITE all white COMFORTABLE shoes

Books for sure: Fundamentals of Nursing, Nutrition (for the lab) and a good medical dictionary

LOTS and lots to do and think about!

mzk8 · Apr 8, 2011

Thank you! I was trying to just get an estimate so I'm not in shock when I register. I figured about what you said. I have a really good Littmann stethoscope that I use for my job now. I'm going to start filling out the FAFSA. Hopefully I can still qualify for something. I pretty much maxed out student loans when I got my BS.

sewnmom, BSN, MSN, RN, APRN, NP · Apr 8, 2011

I have a daughter in a very expensive private college. My second one will be coming to CCAC in the fall to do her prereqs and core classes. We will have three full time tutions. Yikes! Sometimes I wonder what I got myself into...but my friends remind me that I cant come this far and then abandon it! It will all work out.