CCBC Fall 2011 Online/Hybrid

bardre21 · May 23, 2011

I got my letter i the mail last friday. i was suprise that the orientation will be on the 13 of June which is pretty early for my liking. I am trying to get acquainted with my future class mates since i am not sure if i will be able to attend orientation on that day.

4thGeneration · May 23, 2011

I wasn't really surprised at how early it was, but more that it was on a Monday. I kind of figured that they would have realized that most people who would be applying to the online program would have full time jobs and thus, a Monday orientation would be difficult. Nonetheless, I'm going to do my best to be there. If you don't attend on that day, let me know what their alternative is. I'd be curious to see if it would be a weekend date, which would save me 8 hours of leave time at work. :) I look forward to a long and grueling 2 years with you!

~Paula

bardre21 · May 23, 2011

Hey Paula that the same problem i am having. I myself not sure if i can make it to the orientation becuase i will be on vacation on that day and it is expensive for me to make changes to my itenary now. I am trying to see if the director at Catonsville can work something out for me. Do you have any info about the clinical hours and other good stuff. Let me know thanks a million.

` Andrae

sleepingbeautymd · Jun 1, 2011

Paula- just so you know about the online program- clinicals are all day on Monday as well, and lecture on Wednesday night, so you will have to end up changing your work schedule for the program!

4thGeneration · Jun 7, 2011

I knew about the clinical schedule, but my boss hasn't changed my schedule yet so I'm still on 5 8-hour shifts. Are you an online/hybrid grad?

bbarefoot · Jul 21, 2011

Congrats to all of you that were accepted to the Online/Hybrid program! I am currently a rising Junior in the Online program slated to graduate in May/June 2012.

I am sure you received a ton of information from the Orientation, but here is some additional info that you may find helpful. As you know....clinicals are on Mondays. Ours ran from about 7am - 5:30. In our 1st semester, we started off in Long Term Care then continued onto experience basic Fundamentals on an Acute Care/Med-Surg Unit. As you know, while there are lectures on Wednesday evenings - it is really up to you to pre-read the Modules, Textbooks, etc...in preparation for Lecture and Clinical. Do NOT fall behind. The exam schedule is about every 3 weeks in the 1st semester, so try to keep up with the readings and I highly recommend attending SI (Supplemental Instruction) which is usually led by an upperclassmen and helps to highlight key areas and testing techniques.

Uniforms: Since we only attended clinicals once a week, I only purchased 1 full uniform set. I always just dropped mine right into the washer on Mondays when I got home, so even when we had to wear them on the occasional Wednesday - it was clean. Trust me - you will want to wash the germs off you when you get home too!

Instructors: Do not be afraid to approach/ask questions. You get out what you put in, but if you need additional clarification, I always found that the Fundamentals Instructors really wanted to see you succeed.

Textbooks: Unfortunately you do need everything that they say is required. I bought most of my books used except for the Fundamentals pack since you need the CD's. I was able to find a lot online (half.com, craigslist, etc) for way less than retail and they were always in good condition.

I will try to think of some other things that I found helpful and post in the future. Feel free to post any questions you may have.

Good luck to all of you!! :-)

4thGeneration · Jul 25, 2011

Thanks so much for those pointers!!! It's nice to hear that someone survived that first year! Are you working during the program? If so, how many hours and what kind of work do you do?