mandeeh

Chocolateskye, I am really sorry about your experience with SWG. I think I may know who you are just from your posts. SWG is a very challenging place to work, I know from experience. As you know there are a lot of changes taking place there right now. The director that you were working under will no longer be in that position as soon as a replacement is found. I think the reason you were put with the lpn is because there werent enough staff RNs during day shift to put you with one. A lot of the staff RNs have gone to night shift and now some are returning to days. Staffing for day shift has been difficult to say the least a lot of the nurses during day shift have been agency. I hope you find the place you fit best! Good luck to you!

Have you started SWG yet? If so how do you like it?

Yes, I couldnt tell you how many since I would never consider working at one, but Im sure you wouldnt have a problem getting a job at one. Let us know what you decide! Good luck!

San Antonio is a great place to live, and we have lots of hospitals here. Dont be too worried about moving here, you will get a job very quickly if you decide not to take the one at Southeast Baptist.

Southeast Baptist hospital is a very small hospital. Dont know too much about it, but I do live in the area. It is a rougher part of town, but there are some nice, new neighborhoods very close by. The area is growing. I heard they are going to build a new hospital just up the road, dont know when construction is going to start, though. One thing I really like about this part of town is the traffic. Someone mentioned Stone Oak area, and I just thought Id let you know that the traffic out there is HORRIBLE!

SAC was ok. I have to warn you that the first level instructors seem to be the most "out to get you". If you can make it through Fundamentals and Med/Surg 1, the rest isnt so bad, (instructor wise). For the first semester, we went to school 2 days a week but I cant remember how many hours I think it was only 4 hours in class and 1 day in clinical which was about 6 hours. You start clinicals right away so be ready. Then it's on to med/surg 1, then to med/surg 2 and mental health. Try to take your med/surg 2 right after med/surg 1, because it makes it a little easier than if you throw mental health in between them. Then, you are on to ob and pedi. Then critical care and management. You may want to look at rate my professors to get an idea of who to pick. Your first level classes are assigned to you, and after that, you are on your own picking your instructors. All I can say is study, study, study! I actually thought that med/surg 2 was the hardest class, so be ready for that, it was the one that more people failed than any other class. Good luck!! If you need to know anything specific, let me know. -Mandee

Good luck to all of you applying!! I graduate May 10, last day of school is tomorrow! Be ready, nursing school is a challenge!

70 year old with diarrhea is definately higher priority. Reason: Elderly people have 60 percent water content in their bodies, as opposed to 70 percent for younger adults. As the elderly lose their lean body mass (muscle mass), the water levels in their bodies decrease, making them more prone to dehydration. So, they have a lower amount to start with, add diarrhea to that now they have even less....dehydration occurs.

I am attending SAC, we start clinicals the first week of school, even in our 1st semester. Some of the first level instructors are very student friendly and some....not so much. I had a 4.0 GPA and had completed all of my pre-req's. From what I understand SAC is now trying to have 120 students start per semester, which I belive is quite a bit more than Baptist, we didnt have to take the NET either. I would put in for both. The program at St. Phillips that was mentioned above is a LVN to RN program, so if you're not an LVN its not for you. SAC has a lot of applicants. Hope this helps. Good luck!!

Hello, I am starting my last semester at San Antonio College on Monday!! First of all, I hope you have a really high GPA!! You also need to have most if not all of your pre-reqs finished. There are tons of applicants each semester and limited slots available. Competition is fierce. If you applied to start in Jan. and have not heard anything yet, you probably wont get in this time around. Last semester I heard that they were starting new classes 4 times per year instead of just 2, but I dont know if they still are. I can tell you that they are going through a lot of changes right now and everyone there seems overworked and over stressed! (including the students!) So it could be that they havent had time to return calls. They do that to existing students as well. All I can say is keep trying and good luck!!

Thanks for the info guys, I really appreciate it. I think I'm going to wait until school starts to see how this semester goes before I start trying to get a job.

Hi, congrats, I was wondering how you got that particular position. I have never heard of a PNS, did you go in to get the job or apply online? I would love to hear all the details you can offer. I applied to a couple different hospitals and did not get a call back. I have completed one year of nursing school and am getting ready for the 2nd semester. Thanks!

San Antonio College is a community college that doesn't require an entrance exam. You have to have a very high GPA on your pre-req's to get in, though.

Wow, you learn something new everyday. Good luck and congratulations!

In March? Are you already an LVN? From what I understand, for the generic track, they only start in August and January. The main thing is to get the required book asap, because there are a lot of readings and it is best to get started early. The other stuff can wait until you actaully start and talk to the instructors. Different instuctors will suggest different things. We were told not get everything too soon because of that.

Yes. the uniform is plain white, but it doesn't matter if it is button up or if it ties in the back. Some of the uniforms tops have a lot of frills (lace,etc.) they want them to be as plain as possible, but they are not extremely picky. Did you get accepted? If so good luck, if not, good luck with your application! No rules for the stethoscope, mine is a very bright pink.

Hi, I am currently attending SAC for my ADN. I am in a great program that helps pay for my tuition, and I heard from them that the SAC program is one of the best for the clinical experiences we have. I was told that we have more cilinical experience than students attending UT. I dont know how true that is since I dont go to UT, but that is what I've heard. You are going to have to learn to ask for help! Especially when you actually get in the RN program. It is very competitive, but it is also doable. The more pre-reqs you have done, the better. If someone else has one more pre-reqs completed than you, they will be ahead of you. You should have no problems with the pre-reqs, but nursing school is another thing entirely. It is very demanding and can be hard to keep up with. If you get your pre-req done fast, then you may be done before you guys get relocated. The peogram that I am in has students that finish their pre-reqs in one year and ADN in two years. You can be a nurse in 3 years if you do your pre-reqs fast. If I were you, I would call UT and see if they can tell you how the schedules are for the different semesters. The schedules at SAC change a lot depending on what level you are in. Good luck in whatever you decide!!