El Centro ADN 2012

msg88 · Oct 20, 2011

I didn't make it this go round, I had everything but my points were too low =( but i'm not giving up i'm going to try maxing out all my points on the HESI and try again for Fall 2012.. This is my first time applying and I'll try not to give up! but good luck to everyone who made it! :) I'll try to take the HESI many times!

ETCO2 · Oct 28, 2011

I will preface by saying that this is my opinion. While this opinion is shared by the majority of my classmates it is still simply opinion based on my/our experiences with this program.

I am well into the El Centro program now. My advice to all of you would be to look elsewhere for your nursing education. Particularly if you actually want or expect an education. I have to say that from my semesters of experience with this program it is inundated with mediocrity at the teaching level, and downright incompetence and apathy at the administration level.

If you think that you can learn from a lecture that is read straight from the book or power point word for word with no additional information or explanation added, or get a substantive clinical experience from instructors who have very little recent actual clinical experience and a very poor working relationship with the floor nursing staff of the clinical facilities, then el centro/northlake may be the program for you. You will still have to deal with clinicals facilities that dont work out after you have chosen them because the program admin never actually locked in the site, clinical facilities that are completely inappropriate learning environments for nursing students, instructors who quit for better jobs days before the start of the semester, and administrators who make it very clear that they dont care whats best for your education and progression as a nursing professional.

Before you get the idea that I am a student who is simply complaining because I struggle, let me assure you that my grades are always among the best of my class in both lecture and clinical. But this is entirely due to my knowledge base and experience coming into this program. I can honestly say that I dont feel that I have come out of any past semester with any useful practical knowledge gained directly from anyone or anything in this program.

I would advis anyone considering el centro / northlake to do quite a bit more research. Definitely try to speak with some of the past and current students and get their opinions. I know that the vast majority of my class feels as I do. Keep in mind that El centros NCLEX pass rate has dropped significantly in the past 5 years since new administration took over. This is fact, not opinion. All im teeling you is to do your homework before you make your decision. It is advice that I wish I had before I accepted my position in this program. I can assure you that I definitely would have chosen a different program had I known the facts.

Good luck with whichever path you guys choose.

avidrunner · Oct 28, 2011

el centro's nclex pass rates for the past five years were:

2010 - 86.64%

2009 - 94.04%

2008 - 97.87%

2007 - 97.84%

2006 - 98.07%

the point scale did slide just over 10%. brookhaven's did too -and everyone raves about how wonderful brookhaven is. thank you for the advice though. my first choice was baylor's program but i will not pay $80,000.00 for four semesters of comfort -for a job that will only pay 40ish to begin. i've heard el centro will be tough. i know working as an rn will be tough as well. my game plan is to engulf myself in nursing texts, nclex studies, *find my own mentor, and consider any petty crap along the way as lessons learned in preparation for my future career. as long as everyone/thing is ethical i will simply be thankful for the opportunity.

your concern is greatly appreciated. thanks again for the advice. but, as for me, i will be one tough cookie, rn when i complete the program.

beamom · Oct 28, 2011

Has anyone called to confirm that El Centro recieved the confirmation letter? I just had a flash of fear that mine was lost in the mail for some reason.

iCme2 · Oct 29, 2011

Thank you ETCO2 for taking the time to write about your experience. I have heard about what you have mentioned but as avidrunner mentioned, we'll just have to put up and make do. This is like going to see a bad movie and knowing that it's bad. The movie may turn out better with that expectation. I will enter their program with that in mind...Thank you again, and best of luck with your new carrier!

@beamon. I turned mine in personally, so no idea. I did email them about what to do before orientation and they mentioned that we should get the flu shot and our insurance documentation together. There is a time limit factor on background check and drug screen, so they'll go over that with us. Until then, do everything in preparation to summit Mnt. Everest.

beamom · Oct 29, 2011

I have heard the same things about EC as well. I even had an instructor from another DCCCD campus tell me to try for Brookhaven instead. I have also met several people who have graduated from the EC program that have loved it and said they had a positive experience. I am truly sorry ETCO2 that you have not had a good experience and applaud you for sticking it out. You will be a great nurse and a stronger person because of that. Thank you for taking the time to share your story with us. I am planning on sticking it out as well and learning all I can and being the best I can be at EC. I have taken one class there and did experience some harsh words and yelling when I came close to breaking sterile technique during a check off and while it was unpleasant, it just motivated me to do better. I wish you the best and thanks again. Keep us updated!

bebooneo · Oct 29, 2011

Hello Everyone,

I am heading to Northlake Jan 2012 God willing, but reading a lot of these forum posts is making me nervous. I had all support classes completed except for Microbiology which I am doing this semester at Richland, 4.0 pre-req GPA and almost 96 Hesi Score. I worked pretty hard to get into the program and I know I'll have to work pretty hard to stay in and get good grades. I guess what I'm nervous about is finding work after the ADN is completed. From what I read, it seems more and more hospitals now are looking for Bachelors in Nursing as opposed to ADN.

Are there any graduates from the El Centro/Northlake program who have any advice for finding a job after graduation? Also if they can share their experiences (with the job search, classes, professors, etc.) that would be great. Any advice will be welcome.

ETCO2 · Oct 31, 2011

So my additional advice to any of you who either will not have any other choice but to attend el centro / northlake, or who decide to "stick it out".

1) Get a job that involves patient care as soon as you can. I cant stress this enough! You may think you cant work and do school. But the truth is you cant afford to not do it. I cant tell you how many of my classmates wish they had listened to me when I told them this in our first semester. There is nothing found in any book, on any disk, in any lecture or seminar, or anything on the web that will serve to make you a better medical practitioner than actually working with patients. It also has the upside of padding your resume and helping you network in facilities that you will probably be applying to for nursing positions when you are done with your program. Nursing jobs are nowhere near as plentiful as they used to be.

2) get your books as soon as you can and start to just do some light random reading before you start the program. You may not completely understand everything (and the lecture on the material wont help you either) but you will at least not be looking at the the material for the first time under the time constraints of a testing schedule during the semester. I personally never purchased the book box (those who did said they rarely, if ever, used most of the books in the box). Fundamentals of nursing, iggy med/surg, and the OB/GYN books are by far your main books. I bought the books that were 1-2 editions older and the information was identical, just maybe listed as a different chapter than the current edition. But I literally bought all the books I have used the past 2 years for under $50.

3) Learn everything you can about doing a very thorough and fast full assessment. You cant do anything for anyone without first finding out what is wrong. There is so little emphasis, instruction, and time spent in this program teaching you and letting you practice doing assessments. You should be able to go head to toe without missing any portion of your assessment without looking at notes or being reminded by someone of what to check before you get into your clinicals. I honestly believe that good assessment skills are the most important skill any medical practitioner can possess. The ability and knowledge to do something about what you find will come in time. But learn your assessment!!!

4) you will be provided with a syllabus for each section in the program. It is worthless! It basically tells you that you need to know everything, which is impossible. Use a combination of the power points, and the chapter summary from the book to guide you on what to study. The recordings on ecampus are straight from the lectures, and as I mentioned the lectures are less than worthless. Recently alot of my classmates have started to study for exams using NCLEX review books and they seem to be doing well.

5) Dont be afraid of the staff and admin. They try from day one to intimidate you and make you feel like you are so lucky you even made it into this program. They still cheerlead for their program even though it is in a steady state of decline. Consequently they believe you should just be happy with whatever they give you. Not True! Each of you accepted to the program are in the program because you are the best of everyone that applied. There is absolutely no luck involved. You earned your way there, you paid to be there, and your work is what is keeping you there. They have expectations of you, you should have expectations of them. Hold them to their obligation to keep you informed and notified of dates and changes(this is a huge problem in this program), provide you with proper instruction and guidance, and to honor any other promises they make. They cannot arbitrarily "kick you out" because you call them out when they are wrong. Trust me if that was true I would have been gone before my first semester, and multiple times every semester since then!

The program admin must know that that the program is in trouble. They have just brought in a company called ATI as secondary educational tool. This company boasts of bringing programs to a 100% pass rates. I guess if you cant fix your own flailing program you find someone who you hope can. I hope that this will improve the experience for those of you just starting. I personally dont see the advantages of the new addition. I did however notice the significant added cost and workload.

If I think of any other tips to help you guys out I will post them up.

iCme2 · Oct 31, 2011

You sir are a gentleman and a scholar! We will consider your knowledge and experience an early Christmas gift. I don't want to sound greedy but keep it coming. Would you happen to have the title to those books so we could start our readings?

Again, thank you for such a thorough and time consuming post!

bebooneo · Oct 31, 2011

I agree with iCme2. Thank you for such a lengthy and detailed post. What kind of patient care experience do you recommend? I searched for nursing internships in the Dallas area and they are scarce. Other than that, I can't think of much I can do without a nursing degree.

ETCO2 · Nov 1, 2011

About the only jobs available to u with no sort of certification or license would be patient care tech jobs in hospitals willing to train. You will probably end up on the floor, not in an icu or emergency dept. So dont expect excitement till u get some experience and an opportunity to transfer.I wouldnt recommend you take positions in surgical settings. Recent law changes have relegated PCTs to clean up duties instead of patient care duties in the OR. If u are very lucky and can find a hospital willing to train you, you can try for anesthesia technician jobs. Much higher pay and alot more intensive level of patient care. But very hard to get into without experience or knowing the right person already in the department.

If you have a while before you can get into nursing taking a semester to become an EMT is well worth it. The training is really good, the job opportunities will be broader, and you will likely be allowed to do more in whatever job you do get.

This program takes summers off, which to me is a waste. So in the summer I would recommend you find ways to get more training. I recommend taking a basic ekg class, followed by advanced cardiac life support. If you have any inclination to work peds, surgery, or emergency take pediatric advanced life support. If you are an adrenaline junkie and plan to get into flight or trauma nursing look for classes in basic trauma life support or pre-hospital trauma life support. The trauma classes teach great physical assessment skills. If you cant find these classes contact the paramedic training program at one of the colleges. Paramedics are required to have all of these certifications in order to graduate. Nurses are required to have none of them. I never understood this.

Ill get book info when I find mine or get it from someone else since I dont own them all.

delgadokleo · Nov 2, 2011

hi, everyone

I was wondering if there is any one that was not accepted to the spring 2012 adn program. My question is how does the ranking list work. I am so stressing all over again, because I went to speak to the director and she let me know that "about" 10 people need to deny there spot for me to fill it. Its driving me crazy. Is any else waiting over again?