Pre-Nursing @ Bergen Community College

i didn't know you were a male student.....you can really help me out with the info...hehehe

you mentioned internships.......externships are the same correct ? meaning the same thing and are very competitive right ?

have you ever encountered any issues during the clinicals where a patient didn't want a male student nurse caring for them and how many male student nurses were in your class / group ?

sorry, lol guess at some point i maybe should have pointed out that i was a male. here is some info for you on the difference between intern and externships:

an externship and internship are relatively the same but an externship can be an unpaid position. it is usually for the purpose of you learning (such as a doctors externship). an internship is normally done not only to fulfill your needs to learn but to fill a hospital needs as well. if you we're to work as an intern during the summer for instance, you would be working under the supervision of an rn and basically work in the capacity of an lpn. it provides the hospital with cheap staffing and provides you with an opportunity to learn while earning a few bucks (the pay is around $15-17 dollars an hour depending on your facility.) you are required to spend part of your 40 hours per week in instruction in the hospital but when you graduate, they are more likely to hire you since you completed their internship and now know the hospital.

as for clinicals, the professors would not even tell the patient that you we're male or female. they would just ask them if they would mind having a student nurse for the evening. i never experienced a patient refusing me because i was a man. as long as you are professional in everything you do and say it doesn't make a difference. things we're rather dull in ob/maternity as we we're not permitted to do anything (understandable but a complete waste of time on mine and every other guys part in the program- doesn't make sense for a guy to be there if he can't assess but that was what they wanted from us).

my graduating class actually has alot of men in it (all things considered). we will be graduating i think it is 9 men out of 60. considering that the entire nursing profession is about 93% female, the fact we are graduating 15% men is rather high.

jjlaman,

wow……i feel like i owe you or need to include you on my holiday list. your helping me out a lot here. i don’t like going into anything totally new and try to get an idea on what to expect. thus is my reasons for the 50 questions.

with respect to the working as a lpn and getting cheap staffing…at what point can a student apply for employment ? you mentioned something about a level 3 and i am not sure at what point is a student at the 3rd level.

glad to hear that you did not experience any issues from the patients being a male student. and yea…i can understand what you are saying about the ob/maternity area.

not sure if you have an opinion about this, but i always wanted to learn spanish. i am now thinking it will help me more with the nursing….mostly obtaining employment. do you have any thoughts on this… ?

lastly, i wanted to go on for my masters, and it will be ideal if i can get into some kind of icu area. do you know if this is possible for new grads……the getting into the icu unit.

thanks again…..and please tell me where to ship your holiday gift j

oh….i am a career changer. i have my 4yr in business. currently working in the financial industry and was looking for a change much earlier than all that is currently going on with the economy. your input is very helpful in my transition. thanks !

Crissy,

take a look at the attached Accuplacer study book. This is what I used, mostly for the sentence structure and reading comprehension practice.

and this for the Math portion:

IMO the Arithmetic and Algrebra is all you need.

Also, i heard from a lady in my class, that BCC may be changing Entrance exams again and not using the Accuplacer next year. Not sure but definitely ask. I am wondering if there are any similarities between the entrance exams......ie., NET, Accuplacer...etc.

jjlaman,

wow......i feel like i owe you or need to include you on my holiday list. your helping me out a lot here. i don't like going into anything totally new and try to get an idea on what to expect. thus is my reasons for the 50 questions.

with respect to the working as a lpn and getting cheap staffing...at what point can a student apply for employment ? you mentioned something about a level 3 and i am not sure at what point is a student at the 3rd level.

glad to hear that you did not experience any issues from the patients being a male student. and yea...i can understand what you are saying about the ob/maternity area.

not sure if you have an opinion about this, but i always wanted to learn spanish. i am now thinking it will help me more with the nursing....mostly obtaining employment. do you have any thoughts on this... ?

lastly, i wanted to go on for my masters, and it will be ideal if i can get into some kind of icu area. do you know if this is possible for new grads......the getting into the icu unit.

thanks again.....and please tell me where to ship your holiday gift j

oh....i am a career changer. i have my 4yr in business. currently working in the financial industry and was looking for a change much earlier than all that is currently going on with the economy. your input is very helpful in my transition. thanks !

ok, as far as employment goes, after you complete level 1 (1st semester) you are qualified to work as a cna (certified nursing assistant). depending upon the facility that you are seeking to work at, they will grant you a waiver for the cna course and you will just have to take the exam for certification (it is extremely easy).

during level 3 (3rd semester of nursing), you would apply for internships for the summer (if you started in the nursing day program, nursing internships really arent an option because you will be in school without a summer break in between levels 3 and 4. the night program starts in the fall and thus that is why you have the summer available to you for internships in between levels 3 and 4.). once you are in level 4 (semester 4), about midway in the semester, it is adviced that you would then get your resume together and start sending out letters of introduction to places that you would be interested in applying for employment after graduation. really, i think your one step way too far ahead of yourself with this question. you will learn alot more about this process, completing your resume, interviewing, and possible areas of interest, in level 4.

spanish can always help (sure can't hurt) but it is not necessary. i took spanish a while back with the same logic. dont remember barely any of it (haha) but there are interpreters and interpreter services available in all medical settings anyway.

your masters question, icu or any particular unit is necessarily essential. you have to remember, some people go straight through school, one after the other, without ever having even worked in a clinical setting. as far as what area you would be accepted in upon your graduation? that depends on the facility, their needs, and whether they are willing to train you or not. the professors will advise you that med-surg experience should be your first destination so that you can get your basics down and fine tune your assessment skills but again, it isnt necessary. they will train and orient you to whatever you are hired to work in (my wife came straight out of school and went straight into nice- neonatel icu, i will be going into or).

you will find out that most people in the evening program are people with other degreees (i already had a business degree as well and decided to change careers). i may be 36 years old now but was nowhere near the oldest person in our class.

have you aplied for and been accepted into the program yet? if so, when will you be starting?

Crissy,

take a look at the attached Accuplacer study book. This is what I used, mostly for the sentence structure and reading comprehension practice.

and this for the Math portion:

http://www.amazon.com/Math-Review-Standardized-Tests-Cliffs/dp/0822020335/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1228935576&sr=8-1

IMO the Arithmetic and Algrebra is all you need.

Also, i heard from a lady in my class, that BCC may be changing Entrance exams again and not using the Accuplacer next year. Not sure but definitely ask. I am wondering if there are any similarities between the entrance exams......ie., NET, Accuplacer...etc.

The NET and Accuplacer are 2 entirely different exams. The NET includes science and A&P whereas the Accuplacer is just Math and English. If you we're to ask, it is the english that gets most people because for some reason, today's high school graduates know spell and grammer check on their pc better than they actually know the english language. Math is math. You either know it or you dont. It wasnt hard at all on the accuplacer. I ahd been out of school for more than 10 years when I took the accuplacer. Only thing I did to prepare for it was a little brush up on my algrebra (I already had another degree and thus had already taken numerous english and writing courses.).

OK, as far as employment goes, after you complete level 1 (1st semester) you are qualified to work as a CNA (certified nursing assistant). Depending upon the facility that you are seeking to work at, they will grant you a waiver for the CNA course and you will just have to take the exam for certification (it is extremely easy).

During level 3 (3rd semester of nursing), you would apply for internships for the summer (if you started in the nursing day program, nursing internships really arent an option because you will be in school without a summer break in between levels 3 and 4. The night program starts in the fall and thus that is why you have the summer available to you for internships in between levels 3 and 4.). Once you are in level 4 (semester 4), about midway in the semester, it is adviced that you would then get your resume together and start sending out letters of introduction to places that you would be interested in applying for employment after graduation. Really, I think your one step way too far ahead of yourself with this question. You will learn alot more about this process, completing your resume, interviewing, and possible areas of interest, in level 4.

Spanish can always help (sure can't hurt) but it is not necessary. I took spanish a while back with the same logic. Dont remember barely any of it (haha) but there are interpreters and interpreter services available in all medical settings anyway.

Your Masters question, ICU or any particular unit is necessarily essential. You have to remember, some people go straight through school, one after the other, without ever having even worked in a clinical setting. As far as what area you would be accepted in upon your graduation? That depends on the facility, their needs, and whether they are willing to train you or not. The Professors will advise you that Med-Surg experience should be your first destination so that you can get your basics down and fine tune your assessment skills but again, it isnt necessary. They will train and orient you to whatever you are hired to work in (my wife came straight out of school and went straight into NICE- neonatel ICU, I will be going into OR).

You will find out that most people in the evening program are people with other degreees (I already had a business degree as well and decided to change careers). I may be 36 years old now but was nowhere near the oldest person in our class.

Have you aplied for and been accepted into the program yet? If so, when will you be starting?

A huge Thank You ! ! my friend.

and yea....I just received the letter from BCC saying I was accepted. Just checked on my background check and all is well. I get periodic checks anyway because of my Trading and Securities Licence....but I had an identity theft issue and was not sure what would pop up.

I know it seems early to think about the externships and all, but IMO that 1-2yrs is going to come quick. Moreover, I am married with two young daughters....and trying to give my wife all the information I can, because she will have to make sacrifices too while I am going to school....and I would like to shed a little light at the end of the tunnel.

My family thought I was kidding about this career change. I worked as a Trader, then moved over to the Actuarial Dept....and i have never been more unhappy. This feeling hit me before all the recent economic challenges. My wife is in full support now.....and like i said she too will have to sacrifice both in time and monetarily until I am finished.,

AGain...a huge thanks for your time !

A huge Thank You ! ! my friend.

and yea....I just received the letter from BCC saying I was accepted. Just checked on my background check and all is well. I get periodic checks anyway because of my Trading and Securities Licence....but I had an identity theft issue and was not sure what would pop up.

I know it seems early to think about the externships and all, but IMO that 1-2yrs is going to come quick. Moreover, I am married with two young daughters....and trying to give my wife all the information I can, because she will have to make sacrifices too while I am going to school....and I would like to shed a little light at the end of the tunnel.

My family thought I was kidding about this career change. I worked as a Trader, then moved over to the Actuarial Dept....and i have never been more unhappy. This feeling hit me before all the recent economic challenges. My wife is in full support now.....and like i said she too will have to sacrifice both in time and monetarily until I am finished.,

AGain...a huge thanks for your time !

Congratulations! Getting accepted is the first step. I dont have all the free time in the world but if your interested, maybe we could meet up one day on campus and I could show you the nursing lab and you can start the computer programs that will need to be done (videos and programs on the computers that assist you throughout the program). Let me know if that is something you would be interested in as I will more than likely still be on campus over the winter break so that I can study for my NCLEX.

Sacrifice galore is what nursing school at our age is all about. I have 4 children now. Had 3 when I started the program and then had to leave for a semester because my wife had difficulties with her last pregnancy. Financial hardship is an understatement. With one income in the house, it has been more than rough (I am actually seeing a lawyer next week to avoid foreclosure on my house and file bankruptcy. Had a death in the family and a bank problem that led to a missed mortgage payment. Nothing but misery since then but hey, I have graduated and our monetary situation is going to improve greatly.) but we have kept our heads above water.

I myself catch the most hell from my military friends. I am a former Army Ranger and never hear the end of the "Focker" jokes. They like to kid that "not only can he kill you with his bare hands, he can revivie you after the fact and start the torture all over again", lol.

Anyway, let me know if you want to meet up and we can exchange contact info. BTW my name is Jeff

congratulations! getting accepted is the first step. i dont have all the free time in the world but if your interested, maybe we could meet up one day on campus and i could show you the nursing lab and you can start the computer programs that will need to be done (videos and programs on the computers that assist you throughout the program). let me know if that is something you would be interested in as i will more than likely still be on campus over the winter break so that i can study for my nclex.

sacrifice galore is what nursing school at our age is all about. i have 4 children now. had 3 when i started the program and then had to leave for a semester because my wife had difficulties with her last pregnancy. financial hardship is an understatement. with one income in the house, it has been more than rough (i am actually seeing a lawyer next week to avoid foreclosure on my house and file bankruptcy. had a death in the family and a bank problem that led to a missed mortgage payment. nothing but misery since then but hey, i have graduated and our monetary situation is going to improve greatly.) but we have kept our heads above water.

i myself catch the most hell from my military friends. i am a former army ranger and never hear the end of the "focker" jokes. they like to kid that "not only can he kill you with his bare hands, he can revivie you after the fact and start the torture all over again", lol.

anyway, let me know if you want to meet up and we can exchange contact info. btw my name is jeff

yo......your friends are bananas. now that is funny.

thanks for the offer on meeting up and i will let you know if i can make it to the campus over the break. i never heard anything about computer programs, so yea, i would like to see this before classes start and i promise not to take up to much of your study time.

check your pm my friend !

yo......your friends are bananas. now that is funny.

thanks for the offer on meeting up and i will let you know if i can make it to the campus over the break. i never heard anything about computer programs, so yea, i would like to see this before classes start and i promise not to take up to much of your study time.

check your pm my friend !

got your pm. i guess i can't reply to it because i haven't thrown up 15 posts yet but i will be waiting to hear from you as to if and when you would be interested in meeting up.

Got your PM. I guess I can't reply to it because I haven't thrown up 15 posts yet but I will be waiting to hear from you as to if and when you would be interested in meeting up.

I didn't notice your post count my friend. How does this work.....can you still read the PMs....or just see that there is something there ?

I will PM my email addy and cell# if you can read it.

Let me know.

All you guys are the best, thanks for the information about the entrance exam! Also, thanks to you guys for having this conversation, I've gained a lot more insight into the program and also had a few of my future questions answered Good luck to you both!!

Thanks Crissy ! !