Lorain County Community College - RN program in Spring 2013

I started in the fall. I know it's hard going into the first semester not knowing what to expect, but don't worry too much - you will be fine! :) I'm happy to answer any questions you have.

Really, burden away - it's winter break and I don't mind! :)

Cut throat students? I really didn't witness that at all. The program is tough. They try to make it seem way scarier than it is. That was the hardest thing in the beginning. The first thing they do on the first day of all of your classes is tell you all of the different ways you will fail the program. What I saw with the students was more of a banding together to survive than anything else. Everyone is equally scared!

Some of the instructors were - umm - nicer than others. Do you know who you have yet?

My advice would be to take a deep breath and not let your nerves sabotage you. That's what will get you in your check offs. I would also say from my experience, don't bog yourself down with reading the 500 pages a week that they assign to you in 115. Pay attention and take good notes in class, study your power points, and use the book for supplemental knowledge (ie - topics you don't understand or to answer specific questions on the study guide that you can't find in the power points.) I saw people get overwhelmed at exam time trying to memorize every bit of material from every chapter of the book and lose sight of the important points. 114 you will have to read your books because there are no power points.

Clinicals - Do you have any hospital background? Dive in and do everything that you can. The first semester is pretty easy. Show up early, keep busy all day, finish your preps and care plans, and don't miss any classes, and you should be fine.

I can't think of anything else offhand - if you have any specific questions please feel free to ask.

Hi there! I'm entering my last semester, feel free to ask any questions!

Some students are cut throat, but mostly, they're not. We really do band together. Find someone that you study well with. :)

I was at orientation on Monday and Tuesday. Welcome, good luck and you can do this! :)

I can't speak for anyone else, but I used free apps. There was no place for us to leave anything or sit down at all at our clinical site, so I didn't bring more than what I could carry with/on me. So I had my ipod with apps (I used skyscape and got a free Davis Drug download), my clinical papers, and clipboard. I never used the books.

I did hear jabbering about us being on our devices from nursing staff on the floor - but as far as I know, we are allowed to be using these things, or else they wouldn't give us the option of downloading $$$ worth of reference books onto our devices rather than buying the hard books.

Every instructor is different, though - so I'd wait until the first day of clinical to see what they tell you.

So, the thing is, some hospitals you're not allowed to use them at all. EMH was one, but I used mine on occasion in 210, in a pixis room where patients and families couldn't see. The thing is, when they see us on a device, they think we're on FB or texting, they don't know we're looking something up. Most of the hospitals have programs that you can use, but I found them cumbersome compared to Nursing Central, likely because I was used to that software. :) In 115, you don't prep the night before, so it depends upon your clinical instructor as to what you'll need to do/turn in that day. After 115, you prep the night before, so you won't have to look many drugs up while on the floor, only new orders.

Also, you can still use the software after a year, you just can't do an update. So, update right before the year expires.

​Lorain county community college is not a good choice at all...run away

LCCC nursing program is terrible. I am ashamed of the treatment the staff of the nursing program have. It is ran by a bunch of heartless, non caring women that need to be loved to understand compassion at all. There test don't even match the curriculum that you pay for, and there is no recourse for anything that you have been through. The department head tells you if you can't give up you life, family, and job to go through the program then you might want to find another career. Going to University of Akron and getting a Bachelors degree in the same amount of time that LCCC tries to figure out the pearson curriculum that contradict there own material from book to book. Good luck is all I can say