CLC student 1st semester...any advice

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Any advice for someone who's starting the nursing program in August. Also, I still need Microbiology. Any suggestions for professors? Thanks

Actually, I took A&P last semester with Dr. Meyer....Her class was sooo difficult, plus my youngest was hospitalized around mid-terms and was out of school for quite awhile after that....no matter how much I studied I just couldn't focus on the tests. Her tests were so much hrader than they needed to be...essay questions that she expected a mini-book for!! Anyway I ended up with a 66.76% which is a "D"...so I have to retake it!!

I'm sorry...you did tell me that. That really stinks!!! I completely understand when things happen how it can really affect you!!! Good luck in taking it again!!!

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I graduated in Dec 2006 from the nursing program at CLC. I felt the same way a number of you do about the program at first. The first two semesters I felt like we didn't do anything clinically. And I have to admit that the PE is very stressful- I still feel sick to my stomach when anyone mentions that word. I had a good friend that failed the PE in first semester. She was an "A" student but would get really nervous during PE. However, she ended up challenging the semester and graduated this past May. My advice about the PE- practice, practice, practice. Ignore the horror stories that you will be sure to hear about how people have failed. They are not all true (but some are) and they will just make you more nervous. The majority do pass the PE if they put the time in to practice the scenarios.

But, now that I am working as a RN at a hospital I have to say that CLC did a good job preparing me for my first RN position. I get comments all the time about how effective I am under pressure, and I think that the PE had a lot to do with it. Also, the sim lab is great- the lab faculty are very knowledgable and helpful. My first day on orientation at my job I had to insert a NG tube and since I practiced it at least a hundred times in the sim lab I was able to get it in first try.

Honestly, things don't start to come together until about the 3rd semester. I don't think the program is for everybody- there is a lot of self-directed study and I don't think I would have survived if I didn't have a great study group. Also, your experiences in clinicals really depend on how proactive you are. I learned by the middle of 3rd semester to ask the RNs at clinicals for opportunities to practice skills because the instructors don't always pick the best patients that are relevant to what you are studying. I definitely agree that it helps to know the upper classmen. Experience is the best teacher and they can help answer a lot of questions.

As far as NCLEX pass rates, I know of only one person in my graduating class that did not pass the first time. Also, I did graduate with a majority of the students that I started with in first semester. We had a few fail but they struggled with the independent learning structure of the program. Overall, my personal experience with CLC was pretty positive. Don't get me wrong- it's a very challenging program. My friends and I joke that if we could survive that program we can survive anything.

Just wanted to share my experience.

My way of thinking is we are learning, in a short period of time I may add, to help save people's lives. I know this is going to be challenging and I seriously don't expect to have my degree just handed to me...then what will I have learned. I am sure I will understand more of what you are saying when I start the first semester, but I know I have a HUGE challenge ahead of me!! Thanks so much for your comments...at least with the bad first couple of semesters, there are a couple good!! And thanks for the info about clinicals and asking the Nurses for opportunities. Great info! And congrats too!!! I'm so happy you have made it!! :balloons:

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OOOPPPSSS...I just got the last seat for Bob Remedi's class because I heard rave reviews about him....maybe I should switch..

I have heard good things about Shane Jones as well and I think his teaching style was similar to my teacher. (he was the class right before us in lab) I had Dr. Mark McKim, but I don't think he is there...if he is, he teaches at night under "STAFF". He was awesome and I could absolutely follow him!! A lot of it though is on you - especially the lab tests...study study study!!! But Shane I believe is good as well...it's up to you who you want to go with! Good luck this time around with that and if you have ANY questions, please let me know!!!

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Specializes in Pre- and In-hospital emergency medicine.
I graduated in Dec 2006 from the nursing program at CLC. I felt the same way a number of you do about the program at first. The first two semesters I felt like we didn't do anything clinically. And I have to admit that the PE is very stressful- I still feel sick to my stomach when anyone mentions that word. I had a good friend that failed the PE in first semester. She was an "A" student but would get really nervous during PE. However, she ended up challenging the semester and graduated this past May. My advice about the PE- practice, practice, practice. Ignore the horror stories that you will be sure to hear about how people have failed. They are not all true (but some are) and they will just make you more nervous. The majority do pass the PE if they put the time in to practice the scenarios.

But, now that I am working as a RN at a hospital I have to say that CLC did a good job preparing me for my first RN position. I get comments all the time about how effective I am under pressure, and I think that the PE had a lot to do with it. Also, the sim lab is great- the lab faculty are very knowledgable and helpful. My first day on orientation at my job I had to insert a NG tube and since I practiced it at least a hundred times in the sim lab I was able to get it in first try.

Honestly, things don't start to come together until about the 3rd semester. I don't think the program is for everybody- there is a lot of self-directed study and I don't think I would have survived if I didn't have a great study group. Also, your experiences in clinicals really depend on how proactive you are. I learned by the middle of 3rd semester to ask the RNs at clinicals for opportunities to practice skills because the instructors don't always pick the best patients that are relevant to what you are studying. I definitely agree that it helps to know the upper classmen. Experience is the best teacher and they can help answer a lot of questions.

As far as NCLEX pass rates, I know of only one person in my graduating class that did not pass the first time. Also, I did graduate with a majority of the students that I started with in first semester. We had a few fail but they struggled with the independent learning structure of the program. Overall, my personal experience with CLC was pretty positive. Don't get me wrong- it's a very challenging program. My friends and I joke that if we could survive that program we can survive anything.

Just wanted to share my experience.

I'm currently headed into 172 this fall and found your post accurate but anecdotal. From what I can tell, many of the posters here are probably from my night class. We had a great teacher but our overall experience with the program has not been great thus far (I'm optimistic though for the future). The PE is a deadfully poor way to evaluate skills. Despite several years of responding to 911 calls I still got a pit in my stomach trying to master skills for a PE that was an entirely made up-scenario. Far more stress than I ever had with real critically injured patients in real life. That being said, practice does make perfect so keep yourself in the lab as much as possible like I did. So far we've had no real lecture and the program is largely self-directed, a big problem for some students will little or no experience to relate to.

THe program is under evaluation currently, however, and I will not be surprised to see changes in the coming semesters, though not in time to help me most likely. Your observation about the pass rate is definitely anecdotal. While I expect a high pass rate form ym mostly adult section as well, the current pass percetage is 80% for the school, down from 86 and 87% respectively. I actually asked in the nursing office at the end of the prior semester and those are the official stats from them. Bear in mind that the NCLEX is a standardized test but I find those number s bit low compared to everyone else's 96-99% pass rates. Will you be a good nurse coming from this program? Possibly, but you will have to work extra hard. And remember, the way CLC writes their exams, if there's one answer that just makes no sense, that's the one they're probably looking for!

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