This thread is for those applying to the Palm Beach State College Nursing Program for Fall 2015. Here, we can discuss program requirements, HESI prep, information session updates, and encourage each other on this journey to nursing school!
About me: My name is Sarah, and this will be my first time applying to nursing school. I have a bachelor's degree in Anthropology from the University of Kansas (class of 2006). After college, I worked in the pharmaceutical industry for a couple years before applying to medical school. Once my husband and I started a family, I decided nursing would be a better field for me. I've been a stay-at-home mom since 2009 and have been finishing up my pre-requisites and co-requisites in the meantime. I've taken the HESI and am all caught up for now (that is, unless I now need to take statistics in the spring).
Hi all! I am looking to apply for Spring 2016 at PBSC... I have been trying to get some feedback from current/former students of the program! I am currently in NJ and looking to go to nursing school. I am debating between PBSC or a school here in NJ.. I was wondering to get some feedback about the program. Thanks in advanced!
How did you study for the Hesi? Did you use the book by Elsevier?
Hi, sorry for replying late to your post. I used the Mometrix book (HESI A2 Secrets) and four books covering general "Nursing School Entrance Exams:" the one by Barron's, the one by Princeton Review, the one by Peterson's and the one by Kaplan. *ALL of which I borrowed from the PBC Library so there is no need to purchase any study guides. Good luck on the HESI and with admission!
I have actually decided against applying to the nursing program and will be doing my BAS fall semester instead. Good luck to everyone.
SJC What everyone says is true. This is the hardest thing you will ever do. Most who have bachelors already say that this rivals getting their degrees. I have done very well due to organization and no procrastinating. You need to start reading as soon as you can and get your assignments done. Typically I have all my reading done within a day or two of the previous test and start my study guide to give me about ten days to study. Do lots of NCLEX practice questions, they will help in the long run. As for skills class, jump right in and don't wait to checkoff. I have my classes on wednesdays and I checkoff on thursdays. I usually spend wednesday at school from 7am to 7pm. I am an online student which is good for me becuase I can get ahead. I don't have to wait for lecture. When you are in clinicals, do not be afraid to get your hands dirty and try new things. I am finishing my first clinical rotation and it has been the best experience. Truly amazing and I feel like a nurse. I had my own patients and total autonomy in the hospital. Embrace every opportunity to learn. Don't get freaked out in the first couple of weeks because it is ridiculous how much is thrown on you. Don't complain, just set a plan for how you are going to attack. We lost around ten people in the first week. We have had 4 tests and are at spring break and it is not that it wasn't hard, I just prepared myself well and I have gotten As on all 4 tests and have done well in skills and clinicals. Know that your free time is gone for a few months but it will pay off. Am I sorry I did this program, absolutely not. The teachers are knowledgeable and yes communication can be tough at times but guess what, it will be like that at the hospital as well. I have seen lack of communication at clinicals. You suck it up and do what you have to do. I hope this helps you new applicants. Don't be scared, get motivated and know you can be successful. I guarantee when you complete this you will feel a sense of accomplishment, because almost being finished with first semester I feel pretty darn proud of myself. Any questions you guys have let me know. I have a week off and will check in to see if I can help.
Thank you SO MUCH for the input, cgambino70! I appreciate the real-life advice from someone who is going through it right now. I tend to get anxious and sometimes over-prepare for things (hence why I came on here today to check in and will spend the next hour or so making a big checklist for all my application preparations -- and the application isn't even out yet!) but it sounds like that is a GOOD things for nursing school!
I haven't taken any classes since finishing up the Critical Thinking class last summer then taking the HESI last August. Would it be worthwhile looking at some of the NCLEX questions now, or would a lot of it be tough to understand without even being in the program yet? My husband is always looking for good deals online, and he bought me a Kindle e-book of NCLEX practice questions because it was on sale for $6.99. If I don't use it now, it will be there for later.
I am glad you really like clinicals. That is one of the things I am excited yet nervous about. I like hands-on work. You said you like doing classes online so you can get info ahead of time. Any cons to doing online classes? I have had some bad experiences with online classes at PBSC (disorganization, lack of communication, etc), but some good, too. Depends on the instructor, I suppose. Do you take all of your classes online, or just some? Personally, I like the ability to take some online for some schedule flexibility (I have two small kids and my husband travels a lot for work and military), but for things like the hard sciences, I prefer in-class instruction as I learn better that way for those subjects. Any input you have on online classes vs. in-person would be great!
Again, thanks for taking the time out of your surely hectic schedule to give us all a heads-up. I hope to do the same and pay it forward once I am in the program. Also, congrats on doing so great in the program so far!
We have our lecture online but skills is in person and clinicals is at the hospital. I am at school two days a week. The only downfall with online is you have more assignments. If you are an independent starter and don't need a lot to get you going than great. From people I have talked to in other programs, disorganization is everywhere. I think it is because things change rapidly. Our class had one of the highest point totals in relation to the top. If I had applied in the summer I would have made it in by a point and a half and I only made it in by 0.3.
Never to early for NCLEX questions. You will have a head start. I did my research and I have 3 books and they have actually helped me in class. I have NCLEX Exam Cram, Saunders Comprehensive Nclex Review, and Lippincott's NCLEX review. They aren't cheap. Each are around $50 but they have thousands of questions. Even if you do not know the answers you read the rationales and it helps. I am going to run for Nursing Student Association office so I may need to take classes in person next semester which I will deal with. Second semester lecture is a 7 credit course and 2 3 hour lectures a week. Much different from first semester. Our online instructor is the first semster lead instructor and she was my pharmacology professor. When you take in class lecture you have a different person lecture each day. They take turns. You will find out who your mentor is in the first week of classes as well as your clinical instructor. Hope that you get long term care first. I was in the hospital first and just when you start giving injections and meds is the time you get switched. If you are in long term first, you are all signed off when you go to the hospital and you get to do a lot more. Good luck on your journey. Any other questions I will try to answer for you. Wish I had someone to tell me all this stuff when i was going through the waiting game.
HI! This is so great to finally hear from somebody currently in the PBSC nursing program! I feel like I have been trying to reach out to get some feedback from anybody and I haven't seem to have any luck!! I am currently in NJ but would love to move down to FL to attend PBSC nursing program. I will be down in April to attend the nursing information session. I am hoping all my questions will be able to be answered when I am at the session, does anyone have any recommendations as to if I should try and make an appointment with an advisor..or will I have time to speak to one at the information session. Any help is greatly appreciated!!
Hi there! Yes I agree, it is so helpful to hear real input from current students. Thanks to the Spring 2015 students!
I would recommend making an appointment with Latisha Myrick. The info sessions are great, but Ms. Myrick will be able any questions that are specific to your situation. She's been very helpful but can be very busy, especially around application time, so try to book with her for when you're here ASAP.
Now that the application is out, I think I will go to the info session next week (March 25) for one final check to make sure I've got everything all together before I submit my application. Anyone else plan on attending that one?
HI! This is so great to finally hear from somebody currently in the PBSC nursing program! I feel like I have been trying to reach out to get some feedback from anybody and I haven't seem to have any luck!! I am currently in NJ but would love to move down to FL to attend PBSC nursing program. I will be down in April to attend the nursing information session. I am hoping all my questions will be able to be answered when I am at the session, does anyone have any recommendations as to if I should try and make an appointment with an advisor..or will I have time to speak to one at the information session. Any help is greatly appreciated!!
Wow that is great advice!! I will most definitely reach out to her to set up an appointment. It is hard being in NJ and figuring this all out! I am very glad I found this thread. I won't be attending the March session but I will be at the April 15th session! Let me know if anyone will be attending the April session, would love to meet up!
I attended the PBSC Nursing Info Session tonight one last time (I went last summer and a couple years before that) to make sure I had all the pertinent information for this application cycle. Of course, most of the information is pretty much the same from cycle to cycle, but I thought I would share a few key things from tonight that you guys might find helpful, including the point totals for Spring 2015 acceptance into the program:
PBSC Spring 2015 Point Totals - Lake Worth Full-Time Program
Highest point total accepted: 26.32
Median point total accepted: 24.50
Lowest point total accepted: 23.52
Latisha said that, although the point system has changed slightly since last cycle (updated HESI scoring, points for previous education, STA2023 replacing HUN1201, etc.), she expects the point averages to be roughly the same this year. It's not a guarantee, but it's a hunch. As always, she suggests aiming for the median. Regarding HUN1201 -- although it is no longer a required co-req, it will be a "recommended course," as it IS required for the BSN program. So, if you're like me and already took it under the previous point system, breathe easy - it was worth it :)
--When the time comes to submit your application, it is advised that you do it at the admissions office where you plan on attending (Lake Worth only for this cycle; Lake Worth or Belle Glade for Spring 2016 applicants). Although you can submit at any of the campuses, it is best to go to the main source. I speak from experience. I did all of my in-person pre-requisistes at the Gardens campus, but when I submitted some documents there for a course appeal once, I later found out after a few weeks waiting and some phone calls that it was never sent to Lake Worth. They were awesome, apologized, and rushed it for me, but just a heads up - the people I spoke with warned that this isn't the first time that this happened. With something as time-sensitive and important as the application, it's better to be safe than sorry!
--As cgambino70 and others currently in the program have suggested, it is highly recommended that you take pharmacology (NUR1141, I believe) before starting the program, if you can. Latisha did say, however, that you should only do that if you have everything else in order (all pre-reqs and co-reqs, etc.) so you can be fully prepared because it is NOT an easy class (hence why it is recommended to do it early if you can). Unfortunately, I don't think my schedule will allow it this summer. I am not sure if there are any spots open right now, but it is worth looking into.
--As for the HESI, if you want to re-take it (or haven't taken it yet), it is recommended ASAP. If you want to be able to take it twice before the application is due, you have to complete your first attempt BEFORE APRIL 1. Otherwise, you will only get your one shot at it before the June 1 deadline, since you have to wait 61 days between HESI attempts.
--This is repeated at every info session every semester, but it bears repeating: please submit your application ASAP before the deadline if you can!! Of course, some of you will have to wait for grades to post at the end of this semester and/or completion of the HESI, but once you have everything in order and are sure it's complete, submit! Latisha said that last cycle, nearly a third of applicants submitted their app on the due date, causing a huge backlog and delay in acceptance/denial responses. So, if you can submit before then, it is in all of our best interest because it (theoretically) speeds up the notification process. Win-win! :)
Of course, these are just the highlights I felt were worth mentioning. The next info sessions before the June 1st application deadline are April 15 and May 6, both at 4 pm. I highly recommend getting there early because 1. parking can be a pain and 2. seats in the auditorium fill up quickly. Both Latisha Myrick (Health Sciences Advisor) and Rhonda Boles (Nursing Program Specialist) stick around after the session to answer questions and are very helpful!
Last but not least, good luck, and feel free to post any important updates here. I submitted my application tonight after the session (after I asked Latisha a few last minute questions because I am super anxious about the small details, as you can see, haha!). So now....I wait!
Thank you sooo much for all the information! I will be going to the one in April but a little but of stress was taken off of my shoulders knowing the total number of points being accepted!! I just am a little nervous because I have not taken Chemistry yet... I signed up to CLEP out of it but heard it was extremely hard :-(. Also, I have to take the HESI still. I am planning on taking that when I travel down to Florida in two weeks. Fingers crossed I do well! I just took the TEAS test up here in NJ (equivalent to the HESI) and did well so I am hoping it is similar to the HESI. I am just nervous about the Chemistry part. With Chemistry..does it require a LAB along with the lecture?? At the school I go to here in NJ, Chemistry is ONLY offered with a lab. I really would rather just take the Chemistry lecture if that is all we need. No use is paying more for the lab if that is not needed. I will be asking all of these questions when I meet with them at the school but it would be great to have an idea of what I am coming into. Thanks soo much in advanced!
kravitzm2
11 Posts
Hi all! I am looking to apply for Spring 2016 at PBSC... I have been trying to get some feedback from current/former students of the program! I am currently in NJ and looking to go to nursing school. I am debating between PBSC or a school here in NJ.. I was wondering to get some feedback about the program. Thanks in advanced!