CSU San Marcos ABSN Fall 2014

Hi_I'm_Nurse_Jenny · Jul 4, 2014

@jkirk023

I'm from Los Angeles and the commute would be ridiculous for me... so I am looking for a roommate as well. However, if the first semester is 1 day of class each week as previously stated, I will probably hold out until 2nd semester. Will you still be interested? It's just a bit frustrating waiting for answers from the program as I can't even start looking for housing etc.

jkirk023 · Jul 5, 2014

@jkirk023
I'm from Los Angeles and the commute would be ridiculous for me... so I am looking for a roommate as well. However, if the first semester is 1 day of class each week as previously stated, I will probably hold out until 2nd semester. Will you still be interested? It's just a bit frustrating waiting for answers from the program as I can't even start looking for housing etc.

I definitely understand your frustration. Especially coming all the way from Sac I really just want to know when orientation is so I can make my travel plans. But as for the living situation I don't even know where I'm going to live for the first semester let alone the second lol but I'm sure we'll be able to talk more when school starts about that. If you change your mind and want to start looking for a place with me now though let me know! I'm in our school Facebook group my name is Jamie Kirk.

HayleyH · Jul 9, 2014

Hey guys!

I have been accepted into the Fall cohort and I'm so excited! I'm looking to move closer to campus but I'm not familiar to the area since I have only been down here for about two months. Anyone looking to move closer amd wants a roommate ? :)

@jkirk023 I'm from the Sacramento area too!

mzwang · Jul 12, 2014

Hi Everyone!

I've just recently been admitted to the Fall cohort as well and I'm very excited to meet everyone and look forward to working with you all! I currently live in the Los Angeles area as well and I'm planning to move closer to campus. Since commuting is definitely not an option for me, I'm definitely also looking for roommate(s) if anyone is interested! I'm not familiar with the Temecula area so if anyone has any ideas about housing it would greatly help :)! Also, I just requested to join the Facebook group, so if anyone is an admin for the group please add me (I go by Lilia)!

jkirk023 · Jul 16, 2014

@HaleyH and @mzwang

Awesome! Do you want to try and find an apartment or town house or something with me? I'm still looking for a place and haven't had much luck with just finding someone on Craigslist haha look me up on Facebook so we can talk more!

SimbaSam · Jul 22, 2014

Hi classmates! I sent a request to join the Facebook group...my FB name is Melika Dee. Please add me :) I read that some of you already had your background check? How long does it take for them to begin it? I submitted my intent a little less than two weeks ago and haven't heard any info on it.

See you all on orientation!

CKing89 · Jul 23, 2014

Hi all! Since most of you have been through the process I had a question about the application process. I have my application, official transcripts, and TEAS in, but I am currently finishing physiology (in 2 days) so that grade is not in yet. Did anyone else have their application become "complete" and nothing in their to do on mycsusm, even though they were not done with their last pre-req? I just want to make sure when my grade does get sent over there is no confusion! I'm just a little paranoid =/ Thanks!

Kelly0409 · Jul 23, 2014

Hello,

Yes, I think the "complete" refers to submitting the online application. They will send you a final eval when they have all of your transcripts.

CKing89 · Jul 23, 2014

Thank you!!

_firefly, BSN, RN, EMT-B · Jul 24, 2014

Hi future nurses! I will be graduating in a couple weeks (ABSN 13). I know StefW from cohort 17 just wrote that all of your first semester classes will be in one day. That may or may not be true. I started in the previous Fall and our cohort had one class per day, so three days per week. The school is constantly changing around scheduling, which classes you'll take (ex. Intro to Pharm or not), which semester you will take things, where your simulation testing will be, where your clinicals will be, etc. So I think the best advice is to either find an area in Temecula/Murrieta/San Diego County that you really love or just try to stay somewhere near San Marcos since that is approximately in the middle of all clinical placements. Rents are typically cheaper in Temecula or Murrieta, but it is also more remote and a bit warmer/colder then say, the temperate coast. You can count on being placed in both Riverside County and throughout San Diego County. So no matter how you play it, you will be doing a ton of driving so begin thinking about how reliable your car is and what kind of gas mileage it gets. A typical semester requires you to be on campus one to two days per week plus a few extra days toward the beginning of a semester for clinical skills training, but most semesters will only be one day per week on campus (especially now that there are six cohorts in Temecula... it is just easier to schedule one cohort, one day, and dedicate one classroom). That's about it. One of the really nice advantages of the Temecula campus is never having to pay for parking permits which looks like it saves you somewhere around $1500 overall. Okay, that's about it. Welcome you guys! Hit me up if you have questions.

kham · Jul 30, 2014

Hi Mark,

Can you comment on where your clinical placements were? Do we have to go where they send us or can we make requests based on distance from our home?

_firefly, BSN, RN, EMT-B · Jul 31, 2014

Hi Kham,

Students are assigned to clinical placements just before or at the start of each semester and they never have any say in where or when. There is one exception, and that is the internship in the final semester where students are first asked to rank possible choices (both location and specialty / unit) before assignments are made. It is made clear by the school that there is little to no consideration of where you live and you cannot trade. In the first semester there are no clinicals. Second semester you will likely be somewhere in southern Riverside County at a skilled nursing facility. From then on you could be almost anywhere. The exception here is Pediatrics which is currently only available at Rady's or Balboa Naval Hospital (both San Diego area).

The school is somewhat open to changing how they do placements but I think some ambitious students will have to take this on in partnership with the school. I offered to write a software tool that would help automatically sort students by nearest available location, but it turns out there are a lot of other factors involved. They would like students to have a variety of experiences, there are only so many slots allotted each semester to each location and they don't know how many slots until the last minute, and therefore there would have to be a priority scheme giving different students first pics each term to fill all the slots available.

Throughout the program you will be placed at five or six hospitals (typically two per semester) and sometimes at the same one more than once. Here are a few of them, but again any of this can change at any time:

Sharp Chula Vista, UCSD Hillcrest, Scripps La Jolla, Palomar Hospital, Tri-City Hosptal, Balboa Naval Hospital, Scripps Encinitas, Inland Valley Hospital, Hemet Valley Medical Center, UCSD La Jolla, and Rancho Springs Hospital. Some people also go to Pomerado, Coronado, or Chula Vista. Temecula Valley Hospital is new and right across from the Temecula campus. I predict it will be used more for placements in the future.

The last semesters include leadership and community health nursing so those locations may or may not be in hospital settings. Hope that helps.