Question about nursing pre-reqs for TCC

emsimpson77 · Nov 8, 2009

hi, i just joined allnurses and this is my official first post. i'm currently working on getting all my pre-reqs done at tcc and am hoping to be able to start in the nursing program in the fall of 2011. however, when i make application in the spring of '11, i will be "enrolled" in my last one or two pre-reqs. my question is this, for application purposes, does anyone know if it would be better to have my cna done prior to application and be finishing up my last two sciences that spring....or to just be getting my cna at time of application and have all sciences completed? hope i'm making sense...
any and all suggestions are appreciated!
thanks!!

well, it is my understanding that is you take your cna at tcc, then it really doesn't matter when you take it as long as you have it before you submit your application. it is not a hard course, but it is really time consuming. you will have clinicals and testing pretty frequently, but it is only for a few weeks. personally, i would suggest that you take it in the summer when you are not loaded on classes and i would take it at tcc if you can. be aware that if you take it elsewhere, then you have to take a life skills test when submitting your application. if you pass great, if not then you have to take their adl (activities of daily living) class. it is only 2 days, but they are full days and it will cost you extra money. i hear it is an easy exam, but in my experience, after taking the state test for certification, i would not have been thrilled about going through another exam right after the state test. take it at tcc if you can. just my opinion.

if you are asking if it will look better on your application, then i would say it doesn't matter because they aren't going to give you an advantage either way. tcc uses a point system and they just look at numbers. on the application, they take your pre-req sciences and give you points according to the grades you made. you get 8 points for an a, 6 points for a b, and i think 4 points for a c. they include intro to bio, principles of chem, anatomy, physiology, and micro. so, the more of thoses classes you have completed, then the more points you will receive. cna is only worth i think 4 to 6 points total. i would suggest taking as many science coures as you can and getting the best grade you can. i hope this helps.

disneymom · Nov 10, 2009

thanks so much! that helps a lot! i was kind of thinking that the science classes were pretty important.

thanks again!

azb91 · May 4, 2010

I completely agree with her. The only thing I want to add is -I was told that I could apply for the Fall 10 TCC program in the spring and complete my CNA training over the summer as long as I had before I started the nursing program. When I went to apply this last spring I was told I couldn't even apply because I didnt have my CNA yet. :confused: They wanted me to wait another semester, get my CNA and apply for the Spring 11. I ended up going somewhere else. The other problem I ran into is TCC doesn't always have CNA classes over the summer and if they do it gets filled up quick. Hope this helps!