El Centro ADN 2012

LadyBug2012 · Jan 5, 2012

iCme, Thanks for the link. I saw those but im not too impressed. Im gonna go look for some this friday. If i find a pair I like that isnt all black, Ill go talk to someone at the school.

SXBlair · Feb 28, 2012

I really think have the blood test done by the time admission date is due. It should be done but the first day of school. I am waiting today to get my result back, only test I havent completed. Probly will get disquailifed for not having it???

all4ofus, ASN, RN · Mar 9, 2012

Haha, I was reading this thread and had to join. :) I graduated from El Centro (Northlake) in December and have a floor job at Parkland. I have to say, that after getting through that program, that I am at least just as equally prepared as all the other new nurses, and even more so, in many cases. It's only been a few months but already feels like it was so long ago. Parkland has an awesome education department; I took ACLS and the pre-req courses there while I was in school and the knowledge they gave me really helped through my last semester at Northlake. If you can get a job as a PCA while you are in school I highly recommend it. During my job search I found that Parkland and Methodist are pretty much the only hospitals in the area still hiring ADNs and it is extremely competitive. Also, some students who worked at other hospitals (Baylor, Med City) during school did not get hired by those hospitals in the end. Parkland is very loyal to their PCAs/nursing students. They are working towards magnet status currently, but I haven't seen a change in their hiring yet (ADN/BSN); they are just requiring managers to get their BSNs. Anyway, enjoy what you can while you are there (major care plans, haha!) and try to appreciate the instructors for their uniqueness. There is one in particular I HIGHLY recommend for 4th semester. I won't post her name here because I think it's against site rules, but she is a Baylor grad, ex-Baylor nurse, used to teach at Collin county, and cardiac is her love. Get her if you can (hope she's still there).

bnaccio · Aug 15, 2013

Fall 2013 will be my first semester in the DCCCD-Northlake ADN program, and while I was one of the last ones picked--due to my absence of luck--for choosing a hospital, I had to settle for the Dallas VA. My orientation is coming up, I was wondering what to expect; will it be all day, how early should I get there because I heard parking is horrific at 8AM. I heard there will be a separate drug test/background check that the hospital does, is that correct and if so do we have to bring money or something to pay for that as well? Really any information regarding experience about being a nursing student at the VA would be fantastic.

Also, and this really is somewhat of a trivial question, but hearing for years how strict and hard nursing schools are has pretty much terrified me beyond the point of logic; what school supplies would you recommend, just the basics or do I really need to batten down on my organization/separation skills.