DCCC nursing program- starting this fall 2014!

Sdt222 · Apr 19, 2014

Hello!

Sdt222 · Jul 27, 2014

hi Danielle, My name is Steve. Also starting a new career in nursing. I am also in section 2. Have you bought your books yet?

Scarlettz, BSN, RN · Jul 29, 2014

Good luck to you. It is alot of work but it goes by fast and you will work super hard. But, it will be worth it. Many of the people in my class were married and/or had children. So, it is doable. Just give it your all and you will do it.

DaniMV815 · Aug 2, 2014

Thank you, that's very motivating!!

chuckster, ADN, BSN, RN, EMT-B · Aug 4, 2014

Welcome to all new members of the DCCC nursing program. As a graduate of the program myself, let me first point out that while the program is not particularly difficult, it does require quite a bit of work and a very serious time commitment. That said, if you were admitted, DCCC has made the determination that you have the basic skills needed to complete the program, so there's not much doubt that you can do it. I did the evening/weekend program and nearly everyone in the class - including me - worked full-time (in my case, as well as a few othes, 50 - 60 hours/wk) and so balanced work, family and education. Despite that challenge, we lost only two students over the two years of the program and something like 28 of the 32 who graduated passed the NCLEX the first time. This is a bit different than the day sections, primarily because the evening student population is older and more committed. Notice that I did not say that we were any smarter than the students in the day sections (most of whom were full-time students), just more committed. So I need to revise what I said earlier to: You can do it - IF you are committed.

I'll also make a few other suggestions. The first is to find a job as a PCT or even an admin in a local hospital, even if it's only part-time. It will make getting hired as a nurse an order of magnitude easier as most hospitals give preference to their own employees when hiring RN's. If you don't do this - or otherwise network - you will find it extremely challenging to find a nursing position when you do graduate. Here are the facts that most new nursing students are unaware of: 1) There are more than 25 nursing programs in the area, including 5 Diploma programs, nursing anachronisms that have mostly died out everywhere else in the country (or more accurately, have been forced out by the ANA - Diploma nurses are very well trained and as a group, have some of the highest first-time NCLEX pass rates). From these 25 programs, somewhere around 2,200 nursing graduates pass the NCLEX and become RN's each year. In addition, nursing enrollment has been going up consistently, so that 2,200 continues to grow. On the other hand, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) employment figures for the area indicate that there are approximately 200 new nursing jobs created each year. While your odds of getting a nursing job are better than the 200 in 2,200 the basic stats indicate (many more than 200 nurses retire, change jobs or move out of the area each year), the fact is that the nursing job market in the Philadelphia area is highly competitive because the area is so saturated with RN's - and continues to become even more so. The moral of this story is that you need to do something more than simply get your nursing education and pass the NCLEX if you want to work as an RN in this area. I would also seriously consider consider going on for your BSN. DCCC has an articulation agreement with West Chester and I believe Temple as well. Remember, you will be competing with Penn, Drexel and Villanova BSN's for relatively scarce nursing jobs.

That brings me to my final point: Be sure this is what you want to do. Frankly, the job prospects - and pay - are much, much better for STEM graduates than for nurses. STEM classwork may be harder, but you will not spend 16 hours in clinicals. If after all of this, nursing is really what you want, then commit to it and seriously consider the suggestions above.

Best of luck to you all.

cianni2000 · Aug 13, 2014

Hello to all the incoming dccc nursing students. While you are experiencing a lot of anxiety not knowing what to expect you can and will get through it. This program is very demanding of your time in and outside of the classroom but as long as you have a schedule it is very doable. I'm a single mother of four and work weekends only as working during the week became too much to juggle. I will say the day time program students like myself are very committed to this program and focus but for some it became too difficult to juggle work, school and family obligations. Prepare your loved ones now that they may sometimes be ignored but it will be worth it in the end! Good luck to you all.

DaniMV815 · Aug 14, 2014

Thank you! How was your study time-homework time with kids?

cianni2000 · Aug 15, 2014

I usually study on my off days, before or after class and before my children get home from school. I also utilize study groups with other classmates right before exams that seems to work well for me. The best advise I could give you would be to study a little everyday as this will help you to retain the information you are learning/reading.

DaniMV815 · Aug 19, 2014

Thank you!

Jem163 · Aug 24, 2014

I don't mean to be offensive, but I am a STEM graduate (Biochemistry) from an extremely highly regarded, nationally ranked university in Pennsylvania, and I can tell you firsthand that the job prospects for STEM graduates are not much better. Yes, it might be easier to find a job initially, but I hope you are okay with getting paid half (literally) of what a nurse makes in 1 year. Also, I am not a single statistic, I made a lot of friends in my program and most are in similar situations. An engineering degree is the only degree worth pursuing if you want to get into the STEM field, unless you plan on acquiring your PhD and hundreds of thousands of dollars of debt. Not sure where your info came from, but I don't want you to discourage people here and make them think that nursing is a bad career choice when quite the opposite is true.

mlc23 · Aug 26, 2014

Congratulations on getting accepted!! I'm a 2nd year day nursing student at DCCC. I was you one year ago!! I have seen day and evening students come and go. Usually the ones that withdrawal/fail, are the ones who had a more important excuse then studying. It is a huge commitment. But it's only 4 semesters, and it flies!

You make your own decisions. You decide whether or not your going to spend your night working on objectives, or having movie night with your family. Just manage your time. My daughter and I have "mommy/daughter day" they day after every test. She now looks forward to my tests!

Make friends with any nursing student you can! You never know what their instructor is stressing them to focus on for tests. Unfortunately, some instructors don't give any hints, that's why you make friends!

If you ever consider withdrawing, talk to Sharvette (new dean), Maria K, or a 2nd year nursing student. Because unfortunately, your husband/family won't totally understand what ur going thru. Yet a majority of people are experts and know what YOU need to do.

And the 1st nurse you follow in clinical may be the nurse from hell like mine was!! But they're not all bad....

Don't fall behind, and try to read ahead for class. It'll help u understand the lectures. Don't wait till the week of a test to start your objectives, it's not enough time. Never be late to clinical/SIM without calling. And classes aren't mandatory, just clinical is...at least they weren't for us...

Good luck!