OCC - 2010 applicants / 2011 ADN prospective students

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Hey everyone! Im back for my second application into the ADN program at OCC ::sigh:: As I did in the thread I created last year, I am creating a new one for all those applying to the nursing progam for next fall. Lets keep in touch and keep one another updated. Good luck guys!!! :)

I have exactly four weeks until pinning through OCC and reading this post has made me realize just how lucky I am... here is my story.

I began my pre-reqs in the winter of 2007, went to school non-stop for a year and a half and completed my last class in the winter of 2008. I applied to the nursing program with a nursing GPA of 3.68 and I have always had problems with math (in fact, I was in special education in high school and was doing ninth grade level math as a senior). In the end, the math is not that hard... I only missed 3 math problems through the whole program and that was from just going over the study questions.

I am finishing the nursing program in spite of all my challenges... it is doable.

Now for the hard truth... this program is brutal and it will chew you up and spit you out if you are not prepared to make school your life for the next two years. You will meet many amazing new friends and see them fail out of the program (I have) and you will be stretched to your limits. Here are some tips and heads ups about the program:

- Take Pharmacology in the summer. I took Pharm and Foundations in the fall and it was hell... don't do this.

- Purchase a Saunders NCLEX book and start practicing the CD nclex questions... start learning how to break down the questions and think like a nurse. If you do this now, first semester will be much easier because you will not have to spend so much time attempting to "think like a nurse".

- Understand that your pre-reqs helped lay a foundation for the body and how it's systems work but they are NOWHERE NEAR THE DIFFICULTY OF YOUR NURSING CLASSES. This isn't meant to scare just prepare you... don't think that a 3.9 in your pre-reqs means that you will coast through the program... you need to know how to think like a nurse.

- Remember that, in first year, you will have both lab and theory. The difference in first semester is that your lab and theory grades will be used together to form your final grade. Therefore, if you are on the boarder in theory are are not doing so great in lab, this can bring your grade into the failing range.

- If you are struggling in class.... MEET WITH YOUR INSTRUCTOR and discuss your study habits. Keep an ongoing dialog with your instructor about how you are studying and what you plan to do to improve your grade. The same goes if you are struggling in clinical; if you are making mistakes, sit down with your instructor and discuss what why you think you were making mistakes, what you are doing to correct this and what your goals are for the future. This will show accoutability and growth

- Again... BE ACCOUNTABLE for your actions. If you make a mistake, don't pass blame but fess up to it and show what you are doing to correct the problem

- Be very careful what you say and do in clinical. Don't ever start asking a new instructor questions on the first day or you may be asking something they expect you to know and will therefore catch their attention. If you have a question, look it up first and find it on your own and THEN go to your instructor and say "Ya know, I have been reviewing this topic and this is what I've found ______... but can you help me clear up ____".... this will show that you are prudent, accountable and proactive.

- Take lab seriously. If you don't pass lab it will count as your one and only fail and you will be held back a year until you can repeat it. You do not have lab in second year.

- Finally.... take one day at a time. Nursing school stress can build to overwhelming heights between the papers, exams, clinical, care plans, ect.... take each day, each test, each careplan one at a time and just chip away at everything slowly and surely.

LASTLY.....

ENJOY NURSING SCHOOL!!!! Yeah, it's hard and stressful at times but it can also be a lot of fun! You will meet amazing people and the teachers are amazing! Even the ones who are very intense and hard are really just trying to get you to understand how serious and intense nursing is! You are going to have peoples lives in your hands and YOUR mistakes can cost other peoples LIVES... remember this when you think an instructor is being hard on you.

And if you don't make it... remember that everything happens for a reason. I would have NEVER thought that I would be sitting here prepping for graduation but God has saw me through.

You are all going into an amazing program!

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For those of you looking to get books, you might wanna try a textbook rental service, like chegg. I have used them and were happy with the service!

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about renting books, I know everyone wants to save as much money as you possibly can (god knows i cant barely rub two nickels together) but, you will need ALL of the books in this course for multiple classes. i dont know how much it is to rent books but you will need to rent them for 2 full years. the pharm book is used just about every semester and the fundamentals book is used all the time, the med surg book is used in every semester. you will find yourself looking at these books all the time and will need them for rationales on your nursing care plans. so dont sell them back at the end of the semester either.

trust me on this, in this program you find that you are paying for something new just about every semester, (had to buy a second nclex book because the saunders psych section sucked) but your books are the one thing that you really have to buy.

i also suggest you buy your med surg book at the begining of your first semester. it is a wealth of info and will help when writing nursing care plans.

oh and other than fundementals you dont need the study guides so if you can buy your books without the study guides you can save some cash.

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whosur, which second nclex book did you get? I always hear great things about saunders, so that surprised me!

I was able to get both pharm books online for $110...not bad!

Morningland/whosur--if you had to generalize, would you say that the first semester you were on campus/at clinicals mostly in the morning or in the afternoon? I have to decide whether to send my kids to morning or afternoon kindergarten (and signup is in 2 weeks!). I know the nursing schedule changes all the time, and we can't request anything....I'm just trying to 'plan' as best I can!

Thank you both for all the fantastic insights into what to expect in the program--it is extremely helpful and reassuring. I don't feel like I'm jumping in blindly thanks to you! :-)

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the saunders is ok, but i didnt like it for the psych content. seemed to vague to me. i also had heard from someone (rumor rumor rumor) that the psych prof used the incredibly easy nclex review version 5 to get her questions from. now im not saying to go out and buy that book cause you might like the saunders better.

as for clincal, you will most likely be in the morning for the nursing home rotation, cause they want you to do the morning assisted daily living routine with your patient. the acute care rotation i think is almost all morning rotations, but i thought there was 1 or 2 afternoon rotations.

you could get stuck in a morning or afternoons for theory and lab, so there will be at least 1 or 2 days you wont be home for your little one guarnteed.

sucks i know, but thats nursing school.

i always look at it this way. if you want afternoons you will get mornings, hospital near your house, you will never get a rotation there. all your friends going to a certain hospital, you wont be going there. have a bunch of friends in one class, you'll be the only one moved out of that class. :)

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Couple of questions!! Has anyone received their schedule for the summer classes?? Also to those who are in the program, I heard we have to buy white shoes, do they have to be all white or are we allowed to have, let's say a couple of lines on the sides that are grey or black???!!! I don't want to wait till last minute because I've been reading the post about how expenses add up in the program

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Couple of questions!! Has anyone received their schedule for the summer classes?? Also to those who are in the program, I heard we have to buy white shoes, do they have to be all white or are we allowed to have, let's say a couple of lines on the sides that are grey or black???!!! I don't want to wait till last minute because I've been reading the post about how expenses add up in the program

Not yet.

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shoes must be mostly white. they just dont want you to show up with shoes that have no white in them at all..........they can be tennis shoes also.

expenses do add up. cant believe all the nickel and dime crap you have to pay for

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i thought I heard/read somewhere that there are no clogs allowed....Is that just croc types with holes or are Dansko professional leather with closed backs allowed? I got a pair in white last year that I havent worn yet and am hoping I can wear them

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Specializes in Oncology.

All white, a little very light gray is fine. Dark blue/dark/gray lines are not. It might be fine with one instructor but not for most of them.

All I heard from clinical orientation today was white tennis shoes.

Crocs was mentioned earlier, well, if your croc style have no opening from anywhere. I would say it is ok.

Yes, it keep adding up with money! Just spent to buy more books, NANDA, NIC, NOC, nursing diagnosis handbook....

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Thanx for the answers!!!

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Just an fyi.. I called the nursing dept today and they advised me that we should be getting our registration letters this week for the pharm summer.

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