Jules81

I passed mine in November 2022 on the first attempt. I heavily utilized the Solheim program. I attended an in person session and bought the virtual review as well as the practice exams. I also purchased the practice exams from BCEN and use the Pocket Prep app. Totaled I completed approximately 1500 practice questions and studied for 30 mins to an hour each day for 6-8 weeks. Let me also say, I have severe test anxiety so for most people this is probably overkill but I went in confident and did well on the exam. It also really improved some of my nursing practice and made me aware of things I wasn't as up to date on as an emergency nurse.

Be yourself, be genuine, know your personal statement well. Don’t babble because you’re nervous and it’s okay to ask for time to think of an answer before just blurting out. It’s very comfortable and they are looking to see not only if you fit for the program but if the program is a good fit for you so that there aren’t any surprises during school if possible. Don’t overthink it. Make sure you get your interviewer’s name so that you can send a thank you email within 24 hours of your interview.

I'm a recent grad. I was in the Fall 2017 cohort. I had an interview in March and did not get an acceptance letter until May. There is no consistent method from semester to semester of when notifications go out. People who interview before you may hear back after you, people who interview after you may hear back before you. It depends on a lot of factors, particularly on who interviews you and if they are on the fence between two candidates. When you are notified also varies depending on other professional obligations of members of the committee, exam schedules, graduation schedule, when the entire committee can meet together around teaching schedules, etc. I can attest they do NOT like it when people consistently call and ask when this or that will happen and it may vary depending on who you speak to. This is a very long and emotional process. Preparing yourself for a long wait will make the process a little easier on yourself.

I am grateful for the interview process. I was a nontraditional second career student who was older (late-30s) than most of my peers. My GPA from my undergraduate 20 years ago are not reflective of the student I am now. I was able to go in and talk about ways I have changed my study habits and how having a career as a teacher would make me a better nurse. Had it been based only on GPA and test scores I don't know that I would have gotten in.

This is normal! By the time you get to your final semester you still won't know anywhere close to everything but you will feel like you are competent enough to be safe and know how to ask the right questions when you start as a graduate nurse.

I do not have previous healthcare experience but I do have previous research experience. I know people who work there as acquaintances but no one I listed as a reference or who put in a word for me. I didn't even tell anyone other than family I had applied there. I didn't want to ever think I'd gotten a position only because I knew someone rather than because I was a good nurse.

I was accepted for the Research Nurse Residency for Spring 2019. I start in March.

Actually the original poster is correct. I haven't found any new info on it though but here are two articles lining out some of the details. The first article says Fall 2019. https://www.bizjournals.com/houston/news/2017/06/26/san-jacinto-college-developing-bachelor-s-degree.html Law now allows community colleges to offer BSN, BAT | San Jacinto College Door opens for San Jac bachelor's degrees in nursing, applied tech - Houston Chronicle

I'm a second career BSN student and I would LOVE to just have a drug book and leave my cell phone out of the patient room. However, my program REQUIRES the phone to be on us at all times because our apps are on the phone and there is a push to show patients we how "nurses are integrating technology into caring for them". So when we are looking up drugs we are to tell the patient "I'm using my phone to verify your medications are safe to take together and the dosage is calculated correctly to ensure we are preventing medication errors." Most patients still seem rather annoyed and I honestly don't blame them. I find it to be less personal and makes me look distracted but I also don't want to flunk out of my program just because I didn't follow their rule of keeping it on me and using it.

I am looking to apply for the Spring 2019 position. Was there a specific place the listings were when y'all applied? Thank you!

You'll need to bring a letter from your doctor and a copy of the prescription with you so it can be noted to the testing center.

Wow this post took a hateful turn quick. At no point did she say she pointed it out to a seasoned nurse she was wrong, nor did she say she thought she should tell her. She said it was observed that she wasn't following the new protocol. What I took from Alex is that she wants to do a good job. When you're a new grad you're scared to do things different from what you're taught but seasoned nurses have shortcuts that aren't what is taught in school. Are they wrong? Most of the time absolutely not. They're efficient and come after a period of time of learning what's okay. So as someone who is still in school I have the same question. How do you know which shortcuts/deviations from the classroom setting are okay and which shortcuts are bad practice?

I am volunteering at a free clinic while in school. One of our goals is to help those who cannot afford medications. In America, if you do not have insurance medications can without exaggerating cost more than your car payment or mortgage. I know of three widows who were homemakers and "did not pay into the system" and could not afford their medications if we had not searched for prescription drug assistance. If they asked the OP for help finding financial assistance would be scold them about not paying in? Would he actually assist them (and do so without judgement or scolding) in getting financial assistance for these medications or would it be a half hearted (if any attempt) to assist them? When I was 25 years old I was a married, stay at home mom of two kids ages 4 and 1, attending university that was being paid for through grants, scholarships, and government backed student loans. In my last semester my husband revealed he had been having affairs pretty much our entire marriage (just shy of 7 years) and he was leaving. Not only did he leave, within six months I was diagnosed with early stage cervical cancer and required a radical hysterectomy. Fortunately for me, the state we lived in had a one year mandatory separation before a divorce can be granted and if you are diagnosed with an illness that is life threatening divorces cannot be granted (this prevents you from being left without insurance if you are insured under your spiuse's policy). I was still covered at 100% under Tricare for my surgery and subsequent treatment. Had I not been I would have either had to come up with nearly $200,000 for treatment or gone on Medicaid and hope to be treated before the cancer had advanced. But seeing as how I "hadn't paid into the system" yet, under the OP's line of thinking that's my own problem. So I guess, if that had been the case, had my cancer advanced and I ended up dying from cancer that went untreated my kids would have just been SOL without their mother because their dad didn't want them and wasn't taking them. Too bad for my kids though right? Guess mom should have paid into the system. Guess that bill the state is on the hook for raising them for at that point is much cheaper. Even if a bill had been sent to me, how in God's name was I ever going to pay that back and be able to support myself and my kids? Easy- IT WOULDNT HAVE BEEN POSSIBLE. Now, because I had treatment, I went on to finish not only my first degree but two masters degrees in education and I'm working on my BSN and I am a contributing member of society who served as a public school teacher for ten years and will now serve be public as a nurse for the rest of my working years. Things are not always black and white. Nursing requires critical thinking and sometimes it isn't critical thinking about immediate treatment but the long term social and emotional effects of your patient and the impact to their family. It is not our job to determine if someone is worthy of care because of their finances. Loiking at the bigger picture may end up costing our society less in the long run.

If you do not believe health care should be for all you will not fair well here in the United States. Emergency rooms are full of people who cannot pay (and yes some of them actually cannot scrape up the money to pay anything). For example, they may have no electricity to keep their refridgerators running to keep their insulin in which is why they are at the emergency room because they cannot be turned away. Out of curiosity, why America?

Another point to this, when you arrest someone you must Mirandize them and read them their rights. He did not do this. He manhandled, assaulted and told her she was going to jail repeatedly. Even the supervisor just detained her in the car. THEY NEVER ONCE TOLD HER SHE HAD ANY RIGHTS and even criminals have certain rights. He never informed her what he was officially arresting her for. "Not handing what I want over" isn't a crime. Had he said "Ma'am you're under arrest for obtructing justice, you have the right to..." would still not make this legal or right but all you see in this is anger, rage, and idiocracy.