neeniebean

Do you ever have a problem getting the amount of hours that you want to work? I know they say that it's a "process" and that they can't guarantee a certain amount of hours, but i was just curious how easy/hard it was to get the amount of hours that you wanted (especially if you wanted to work Full time). Thanks!

You only wear the uniform in the hospital. You dont have to wear it for clinical days on campus- you just wear regular street clothes. Some people are in their work clothes (bc they go straight from work) others are in sweats... it really doesnt matter what you wear to lecture and lab.

For the first few weeks (3 or 4, i think), you won't be at the hospital. During that time you'll have what they call "clinical days on campus" where you learn some basic nursing skills, as well as tons of lectures to get that foundation going. As far as the uniform on campus thing- you could walk on and change if thats your only option, but i'd try to change at the hospital or in my car. There were a couple of students that lived on campus, so obviously they had to walk on campus in their uniform, but they really stood out. But, you gotta do what ya gotta do. Unfortunately, get used to feeling like you dont know whats going on lol Farmingdale really drops the ball in that area. Then, you also have to be careful where you get your info from (for some reason, lots of nursing students think they know it all- and theyre usually wrong ) Dont worry though- you'll figure it all out! They'll give you the information to log into the course website stuff and most communication is posted there- just check that often!

interesting!

I think most people go with Nursemates. Honestly, i would try to get whatever cheap white sneakers you could get! I paid like $80 and they still weren't really all that comfortable (they were the leather ones that kind of looked like clogs, but had a back to them. I think they were "spring form" or something like that. I haven't touched them since i graduated. It's too bad you can't wear white crocs. All i wear at work at crocs- nothing else comes even close to being as comfortable (ugly as they may be lol).

Depends on what books they put on your list this year. I never used the Basic Nursing textbook (or workbook) after 108 (except for once- i think i used it as a resource for a nursing seminar paper, but i easily could have used something else). The Dosage calculations book- some people used it at the beginning of the other semesters (when you need to review/study for the math test you have at the beginning of each semester), but i never opened it after the first semester (the Prof's give out review sheets each semester- i just studied from those). There was also a fundamentals book that they had us get- i may have looked at it a couple of times in 109 b/c it had review questions (and profs sometimes used questions from it). Taber's dictionary, Davis' drug guide & the nursing diagnoses books- those were all of the ones that i got on the PDA instead, and you use those all throughout nursing school (and, once youre a nurse, too!). I use Davis all the time and Tabers once in a while (when someone comes to the floor w/ something i dont know much about). Those are all the books i can remember- What books did they have on the list?

I work on a telemetry unit in Nassau cty. On average, i have about 7 patients per night (there's really no difference b/w day/night ratios-depends on the available staffing). On the worst night, i can have 9, on the best night 6. Having 9 on a tele unit is ridiculous and should be illegal, imo.

When i was there, NUR100 had an Assessment textbook (pretty expensive- just like the others lol), and then there were alot of handouts that we got in class too (well, had to print out from the class website, anyway). You should post on here to see if anyone is selling the books- or go on half.com, amazon.com or ebay. that's where i got a bunch of mine (the $110 OB text i got for $60- brand new with shipping inc on half.com)... you have plenty of time, so you can shop around- the bookstore is such a rip off! Craigslist too- i'm getting rid of a bunch of my books now (i kept putting it off, but now that we're moving, i dont feel like lugging all of these texts with me lol) and i'm listing them there b/c i just dont feel like shipping them, so its definitely worth checking that out too! Also, if you're planning on getting a PDA (i did and would totally recommend it!)- there are a few books on the list that you can download for the PDA instead and the programs are actually cheaper than the books (and much more convinient at clinicals!), so just something to consider before you buy them.

Try not to take it personally. Like i said in another post- you'll find out REAL quickl that you need to advocate for yourself in that program, and really make yourself heard in order to get what you need. It sucks, but thats just the way it is. I doubt that its just Farmingdale, but still, it was extremely frustrating at times. Don't let it get you down though. It's a tough field- better to thicken your skin now. But, don't let their dismissiveness effect your goals, and don't take it to heart. That's just the way some in that dept can be.

I'm so sorry for your loss =( You could call the Nursing dept and ask them when the other orientation dates are and then see if you could change it. I don't know that they'd have a problem with it, but it will be a disadvantage to you because many clinical spots will fill up quickly- Lecture & lab spots too, but clinicals are the ones that are much more limited. Maybe you could let them know the situation and ask them if you could come out and meet with an advisor and make up your schedule now, but then go to one of the later orientations to experience the rest of the information presentation stuff? It's worth a shot. The orientation itself only takes a couple of hours (unless they changed it), but i'm assuming it would probably be the same hours as the funeral. Call them- see what your options are! Good luck, and i'm sorry, again.

the initial classes were all days, then i oriented on days for 4 weeks and then went to nights, where i oriented there for another 4 weeks. They're piloting a process now of just orienting new night hires on nights only, but i think that orienting on days gave me a much better picture and understanding of the way it all works together (it also made me appreciate nights much more! lol)

I wanted to also let you know- with the medical micro course- they're usually pretty good about trying to accomodate the students that are already accepted into the nursing program to get them into the course (even if its already full). If you really want to take it this summer, i would call them and tell them how much you need to take it before you start, and all of that- keep stressing that youre already in the program and how much you need to take it this summer. Its worth it to try. You'll soon find out with farmingdale (and w/ the nursing dept) that you really need to advocate for yourself and be persistent to get what you need.

There's usually 10 spots for each clinical location, not just 10 spots altogether. So, if you need that time slot, you may need to be more flexible about the clinical location (like for nassau county, there's usually NUMC, Winthrop or New island... though it changes semester to semseter). I don't know about the demand for that spot- it all depends on the students that semester and what their schedule allows for. Registration at orientation is first come first serve, and there's also a few different orientation groups. If you're in April, then i'm assuming your in the first group, so your chances of getting the spot that you want are really good. I never had a problem getting the time/location that i wanted, but i registered as soon as i possibly could everytime! Even on orientation day, i went there knowing what spot i wanted- looked it up online beforehand- and filled out the paper as fast as i could (Everyone in the orientation group was given the booklet and paper to choose your courses, then you had to bring it up to the secretary to have it 'officially' entered). I filled it out as fast as i could and ran upstairs with the paper- the classes definitely fill up pretty fast! ETA- clinicals were offered at a different time when i did them. The evening ones were 3-11pm, not 5:30-12am. I guess they changed that a little. Probably b/c people theyre trying to accomodate people that work f/t more.

Honestly, i wouldn't have taken it at the same time as the nursing courses. I took it the summer before i started NS, though i also worked while i was in nursing school. I know a few people that took it while taking nursing classes and it was such an extra burden. I mean, if you have to do it, you have to do it, but if you can avoid it, i would. I took a communications course during one of the semesters and it wasnt bad at all (more time consuming but not intensive or anything). If there's any BS courses like that that you can take, i would do that to keep your full time status instead of a course like Micro. Also, take that program outline thing that bella was talking about with a grain of salt. Most people that i knew took micro before they start the program, not with the other nursing course. You know yourself and what you can handle though. Some people had small children, worked f/t, and other obligations- and still took all those courses together. It's possible, but you have to decide if it works for YOU. After your first semester you'll have a better feel for what you can handle on your plate. My advisor tried to talk me out of taking phys chem, pharmacology and nursing seminar together in the same summer. She was really pushy about it, but i went ahead with it anyway (knowing myself and my schedule) and got a 4.0 that semester. You know yourself better than anyone!

They probably change a bit year to year (the school has to bid and then its based on availability), but off the top of my head, there was NUMC, Winthrop, New Island, St. Catherine's, Good Sam, Southside, and i think Mercy (that was just for Saturdays though). There may be more but that's all i can think of right now. I loved Winthrop. I wasn't a fan of NUMC, but you definitely get exposed to alot and you get thicker skin b/c of it lol Psych rotations (which aren't until your second year, and are only for part of the semester) are at NUMC and Syosset- I'm not sure where they do them in Suffolk. Good luck! If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask!