Harford Community College 2014

Hi there,

Just getting a few minutes to chime in along with Rachel. I should be working on a paper that's due this weekend, but that can wait a few more minutes haha. I just wanted to say please feel free to ask any questions you have along the way. I think we all had so many questions and it's nice to hear from people who are currently in the program.

I am 35 and also work full time (for HCPS, so I do get summers off), and have 3 young kids. So, while many people told me that it's going to be too hard to manage all of that plus nursing school, I am finding that it's definitely manageable. Challenging at times, yes, but manageable. You will find that they (i.e., the dean, some other students, etc) "discourage" working full time while in school, but for most of us, that's just not really an option....you know, with mortgages to pay, kids to feed, tuition, etc... Some people are married, some are single, some are parents, some are not, most live on their own, some live with their parents. Some people are changing careers, and others are beginning the career world with nursing. It's a great mixture of perspectives and experiences. So, as Rachel said, we work together and we support each other and we get it done with hard work. Plus, everyone is just really motivated to do well, and we are used to managing our time and breaking things down in order to make it work. I have found that I have needed to reduce or eliminate some things to make nursing school a priority... so I can't work 2 jobs like I used to. I didn't sign my kids up for a bunch of fall sports that will be difficult to manage with my class schedule. I don't go out with my friends as much. I carve out time for studying most days of the week. But I do build in time to take a break from school, saving at least one day a week where I don't do any school work. I am more productive overall with that approach and so I don't burn out. Everyone finds what works for them.

I think you will find that taking A&P and Micro so recently before the program is helpful, but you won't use all of it right away (some of it, you'll never use). I took Micro last summer, A&P 1 in fall and A&P 2 in spring, finishing up the spring semester like Rachel, just a week before Nursing school began. Those Bio classes do give you a good foundation for the body parts and processes and when you get to nursing, you start to apply them in a way that makes more sense b/c you have learned the basics (an example is the relationships b/t heart rate and blood pressure and fluid volume, etc. Or talking about neutrophils in Micro and how they work is applied to understanding wounds and infections, specifically purulent drainage (i.e, pus). But as for knowing ridiculous stuff like the specific steps of the Kreb's cycle or stuff about mRNA and transcription and all that craziness, do not worry too much about that for nursing school application, unless you want to go further into those fields like genetics or research or whatever. Just learn it for your classes and do well there, and you will be fine.

I can't believe how much we've learned in the past 2 months. I absolutely love it. And that's coming from someone who thought I'd never ever go back to school again. As Rachel said, we have gotten really close as a group, and you quickly become friends with your clinical group especially, but really, with everyone. I agree that the program is designed, as they said in orientation, for it to not be competitive b/t students once you get in. It's super supportive and they genuinely want everyone to do well while certainly holding us accountable for mastering the skills taught.

As for TEAS, I think I got somewhere in the mid-70's overall. This was my first and only program that I applied to, and I wasn't sure what my chances were with getting in, but I was told that most WEA students have somewhere around 20 points, give or take, on the criteria point sheet. I think I had 20 points without the A&P 2 class points (b/c they don't apply points for classes you haven't completed as of application deadline).

Sorry this is so long. As we said, keep asking questions as they come up.

Are you taking your A&P and Micro classes at HCC? Who are your instructors?

Katie

I completely understand what you mean about worrying about clinical hours and how it will impact family time. My girls are 3, 6, and 8, and it's been a challenge for them and for me to be in school the past year and a half. The mom guilt never goes away, I guess, but I keep telling them that it will be much better once I become a nurse and I can work fewer days and sometimes work while they are sleeping, etc. And of course, eventually not adding classes at night will help...just have to get the BSN completer courses done. I try to include them in what I'm learning though, so they are fascinated most of the time and grossed out sometimes too. :) For Fundamentals, a major skill we learn is a nursing physical assessment. So, my kids love to be my "patient" and let me take their blood pressure, pulse, etc and go through the physical assessment with them over and over. Anyway, clinicals this first semester are both Sat. and Sun. every weekend from 7:30-3:30 in the assisted living and long term care settings, and 7:00-3:30 in acute care (hospital). We did have off for July 4 weekend, and that was a nice mid-semester break for everyone to catch their breath and relax a bit for a couple days. It is hard to not have as much family time on weekends, but we are keeping it in perspective, knowing that it's temporary.

For fall semester, we are being told that most weekends, we will have clinicals for one of the days, either Sat. or Sun., but the hours may be longer for that day. I can let you know for sure once we get to fall semester and see how the schedule is laid out. I don't know about the following semesters. WEA is obviously accelerated, so while it's intense, the good news is, each month is a step toward completion. 15 months will fly by...

Our applications were due mid Feb., and I got the call the last week of March about being accepted. So, there's not much time to figure out financial aid if you haven't done that by that point. I wish I'd known more about financial aid process, but basically, just make sure (if you haven't already) that you've done your FAFSA and apply for any loans and scholarships as early as possible- check with the financial aid office about specific deadlines and timelines so you know ahead of time. By the time you get accepted, you really only have about 6-7 weeks before the semester begins. And you will be spending lots of money on uniforms, books, tuition, CPR class, etc at the outset. Tuition for first semester (summer) was around $1200 and books were around $350-$500 depending on where you buy them. Tuition for 2nd semester is comparable.