North Lake/El Centro - Fall '06!

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Congrats to all of us that were accepted to the nursing program at either campus for Fall '06!!!!

:balloons: :balloons: :balloons: :balloons: :balloons: :balloons:

I'm going to be at the NLC campus! See you in June for orientation!

Also, congrats for making it to the next semester to all new 2nd - 4th semester NLC/ECC student nurses & congrats to the graduates! :balloons:

Good luck to everyone!

Specializes in Psychiatry.

Hey guys....just thought I would pop in and say hi. It seems to me everything is moving so fast. I can't tell if I am behind or not. I am reading the chapters before class and taking notes on them while I read, then when I get to class I elaborate on the pages I printed off ecampus and elaborate during class, then I go home and listen to make sure I did not miss anything. My husband thinks I am in over kill mode, any thoughts? I am also freaking out about the physical assessment. I won't name any names....but we have to pull information out of our instructor and she did not think it was neccessary to show us the entire process of vital signs from start to finish??????? I thought that is why we were here to learn things the right way.

K

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Specializes in ante/postpartum, baby RN.
I am reading the chapters before class and taking notes on them while I read, then when I get to class I elaborate on the pages I printed off ecampus and elaborate during class, then I go home and listen to make sure I did not miss anything. My husband thinks I am in over kill mode, any thoughts?

I am also freaking out about the physical assessment. I won't name any names....but we have to pull information out of our instructor and she did not think it was neccessary to show us the entire process of vital signs from start to finish??????? I thought that is why we were here to learn things the right way.

I think your method to study for lectures is great. Your skills lab instructor doesn't seem much fun. Can you get together with other students during open lab and go thru the skills step by step? Just make sure to do the skills as your instructor wants you to do because s/he will be there to grade your performance. I have a new skills instructor and we always ask tons of questions about the skills because we have to do it her way during check off. :uhoh21:

Katie

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Specializes in Med/Surg, Tele.
:chuckle I know what you mean!

Our first test is Wednesday, 8/20. So, I'll do it after that!

The e-mail from Kanora almost seemed to lead on that we could take it online at home????? If so, and we can take each module at different settings, then I'll spread it out. If it all has to be completed at one time, I'm going to procrastinate.

As of now, my "free time" is about 12 midnight....in between dozes sitting at my desk. :uhoh3:

as i understood it, we can take the test online, but the modules each supposed to take up to 2 hours , and there are 10 of them. And that is what I think is crazy. Why do they want to give us this extra work, just do see how we can handle stress. We are allready stressed , everyone knows that? We all should tell them , please don't give us this extra work to do?

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Specializes in Med/Surg, Tele.

by the way,we had orientation at the hospital yesterday, well they showed us how to input documentation in the computer. :typing Whew, so much to remember. Then our instructor showed us around on the floors a little bit and told us hat she will let us observe a half a day in ER and OR each this semester, that's so cool. I'm excited, to get started. Next week we get to tag along with seniors and learn how to input meds into the comp. Then we get to work on the floors the following week, pilot group here we come:bugeyes:

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Well it looks like everyone is still surviving --- that's great!

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YES we are surviving - maybe with the noose around our necks just not quite tightened all the way - HOWEVER, these LASSI modules may be the thing that kicks the bucket out from under our feet to hang us!!! LOL

OK so they want to know what could keep us from succeeding in nursing school - can you say LASSI MODULES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :deadhorse As if we don't have enough to do already!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I already feel as if I am in the Titanic at the bottom of the ocean! I know our instructor originally said something about the LASSI modules being mandatory for the "repeat" students - but she didn't mention anything about the rest of us!

Sorry - I had to vent.

Anybody have any good suggestions for how to organize and operate a good study group?? I've had some input from Jamie on this site who is a graduate. Anyone else care to share their thoughts? Gauge & Katie - any thoughts since you are ahead of us? Jamie's suggestion was to split up the syllabus objectives between group members. Having a hard time doing this with all the information we have. Also could split up the "Test Blueprint" questions I guess. Just wish I knew what to expect for this first test (Sept. 22).

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Specializes in ICU, ER, HH, NICU, now FNP.

I just posted some suggestions for study groups over in the EC Thread...

Dividing pieces up works well - *IF* - everyone does notations and such to the same level and carries their weight - that means taking full responsibility for the learning of the other members of the group. If you do a study group you could divide it up such that each group member is responsible for teaching a section of the material to the rest of the group and for producing some detailed notes.

As I said in the other thread - don't be afraid to boot the folks who don't carry their weight!! You cannot afford to CARRY anyone!

I know this really seems overwhelming right now. It goes back to the old elephant eating analogy - the only way to do it is one bite at a time. Don't look at how much work you have to do this semester. Break it down to what you have to do TODAY, and THIS WEEK. Your calendar will become your best friend.

Just breathe, take the occasional sanity break and a bubble bath, and look at the little pieces - not the whole thing. The whole thing will scare you right out of your britches!

ETA - Splitting up the Test blueprint was a good way to do things in my experience. It was much more focused than the syllabus.

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GaugeIV - I really appreciate all the helpful info! Our group is getting together today for the first time to go over all the "rules" of the group and what we want to do as far as splitting up the workload.

I think I like the test blueprint idea so far - however, I only have a copy of one for another clinical group (that pilot group that learned skills this summer) and they have a different lecture instructor from our group. But I'm thinking that since we all have to know the same basic info for the NCLEX that we could still use this blueprint to get started and when we get the one from our lecture inst. we could just fill in with that info.

You are right about ONE DAY at a time!!!! I panicked yesterday when I looked too far ahead at my calendar - that happens on the weekends when I look to see what I need to do for the next week to try and prioritize homework. Tell me, is there ever such a thing as being "caught up"?!?!? I did feel better when I looked a little further down the calendar and saw that some of the reading slacked off. But I'm sure they fill that in with something else!!!!

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Specializes in Operating Room.

What is the "test blueprint" you're talking about?

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Specializes in ICU, ER, HH, NICU, now FNP.

There is a lot of reading up front in any semester. Some semesters will seem worse than others.

One bite at a time!

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Specializes in ICU, ER, HH, NICU, now FNP.

In the programs I went to - some of the instructors would provide a *very* loose outline of what material would be covered on the test. It was still pretty much a shotgun effort, but it was a nice one to two page list. If your instructor specifies what will be covered on your exams in your syllabus, but doesn't do a blueprint per se - it might be helpful for you to narrow it down to a one page or two page list if you can. It is just a helpful tool to organize studying.

They never gave page numbers or anything.. it would just say things like:

Cardiac - murmurs, congenital defects, 12 lead ekg interpretation

Resp - Pnuemonia, asthma

Etc ... so it was very general - but served a checklist for studying.

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Specializes in ante/postpartum, baby RN.
What is the "test blueprint" you're talking about?

Ms. J. only gave bluprint for the final test.

Funnie, what is this Lassi thing?

Katie

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