OCC - for Fall 2012 or Jan 2012 prospective students!

[IHeartPeds87]

Hi everyone! Okay so I decided to make a seperate thread for those of us seeing what our options are because we got the dreaded letter from OCC. It was getting hard to filter out the information pertinent to us in the general OCC thread.

I just want to tell everyone not to give up.

I had a meeting with a counselor yesterday, who basically assured me that any drastic changes made to OCC nursing admission policy could NOT be implemented in the very next admission cycle. He said that he had been a counselor for over 16 years, and the last time they made a drastic change (like from waitlist to gpa based) they grandfathered in everybody who would have been 'caught up' in the transition.

I had a 3.824 gpa. I had three classes that were not straight A's (An A- in both american government and english composition two, as well as the dreaded B in A&P 1). I am retaking all three and am going to seriousely aim for all A's. The gpa cutoff is gonna be a 3.9 something and I don't want to have to worry about not getting in again. I am going to do my best to get all A's.

I met with the counselor to discuss my options and see what to do at this point. I was considering going LPN but I don't think i'm going to do that anymore because my biggest aim is to get my RN as soon as possible. The LPN to RN transition program is only offerred every even year. What this means for us? If I were, for example to start the LPN program in January of 2012, it would be over in like March of 2013. Then I couldn't start the transition program until like July of 2014. Then I wouldn't be done with the transition program and have my RN until December of 2015! This versus the ADN RN program, which would start in the Fall of 2012 and finish in like early May of 2014.

Good luck to all of those still trying! We can't give up!!!!!

[mama p]

kizeemimi- i am starting to freak a little too. i will admit that im nervous about the workload because i also work and i have very small children. but i think there would be something wrong with us if we werent at least a little bit worried!!

[sv99]

Hi everyone,

Check online services... we are registered for summerI pharm..... so go ahead and check ... and proceed further.

[mskarb]

Sooooo Jessica and I are enrolled in monday class from 1130-330 who else is in with us! So excited :) :) :)

[TinkerBell2002]

I haven't said my name on here because its kind different and probably will be easy to identitfy but for the sake of sharing until/if I have a chance to meet some of you off of this site you can call me Ray.

I have my first choice which was for online

We have orientation 2 days before my wedding so between planning for that and making sure I get all the neccessary paperwork done its going to be quite a feat.

[princessim2003]

I'm in the Tuesday class 11:30a-3:330p. I called to bookstore yesterday and asked them if the books and syllabus was available and they said not until 2wks or so before class starts.

[B316]

I'm in Wednesdays 11:30 class

[kizeemimi]

Thanks everyone, for the comments about me not being the only one a little freaked. I feel better now :)

I am going to be in the Tuesday Pharm class, along with Princessim2003. Im getting excited. I havent gotten my books yet but think I will soon so I can start studying ahead of time. I found both books online for cheaper so I think thats what Ill do.

I wonder whats in these syllabuses, which makes us have to buy them at the bookstore...

[brodygirl]

I'm in the tuesday 11:30 class as well, which was my first choice so I am happy about that. I've started reading the first 2 chapters -- puts me to sleep everytime!

[whosurdaddy]

hello to all, congrats on getting in

if you guys dont mind some advice from someone who was in your shoes 2 years ago.

1. the syllabi are essential for all the courses becuase they usually have some project info in them and without one your screwed

2. dont sweat the workload for pharm, this is the easiest class you have, once you start in the fall, the workload really picks up

3. right now those of you working full time are good until fall. once actual nurisng school starts you absolutely will not pass this course trying to work full time. most struggle with just part time jobs.

4. those who are just married, congrats, i hope all your spouses are very understanding and that goes for those who have been married for years also. this course will test your marriage in many ways, from financially, to sexually. even the best of spouses or boyfriend or girlfriends are going to be mad about the time you spend on schooling especially your first year. all 3 courses (theory, lab and clinical)have stuff you will have to do. late nights are normal, sleepless nights do happen. make sure you take a lot of time with your spouse and kids this summer because you really wont get much time once the real course work starts

5. if you can this summer take a cna course. this will allow you to get a job at one of the hospitals, you can wait till after funamentals and then you just have to take the test to get certified, but i dont know when you would find the time to take a 6 week course. trust me when i say it is much easier to get a nursing job when your already employed at a hospital. plus the experience is invaluable.

6. if they are still offering the drug calc book, you can live without that thing. i dont think i ever opened the thing. if you want to practice drug problems they are available online if you have access to blackboard yet. if not i think i posted one on a previous post which you can get from search my previous posts

7. last bit of advice, i heard from some instructors say that last years class thought that they could turn stuff in late, not do some assignments, or show up for clinicals. take every deadline as if god came down and told you that date himself. the last thing you want to do is stick out especially for the wrong reasons. many of the instructors in the program think that it is their duty to decide who is worthy of being a nurse and who is not. and all the instructors talk to one another. its like the good ole boys club only with women. if you stick out as a trouble maker, or a loud mouth or you look unprofessional in any way they will make sure you do not graduate.

that being said i wish you all the best of luck

[QuarterLife88, MSN, RN, NP]

IA with whosurdaddy. I'm a first year student. Had pharm last summer. My advice? Chill out. Don't study ahead you are wasting your time and being overzealous. I also agree about the drug calc book. BIG waste of time, I wouldn't bother. I think mine is buried under my bed somewhere.

If you need practice with the calculations, go to a quick tutoring session in the ASC or blackboard for the level one practice tests. They are pretty basic and you get 3 shots. Honestly, it's harder to fail them IMO than to pass. When studying for pharm, the syllabus+pp notes is your Bible, not the book. They assign like 100+ pages to read, but I never read that book once and got an A- in the class. Eh.

Enjoy pharm. I'm almost done with 1st year (if I pass OB that is, aka my last class of 1st year before summer). Who knows? The thing about this program is that 80% they hold over your head means you are always a breath away from failure if you slip up even once. That's the stress. I miss the excitement I had last year like you guys have now. It's all but blackened out of me. Someone here said that they already feel overwhelmed with all that they want from you to get ready for NS. Yeah well it's only the beginning.

Good luck; proceed with caution.

/bitter.

P.S. Lab SUCKS and there are some vile instructors in there that should never be allowed near students (and then there are some great ones, and you will appreciate them all the more for it). But at least you get rid of it after 1st year. Woo-hoo!

[brodygirl]

Thanks whosurdaddy and quarterlife for the dose of reality. Would either of you mind sharing the clinical shift hours that we might be assigned?

[QuarterLife88, MSN, RN, NP]

For the first semester - 1410 you'll either have Tues/Wed or Thurs/Fri clinicals either from 7-3pm (most instructors let you out early) or 3-11pm though there can be small variations like 12-8pm but those are less common.

For the first 5 weeks I believe you will have Mon - Theory, and two days of lab either Tues/Wed or Thurs/Fri. During week 6 when you start clinicals, the clinicals at the ECF take the place of your lab days, so for two weeks (weeks 6-7) you have no lab! Then you start acute care clinicals and they give you a new lab day and it's one day a week, with clinicals two days a week.

For example, my 1410 schedule was this:

Weeks 1-5: Mon - Theory, Thurs/Fri - lab

Weeks 6-7: Mon - Theory, Thurs/Fri - ECF clinicals

Week 8: Mon - Theory, Thurs/Fri - lab

Weeks 9-15: Mon - Theory, lab Wed, Thurs/Fri clinicals

1410 is the only 15 week class. After that, Psych, OB, and Med-Surg I - the remaining first year courses, are all 7 1/2 weeks, and you will have one day for theory, one day for lab, and two clinical days.