NHCTC-Manchester...does anyone know where we get our "lab kit" from??

Animal3 · Jul 30, 2009

I am pretty sure we can buy it on the 4th along with our syllabus.

kmwyman · Jul 30, 2009

yep you're right! :) I went in today to hand in my packet of stuff we had to do, and I asked about it and they said exactly that...thanks!

sistasoul · Aug 24, 2009

Hi All,

First off congrats on getting accepted into Manchester. Not an easy task to do. Very competetive. I was just browsing the site and seen this entry. I graduated in 2008 and the instructor who teaches the lab portion of the curriculum is fantastic. You will just love Sim. She is very supportive and caring. Good luck to you and maybe I will see some of you as students at the hospital where I work. Don't worry, I will not be the mean nurse who does not like to have students. My best advice to all is to just persevere and never quit. The workload is very heavy but perserverance is the key.

kmwyman · Aug 24, 2009

Thank you so much for that post! It was so encouraging :) I start next week and I just started getting so stressed out...that post couldn't have come at a more perfect time!

sistasoul · Aug 24, 2009

Thank you so much for that post! It was so encouraging :) I start next week and I just started getting so stressed out...that post couldn't have come at a more perfect time!

Keep in touch with me and I can help you with tips and pointers and such. I will tell you right off the bat that the first test we had the first semester was 28 chapters from different books. A lot of the information was the same from different books so just check it out and see what overlaps. I will tell you that you cannot do all of the reqired reading. If you do you will not remember it all anyways. My advice would be to take really good notes on your powepoints. Try to write EVERYTHING down that the instructor says. I would try to do what reading I could but I would definitely go by the powerpoints and the lectures for studying and then go back through the books for what you didn't understand. Some students record lectures. I am not sure if they are letting students do that still or not.

I flipped out when I saw all of the required reading. Do not worry if you cannot get it all done as the powerpoints are what the instructor feels is important. Use the books to supplement the powerpoints. Another tip is to get NCLEX style question books. A really good one and one that the staff recommended was the NSNA NCLEX study. This book not only gives you the question it gives really good and short synopsis's of entire chapters of your med-surge, maternity and mental health books ( I still use mine as a nurse because there is so much you don't know as a new grad). Definitely get that book as some instructors have been known to take questions directly from NCLEX books (don't spread that around or they will stop taking their questions from the books if word gets out). Also, do the questions at the end of the chapters- especially the boring nursing management one. Instructors have been known to take questions from there as well. Also another good source would be the disks that come with your books. Some of my fellow students would study NCLEX books that were in the library. A group of students would get together and study these books before the tests. Also, lean on and support one another. The only people who can understand what it is like to be a nursing student is another nursing student. I would not have made it without the support of my friends. It is a really tough two years. I have a previous degree in Finance and that was a piece of cake compared to this. Just keep going and do not stop. A lot of people did not make it becuase of the amount of time that you need to dedicate to the program and they just gave up or had family problems, etc, etc. We started with 56 students. Out of the original 56 students we ended up graduating with 27 original students and some that came in as LPNs and others who had come back to repeat a semester.

In clinicals- the first semester is mostly LNA stuff with a little more thrown in. If you are not an LNA I would buddy up with someone and have them show you the ropes. It can be quite intimidating to wash another person's body if you have never done so. It all becomes second nature after a while. The clinical paperwork can be quite overwhelming also. The care plans and other stuff they have you do is a lot. I would buddy up with someone and do them together if you can. Of course your care plan will be different than someone elses because the patients will be different. I hated the clinical paperwork but it helps you to think like a nurse.

Let me know who you have for clinical and I will help you out with what to expect. Some instructors are more particular than others regarding the paperwork and if it is not done correctly they will hand it back to you and tell you to fix the parts that are incorrect. Istructors really respect you if you go to them and ask for help during their office hours. NEVER talk back to an instructor during clinical or give attitude. That is the kiss of death for a student. ALWAYS be prepared for clinical. There is a lot of clinical pre-paperwork to do such as meds, diagnoses, interventions, etc. If you don't know something an instructor asks of you the best answer you can give is that I don't know but I CAN LOOK THAT UP. ESPECIALLY MEDS!!!!!!!!!!!

Most of the instructors are nice and want you to succeed. If you succeed they have succeeded as teachers. Act confident even though you may not feel it.

KEEP IN TOUCH with me let me know what I can do to help.......

kmwyman · Aug 25, 2009

Wow you are ridiculously helpful!!!! I will definitelykeep in touch. Thanks so much for all the advice. I still don't know who I have for

clinicals but I'll let you know :) you're the BEST

sistasoul · Aug 25, 2009

We all need all the help we can get sometimes. Enjoy ypur last few days before school. It is a wild ride you will be going on but it is doable.