2015 Harford Comm College WEA program

Published

Hello! I will be applying for the 2015 WEA program at HCC. I am currently taking A&P 2 this summer and will be taking microbiology in the fall. Looking to see if anyone else is applying.

So it sounds like pretty much everyone on here got in!! We are going to be getting to know each other very well. My name is Karen,and I am signing up afor the Wednesday lab. What about everyone else?

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Congrats to everyone who got it! Word of advice, don't use your real names on forums like this. You never know who could be reading it 😉

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Good idea! I am going to start a Facebook private page for us, under HCC WEA 2015

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Does anyone still need to get CPR certified? I don't know where to fin a class before May 1!!

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Contact Abingdon Volunteer Fire Dept. It is 10.00. They just want you to get a group together to do it.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Thanks Onose! Since I can't prove the AP scores were attached, except by showing my receipts from College Board that I paid for them and the fact I listed AP scores in the application space for list attached transcripts, I feel like its going to be a lost cause. : ( But I'm still going to try. Still I'm glad that you all got it! We've been writing about this for the past year and now the time has finally come!!!

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I can't find any CPR classes close by before May 1st!!! Abingdon Fire doesn't have one until after May 1st. Anyone find one???

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Check with Paramedic Personnel of Maryland. They are located in Forest Hill and can be reached at 410 838 8821.

Also a spot WILL be opening for WEA as I got accepted but going to Towson instead.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I actually signed up for one this Saturday in Towson.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

So.....almost a year later I finally got around to posting an update. In some of the past older posts I found that once students were accepted into the program activity on these threads would die and you would never know what it was like to actually be in the program. So here I am to give my take on WEA. Thankfully everything worked out with my transcript situation. I showed my cc receipt to prove I included my scores with my application. Since it couldn't be found I had to resubmit them at $25 for a new one plus $20 for a rush order. Oh well, just one of the many costs of nursing school.

Anyhow, today was the start of the 2nd half of third semester. I will try to share all the information I wanted to know when I was applying to the program. First I will address the question that I wondered most about when applying, which is can you work and complete the program. I will say that thus far I have worked full-time while in the program and managed to get As and Bs. There are a few other students who are working full-time as well and doing okay but the vast majority either are not working or work part-time. I will admit that I don't have children and am not married so my responsibilities outside of work and school are limited but again I know of at least one person who is married, has 3 kids, works and is doing the program. In fact one classmate became pregnant while in the program and is doing great. I would just remember to factor in commute times when making your decision because the further you have to travel for class and clinical the less time you have to study and complete assignments.

In the summer there is a lab class which takes place one day a week before lecture from 2pm-5:30pm so I had to get a schedule accommodation. Two other times I took off from work to participate in a daytime activity including an Operating Room observation experience during 2nd semester in the Fall (this was optional) and a mandatory community health presentation at an elementary school for Pediatrics during the 1st half of 3rd semester. Otherwise all other functions thus far have taken place during the nights and weekends. I will say that 3rd semester was very tough to manage while working because there are 1-2 exams every week. During the last week of Peds/OB you will take your last unit exam and final on the same day. So we had two exams on Monday and another 2 exams on Thursday. Clinical for OB were 12 hours long (7am-7pm) but for Peds they were 10 hours long (7am-5pm). The only nice thing is that clinical is only one day on the weekend (either Saturday OR Sunday) and not both like in previous semesters. For Med/Surg 2, which we are taking the 2nd half of this 3rd semester we will be back to having clinical on both weekend days.

Now another item I was concerned about was cost. Do not count on the "healthcare shortage" program reducing your tuition to the in-county price. The school is going to charge you out-of-county rates but will give you a rebate for the in-county vs out-of-county rate difference ONLY if the State refunds the school first. I ended up moving to Harford county so I was only impacted for the first semester but as far as I know my other classmates have yet to get a rebate. During the first semester, outside of tuition, we had uniform costs (shirts ~$16 each, pants ~$20 each, lab coat ~$22). The school will give you a list of pre-approved styles that you can purchase from Scrub Pro. They say you are not allowed to buy online from a 3rd party vendor but I did after buying one shirt from scrub pro. I just made sure the styles were similar looking. Books were $300 for a bundle. Realistically you could just rent the Fundamentals textbook from Amazon for $30 and you would be okay. The bundle includes the Funds physical textbook, a Dosage calculations book, Real Nursing Skills access code - provides access to videos of skills you will practice in lab like inserting a catheter but you can find similar videos on YouTube, and a MyNursing Lab access code - gives you access to the textbook online and some practice study materials. Considering you only use the Funds book 1st semester I would just rent it from Amazon and find free online study questions from places like quizlet or prenhall. You will be told that you will use the Funds book throughout the program but I have yet to crack it open since 1st semester except to use it as a reference for a hand washing project. You will also need to purchase a Nursing Diagnosis handbook ($48 on Amazon) and stethoscope/penlight/clip board. Second and 3rd semester the extra costs are just books. I bought the Med/Surg book for $50 on Amazon which is half the cost of the school bookstore. PrepU access codes are now sold separately from the book so I don't know what the cost for that will be or if the school will still require it. Since book prices change as editions change you can always just go to the school bookstore to look up the current price. Transportation is also a cost so if you don't live in Harford County just keep in mind the you will primarily travel to Bel-Air and Havre de Grace for clinical. During Mental Health some groups had clinical at Perry Point VA Center.

The last talking point on my very long post is regarding scheduling. I touched on it a bit earlier. First semester class is 2x/wk (Tues& Wed) for 3 hours (6pm-9pm) and clinical Saturday and Sunday for 8hrs (7am-3pm). There was also a 3hr lab on either Tues OR Wed from 2:30pm-5:30pm. Second semester Med/Surg is 6pm-8pm 1x/wk (Thurs), Mental Health 7pm-9pm (Mondays) along with Contemporary Nursing (Mondays) 6pm-7pm. Clinical was again 7am-3pm with Med/Surg being on Saturday and Mental Health being Sundays. The first half of 3rd semester is Peds & OB. OB was on Mondays from 6pm-10pm and Peds was 6pm-9pm on Thursdays. Clinical alternates so one weekend will be OB and the next Peds. You will only have 3 of each. Again clinicals for OB are 7am-7pm and Peds are 7am-5pm. We are just starting the 2nd half of 3rd semester but the calendar lists class as taking place Mondays and Thursdays 6pm-9pm (there is an extra class on Wednesday the first 2 weeks) as well as Leadership class on some Tuesdays from 7:30pm-9pm. Clinicals start with some orientation days of 9am- 4pm but then move to 7am-7pm. Luckily we don't have clinical the day before an exam. I'll try to come back and posts about schedule, etc for 4th semester. I know this post is long but this is all the information I wanted before starting the program so I would have an idea of how to set up my schedule for the next 1.25 years. Unfortunately I hear the school is suspending WEA. I don't know if it is just for next year or indefinitely. Either way the information is here in case someone in the future needs it.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

The WEA program is no longer being offered.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Thanks for the update! I just got accepted into the day accelerated program. Its nice to hear that people are succeeding with the work/school balancing. I'm really going to try to work 30 hours a week to keep my health insurance but told my boss there is a good chance I would have to cut back further. What hospital or health care facility were clinicals at in the first semester? Trying to get an idea of where I will be driving to.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Join the Discussion