El Centro/ Northlake-----Spring 07

Nursing Students General Students

Published

congratulations! to everyone that is starting in january!

i'm so excited to meet everyone-please introduce yourself!

:groupwelcome:

Specializes in ER.

Yay! Awesome...I'm glad we'll be in clinicals together...at least we can offer each other some support! I know just about every scrub shop has landau...the one at Stonebridge for sure because I was there Sunday! I sure do wonder when the class will fill up, or if we are just going to have a realllly small class??? It's still only showing 24 of us registered out of the 50 slots. What time are you shooting to be at ECC Thursday? I have to go by the office and pick up my receipt for the math class before I go to the class itself. I'll talk to you tomorrow...gonna get some sleep (finally!).

Take Care,

Kathy

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Specializes in Med/Surg, Tele.

you guys probably will get some of our repeats, :o

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Specializes in OR Internship starting in Jan!!.

Thanks Allison :D I still cannot believe that I did it ;)

That's true, Fun -- And I was welcomed in style! Ha!

Kathy -- I didn't realize we had to have our receipt. Good to know. I'll probably try to get there a little early. I'm thinking about trying out the TRE so I can see if it makes sense to do once class starts. So, that would put me there about 30-45mins early. Buuuuut, since they *should* have the book box in, I might drive so I can get my book box. Decisions, decisions!

And yes, it will be very nice to have some support :D

While I was there yesterday, I heard them talking about some meeting that was going on to make decisions about the people who needed to repeat, or something like that. So, the class should start filling up soon.

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Specializes in ER.

Surely not 24 of them though...Do they usually reserve a few seats for those that have to repeat it? That just seems like alot, especially since at our orientation, there were very close to 50 there....I'm just wondering if several got accepted at Brookhaven and gave their seat up???? I know that Brookhaven was advocating that to those who were applying to both programs.

Kathy

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Specializes in Nephrology.

When I started 1st semester it was just like that with only about half of the class on the schedule. I don't know why it shows up like that but all 50 are there on the first day. I don't know if it's because those people haven't been able to pay yet or what. I thought it was going to be a small class too but they were all there! At least that's how it was my 1st semester.

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I just finished 1st semester at ECC so I found you guys on here and thought I would post!!

About the "openings" - us going into 2nd semester question that too! We started 1st semester with 60 at ECC between the Pilot group and the regular ones. Now - going into 2nd semester - our lecture says "Cap 35; Avail 7." We all know that we did not "lose" 32 people!!!!! So what on earth happened to everybody? However, you guys will have a few repeaters from 1st semester!!

I'm sure you all have heard ALLLLL the horror stories - some of them are true (Prof. Galloway!) and others may or may not be!! Be prepared to give the school your lives - they expect it and the only way I made it was by giving it to them!!! I have a very supportive husband who has taken over everything in the house while I'm in school - including the laundry!!! I also have 3 kids who sit beside me at night while I study - this is our "family time." We know all the take-out/fast-food menus by memory. I have LOTS of mommy guilt for not being able to attend EVERY function at my kids' schools like I used to!!!

HOWEVER - I have also made the most incredible friends of my life in Nursing school!!!! During clinicals I got to meet some fantastic patients who truly appreciated my care and compassion! Some areas of nursing that I wasn't sure I would be able to deal with (adult poop!) I did endure with more compassion that I thought I had in me! And in the end I have become a much better wife, mother and person with much more compassion and caring (for the most part - I do have a preteen!!)!! I am so excited about 2nd semester and I even miss studying!!!! OK so I am weird!!!

SO HERE IS MY ADVICE - TAKE IT OR LEAVE IT!!!!!

I had to study EVERY DAY!!! I also had to read basically every chapter that was on my reading schedule - but other students said they didn't and they still passed. When you bust your butt in skills lab (Galloway!) - DON"T EXPECT TO GET A GOOD GRADE!!!!!! In addition - DON'T ARGUE WITH HER - YOU WILL ALWAYS LOSE - Try to respect her but not expect respect in return!!!!! Be sure you have your vocabulary words and reading done BEFORE your skills and clinical labs. It not only helps to know what the teacher is talking about - it also shows the teacher you are doing the work expected of you!!!! In Lecture - not sure who you guys have this semester - study from the powerpoints. Print them out ahead of time and take notes on them during lecture. I bought every kind of study book for Fundamentals that I could find/afford - "Nursing Fundamentals - Reviews & Rationales", "Test Taking Skills for Beginning Nursing Students," "Fundamentals Success" (by P. Nugent and B. Vitale); and "Test Success" by Nugent and Vitale. If you can afford only one book - Buy the Fundamentals Success!!! LOTS of questions that will help you with the tests. You will find that the information on the lecture tests is mostly not covered in your classes!!! The questions are all scenario based - and they don't really cover all the scenarios in your lecture!!! So get your hands on and do every kind of question in every kind of book you can. My first exam I made an 80 and was VERY mad!!!! I then bought all these books and studied all the questions pertaining to the information we were currently studying - I wound up with an A in lecture because of all the questions I practiced!!!! Mostly I have to say - STAY ORGANIZED!!!! Keep up with your calendar and write in your due dates for EVERYTHING - including your family schedules!!! I kept 3 separate 2" 3-ring notebooks - one for each class (clinical, skills & lecture). In my lecture notebook I had divider tabs for my powerpoints, study guides and Misc. In the front I put my lecture outline into sheet protectors. I also had my books debound and 3-hole punched and kept each one in a HUGE 3-ring notebook - don't think I am going to do that this semester. Good and bad about that!! I carried in my notebook only the chapters we were working on for that particular test, I tore out the study guide pages that corresponded with those chapters and I also had my powerpoints and anything else that might pertain to that test! Sometimes for lecture I almost needed a 3" notebook instead!!! After Test 1 was over I put my textbook pages back into the HUGE 3-ring notebook and put all my other "stuff" into a separate HUGE 3-ring notebook to save for my final exam!!! Then I reorganized my notebook for Test 2 with those chapters and powerpoints, etc.

Finally - Invest in ALOT of Printer Ink - or Invest in your printing account at the school!!!!!!!!!! I printed the lecture powerpoints 6 to a page to try to help in this area. I am very visual so I had to have printed material to study from. I bought the book pack and downloaded the books onto my computer. I did not carry my laptop to class but 1 girl did. I used the downloads to do searches for various subject matter that we were covering - then I would sometimes pull the pages from the textbook and read over them as opposed to reading them on my computer screen!

Get your lives in order now before the semester begins!!!!! Once it starts you have NO TIME!! If any of you want any of the paperwork "stuff" that I have from 1st semester let me know and I will attempt to e-mail what I have. I got alot of it from a student that was in 2nd semester so I'll be happy to try and pass it along to you guys!

Last - but not least - KEEP YOUR CHIN UP WHEN THE GOING GETS TOUGH - because it will get tough!!! Have a good cry or whatever you need to do to release your stress and then get back on the horse that bucked you off and keep on riding!! When the work seems overwhelming and you don't have enough hours in the day to get it all done - MAKE A LIST STARTING WITH WHAT IS DUE FIRST!!!!!!! My style of getting it done may not be for everyone - but I always worked Sundays on what was due for my lab for Monday. If I had time left on Sunday evening then I worked on what was due for Tuesday, etc. Everyone says it is best to read every day over your lecture powerpoints/notes. I did not - But wish I had in order to keep it all fresh. For Tests 1 and 2 we had a group of 5 of us that split up the work because there were so many chapters to read and we each did not have time to do it all. Each person took certain chapters and did the study guides and then made copies of those completed study guides for everybody in our group. Then we each only had to study from the study guides instead of reading every chapter. I then went back and read only the chapters that I felt like I didn't know well enough.

I hope all this helps and hasn't overwhelmed you even more!!!!! Please PM me if you need anything else. Also, please post on here where your clinicals are going to be - I'm sure a few of us could PM you all and fill you in on some info that could help you with your clinicals and/or instructors!!

LOTS OF LUCK!!!!!!

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Specializes in Med/Surg/Tele.

Thank you for all of the great advice! It's really nice to kind of have an idea of what to expect this upcoming semester.

Congrats to you on finishing up semester 1! Merry Christmas, enjoy your break!

***props to NLC bkstore, they helped me get my book of 1st sem books to my car today***

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Sorry my other post was so long! I just really do want to try to help all of you make it through - I also remember how I felt when 1st semester was about to start - NERVOUS AND SCARED TO DEATH!!!! I hope it helps a little to know someone who made it through!

PM me if you need anything!!!

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and paste that from my message last semester? :uhoh21: I'm so glad to hear that you did so well, even with Ms. Galloway! I'm proud of you, and so happy to hear you're enjoying yourself.

to all the newbies: You can do this! I did it (graduated from ECC in 12/04), and you can too! Get prepared, print out Dream's message and refer to it often....she has spoken the truth....cry when you need to, laugh when you can and sleep when you must! It's worth it in the long run. After all, you have two choices....two years from now you can have an RN behind your name, or you can be just as you are today...invest in growth!

Jamie

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Specializes in OR Internship starting in Jan!!.

Thanks for the message Dream :)

Kathy and I have Marshall in Mesquite. I've heard she's new.

Happy Holidays everyone!

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Specializes in ER.

Merry Christmas to all!!!!

Kathy

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Specializes in Telemetry.

Hello to all! I'm applying for ECC/NLC's ADN program for the Fall '07 semester. Wish me luck, looks like the competition is pretty tight! I'm enrolled to take HPRS 1204 starting in January. (I don't know if you know since it doesn't apply to y'all, but effective Spring '08, this will be a pre-req instead of an actual nursing class. I want to get a head start in case I don't get in for the fall semester.) It also looks like I may get hired as a PCA. Can you make any recommendations as far as favorite stethoscopes, shoes, and any other accessories that can maximize my knowledge & performance for work & school? Thanks so much!

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