CCBC 2011 Fall petitioners

U.S.A. Maryland

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Hi, everyone. I just finished my prereqs. last semester. I am planning on petitioning for CCBC online program in Catonsville, and also Harford community college's accelerated program. Starting to study for the

Teas V exams. Would love to talk to any other new petitioners. Let's walk this journey together! Also, if there are any other nursing students who are attending CCBC or Harford who can offer any advice, I would love to hear some!

I have heard good things about CCBC's online program. Since the online program has started, the NCLEX pass/ fail rates have stayed the same. This means online students are doing just as well as the conventional classroom students. Check out http://www.mbon.org (Maryland Board of Nursing), go under Guide to Nursing Education in Maryland, and you will see all the stats.

If you do exceptionally well taking online classes, I am sure you will do fine. Online classes aren't for everyone, but it sounds like it just may be right for you. :up: I am in the middle. I can take some classes online; others I am not too sure about.

Good luck and thank you! I am feeling confident I will do well on the retake. :rolleyes:

As far as the TEAS is concerned...I would definitely get the review book - skim it in its entirety and then take the review tests. That will allow you where to figure your weakness and where to concentrate your efforts. I would suggest two weeks before test starting to study. My issues were science - the review was stuff I hadn't seen in YEARS! I would also review the english section - lots of questions regarding simple sentences...CCBC has not released minimum requirements for this version of the test so it's a bit scary regardless of your scores, you don't know what they are looking for...

BTW - if anyone is interested I do have the review book to sell. It's in perfect condition...

Gaelros, do you think that the math portion of the Teas was algebra heavy?

Not really. The stuff was pretty basic...some algebra, lots of fraction conversions and such. Everything pretty basic but again stuff you haven't had, unless you are a recent grad, in a long time. Review book is a must IMHO.

Thanks for the info. I know that we are not due to find out about acceptance until a couple of months, but I am already nervous and anxious about all of this! The wait is going to be nerve-wrecking!

Hey everyone, just a suggestion that I mentioned on the thread for last semester's applicants too: I got a tip from a friend who started Fall 2010; after handing in her application (about 6 weeks after) she checked her SIMON account and noticed a $200 seat fee. She got her acceptance letter a week later. The seat fee serves as an accounting function to give you a way to pay your deposit.

I can attest that this is an accurate way to confirm your acceptance into the program. I shared this tip with a few others last semester as well, but we weren't sure if it was actually going to work that way. When I found my seat fee, I called the office and asked why it was on there and they told me it meant that I was being offered a seat in the program (there were lots of others who confirmed it as well). It's only going to give you about a week's jump on knowing, but I've been through the wait before and a week can make a big difference.

If you notice a seat fee, please tell everyone on here. I'm not a Fall 2011 applicant and I don't want to butt-in here, but there were times during my application process that I wish I had someone to let me in on what was going to happen. If anyone has any questions about the application/waiting/orientation process, please feel free to PM me. Thanks and good luck to everyone!!

Thankyou so much, Erica B! I am sure that I can speak for us all and say that your experience with the Simon account, will be helpful when we are grasping for a glimpse of hope! I will definitely remember that tip! How do you like the nursing program at CCBC? Which campus are you attending?

Classes have been a positive experience so far. I have not yet taken my first test, so we will see! :) I'm in the day program at the Essex campus. I have to say, the post-acceptance period and orientation process was trying. After acceptance, you will have about 5 minutes to celebrate before having to get a lot of things done by the school's deadline. After making it through that, the class/lab schedule seems pretty easy, lol.

Anyway, there is a great feeling of closeness already within the program. We have all met someone in the building in their second year who has said "you can make it through", so we have been trying to stick together as best we can! Anyway, good luck. The program is getting more and more competitive every semester so just know that acceptance will be a huge accomplishment within itself! Congrats!

Erika, I heard that all nursing students have to get CPR certified, get physicals, and have a background check. Is this all true? I was thinking of what I could do ahead of time ( maybe CPR certification). Also, do clinicals start right away? Do students have a choice as to where they want to go for clinicals (I am assuming there are a number of hospitals/facilities that students will be working.)? Sorry, for so many questions.

Erika, I heard that all nursing students have to get CPR certified, get physicals, and have a background check. Is this all true? I was thinking of what I could do ahead of time ( maybe CPR certification). Also, do clinicals start right away? Do students have a choice as to where they want to go for clinicals (I am assuming there are a number of hospitals/facilities that students will be working.)? Sorry, for so many questions.

No problem on answering the ?s. I completely understand...plus doing some research on the site anyway, lol :) Yes, all students have to be CPR certified (it must be BLS CPR, not a novice program or an online program). These programs run from $25-$100. I got lucky and found mine at BC Volunteer Fire Department (at Sparrows Point) for $25. You could certainly do this ahead of time; there were a lot of people in my class that already had CPR certification from their clinical jobs.

Not sure which campus you are applying to, but Catonsville's acceptance packet was different than Essex's. I had a friend that got into Catonsville and her post-acceptance process was a little different than ours. Anyway, if you applied to Essex, your acceptance letter will come in a big manilla envelope. If accepted, it will say something like, "Congrats on your acceptance to the program...yada yada..." If you are still in your last pre-req(s), like me, it will say "Your acceptance into the program is contigent upon receiving the following grade in BIOL230..." or whichever class(es) it is. I do know that some people received acceptances based on receiving an A or B in their last class. I was still in A&PII and it said I only needed a C (which is strange because I always heard you can't get in w/a C in your sciences, but my other grades and TEAS test were higher than some). Most of the people that are in my class (that I have talked extensively with) were finished all of their pre-reqs at application, but it IS possible to get accepted while still finishing up. I have seen posts on other threads saying that you won't get in if you aren't done everything; this is untrue. Myself and a few friends did.

Also in your packet, you will receive a bunch of papers: a form for physical exam/vaccinations, instructions on how to complete/submit a background check (takes about 3 days to get back) and a consent form for a drug screening at LabCorp. It's important to get the physical done ASAP because you will have to have vaccinations, some of which take a few return visits. Even if you had these vaccines (MMR, Varicella, Tetorifice) before, you have to prove immunity via a titre (blooddraw).

As far as clinicals go, we start those on week 4. During the first 4 weeks, you will be in a lab/simulation situation where you will practice (and be tested on!) skills you will use in clinical. The staff says they typically try to place you at a clinical site according to your zip code...you do not get to pick and they stressed at orientation to not request specific sites as the scheduling is difficult enough already. The problem with this is, since I am at Essex, most people are closest to Franklin Square, so many people have to head somewhere else. I was assigned John's Hopkins Bayview, which is great since I live in Dundalk. Something to remember about clinical assignments: everyone wants to avoid driving to sites that are far away, but throughout the program you will rotate to different sites, so at some point you will probably be hiking quite a bit.

One more thing I just thought of that caught me off guard: Fundamentals (the first semester) is only 8 credits so many people assume the schedule will be part-time...IT IS NOT! I am going to school (including lab) more than when I had a 13 cr. semester and will be going even more when clinicals start. Also, you do not have a set schedule at the beginning of the semester, it changes throughout to accomodate lab/simulation times and clinical assignments. It will still be in the day (if you do the day program), but scheduling work was difficult for me because there are days I am done at 12:30pm and at least 1 day I am not done until 4:30...and days in between. For a few weeks of the semester I will be IN SCHOOL/CLINICAL for 21+ hours/week. I just thought this was important to mention because finding time for work can be difficult, especially if your job is not flexible with schedules (luckily, mine is).

Sorry about the short novel. I hope this answers all your questions, please feel free to ask if you have any more. I completely understand how it feels to not quite know what's going to happen, so I hope this helps! If I had to make any suggestions to the applicants for this semester: do the very best you can in your last classes (especially make sure you understand A&PII; I tutor BIOL220, 221 and 230 and feel that I may have an advantage because I am super-familiar and comfortable with info that a lot of people forget after finishing the classes), save up some $$ (there are ALOT of costs before school starts that aren't covered by financial aid...physical exam, uniforms, books, books, books, medical supplies, testing fees....etc...) and get your life organized now. A lot of us thought we had time to get our personal/work lives in order before school started, but after acceptance it will be a mad dash to get sooo many things done...and when those things are done, you start dosage. And when dosage is done, you start class...you get the idea. :)

Erika, thank you for all the information! I am actually applying to the online/hybrid program. I finished all of my prereqs in the Fall. I am currently taking general chemistry and nutrition while I am waiting to get into a program. Right now, my gpa is 3.8 with just my prereqs but I am nervous about the teas. I am planning on taking it in a few weeks before the deadline. Normally, I am a slow test-taker, so that is going to work against me while taking the test.

Have you heard anything about the online program? So far, I have learned that clinicals for them are every Monday (12 hours long). Also on Wednesday, they have a 4 hour seminar, but everything else is online. I wonder if this program has been successful so far. I have chosen to pursue this program because, I am a good online learner, and a stay-at-home mom. Thank you for taking the time to answer so many questions! I am sure that anyone applying to ccbc, and reading this thread will be grateful for the inside scoop!

hi everyone! i am new to this site. i have submitted my application for fall 2011, but still feel so confused. i took the teas yesterday, and i'm really concerned about what is considered an acceptable score. i feel like i can't get a straight answer from ccbc! erica...i was in your micro class last summer. congratulations on your acceptance!! do you have an idea of what the average teas score was for those who were accepted? i've heard that 60-80 % is proficient, 80-90% is advanced, and 90 and above is exemplary. i would really like to know what they are looking for.

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