Hillsborough Community College Spring 2009

Well, it is my understanding that you will HAVE to do the TEAS test. I'm just now sure how they will implement it. I am guessing that they will use it along with TABE scores, application deadlines met, whether you have a college degree to rank qualified applicants. She already told me that not everyone will get in.

wow that's scary! Well, all i can do is buy the study book and get to studying! The thing is we just don't have much time to study for it granted that classes begin again in August. Some of the review questions i was like wow how would i ever have known that! There are like physics questions on there! Oh well, everything happens for a reason. I'll just prepare as best as I can. Thanks for all of your help and we'll be in touch.

u r welcome. good luck and we will definitely be in touch. You may want to call erwin and see what they tell you. I know if you do a search here on teas test, you will get loads of up to date information on how it is and what to expect.

I know they have physical sciene, few ap questions and other stuff that there is no way you could know.

Just think positive and do the best u can.

OK everyone here is the latest:

a) they will be deciding on alternates in mid april

b) they do NOT contact alternates if they do not make it

c) gpa cutoff is 3.429

d) not all alternates make it in and never have in the past

e) you can not retake a course if it is a C or higher

f) Many students have an identical prerequisite gpa. With identical grades, the

overall or cumulative gpa is used to break the tie

g) the Nursing Program typically receives better than 450 applications for approximately 120-130 seats

That is all the research I did today. I corresponded with a counselor at Dale Mabry. I am now officially burnt out and ready to redirect my career to grocery bag packing. I hope I get accepted to that. Paper or plastic?

Hello everyone and thank you for sharing all of your information. I am new to the forum, however, I have been following the conversation for a few days. I am an HCC applicant for the Fall 2009 session and I am getting a bit anxious because I have not received my letter yet. I see that many of you have and I am hoping to see mine soon as well. I moved after I applied, so hopefully mine is just caught up in the mail forwarding process...Anyway, I look forward to chatting with you all!

NewGoalRN -do you have any recommendations for a TEAS study guide? Also you missed an awesome pity-party... it rocked. LOL. Your message about that made me laugh and cheered me up. You were right, I need to not whine and make the best of it. So I am going to study for TEAS b/c one day I am going to need to be prepared!

www.ati.co I believe that this is the official TEAS site and they sell the guide for $38-they also offer a package which includes the study guide and an opportunity to take the test on line as practice for $58.

i would also do a search here for 'teas test'. There are lots of threads/comments re this with lots of useful info. I believe that someone mentioned using the Kaplan Nursing Entrance test book to sudy- they said that it was more inclusive of the science subjects than the actual Teas guide.

Regarding the Pity-Party- don't invite yourself to one again. U can feel sorry for yourself for about 5mins but then shake it off and start to strategize about plan b, plan c etc.

Good luck

I've been reading the comments from the past few days and I'm glad to see I'm not the only one who has been racking their brain. For those who are interested. There is an LPN and RN program at PHCC. The next deadline is 5/30 and classes will start in August. From what I was told is there is a Nursing Entrance Test you have to take b4 you can apply. The good (or bad) thing is your score on the test is the biggest factor for acceptance. So for those of us who have decent GPAs but not good enough for Fall @ HCC we could still have a chance. Just a thought. Good Luck to everyone and just remember if it was easy to get in everyone would be doing it.

Jacquie1 et al.

The lab hours are in addition to the clinical hours. The lab will have an RN sitting in there, and you have to go in and practice skills, as in assessments, blood pressures, etc. Or sometimes you can watch skills videos. The good news is that you can focus on whatever you feel deficient in. Also, if the RN covering the lab is cool, you can pick his/her brain and hear some war stories.

The bad news is that the lab is not always staffed.... They try hard to keep it staffed, but sometimes it is hard to find RNs to come in and do this work.... SO, it is hit or miss. There will be a schedule of lab hours posted, and you just have to fit it in. There were ALSO 5 or 10 hours of computer lab hours in addition to the nursing lab hours. The computer lab hours can be spent viewing skills DVDs or practicing NCLEX type questions. The computer lab at Dale Mabry is right beside the nursing lab. I did some of my nursing lab hours in Plant City......

The best advice I can give you is to relax.... It is a very fair program, and what seems like madness and chaos early on actually gets better the further on you go. NP II was easier than NP I, and NP III has only been hard because of the amount of information--NP III has Peds, OB and Psych. NP II is basically a continuation of NP I's med-surg content. Keep a good attitude and you will get along with all the instructors. I find the people that have the most trouble adjusting to the culture of this program are 20-25 year olds.

You will have all the tools you need to succeed. The instructors do not set you up for failure. Plan ahead. Having elective surgery? Do it before the program starts. Like barefoot water skiing or other extreme sports? Do it after you graduate. Want to experience the joys of pregnancy? Do it after you graduate.

Now advice you can't afford to ignore: However much data you gather for your care plan, it will not be enough, gather more. Think you can do the care plan the night before it is due? Forget it. Plan on spending 2-3 days of uninterrupted work on your care plans. Turn you care plan into your clinical instructor one or two weeks before it is due, and perhaps they will give you a chance to correct your mistakes before the final due date.

Never be late to clinicals. It is rude to your instructor, fellow students, and the nurses you hope to work with that day, and dangerous to the patients. Being late risks making you miss "Report," which is that golden window of time where the night nurse passes on all the VITAL information to the oncoming morning nurse about the patients she/he will be taking care of that shift. If you miss that "Report," you will be playing catch up all day, and you will start the day on a bad note with the nurse who is supposed to be teaching you. And if you make the whole clinical group late for report, woe unto you.

Set three alarm clocks, your cell phone alarm, get your land line to make wake up call, use a wind up alarm clock if you need to, in case the power goes out. Do not be late to clinicals. Don't forget your stethoscope or pen light, id, etc. Have a spotless uniform and very clean shoes. Spit the gum out in your car. If you wear contacts, don't! Wear your glasses. Nothing worse than getting to clinicals at 6:00 AM and having to leave at 9:00 AM because you lost a contact. (Glasses also help protect your eyes from errant body fluids.)

Sorry, I didn't mean to get on a soapbox. Did I mention not to be late for clinicals?

roman - THANK you for the awesome post! I love hearing exactly that kind of information...I feel it will help me prepare immensely! Now, I think you addressed this, but I want to double check as this is really the issue i'm most concerned with....it is okay to do lab hours (computer/nursing lab) at the opposite campus you are taking classes on? This is my biggest concern, as even though it will be an hour drive for classes/clinicals, that will work out fine. But driving the hour each way for the lab hours is going to push it and it would be awesome to only have the 30 minute to DM drive.

Again, I think you pretty much said that was okay, but I wanted to double check. I also know I can find all this out at orientation, but that just seems so far off!!

Thanks again :)

Danielle

Danielle, I did some of my lab hours at Plant City, and some at Dale Mabry, and it was fine. But a couple of times at Plant City the lab was closed. If an RN calls in sick, that is something to be prepared for, SO THE POINT IS, get your hours done EARLY in the semester. But always double check with your instructor to make sure it is kosher, in case lab policies change.

Also, don't pester the nursing program or other professors with lots of questions before the semester starts unless it is absolutely necessary. They get dozens and dozens of emails a day. You might get ignored, get a flip answer, or they just might remember you as dippy when you really do need a favor. Just write your questions down on a notebook and take them with you to class. OR, post them here, and I will respond back when I have time. Spend this time before you start the program having fun, losing weight if necessary, exercising, learning how to relax, and strengthening your marriage or relationship with SO (significant other). Pay off your car if you can and save some extra money for car repairs--like oil, brakes and tires. Schedule your physical, lab work, etc. asap. You should get all the medical forms at orientation.

As I am a book nut, I strongly recommend the book: How to Survive & Maybe Even Love Nursing School, by Kelli S. Dunham, RN, BSN. Published by F.A. Davis Company, Philadelphia. I have the 3rd edition, but there may be a newer edition out there. --Roman813

NewGoal, the evening/weekend course has the same lab requirements as the day classes. No slack is cut the evening/weekend people. There are fewer lab hours in the evenings, and obviously you will be in clinicals on Saturdays. You will just have to work the lab hours in. If you start early, it will not be a problem for the nursing lab hours or for the computer lab hours. Yes, you may have to cut your hours back at work, take some paid time off, or use vacation time to squeeze everything in. There are many students who work full time and do very well. But these students are usually able to take a weekday off here and there to make it happen. Be honest with your employer about what is going on, if you can. Don't think you can cram everything into two weeks, because the lab may not be open then. Knock those lab hours out a couple of hours at a time, and you will be fine.

thanks for the book recommendation...i love to read so that's a great idea!

And also for all the great information...it's invaluable to me!