Motlow State things I wish I knew.

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As I wind down on my first year in the program, I have reflected a lot on the kids of things I wish I knew going into the program, and I thought these things may be helpful for others.

  • Don't expect a specific date for finding out you got in... we waited forever, and this could also be the first time you realize just how unorganized the program is.
  • The program had a 100% NCLEX pass rate for the 2015 graduates, but they definitely lost a lot of people along the way.
  • You will have two orientations before school starts, and then another before the spring semester. Also one before you start your second year. At our first orientation, I left freaking out and panicking, things got a little better.
  • Expect to pay about $1,000 + on scrubs, books, supplies etc. You will have a mountain of books.
  • You will have a packet of additional things to complete and pay for like drug tests, and background checks and TB tests, and a physical.
  • Buy the "success" books that are recommended. Also use the online resources of your textbooks. It's a good way to get used to the questions, and occasionally a question will show up from them.
  • If you get in at Mcminnville or Smyrna, expect to drive down to Moore County at least once a week, but really twice a week for the first half of the semester. It's less each additional semester but still more than I think they ever let people on.
  • We learn by ITV. If you don't know what this is, it is where they broadcast the lectures to campuses. For some of us, this doesn't make any difference, for others, it is a big deal and directly effects how we learn. I had no idea when I was applying that there would not be an instructor in front of me daily. It just depends on who is teaching to which campus they are at. If you are on a broadcast campus, you will see the powerpoint and a tiny tiny little picture of the instructor teaching.
  • When you start, expect your schedule to be M, W- 9-12 T, TH- 9-4. after a few weeks, you will see one of the days, either Tues or Thursday go down to either 9-12 or 1-4 once you get broken into lab groups. The other day will stay a long day for a bit, until you begin clinicals in October.
  • Expect to study. I don't care if you have never had to study before in your life, you will have to study. You will find something that works for you. I recommend practicing NCLEX style questions, because they are unlike anything else you've ever answered. Those who got by on not having to study in core classes struggled their first semester. If you go into it with your expectations checked, maybe that won't be you. You do need to read the textbooks, (sometimes there will be a question mentioned once in one textbook).
  • youtube Mike Linares, he runs simplenursing.com which you can also register for, and it helps a lot. Not everyone loves his teaching style, but he has been extremely helpful for some of us. I also recommend picmonic if you are a visual learner, Mosby's notecards, and also pinterest is a great resource.
  • The first test scores will be low, try your hardest to accept it and just move on to studying for the next test.
  • This is the big one. This program is completely disorganized. It can be a huge source of frustration if you let it. Maybe if you go in expecting it to be horribly disorganized it won't be so annoying. We lost people after first semester that passed but couldn't stand the thought of coming back, because they were so frustrated with how the program was run.
  • Ask the second years for help. Some of the best information and help I've had has come from second years.
  • You will also have to take 1400, and it is the biggest source of frustration your first semester.
  • Forget MLA, everything is APA format now.

I hope that helps. Be prepared that it's going to be rough. It will be incredibly hard, but you can do it and it will be so rewarding in the end. Our nurses are highly sought after for employment.

Good Luck.

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This is very helpful, thank you!! If you don't mind, I'd like to ask you a couple of questions. Where do the clinicals take place?

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When you first start your first year, you will do all long term care the first semester. There was a facility in Antioch (Don't know the name), The Lynchburg LifeCenter, NHC Murfreesboro and NHC Tullahoma, though these are subject to change... The Antioch facility was new this year, and they used to have one in Shelbyville. You will be at clinical from 6:30AM until about 2:30 PM though some groups were done closer to noon. Just depends on your instructor.

Second Semester you are all over... You do 3 days in OB either at Stonecrest or at Harton, a day in med surg (ours is at Harton, but I know last years was not this way), a day in surgery observing at Stonecrest or Harton, a day in a Coffee County or Rutherford County school observing, a Pediatric simulation at the Moore County campus, and a day at the Health Department, ours is in Bedford County.

Your second year, just depends, there are facilities all over...and some are new. Most of your time with Med Surg, but you do do a Psych rotation (I know one facility for this is Vanderbilt) and also a rotation with Hospice. The main goal is to learn to manage and care for multiple patients at once, and also to provide the majority of their care during the day.

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Wow, that sounds like it is all over the place and like you said, disorganized. I'm anxious to see what it will be like if I do get accepted.

- Will they tell us the actual schedule (locations and times) in orientation?

- Do you think it will be any help that I have completed all of my non-nursing classes except for Psyc and Biol?

- Did you or any of the other students work full time while going through the nursing program? I really want to continue working while I am school. I know it will be tough but I'd hate to not have my income for that long.

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You won't get the schedule until the second orientation which I believe was in August. Or possible you may not see it until school starts, but it's all over the place. basically expect to be in school m-th. you can expect m&w to get out around noon, unless you are put in a weird lab group. keep in mind though, if you have clinical on Thursday, you will have to go to the clinical site the night before to pick up your patient, and then come home and fill out lots of paperwork. You will also have paperwork after clinical. This takes a while especially at first. Second semester and third semester your lecture will be 1-4 instead of 9-12.

If you can take classes in summer I would. You will have a hard time being in other classes AND in the program. you can also take micro online and I heard it wasn't bad.

Some students did work full time, Most of us just work weekends and breaks. Some quit jobs. It's very hard to not study all the time... It is a balance, and it's not easy. you can do full time but there really aren't many that have managed it. You just do what you have to do to make it work.

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Is the below schedule accurate to what you have experienced just for your clinical classes?

First semester:

-NURS 1410 - MW 9am-12pm & TR 7am-2pm

Second semester:

-NURS 1420 - MW 1pm-4pm

Third semester:

-NURS 2410 - MW 1pm-4pm & TR 7am-2pm

Fourth semester:

-NURS 2420 - MW 9am-12pm

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Not at all... You have lecture m&w and you will have lab and clinical tues/ Thursday but it changes and sometimes you have ccl (basically all day lecture) so first semester m/w 9-12 and Tuesday Thursday depends on when in the semester it is and what group you are in. At first expect 9-4 both days at Moore county and then you will do 9-4 one day and you will either have a 9-12 or 1-4 lab at Moore until you start labs at your campus. Once you start clinicals you will have your 3 hour lab and then clinical is 6:30-2:30 or 3 some people got out earlier though. Some weeks you will still see a 9-4 Moore county class on a tues or thurs. second semester you will have lecture m&w 1-4 and your clinicals are all over the place so it just depends on where you are that week. The main difference is you don't have to go pick up your patient the night before like you do first semester except for the med surg day.

Third semester you do m&w 1-4 lecture lavishlark 3 hrs tues or thurs and clinical is I believe 6:30-3???? And you do go the day before

4th semester is 9-12 m&w and same thing as 3rd tues thurs

you will occasionally have class on Friday but it is rare. I think only 2-4 times a semester. Every semester expect having some weeks both t&th you are 9-4 at Moore county. Sometimes it's once a week it's not every week but it does happen.

Its kind ins of hard to explain so I hope that makes sense

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