Drexel University ACE Spring 2010

Nursing Students School Programs

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Hello all,

I just received a letter from saying that my application for the ACE program is now complete and I'm waiting for a response. I was wondering if anyone else here is applying for the same program and received an acceptance letter already?:uhoh3: I'm trying to be patient but I wish I knew how long it will take...

You do need BLS cert before classes begin, because clinicals start week 2. A clinical compliance packet will be sent to you about the same time you get a letter re: orientation. It's kind of a pain, but nothing difficult (background checks, immunizations, etc)...just make sure to keep copies of everything you submit.

Hello, I am also going to be in the Spring ACE class. I haven't recieved any checklist stating what clearances and immunizations that I need to have, but I noticed that some of you already have. Is there anything out of the ordinary that is going to take more than a couple of weeks to get done? I have also heard that I will need my medical records. Is this true?

Thx AugustRain for the financial Aid info, and thx Sierra19 for the update on orientation. Jamie2010, we haven't gotte anything on compliance just yet...so no worries you aren't the only one.

AugustRain,I have a question for you. So before I was accepted into the program I was rejected by Temple (how that happened who knows), but unaware of Drexel's Spring start I started applying to CNA programs because I thought was going to have to wait another year before starting a nursing program (and I definitely didn't want to go back to being a paralegal). Well, Holy Redeemer emailed me today and I am eligible for an interview for their free CNA program. I'm wondering if I should do it just for the hell of it? I'm currently not working, and it's only three weeks, and I'll be finished before Drexel starts. Also,we have to be First Aid/CPR certified as a CNA correct, so it may be a free way to get certified? Also the program runs from 7:30-4:30 M-F, it may be a good way to getmyself back into the swing of a full-time schedule, since I haven't worked full-time in over a year. Any thoughts...

AugustRain,I have a question for you. So before I was accepted into the Drexel program I was rejected by Temple (how that happened who knows), but unaware of Drexel's Spring start I started applying to CNA programs because I thought was going to have to wait another year before starting a nursing program (and I definitely didn't want to go back to being a paralegal). Well, Holy Redeemer emailed me today and I am eligible for an interview for their free CNA program. I'm wondering if I should do it just for the hell of it? I'm currently not working, and it's only three weeks, and I'll be finished before Drexel starts. Also,we have to be First Aid/CPR certified as a CNA correct, so it may be a free way to get certified? Also the program runs from 7:30-4:30 M-F, it may be a good way to getmyself back into the swing of a full-time schedule, since I haven't worked full-time in over a year. Any thoughts...

I think it would be a great way to make some connections and get a feel for some of the basics. If you can get a free CPR cert out of it too, even better (just make sure that it's the one for Healthcare Providers that ACE requires). You may even be able to pick up a per diem shift here and there during school.

Before you do it though, be 100% sure that training will be completed by the time you start . Even more importantly, make sure that they will not be asking for a committment from you to work as a CNA in exchange for the free training. Because of the way ACE clinicals are scheduled, you will very likely have trouble following through, which is not going to help you get a job when you graduate.

See what you think after your interview - it certainly won't hurt to do it, but if you decide it's not worth the energy right before you start classes, that's ok too. Also, do you have any experience in healthcare yet? I ask because while it's nice to learn some skills before nursing school, I think you'll get a bigger benefit from interacting with patients & families and becoming comfortable entering people's personal space to provide care.

I hope this wasn't completely incoherent, just got home from a long shift and am pretty sure I'm not fully functioning anymore :) At any rate, good luck with your interview and let me know what you decide!

No it wasn''t incoherent at all. Thx for the advice. I will definitely call them for an interview. It will definitely be great experience and I will definitely keep you posted.

hiddencat, that HESI book is actually for the PN exam, you want the RN:

http://www.amazon.com/Testing-Remediation-Comprehensive-NCLEX-RN%C3%82%C2%AE-Examination/dp/1416047751/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1262281451&sr=8-2

I had both Saunders books, the blue one is more of a study guide/outline, which we used for extra questions during 2nd & 3rd quarters. By 4th quarter, we had pretty much run out of questions, and picked up the orange Saunders book and the Made Incredibly Easy Q&A. The orange Saunders doesn't break down by subject, though Incredibly Easy does.

The more questions, the better, but R&R seemed closest to the thought process for HESI, and the comprehensive CD lets you select the difficulty level of the questions you do.

PS - After spending 11 months going through all those questions, I literally did one practice test two days before NCLEX and that was it.

As everyone agrees, Thank you so much August Rain. I imagine you can remember all your "unanswered" questions before starting your program, and you are really helping so many posters and just readers alleviate our anxiety.

Just to clarify some of the books you suggest for studying for the HESI & NCLEX:

Saunders Original: http://www.us.elsevierhealth.com/product.jsp?lid=4&iid=0&sid=0&isbn=9781416037088

HESI Original: http://www.amazon.com/Testing-Remediation-Comprehensive-NCLEX-RN%C3%82%C2%AE-Examination/dp/1416047751/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1262281451&sr=8-2

R&R Fluids/Electrolytes: http://www.amazon.com/Fluids-Electrolytes-Acid-Base-Balance-Rationales/dp/0130304549

Saunders Q&A: http://www.us.elsevierhealth.com/product.jsp?lid=0&iid=0&sid=0&isbn=9781416048503

Made Incredibly Easy: http://www.chipsbooks.com/nclrnq3.htm

Also, any others? I'd just let to get my "studying" books now, so I can have them at my leisure during school. Last, I know R&R has a book for everything. Which one did you use/recommend, since I of course don't plan on buying one for every topic :)

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU

there are mixed opinions on hesi, but the bottom line is, it’s a requirement. it’s essentially a quiz grade for the clinical courses (55 questions, no required passing score), and a final for senior seminar (165 questions, we needed a 950 to pass as of sept '09 graduation). figure that since most finals are a big percentage of your grade, it’s unlikely that you’d pass a class if you fail the final anyway…it made the hesi seem a little less intimidating for me.

i had a hard time with the principles hesi first quarter, but decided that since i couldn’t change it, i’d focus on improving my score instead. this is what worked for me, as well as for people i tutored:

resources

- reviews & rationales. great for regular class exams, as well as hesi. these questions are some of the more difficult ones, and rationales are provided for every question. i used these more than the practest. there is a comprehensive review book, as well as individual books for different subjects (they all have the same questions, just organized differently). the comprehensive book scared me first quarter, so i opted for the individual ones. the library has a copy of the comprehensive one, and my study group also shared one.

-kaplan’s test taking strategies for the nclex-rn.

-hesi book. if nothing else, read the “hesi hints.” also, since lab values differ by location, look at the charts to see what hesi considers normal values. buy the book first quarter, even though it’s not required yet.

strategy

-prioritize questions based on abcs, maslow, and safety. unless it’s a delegation question, assume there is no help available. when delegating, ask yourself “is there anyone else who could do this?” the leadership reviews & rationales book is really helpful for this, so even though you won’t take leadership until 4th quarter, it’s worth looking into earlier.

-read each question, then ask yourself what it’s asking you to do. before you look at the answer choices, come up with a rough idea in your head.

-don’t read into the question. if it’s not there, it’s not relevant.

-be confident in your choice. hesi is a computer exam, and you can’t go back. if you don’t know the answer right away, think through it and choose the best answer. there may be several decent answers, or they may all seem bad to you – make an educated decision, and don’t let your uncertainty follow you to the next question.

-focus on the difficulty level of the questions. on hesi, like nclex, not every question is weighted equally. i’ve gotten twenty-some questions wrong, but still scored in the 90s, because the ones i got wrong were the lowest level. reviews & rationales tells you what level each question is, so aim to score the highest on analysis.

-ask for help! if it’s second quarter, and you’re still getting low hesi grades, that’s the time to start adjusting your technique. i think most of us did horrible on the first hesi, but after that, you should start to see improvement.

-remember that it’s just a test. people have done it before you, and you can do it too.

obviously, you need to figure out what type of studying works best for you and stick with it. there’s a learning curve with hesi, but it’s absolutely something that can be done. if i can help anyone, feel free to let me know. good luck to those of you who are about to start!

also, some other suggestions from your previous posts:

kaplan's test taking strategies for the nclex-rn: http://www.amazon.com/kaplan-nclex-rn-exam-2010-cd-rom/dp/1419552570

r&r comprehensive: http://www.amazon.com/prentice-halls-reviews-rationales-comprehensive/dp/0131195999

also, now i'm seeing about 9 to 10 r&r's, compared to the original 100 i was assuming there was. where all 9+ helpful/worth it?

Hi nursingyogi - yes, the links you posted are the books I used. Between the members of my study group, we had ten of the R&R books, including the comprehensive review. I found them very helpful in breaking down the material and the questions were great preparation for exams.

In the individual subject books, each chapter has a 10 question pre-test, a 10 question post-test, and 30 additional questions on the CD. Like I said before, I went with the individual books because the comprehensive review was completely overwhelming in the beginning. It was also easier to carry the small ones. :)

I'd hold off on getting a whole library of study books first quarter, as most of them won't be particularly useful that early on. Start with the Fundamentals R&R and the Kaplan Test-Taking Strategies, and build from there. My friends and I shared supplemental and required books whenever we could, and you never know who's going to have hand-me-downs, etc.

I know some people don't like spending the money on extra books, but I figured that an extra $28 here and there was less expensive than re-taking a class. And as a new nurse, I do still use them as a reference.

Good luck getting ready for classes!

AugustRain,

I have been reading your posts and really value your opinion. This is my first and probably most important post. I was hoping you could help answer a question that could determine my fate as a nursing student at . I was accepted into the Spring 2010 program and am thrilled to attend. I have never been arrested, convicted of a crime, felony, misdemeanor, or child abuse, etc. However when I was in the military I received administrative discipline for something minor. Come to find out my Unit had submitted my fingerprints (every military member has fingerprints on file) to the FBI fingerprint repository or NCIC. Every time my fingerprints are taken this becomes an issue that requires explanation, but has never prevented me from getting a job. Do you know if fingerprints are required to be taken at anytime? Everything else will come back clean i.e. state, local, and national checks except for the NCIC. I don't want to quit my job and move my family to Philly if I will just get rejected as soon as I get there. I would like to have an idea of what I am about to face, can you tell me what company does the background checks? I wanted to have all my paperwork ready (including a clean background check done by me ahead of time) before presenting this question to my counselor. I realize how this looks and would really appreciate any information you could provide to further help my case.

Thanks,

Aijah

AugustRain,

I have been reading your posts and really value your opinion. This is my first and probably most important post. I was hoping you could help answer a question that could determine my fate as a nursing student at Drexel. I was accepted into the Spring 2010 program and am thrilled to attend. I have never been arrested, convicted of a crime, felony, misdemeanor, or child abuse, etc. However when I was in the military I received administrative discipline for something minor. Come to find out my Unit had submitted my fingerprints (every military member has fingerprints on file) to the FBI fingerprint repository or NCIC. Every time my fingerprints are taken this becomes an issue that requires explanation, but has never prevented me from getting a job. Do you know if fingerprints are required to be taken at anytime? Everything else will come back clean i.e. state, local, and national checks except for the NCIC. I don't want to quit my job and move my family to Philly if I will just get rejected as soon as I get there. I would like to have an idea of what I am about to face, can you tell me what company does the background checks? I wanted to have all my paperwork ready (including a clean background check done by me ahead of time) before presenting this question to my counselor. I realize how this looks and would really appreciate any information you could provide to further help my case.

Thanks,

Aijah

First of all, congratulations on being accepted!

I was never fingerprinted for anything at , though I believe a clinical group was for one specific site. My suggestion would be to call Drexel's nursing office and speak with the person in charge of clinical compliance. She will be able to tell you exactly what they will be looking for and any additional information you need to provide for clarification.

You may also want to contact the Board of Nursing for the state in which you think you'll apply for licensure - I was fingerprinted several times during the NCLEX, and some states also require fingerprinting as part of the application process.

I'm not familiar with military discipline, but I can tell you that the background check for my job was focused on abuse/neglect/assault, etc.

I think it's best to go straight to the source in your case - be upfront, offer to provide documentation, and you should be okay.

That sounds like a plan, thank you so much for the help!!!

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