hello! i just joined this lovely and informative site after lurking for a few weeks. i'm planning to apply for the program after this fall semester. (need to finish a&pII and college algebra).
who else?! :)
edit: can someone walk me through the application process? i know it's pretty easy, but i like knowing 100%! i'm not sure if an adviser would help me much. i know you need high school transcripts, an hcc application and a nursing application. then you just gather all the papers (including money?) in like a.... manila envelope and mail away? or can you electronically send your high school transcripts to them? thank you.
thanks newgoalrn! first of all, congrats on finishing np2, you're half way through!!!
i have a few more questions for you:
1) what math book do you recommend or which one is being used now. i can pick up a used copy cheap and no worries if they update it before i start classes as i'm sure it won't be that different and if i have to buy a new book, the extra money will be worth it as i'm very rusty on my math skills!
i see that nickdost answered some of the questions already but i'll fill in what i can. she listed the correct math book. i got the 5th edition used on line for about $6 and i did well in both np1 and 2 math test. math is math is math, there were a few different problems but 80-85% were the same so if you need to save money, 5th edition is just fine. get in the math book and review chapters 1-7. i read those chapters 2xs before classes started and worked all the problems. when you first start class, you will have your math test usually the 2nd week, at least we did and i'm evening/saturday program. some people failed the first time when i was in np1. also review qid, q, prn, po, stat, kvo etc you will see and use those acronyms daily in clinicals
2) i thought lifespan-dev psyc could only be taken by nursing students? it would be great to get this out of the way if i can.
no, anyone can take it. it is a pre-req for bsn at usf
3) chm 1045 is a great tip, do you suggest this over lifespan-dev psyc? seems like it may help more in my first semester, but i look to you for your thoughts on this. i believe they are both required for usf's bsn or rn-msn program, which i'm planning on going into after hcc.
don't hold me to chem 1045. i have to check my transcript but i took the correct one that would transfer to usf in the summer at dale mabry. i'll check and get back to you which one it was. i would take the chem over lifespan if you are ok in math because you will have already taken psych or social studies so you will already have been introduced to erikson's stages, maslow's heirarchy, piaget, etc. the chem will help you in math, fluid and electrolytes, osmolarity, gases, etc yes, they are both required at bsn. lifespan is the easier class but i think taking the chem will help you more.
4) i looked up usf's requirements and they only listed chm xxxx, have you heard directly from them that 1045 is acceptable? i know my a&p i and ii from hcc will not be acceptable and i'll have to take the 2000 level courses later, which is frustrating when time is so important and i can only take one course a semester while working full-time.
i thought that the a&p 1 and 2 at hcc are accepted at usf as well as lifespan, nutrition, micro etc. you may want to double check that. i'll double check the exact prefix for the chem. community college classes are 1000-2000 level and i believe that usf accepts the sciences from the nursing program. .
5) i was also considering taking a cna course and getting that license prior b/c it would help me with the bed making, bathing, etc. plus, i can then use it to get a part time nurse tech position somewhere after my first semester so i can start getting experience and making connections. what do you think of this; helpful or waste of time?
if you have 6mths or longer before getting into the program i would take the cna but you really don't have to. after passing the first semester of nursing school, you are qualified to work as a nurse tech. i know uch -fletcher hires nursing students who have passed 1st semester and they make a bit more than the cnas. i would just watch the dvds that come with the package or go on line and watch youtubes on how to make a bed, give a bed bath , take vital signs, insert foley, ppe, handwashing , do a complete assessment and/or reading the skills in potter and perry. this will defnitely give you a leg up and a comfort factor when you start school. first semester skills for the first 2-3 weeks are heavy on vital signs, bed bath, changing bed linens and assessment, assessment!
thank you so much for all your help and insight! i feel so much better knowing that i have a plan developing to make good use of my last 7-8 months of freedom. :)
just did my last clinical lab today, yipee! on monday, we take the kaplan exam which is worth 40pts so have to go and review as it is cummulative.
good luck and ask questions away.
p.s chemistry will help you with f&e. even if you choose not to take a chem class, right before starting the program, review the chapter on f&e in potter and perry. you will see it in np1 and again in np2 and in crf, kidney disease, diabetes, fluid & electrolytes never leave you. you will reference it if your patient is hyperkalemic, hypokalemic, hypo/hypernatremic, hypo/hypercalcemia etc can't stress enough and assessment, assessment as every week at clinicals, we had to do assessements on our patients.
Congratulations on finishing NP1!!! NOW, enjoy the holidays!
I ordered the books you mentioned this morning. Also looked into signing up for a chemistry course and wonder why CHM 1045 was suggested by NewGoalRN instead of Chemistry for Health Sciences (CHM 1032). Seems like CHM 1032 would be more of what I would need to be able to apply towards NP1 and if USF will take any CHM course when why not 1032? Any thoughts?
Are you planning on transferring to USF and doing the BSN or RN to MSN program?
This is the course that I took:
CHM-1032 86042 Chem for Hlth Sci
3.00
09/SU
5CHM-1032L 86044 Chem for Hlth Sci Lab
CHEM 1032 Chemistry for Health Sciences so scratch the 1045. Regarding the NCLEX, yes, I have 3-4 NCLEX books that I use and they all help me in my exams. Get you a good NCLEX test book with rationales and use that as augmentation for your studies. I have NCLEX Made Easy with rationales, Prentice-Hall, Saunders, etc. Now that we have switched from Hesi to Kaplan end of semester cummulative tests, Kaplan gave us a review book and we also had access to quizes for each system on line with rationales explained etc. Hopefully, NP1 also have this resource.
congratulations on completing your clinicals and good luck on the kaplan test monday! wow, cumulative! ugh! not looking forward to that!
thank you so much for replying during this crazy time. i have some more questions/comments but please do not feel like you need to respond until after monday.
1) you mentioned that you are in the evening/saturday program, do you work during the day? if so, is it a full-time job and how do you feel it impacts your studies/grades? i'm trying to determine if i need to quit my job or if i can get through school and not have my grades suffer. i definitely plan on going beyond the rn and bsn so i can't afford to get low marks.
2) i think i will try to take chm 1032 this next semester and maybe fit life span in during the summer as those are tougher semesters since they are so short. below is what i was referencing on the usf requirements (copied and pasted from usf's site:
the following courses are required for those in the rn-bs or rn-ms programs, in order to complete the bachelor of science with a major in nursing.
note: english composition i and ii and gordon rule math are required to be admitted to the program. the remainder of these courses may be taken prior to entering usf or while a student in the nursing program at usf.
human anatomy & physiology i (4) - bsc 2085/l
human anatomy and physiology ii (4) - bsc 2086/l
microbiology with lab (4) - mcb 2000/l
any one course in: chemistry (chmxxxx), biology (bscxxxx), physics (phyxxxx), or biochemistry (bchxxxx) (3-4)
life span (human growth and development) (3) - dep 2004
human nutrition (3) - hun 2201
statistics (3) - sta 2122
any one course in: psychology (psyxxxx), sociology (sygxxxx), or social psychology (sopxxxx) (3-4)
fine arts (3)
humanities (6)
human and cultural diversity in a global context (3)
i attended an info session at usf earlier this year for the bsn program for ppl that already have a four yr degree in another field. the one thing they stressed was to make sure that any required courses like a&p, micro, etc. that we may take at a cc, match the course number/level they are asking for. she specifically mentioned that hcc's a&p i & ii are the 1000 level (bsc 1085 & 1086) however usf requires bsc 2085 & 2085 and micro at hcc is mcb 1000 not mcb 2000 which is usf's requirement.
here is what i don't know...if we transfer with a complete rn, will we need the 2000 level a&p i & ii and micro? the way it is listed on their site looks like we will need to complete the higher level no matter what but i'm not 100% sure of that since at the info session i attended she strongly suggested getting an rn first and then transferring over as we are accepted no matter what but the bsn program above requires a gpa of 3.7ish and is very competitive. of course she may have meant we are accepted no matter what but we will still have to complete the higher level pre-reqs.
i'm planning to attend the rn-msn info session in jan to find out more. i really don't want to take life span if i end up having to repeat it since the above text states that they require the 2000 level course. if 2000 level courses are required, then i will already have to repeat three of the toughest courses, which i'm not looking forward to!
if you have attended the usf info sessions and know more about this, please let me know.
thank you for all the other tips, study guide ideas, etc. i feel like i have learned so much in the last few days that will help me map out a study plan and determine which courses to take on my own that will help down the road. this type of info is a big help for a control freak like myself!
Hey everyone ! Long time no talk to. I've clearly been living under a rock this semester. Hope everyone's semester went well. Our Kaplan is today and then we're finished for the next 3 weeks *wine!!! So happy I made it out of NP1 alive ('cause sometimes I didn't think I would, lol). Anywho, just stopping in to say hello. Congratulations to all those that will be entering Spring semester. Disclaimer: Things will seem impossible but they won't be, you'll make it through :ancong!:.
P.S. These smiley faces make my day everytime:rckn:
I just wanted to mention two study guides that really helped me this past semester in NPI - "Fundamentals Success" and "Med-Surg Success". Also, answering the Evolve's website NCLEX-style questions for each chapter was very helpful, too. Like others on here have mentioned, try to start out really strong since the material gets more difficult as the term goes on. The math test is by far the easiest of all of the exams and I found the D/H x V formula was the simplest to use. The best advice I can give: DO NOT get behind on your reading and pay attention to the boxes and tables in each chapter. Best of luck to all the new NPI students - you can do this!!!
I ordered three of the books mentioned on here to get me started. I decide I'm going to take this upcoming spring term off from any classes and just focus on reading and preparing for NP1, which I hope I will be starting Aug of 2011.
I have a question for anyone that has been accepted. When you got your notice that your application package had been received, did it state that you had everything needed for the application or just that it had been received?
I just turned my package in this past week and I received my self-addressed, stamped envelop in the mail yesterday but it was only stamped on the back with "RECEIVED 2010 Dec 15 PM 4:25", which was the day I dropped it in the box. Does this mean they received it AND it had everything or just that they received it? I assume it is not confirmation that the package is complete. If that is the case, how do I confirm that they have everything they need?
Does anyone have any advice/tips for the NP2 math calc test? Our teacher does not go over the math at all and the test is quickly approaching! Also, has anyone had Ms. ****** in Plant City?
Just wanted to say hello...our FINAL exam for NP2 is tomorrow...so I need to be studying but decided to take a quick break! AND relay some IMPORTANT INFORMATION:
BEFORE YOU BUY ANY SCRUBS: I heard (through my NP2 instructor) that HCC is going to be changing the scrub colors!!! He said that they are REVERSING the colors: The TOPS will be WHITE and the BOTTOMS will be Port Wine!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
:confused::confused::confused::confused:
Although I REALLY agree with getting rid of the WHITE pants...I am a little upset. I am hoping I can save anyone that has NOT yet purchased scrubs, some $$$$.
He mentioned that for NEXT semester (FALL 2011)..they will still allow the original scrubs to be worn, BUT...after that semester it will be MANDATORY to have WHITE TOPS and PORT WINE BOTTOMS. For me, personally, that means that I have to buy NEW scrubs to wear for ONE SEMSTER (my LAST semester)!!
I (and some of my classmates) are hoping that they will allow us to finish (NP4) in our original scrubs...but we will see!
FYI...on the scrub situation...ALL NEW/incoming students must have white tops/port wine bottoms. Those that started the program with the original scrubs CAN finish out the program with what they have. Although, personally (after more thought), I like to change things up a bit, and am VERY excited to wear port wine pants, instead of white! Hope everyone is enjoying summer break!! :)
! Long time no talk to. I've clearly been living under a rock this semester. Hope everyone's semester went well. Our Kaplan is today and then we're finished for the next 3 weeks *wine!!! So happy I made it out of NP1 alive ('cause sometimes I didn't think I would, lol). Anywho, just stopping in to say hello. Congratulations to all those that will be entering Spring semester. Disclaimer: Things will seem impossible but they won't be, you'll make it through :ancong!:.
:confused:
NewGoalRN
602 Posts
just did my last clinical lab today, yipee! on monday, we take the kaplan exam which is worth 40pts so have to go and review as it is cummulative.
good luck and ask questions away.
p.s chemistry will help you with f&e. even if you choose not to take a chem class, right before starting the program, review the chapter on f&e in potter and perry. you will see it in np1 and again in np2 and in crf, kidney disease, diabetes, fluid & electrolytes never leave you. you will reference it if your patient is hyperkalemic, hypokalemic, hypo/hypernatremic, hypo/hypercalcemia etc can't stress enough and assessment, assessment as every week at clinicals, we had to do assessements on our patients.