PBCC/PBSC Full-Time or Part-Time Program

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Hi! I'm new here to allnurses, and I plan on attending PBCC's (newly PBSC) nursing program, but I'm wondering if I should enter the full-time trek or the part-time trek. The full-time trek can be either 3,4, or 5 days a week on the lake worth campus, and the part-time trek is two days a week, with evening classes either on Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday night and Saturday morning clinicals, I believe. I plan on working while I'm enrolled so I'm trying not to take on more than I can handle, but I would rather the full-time program so that I can have my week-ends to myself and not have to attend school year-round and for an additional 8 months. My question pertains to the full-time program: Are their evening classes for the full-time program, or are they mostly morning? Also I'm interested in taking my lectures online to cut down the amount of days I must spend on campus. Any of you guys attend the nursing program full-time while working as well?

Everything I've learned indicates that the Part-Time Program begins ONLY in January each year.

While the full-time programs start in January & August.

Anyone can correct me if they have been told differently.

THANKS

Oh, and by part-time I mean late afternoon/early evening + weekend class schedule and longer term with no summers off.

FULL-TIME = summers off - 4 full semesters

PART-TIME= no summers off - approx. 28 months.

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I am an evening weekend student. We have classes on Thursdays during lecture semester with a hybrid componet due online on Saturday. Our clinical semesters are 12 weeks of clinic each Saturday from 7a-7:30p. No summers off for us.

Full time lectures are mostly in the morning except 1st semester which the classes are in the afternoon. You can do online which would require no lecture face to face meetings. You will still have skills 1st and 2nd semester. It varies each semester when they are offered. 1st and 2nd semester clinicals are 2 half days offered M and T either morning or afternoon, 6.5 hours each. 3rd semester is one 12 unknown day. 4th is preceptorship and you follow their schedual.

You can not go back and forth between full and evening weekend. You get one change of class for all 4 semester and this is not a given. You have to write a letter to Kelly Bassel and she must approve it. It does not always happen. You also only get 1 fail. 2 fails and you are out. The smartest people I know have failed because they have too much on their plate.

HTH

Kim

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Also you must factor in Sims, eval, aznd NSA days which happen throughout the years.

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PurpleVega, THANKS for letting us know more details about the part-time program. It is my understanding that they only admit 30 part-timers per year.

What was your "points"? What was your GPA? I'm guessing you took NLN? not HESI? Did you earn all 10 points for this?

These answers gives me an idea of my chances of success in getting admitted.

I have a 2-part challenge.

#1 - getting ADMITTED to a program where I think I can graduate

#2 - not failing more than one class and graduating RN school.

Some of my friends have the erroneous belief that the pre-requisites & getting accepted to RN school is the "hard part".

So far, I've earned 4.0 on all my sciences. But I have a very modest GPA on my BA (4 yr) degree... which is a disadvantage.

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I am not sure what my points were, it was almost 2 years ago. I believe it was close to 30. You are right the pre reqs are a breeze compared to nur classes. Total different way of learning. Memorizing will not help you. You need to understand the material and know how to use it. It is all critical thinking.

Good luck. I highly recommend evening weekend if you can swing the points. I started out full time and begged for a transfer. It saved my sanity. Search old posts for points listing. Or call and ask what the points cut off was this year.

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Hey guys, I just wrapped up my first semester of the part-time program. I work full time and I have a wife and kids, so it was challenging to say the least. To answer some of your questions...I was an A student before I entered the program. Now I am barely holding on with a C. It's just ALLOT of work and it's not black and white memorized information. You have to understand the material and apply to different scenarios. It's tough, I am not going to lie. But I have to believe that it will be worth it. My points to get into the program were just shy of 30. I scored high enough on the NLN to get all 10 points and my GPA was a little over a 3. Classes met every Thursday from 4-6 for lecture and 6:30-9 for skills lab. Every part-time group has the same hours, just a different night from what I understand. If I am correct, then my group will stay on Thursday nights throughout the program. Each semester will vary for Saturdays. This first semester we didn't do Saturdays and instead had an online component. BUt I believe that we will be doing Saturday classes at some point in another semester. I am about to start clinicals this Saturday or the Summer. It's 10 Saturdays 7a-7:30p. During this first semester although we met on Thursday nights for skills lab, we would have to make an appointment and with the lab every week for 30 minutes to check off on that week's skills. Something they don't tell you before you start and you are thinking that it's just nights. Skills Lab is open until 8pm most nights and Saturdays, but keep in mind that there may be holiday (we had several) and the lab is closed those weekends. Then you have all the night program students competing for the couple of after hours appointments available.

If you are a little flexible with your work schedule and you are ready to work your butt off. Then definitely apply. It is a great program!

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Specializes in None yet.

Hey I'm applying for Spring 2012 I'm really excited. I plan on taking the Pharm class in the fall. Talk yo you and any other Spring 2012 hopefuls soon :)

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Hi to everyone!

I'm still interested in Palm Beach College for RN school.

Driving in Palm Beach County (I believe) is safer & less stress than

driving to Miami-Dade County.

Yet, I've completed all the pre-requisite classes that Miami Dade

College requires (which is much less than what Palm Beach College requires).

I've taken MDC.edu entry exam called the TEAS-V.

I scored well - an 81 (top 92 percentile in USA means only 8% of

students doing better than me on the entry exam.)

With all that... I think I'm a very good candidate for MDC.edu.

My 3.2 GPA (Bachelor's Degree) and my 4.0 on the science

class pre-req's help me, I think. Nevertheless, I'm still

feeling that RN school will be quite challenging.

I don't seem to absorb large volumes of information quickly...

in comparison to my peers.

I'm now taking Nutrition and scheduled for Microbiology lab

the 2nd 6 weeks of summer. I, too, am toying

with the idea of taking pharmacology at PBSC.edu

for Fall 2011. This, of course, is in the event I don't

get accepted into MDC's RN program. But I'm not sure

I can earn all 10 points on the 6 hour HESI exam (all

10 parts), which means I'd probably need to take

the Critical Thinking Class and do the 100 hours

volunteer work. (Not problematic, just time consuming).

Anyway... I'm so glad for the person who posted their

experience with the part-time RN program at PBSC.

And the fact they were working full-time and raising

a family, too. It helps to know what else a student

is doing in addition to RN school. It gives a more

complete picture.

Ciao for Now

RNfem

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For those of you in the program could you tell me what they accept for the tennis shoes and what stethoscope you use and any color restrictions?

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Specializes in None yet.

Im not in the program (at least not yet) but the nursing handbook says clean, white all leather athletic shoes. I have a dark blue Littmann Classic

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Specializes in CVICU, CCU, MICU.

first, congrats on your acceptance!!

all you really need is a pair of all white shoes, personally i recommend a non slip pair. and ones you can clean, i know some people had to buy more then one pair last semester, i got klogs and they are supper comfy.

there are no color restrictions on your stethoscope; i would invest in a littman if i were you, those of us that have them find they are worth it.

good luck!!

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