Joliet Junior College Nursing Applicants

dancingkayla25 · Apr 1, 2011

GOT IN!!! NIGHT PROGRAM:) :heartbeat:heartbeat:heartbeat SOOOOOOOOO HAPPY.

LiLwannabRN · Apr 4, 2011

Congrats to you all! I'm a 3rd semester student in the program and im on this site often..i always check to congratulate all the newbies! Its a great program! I wish you all the best! :yeah: Any questions i'm always willing to help!

Emerald2 · Apr 4, 2011

Thanks for joining the conversations! I actually do have some questions, if you don't mind LilRN. I don't know if you are evening program or day, but do you have any idea what the earliest the start time is for clinicals or class for evening? Also, what types of skills do you learn first semester. I am a CNA, but haven't actually used my skills in a while. I have worked in an office as a CNA for almost 9 years, not in a hospital setting and am not sure I remember how to do mitre corners on beds and do those types of things. I'm wondering if I just buy the nursing 140 book and practice over the summer, if that will cut it. What do you think? Thanks so much for the help!!

LiLwannabRN · Apr 4, 2011

Thanks for joining the conversations! I actually do have some questions, if you don't mind LilRN. I don't know if you are evening program or day, but do you have any idea what the earliest the start time is for clinicals or class for evening? Also, what types of skills do you learn first semester. I am a CNA, but haven't actually used my skills in a while. I have worked in an office as a CNA for almost 9 years, not in a hospital setting and am not sure I remember how to do mitre corners on beds and do those types of things. I'm wondering if I just buy the nursing 140 book and practice over the summer, if that will cut it. What do you think? Thanks so much for the help!!

I'm in the day program, so i'm not entirely sure what times the evening programs go..i want to say i think 4 or 5 o'clock? You can go on the school website and call down to the nursing department secreteries and they will tell you, they are wonderful down there. Since your already a CNA they will not make you take the Nurs 140 course over again, for regular class, we briefly discuss bed baths and making beds i wouldn't worry too much about it. The other skills labs in blocked times so there is always someone there to help if you have a question. 1st semester you will jump right into skills, you'll start learning medication adminstration right away, learning how to convert measurements etc. You will learn injections Sub Q and IM right away, foley catheters/straight caths are also on that list as well as dressing changes. Its busy busy and they jump right into it! Hope this helps! :nurse:

Emerald2 · Apr 4, 2011

Thanks LilRn, that helps a lot, thanks for your help! For some reason doing caths and injections is less nerve racking to me than doing bedbaths! Crazy right! Am I correct that the first semester the clinical times get longer after the first 8 weeks? I've heard that you are only in the lab at school for the first 8 weeks and the second 8 you start at the clincal site, is this correct? I'm trying to work (because I have to) and fit in enough time to study, spend time with my 3-year old and go to school, so any info helps!! Thanks again for your help and congratulations on only having 1 semester to go, I bet you are so excited!!

LiLwannabRN · Apr 4, 2011

Thanks LilRn, that helps a lot, thanks for your help! For some reason doing caths and injections is less nerve racking to me than doing bedbaths! Crazy right! Am I correct that the first semester the clinical times get longer after the first 8 weeks? I've heard that you are only in the lab at school for the first 8 weeks and the second 8 you start at the clincal site, is this correct? I'm trying to work (because I have to) and fit in enough time to study, spend time with my 3-year old and go to school, so any info helps!! Thanks again for your help and congratulations on only having 1 semester to go, I bet you are so excited!!

Yes my dear that is correct. for the first 8 weeks you will be in the lab during your "clinical topics" time learning skills and basic safety information, then you will spend some time in a nursing home and then you will go to one of the hospitals. When your in clinical topics its only a 2 hour block and as you move into the nursing home/hospital then time extends for me it was 630a-2p ( i think haha) but times will be different for the evening classes. I too work and go to school so it can be a challenge at first and i have been in class with plenty of mothers who have children and work and go to school. It can be done! I find it best once you know 100% what your schedule is to get a calender (or make one) and "block out" times for each, it seems goofy and it may be unrealistic to stick to it 110% but it will definitely help with time managment. Another word of advice would be when it comes to studying yes, reading through things in the book is beneficial but it's alot..i suggest skimming though and picking out the important pieces of information because reading 3-4 chapters will completely overwhelm you and can be confusing. I like to go through once i hear lecture and highlight through the points that were emphasized in class. There are a series of books out there called "Incredibly easy" they have a book for just about every subject covered throughout nursing school and they are GREAT! Very easy to read and to the point..i highly suggest it or any other reading material you can find, the text books are great sources of information but there is alot and many times you are not held accountable for EVERYTHING in that section. During first semester (if you feel spunky over the summer and want to get a jump on things) In theory they will cover; the history of nursing, maslow, nursing process/critical thinking, ethical/legal issues, normal aging, immobility, osteoporosis/pre/post op hip surgery, saefty/rest and sleep, CVA's/ nervous system, oxygenation, fluid and electrolytes, acid/base (ABG's), nutrition and basic lab intpretation. Physical assessment will be a large part of clinical topics so familiarizing yourself with that will help to! Also theres a book called "calculate with confidence" that goes over dosaging and calculations familiarizing yourself with that will also help tremendously because there will be math on every test you take for the whole program. ( your not responsible for knowing IV calculations or pediatric calculations until 2nd semester so ignore those) Sorry ..i know this is alot but the more you know maybe the less stressed you will be! I'm always open for discussion! =) :nurse:

Emerald2 · Apr 5, 2011

Great advice LilRN on the books. There's a girl in my Bio 251 class that uses the Incredibly Easy book for that and chemistry and she says they are awesome, so I will definately look into that. I will start reading over the summer for sure. You made me feel better about my CNA skills! I will have to practice my math as well. I used to work for an endo dr and I constantly had to calculate insulin dosages as well as other types of injections. I've actually given injections before, but only prefilled flu shots so I don't think that really counts! Thanks a lot for the info, it's hard to not know what kind of schedule you have, especially when you know you have to cram a lot into the time you do have. Thanks again and keep in touch!

almamatters · Apr 6, 2011

congratulations to you! :yeah: i still remember how exited i was to begin the evening program, and more so to finish (graduated last year). i got through it as a single working mom, just keep your eyes on the prize.

if someone could have told me before i started what to study that would make my life easier every semester, it would have been pharm and fluids/electrolytes. for me rote memorization is not helpful, i need to know why things work or don't, which helps when it comes to much of the content like disease processes and how/why drugs work. but for some of it, like the different kinds of insulin (onset, peak, duration), different classes of antibiotics, and lab levels you just have to memorize it and know it cold. you will be asked on tests and in clinicals to apply that knowledge throughout all 4 semesters to one degree or another, and it's something you can start on at any time. i agree that the "Made Easy" series of books can be a good starting point to give you a simplified, organized overview. pharm is a huge area, the sooner you start on it the better. just my humble opinion. also, if JJC is still doing pharm online, be forewarned those timed tests can include questions on random drugs you didn't even cover, the instructors want to see how well you work on your feet to find the answer. seemed unfair at the time, in retrospect that's just a glimpse of what's to come so maybe wasn't such a bad idea.

also, i am a total geek when it comes to a&p and pathophysiology, that's just me. some evening instructors will stress it, some will tell you that you're not a dr so you don't need to know it (don't get me started...). i say, do yourself and your future patients a favor, and don't skip it even if you're told you can. it's not enough to memorize renal failure symptoms; know why they are occuring and you can anticipate what you, as the nurse, will be told to do, what drugs you'll be giving and why, and what you need to watch for that will require you to call the dr and get an order someday on the floor as an RN. also more immediately, those kinds of questions will be on your exams, will happen in clinicals, and will be on NCLEX. i promise if not first semester then every other semester you will get tons of test questions asking you to prioritize patient care (e.g. you get 5 patients with different situations, what order would you see them in). and for that you have to be able to include anticipating what could happen as well as assessing what is happening. that's pure pathophys!

anyhoo, good luck to you, and feel free to contact me with questions. :rolleyes:

Emerald2 · Apr 7, 2011

Great information alma! Thanks! It's reassuring to hear that you did it being a single mother, that's a lot, congratulations!! I did have a question as to whether you ever used your A&P book for nursing. I'm contemplating whether to hold onto it or sell it, I didn't know how much would be included in my nursing books and don't want to have double books. Thanks for your help!!:)

almamatters · Apr 7, 2011

i'm the wrong person to ask about that, i love my books and never get rid of them. in fact i bought alot of extra references and textbooks throughout school, and still do. i didn't love the Martini A&P text i used for A&P at JJC but i kept it and then bought a bunch of other better ones because anatomy is so important to know. if you get rid of yours, i would recommend replacing it with something better but have something good on hand. finding a vein to start an iv on is easier when you can picture the venous anatomy, especially in your patients that appear to have none. i especially like atlases because for me pictures are more helpful than words when it comes to anatomy, and since having my own cadaver is illegal. :eek: jk!

Emerald2 · Apr 7, 2011

I think I will just keep my books, just in case. I should probably get rid of my cadaver, I was unaware that it was illegal! :lol2:

JModz RN · Apr 11, 2011

Just wondering if anyone knows what the average teas score is for people who were accepted in the last few semesters for the nursing program. I know that they use a certain % for each criteria and base that towards your acceptance or denial into the program, but I have no idea if what a "good" score is. My overall teas score was a 79.3%, reading was 92.9%, I've got 5/6 classes completed and out of those I have a 3.8 GPA. I still have no idea if this is even close to being good enough to get in! Any thoughts and comments appreciated! Thanks!!!

Hi!! I'm a JJC grad - Dec 2010.

Your TEAS score is very good especially if you got a 92.9% in reading, congrats! People have asked me in the past why they look at reading more closely than the other areas and it's because you really need the comprehension and abiliity to critically think to survive nursing school let along be a nurse! And with your GPA, you should be a shoe-in. I'm pretty sure the averages when I got in (which would be Spring 2009) were Teas 78, GPA 3.2 so you're well above those!

Good luck! Think positive, I bet you got it.