FSCJ Fall 2010 ACCEPTED

Published

Okay here we are!!!!!!

Oh yeah, and I found a flashcard app for my iPhone that is called Flashcards Deluxe by OrangeOrApple.com. There's many flashcard apps, but this one has a 4.5 rating out of 5 with 97 ratings. And it's not just for your phone. You can create and use the flashcards on your computer, which means we can copy-and-paste things from the e-box materials into the flashcard program, too. Then we can download it to our phones and study wherever we are!

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After all the rave reviews about iPad and applications for the healthcare field, Im wondering if having one is a good idea. I went and tried one out at the Apple store and the size was amazing, it was about the size of a composition notebook but much thinner. I also heard about free applications to download for pharmacology, dosage and calculations. (talking to a nurse about this) and careplans. Many colleges are implementing ipads into their curriculum. The standard ipad starts at $499. not a bad deal for all the hype.

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Thanks NurseRatchet for posting the info:) I'm so excited, just checked connections and the appeal for my student loans was approved, that just released some weight from my shoulders. I just hope they post our book vouchers by the 16th.

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I am so upset about this whole loan change thing! I thought I was getting about double what I was getting and now I am not. I owe my family money for paying for all this stuff just for me to start going to nursing school.

:crying2:

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I am so upset about this whole loan change thing! I thought I was getting about double what I was getting and now I am not. I owe my family money for paying for all this stuff just for me to start going to nursing school.

:crying2:

You can appeal your amount. That is what I am

Doing. They did not even give me enough for tuition and books

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Another dumb question: the folders we turn our papers in, do they mean like Manila folders or pocket-type? I'm ridiculously thinking too much here!

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You can appeal your amount. That is what I am

Doing. They did not even give me enough for tuition and books

I just don't understand why I didn't get the amount that I got last year? My income hasn't changed(hasn't went up from zero!) and even though I get a full Pell grant the loan amount is actually less than that. Ugh!!!

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Sorry it took me so long to be posting about our Sunday meeting at Panera. The last 3 days have been a nightmare. I can't wait to start school so I'll have no choice but to quit at least one (preferably 2) of my 3 jobs.

Anyway, I should have recorded our Q&A with Butterflymom because she was sooooo prolific with good information. Um, there are lots of random tidbits, several of which have already been mentioned by others. Early in the meeting, she did recommend a PDA (she uses an iTouch) because teachers do not want you to have your phones out during class, but later in the meeting she said that, as long as you're clearly not using your phone for communicating and make it clear to them that you are only using it to view supplemental course material during class, she has not seen anyone have any trouble in this regard. She has only brought her laptop twice. I think I would prefer to use my laptop, but she said we have to sit in those little, old-school, elementary-style desks and have all our materials out. We'll see : /

She also said that every teacher she has come across does not allow you to record their lectures and that doing so is grounds for expulsion.

She recommended a rolling, luggage-type bookbag because a lot of the people who carry regular backpacks complain about back pain, especially day people since North campus involves so much walking. She uses expandable binders. She said that 4-inch binders are fine, but you already have to carry so much stuff. If you just switch out your current chapters and keep the rest at home, then you carry a lot less. And the expandable binders will accommodate whatever amount of material we are currently working on.

Regarding the box of books that is available at orientation, we can save a little money buying them elsewhere, but then we are not eligible to buy the e-box, which she feels is very much worth the extra money, as it saves A LOT of time. It gives us access to our books online. So when we are doing our study guides, care plans, etc., we can just cut and paste. And apparently, care plans are VERY, VERY time-consuming. The e-box makes the difference between a copy-and-past and having to write/type out hundreds of words. I'm going to get the e-box because I think time will be our biggest commodity.

We draw our lottery numbers after lunch at orientation, but we don't get to see the section details (schedules, teachers, clinical locations) until about 15 minutes before we bid on them at the end of the day. And some sections have hospital overlap, meaning, if you want a specific hospital for clinicals, there might be 2 or 3 sections with various teachers or schedules available for that particular hospital. Each section has 12 students, and there 144 students days and 24 n/w, so 12 day sections and 2 n/w sections.

She also said we will need a clipboard with a storage box for when we start clinicals. She said to make sure the compartment is big enough to hold your stethoscope. When we show up for clinicals, they will do an equipment check to make sure we have everything we need, and if we don't, they will send us home. If they send us home, we have to make up that clinical the week of finals, which is obviously not a good idea because that week will be busy enough. She said they check to make sure you have your stethoscope, watch, etc., so we should pay attention to everything we are instructed to have with us during clinicals.

We are supposed to have a nondigital watch, but she has seen people with digital watches. She said what's important is that we can count seconds and that it lights in the dark because we want to be able to take vitals without turning on the light and waking the patient up. I don't remember if she said this, but I know it's obviously a good idea for it to be waterproof.

She said clinicals are very interesting. She was in a patient's room when they complained of chest pains. She had to get the nurse, they called a code and got the crash cart, and the nurse told her to stand in the corner and watch. Mostly, she said it is answering call lights, changing bedding, helping them to the bathroom, giving sponge baths, taking vitals, etc. She said there are people who have cried, vomited, and realized they did not want to be nurses. When asked if the nursing staff are receptive to students, she said that it's about 50/50. Usually the newer nurses are more helpful, but some don't want to let you do much.

There are also quite a few people failing. She said if you fail a test, you have to retake it and pass, but the first grade you get is your grade for the records. If you fail a course, you have to hope there is a seat open in it next term. If not, you're basically in limbo waiting for a seat to be open in that class. And grading scale is different. An A is 93/94 to 100 (don't remember exactly, but something like that), 86? to 92 is a B, 79? to 85 is C, and anything else is just FAILING.

Study groups are recommended, but keep them small. Too many people, you get too many different conversations going on, and it's counterproductive. She said that a lot of people get to campus early on Mondays to study for the test, but that many people agree you have to stop studying an hour or two before the test to allow your brain to reset or you will just be fried. The massage therapy and dental hygienist students are at North campus, so if we day students need to kill time, we can get a massage for $5 or get our teeth cleaned (I don't know how much they charge for that).

Sunday was the first time Butterflymom has gone out to do anything since she started the program, so enjoy your time now while you can. She said if you're already an A student and want to remain an A student, you will have to study about 2-4 or 3-4 hours every day (can't remember). She is an A student, but she said that there's a saying, "C=RN," as in C student equals Registered Nurse. In other words, you just have to pass. I don't know about everybody else, but I don't want a C student taking care of me or my loved ones. Therefore I don't want to be a C student. So be prepared to kiss sleep and social life goodbye for the next 4 terms.

Attached are the documents that Marina uploaded when we first started receiving acceptance packages, which will help us prepare for the test that we will have the first day of school, and the document I found from a previous term that has all of the nursing professors names and ratings from ratemyprofessor.com (it will be slightly outdated).

I'm sure there's more I'm not remembering right this minute, and I'd like for this post to fit on one page, lol. I'll post more later if I think of anything else. See everybody on the 16th!!! :nurse: :redbeathe

Great synopsis, Natalie. Thanks for taking the time to write it all down and for re-posting the study material and professor information. You rock.

Regarding watches, I just got one at the Uniform Outlet in St. Augustine for $30.00 that you wear as a pin upside down on your top. It is glow in the dark so you can read the time in the dark and since it isn't worn on your wrist, you can have two hands free and also don't have to worry about it getting wet since it's not near your hands. The lady there said that she's selling a lot of them.

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I just don't understand why I didn't get the amount that I got last year? My income hasn't changed(hasn't went up from zero!) and even though I get a full Pell grant the loan amount is actually less than that. Ugh!!!

I don't understand it either. This new system is not working

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I just called the bookstore. They said they have the book list in! I'm going to try to see if I can get some used books off amazon or something. I'll let you know if I find any good deals.

Also, is anyone else having trouble contacting the worksource office? I have gone in there, on a friday and they said they weren't seeing anyone :(, and called 3 times but haven't heard anything back. I'm going to try and make it up there today to see if I qualify for anything.

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Grading scale: 93-100 A, 86-92 B, 80-85 C, below 80 F THERE IS NO ROUNDING! If you get a 79.999, you will fail. Twice I receive a grade of B when my course average was 92.xx%

After 4 terms, I can say that for the most part you don't need to bring the book to class. Print off your power point slides and take notes on the slides. You can read at home and the lack of weight helps your back!

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Another financial aid question. Does anyone know how to get the other unsubsidized amount? I have the limit for the subsidized amount and thought that the unsub would just automatically be added in.

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