busylizzy

I was in the BSN program. And I absolutely loved it. As far as what to expect, everyone's different. I only went to class half the time, studied by the powerpoints & did fine. Some people struggled the whole way through, and some either flunked out or dropped out. It's not a cake walk, but when it gets hard, remind yourself of why you're there. And don't give up when it gets hard either--you have got to WANT it. And the teachers are phenomenal; and don't listen to all the horror stories either--it's just child birth in that when you ask for people's opinions, you're going to get the worst case scenarios. I absolutely loved my time there & I feel as though when I got done, I was as prepared as any other new grad could be.

Good luck to all of you who are graduating--I hope you already have jobs lined up!

Definitely RN, but in this economy, I honestly don't think it matters. At least a doctor's office or nursing homes wants LPN's (cheaper to hire); they're not interested in RN's, and right now hospitals aren't hiring all that much.

I'm a new RN with a BSN--I've put in 2 different apps & haven't heard a thing back.

I can only refer to the Bham area....the hotspots around here are Trussville (shopping/restaurants), and Springville is the newer one. They are both pretty close together--Trussville about 10 minutes from Bham; Springville about 20 minutes from Bham. Springville is a quieter community. Someone said Chelsea, and it is nice, but Hwy 280 traffic is nothing short of hell. Just depends on what you like--single? family? parties? downtown? etc.... In Bham, we have Trinity, StV Bham & StV East (closer to Trussville), UAB (huuuuge), Children's....I'm sure there's more, but my brain is completely fried. December 19th, here I come

I'm interested in the Bham hospitals (namely UAB & StV), if you work there & you had loans, do they pay them? How does this work? Thanks!

Pedi-ER-RN: I believe when they 1st started that program, there was less than 10. Now, it's up to +100. I'm sure you'll love it; I have the STEP coordinator for lecture. I absolutely love her; she's so nice & caring. Good luck!!

I just started the BSN at Jacksonville. I'm just wondering if any of you are there, too? So far, I LOVE IT! (Now....you have to remember this was the 1st week!!!!)

nope; but i'm about to start the "traditional" bsn. i'm so excited & so nervous. i'm married & got 2 kids & i'm worried about having time to study!!

Jacksonville's letter arrived on June 15th (Saturday)--I got a YES!

I know quite a few of us are waiting on letters. I'm asking that when you receive a letter, you post it & put "who" the letter is from. You don't need to put whether you were accepted or not, I'm just interested to know when everyone gets theirs!!!!

I have talked to JeffState & they told me how many slots, but I forgot. Seems like it was about 60 at each campus (2 campuses?) I may be completely off--I know Jacksonville has about 67 slots.

why, no you didn't!!! i have absolutely NO problem with that!

ladyybuggrn, THANKS!!! i did search for "magnet hospital" & an article on uab came up, but you're info explained is much better! maybe one day I'LL work at uab!!

i've applied to 3--gadsden state, jeff state, & jacksonville. i don't know when jeff state send theirs out, but i do know that jacksonville (bachelor's program) doesn't send theirs out until the middle of july. wait, wait, wait.

i don't know much about nursing lingo: what is "magnet status"? also, what is "clinical nurse advancement"?

will SOMEONE answer the poor woman? i want to know, too!

I just recently took my TEAS exam (requirement for BSN). Did anyone else out there have to take it? Do you mind sharing your score/experience? I'm trying to get into Jacksonville & they've started a new thing this year where they have a formula to combine both the GPA & TEAS score. I made an 81.2%. Does anyone know if this is satisfactory?

Thanks, everyone. I'm getting it! Your postings really helped & I greatly appreciate all the encouragement. (I would have replied earlier but my computer has been busy refusing to do what I ask it to do). I think I confused you--I've not been accepted to JSU yet. The nursing director is telling me that he wouldn't worry at all & he would "put all his chips on" me getting into JSU. They don't send out letters to the middle of July--my fingers are crossed & we're all praying!!! Thanks again!!!

How do you figure out all this STUFF?!?!? I'm going to Jacksonville this Fall to start their BSN. Everywhere I look, there's acronyms & terms & salaries & everything else that I think I'm supposed to know, but I don't. For example: PRT, Flex, CNP, CRNA...and how about salaries? How come they don't offer more for a BSN than a ASN? This is just the tip of the iceberg, ladies & gentlemen...the more I read of these postings, the more confused I get. And with so many career options, how are you ever supposed to find the right place to work? I hear people talk about "shift diff" (?) & how you can work 3 12-hour shifts & get paid for 40 hours & all that crazy junk. I have a million other questions, but right now I'm so confused & my brain is so fried over finals, I can't even think of them.

Hi! I got a lot of information about RN salaries from another thread. What it seems to be, is that around the Bham area, starting salaries are at about $18/hr. My question is, to any of you that know, or any of you that are Bachelors' grads, what is the difference in the pay? I have heard that Associates & Bachelors' pay are about the same. Do any of you know if this is true? (It seems that if "they" want BSN grads so bad that they would pay more per hour for a BSN than an Associates). Thanks for any info you have.

Yes, this is true about St. V & JeffState (I talked to the woman at JeffState). I'm not sure when this starts. She said that it is more for working people because it is only part-time. The regular program is 5 semesters (2 years), but the St. V's parternship is (maybe?) 4 years. It's only on PM's & weekends, like you said.

I'm currently at Gadsden State getting my prerequisites & will (hopefully) attend JSU Fall 2006. I've talked to the people at JeffState. Is it hard to get into?--the Nursing Coordinator told me that they take 100 students, 50 at Shelby & 50 at Birmingham--out of 100 students, they got nearly 600 applicants. My Lord! You believe that?!? Look on JeffState's webpage, under health sciences & then Nursing. The degree they have gives room for taking your prerequisites (anatomies, micro), but if you can, I would really, REALLY suggest getting them in before you start the program. It would be so much easier & take off such a load if you could just do Nursing classes. Hope this helps! This is the 1st time I've posted in here--I'm so excited to see that they have an Alabama forum!