Courses to take while waiting to start nursing at CSCC?

foreverLaur · Aug 10, 2010

There won't be a Spring 2012 class as of now due to the quarter to semester conversion

Phlebotomy will be helpful. EKG will be as well. I am in your same boat (BA in Psychology already) but I applied July 1 to the program. I would recommend a PSA or MST position. I did that and it was very useful.

I have also taken classes such as pharmacology, medical terminology, human nutrition, etc. I would highly recommend taking as many of those as possible. Also, start taking anatomy, physiology, pathophysiology, and microbiology as they can all be done before you start the nursing program and will make your life in the program much easier.

kidsnstudyn · Aug 12, 2010

Hi Friends,
So I'm starting on this journey of nursing school at Columbus State (hopefully) - I need to get all my pre-requisites in order before applying, but I hope to apply for Spring '12 (seeing as how I did not get on fast enough to get into NURC102 this quarter!). I already have a bachelor's degree so that eliminates a lot of pre and co-requisites for me, leaving only the biology classes and a psychology course (and of course NURC101 and 102). My question is this: Should I take any of the multi-competency health courses, such as phlebotomy and EKG - or will this be overly redundant and not helpful? I'm thinking it would help me get a job as a PCA or MST at one of the area hospitals so I can have some experience starting out. If this is wrong, or anybody has any other suggestions for me, please let me know!
Kati

#1 - Don't count yourself out of the NURC 102 class. Wait til the drop date. People get dropped for non-payment at 11pm. You get online at 8am the next day and swoop up a seat in a class. I've done this for multiple classes now.

#2 - Don't take all the MULT courses. Maybe Phlebotomy, but only take the others if you need the credits to stay full time.

#3 - DO do what foreverlaur suggested and take all those Bio classes before you start nursing school itself.

#4 - DO find a good adviser that can put you to the classes you'll need to bridge from ADN to BSN if that's an option for you down the road.

#5 - DO get a job at a hospital if possible for experience and a foot in the door.

#6 - Don't believe random rumors about the program or anything that doesn't seem quite right. Call the Nursing department about weird things to get straight answers.

#7 - also DO consider OSU's bridge from Bachelors [of anything] to BSN/MSN it's a three year program. I have a girl in my physiology class who's applying to OSU's program, she worked in Marketing for 5 years and hated it... I love Columbus State's program, but if I had a degree already, I'd go to OSU for that bridge program... Spend the same amount of time with recieving a higher degree.

and #8 - GOOD LUCK WITH WHAT YOU DECIDE! :yeah:

notallwhowander, MSN, RN, APRN · Aug 12, 2010

I received this email from an advisor today when I asked about a Spring 2012 class, FYI:

"Things are constantly evolving with nursing. Rumor was indeed circulating that there might not be a Spring 2012 class because nursing had indicated that they might not have one, BUT nursing has since updated their website with application dates for various starting periods. I suggest that you take a look at the Nursing website located at http://www.cscc.edu/nursing and click on the link for Application Dates.

Things change so suddenly with nursing (and Advising Services sometimes finds out after the fact) that I hesitate to say anything is final. Just keep checking the nursing website for possible updates on a regular basis.

You will note that the next application for the traditional track as of TODAY on the nursing website says that the application on Jan 10, 2011 is for Spring 2012 and Autumn 2012".

I've been considering applying for the Mt. Carmel second-degree accelerated program as well. The cons with that is 1.) it costs far more than it does to go to CSCC and 2.) I would not be able to work while in the program. The pros are 1.) I'll have a BSN in less time than what it would take me to get an ADN at Columbus State 2.) Mt. Carmel is still a respected nursing program.

The only reason why I would take phlebotomy and EKG courses through MULT would be that it might help me get a job as a MST before I actually get into the nursing program. I agree that I wouldn't take other classes than that, however. I also plan on taking all the biology courses I can before the nursing program starts (if I still go through with CSCC).

I feel like I need so much guidance going into this! There just seems to be too many options, road blocks, etc etc. Thanks for all the help so far! This is a great community.

foreverLaur · Aug 12, 2010

from a long standing rn at a local and respectable hospital:

"thought i'd tell you that in a meeting wed. at ******* hospital where i work they shared that recently the directors are hiring 80-90% adn grads over bsn grads. i thought this was interesting. ****** is hiring because we are opening a hew hospital in *****. of course many more apply then what we have openings for so the directors can be choosy. they said the adn grads get up to speed much faster than the bsns."

and this hospital has magnet status.

notallwhowander, MSN, RN, APRN · Aug 13, 2010

foreverlaur - that is very helpful! I'm planning on sticking it out with CSCC unless they tell me I can't start until 2013 or something like that. Hopefully I can still get in to NURC102 - although that will mean 24 credit hours for me! Not impossible, but definitely daunting. Worth it to be able to apply to nursing in January however.

foreverLaur · Aug 13, 2010

foreverlaur - that is very helpful! I'm planning on sticking it out with CSCC unless they tell me I can't start until 2013 or something like that. Hopefully I can still get in to NURC102 - although that will mean 24 credit hours for me! Not impossible, but definitely daunting. Worth it to be able to apply to nursing in January however.

What else are you taking? NURC 101/102 were very easy I thought. I didn't have to devote any time to either class outside of scheduled class time so I wouldn't worry too much about it. I have never done 24 credit hours though. I did 21 one quarter at OSU and wanted to kill myself - ANATOMY 200 (makes BIO 261 look like cakewalk), Biology (for science/premed majors), chemistry (for science/premed majors), and Calc II. I wouldn't recommend it :)

notallwhowander, MSN, RN, APRN · Aug 13, 2010

If I can get into NURC102, it will be:

NURC101 (accelerated), NURC102 (accelerated), BIO101, CHEM113, MULT101, and PSY100. I'm a little nervous about CHEM113, but I think the rest of them should be easy enough. The reason why I'm taking Bio101 is because I want to apply to the online program and I heard the more biology you have, the better. As for Mult101, it's staged, so if I wanted to get a phlebotomy certificate by June to hopefully better my chances of getting a job as a MST then I need to take it. All my classes are online except for NURC101/102 and CHEM113.

sitruk · Aug 17, 2010

Sounds like you will be a busy bee! With concentration and keeping on top of your online class work you will do just fine.

I super-enjoyed the online classes that I have taken - I am taking Bio 263 (web) this fall. One of the best things about the online venue is that you can speed right through the class requirements. So if you want, you can make some of them "accelerated" by the decisions that you make. Sometimes, like in Psy240 you just have to wait for midterm and final exam to be opened to sit for them, but it does not prohibit you from cruising at a faster speed all of the way through the quizzes.

Is Psy100 a pre-req for 240? If not I would recommend just jumping right into and finishing up that gen-ed requirement for the CSCC nursing program.

Chem113 was one of my favorite classes! I even kept the book, it was such a fun class. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did; also hope that post gives you loads of confidence as you pursue your heavy course load. :)

notallwhowander, MSN, RN, APRN · Aug 17, 2010

That did make me feel better! I enjoyed Chemistry in high school, but that was 8 years ago, so who knows now. Psy101 is indeed a requirement to Psy240 - that reminded me that my high school transcripts still have not been processed though, so there's a chance I might get credit for Psy100 for taking it in high school. Maybe. If so - do you think I should take Psy240, or another Bio class like Bio215? Or just take 19 credit hours and be grateful that I didn't have to take psych! The reason why I'd want to take more Bio is that I really want to get into the online program, which I know is competitive, and they look at how many biology classes you've taken as well as your CSCC GPA - they *say* they don't take into account your GPA from your previous schools unless necessary.

Also, foreverLaur, that quarter at OSU sounds like it was insane! Calc2, anatomy, and chem! Eesh. At least I'm just trying to do (mostly, from what I hear) easy courses.

foreverLaur · Aug 17, 2010

PSYCH 240 is really easy. I took the equivalent at OSU for my psych degree so if you want throw in an extra easier class, I'd recommend it. Plus, I'm sure you can do it entirely online.

sitruk · Aug 17, 2010

I agree. Psy240, even at CSCC is very easy. I took the online portion and had zero trouble. If you can transfer a psy100 credit from high school in which would satisfy that pre-req then go for it!

Bio classes may help you quite a bit. For sure with nursing - with the application for online students it is a big question mark it seems on how they score the applicants.

Obviously, if you can take Bio 215, that is a gen-ed course. But remember, some classes will not allow you to go backwards in degree of difficulty. So you may not be allowed to take any of the lower level Bio classes once you take the higher level class. Keep that in mind if you are seeking tons of Bio credits. Just check it out first, I may be totally wrong. (for sure Math classes are a one way street)

It all sounds exciting whatever you decide to take while waiting to apply! :)