HCC ADN Fall 2008 Applicants

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Anyone applying to Houston Community College for the fall? I signed up today for the HESI. I am scheduled to take it on 3/29. If I do well, they will place me into the summer pharmacology course. I am a little nervous. I would love to hear from any students that are in the program. Any tips on the HESI & the Pharm. class would be helpful! :bugeyes: The thought of it... ahhh it boggles my mind! LOL

Thanks!

There is a new counselor at the nursing department (replaced Linder Sneed who left. It was no wonder my emails were going unanswered!!) She is very helpful and took the time to clearly explain everything to me. If you passed the HESI before March 31, you'll be admitted into the summer Pharm class, and will be considered for admission in the fall.

I've had a difficult time trying to get answers from a lot of the staff at the nursing department. Txgirl is right, the admissions secretary is very busy and to the point. Be clear about what you need to know, and you'll get the answers you need!

Every program is going to have ups and downs, and a program as big as HCC's is probably going to get a disproportionate amount of bad press.

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Jason,

Did the counselor have any suggestions for the pharmacology? Did she give you a heads up about it? I wonder how true it is if you pass the class you will most likely get in. I am actually wondering if the books will change for the fall as well. lol, I hope not.

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Knowing my luck, the book will change! I plan to get it early anyway. Search google for "hccs rnsg 1301 syllabus", you'll then get an idea of how to structure your 'advance' study... I can't guarantee it's the most up-to-date syllabus, but that's what I'm going to do anyway.

The counselor didn't tell me anything about Pharm, but I am sure it's going to be a challenge. If you're organised and disciplined (you sound like you are), I'm sure you'll do just fine. It's the science of how the drugs work in the body, the paths they take and how they work on the various kinds of receptors. The other side of it is dosages and calculations. I'm expecting to invest in some flashcards, and I'm also expecting to have a pretty quiet summer socially! :yeah:

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hello there!

the math test is different from the finals...when i took the pharma last summer, it was given around second week of july i believe, you have to score a 90 to pass it, but with the changing of personnel in the nursing department, i don't know if they will change. a teacher of mine said once that it should be 100 to pass it:banghead: since it is drug calculations after all.

also, if you pass the course and fail the math test, you are given a second chance to take it (well, if a lot of students failed it i think, im not sure on that one) if you still fail then you won't be accepted.

pharma as it is, is very doable, i had a classmate who aced all of her test, even the math and she got an A, she is actually in the program right now.

when i took it during the summer, my teacher would just tell us which ones we need to study for the unit exams, do not pay attention to other stuff other than read it for stock knowledge. they do not beat around the bush....others said that teachers are more lenient during summer pharmacology too.

so just do not get behind on your readings:D

see you all guys in the orientation for fall!

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well for anyone who has taken Pharm at HCC, are there any good teachers to take with? and the same are there any hard teachers not recommended?

I also figured that if you took the HESI before March, and took Pharm and passed the test, then you should have good chances in getting in, after applying so many times, I see it as a way of "elimination", and hopefully those left can get in. Does anyone know how many students they accept? I went to the session but this was last summer so I forgot alot of what they said!

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They accept 200 student for fall.

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wow that's alot!

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yeah, not too bad! I want to pharm on a saturday but im not sure if I want to give up my weekends this summer! Sacrifices!!

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I am getting ready to graduate from HCC (providing I can pass the HESI exit, but I expect to).

Here is some info...

1. the A&P is tough on the HESI entrance. If you don't pass it, try to remember the things you didn't know, and then try to look them up in a NURSING textbook. They are all nursing based questions, and so a regular A&P book won't have them. The English section is difficult if English is not your first language.

2. I didn't take Pharm from HCC (tested out), but if you take it from somewhere else, it is difficult because you have to take their math exam, which is very specific. They purposely set some conversions up to a certain number, and then test on those, so that most people wouldn't get the right answer. Very hard to pass if you don't take the class from them. They also test on some obscure abbreviations, ask for the list from the secretary. This class used to be horribly difficult online (like a 5% pass rate) but I don't know what it is like now. All nursing classes at HCC are team taught, including pharm, so it doesn't matter who you "take it from" Now that Ms. Rich is teaching/director, I'm not sure how hard it is. Mr. Kline used to be director and teach part of this class and he was very hard.

3. the person who is secretary during the day is new, don't know her. mary clark is the evening secretary. she is nice but is very busy. stay up to date on things and be ready at a moments notice. you may only get 24 hrs notice to take the math test, when the next hesi entrance is, etc. also follow up on registering on time, etc. HCC doesn't have a system set up to efficiently contact everyone, so it is easy to get lost.

4. Ms. Rich is very rude to everyone, even faculty. Not sure why, but it is a power trip. Be firm with her and do not be intimidated, and she will quickly soften up. She only has about 3-4 minutes of meanness saved up, so get through that and you will be ok. She never becomes nice, but you have to bear the brunt of the attack. Not sure how long she will be there, maybe a while, so get tough.

5. i don't know what has happened in the past, but HCC is currently in good standing with everyone as far as accredidation goes (sp?). overall, you get out of it what you put into it. some of my classmates will graduate and i don't know if they are really competent, but...

6. i say, beware of HBU! i have had some family members there, and i am very leery of their program. many years they only graduate 10% of their students, or less!

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oh, one more thing. if you don't pass the math test in pharm, don't worry, you will get another chance near finals.

MOST people who meet the requirements get in, even if they submit AFTER the deadline. if you have all the requirements, i would submit all the way until about two weeks before class starts (though your chances go down the longer you wait), also tell them you can start any time if someone gets dropped due to a drug test or a background check.

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another thing...if you think you are going to get in, go ahead and start the hep b series, they let you know you need to have it finished by a certain date, but they tell you too late since it takes 6 months or something like that.

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thanks so much for the info akijitsu! that was helpful.....im starting the program this fall since i differed spring.

too bad mr. kline is not around (or is he?) i like him as a teacher. a little sarcastic and has a dry humor but good teacher nonetheless. he was the one who gave us the math test. his bark is louder than his bite....when i looked up my test paper afterwards, he was very considerate with some of my answers.

and by the way...good luck on your exit HESI

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