lovinla23

Banner Estrella--hands down. But then again I'm probably bias since I work there . But seriously, most pts and family members who come in say they would much rather drive a couple more miles for the quaility care that Banner offers. Not to mention they have an exceptional reputation for treating their employees well. Good luck with your decision and I hope you love living in AZ!

qaqueen-- They hold interviews about 4-5 months before the cohort starts. FuturePedsRN-- I think they encourage you to apply in your last semester since it's very competitive and you only have to apply once so if they're already full for the cohort you applied for, then they hold onto your application for the next one. Yes I applied only once in July (for the October cohort) and they continued my application over for March. If you add the months up, it's actually less of a wait than the other Maricopa Community College programs.

FuturePedsRN-- You can apply during your last semester while you are comleting your final pre-reqs, although you probably won't get in for the cohort you're applying to. I did just that when I turned in my application last July, but received a letter that they had already filled the spots for the October cohort. I then had my interview in November and was offered a spot in March. Also, for help on the interview questions, read the earlier posts on this thread. Good luck to you!

Anyone else starting in July at Glendale C.C.?

I will be starting the July cohort as the first program @ the Glendale C.C. campus. I have not received my schedule yet so, like you, I'm curious as to what to expect. I've heard that class is from 7a-3p Mon-Thur and once you start clinicals they're on Saturdays. I could be wrong, so if anyone else can correct me please do. I am also a Banner Employee working in the ER. I'm not sure if they accepts new grads in the NICU but I know they do in the ER sometimes depending upon whether you've had experience in the dept. or held an extern spot. I know that @ Banner Good Sam they take externs but I'm not sure if that includes the NICU dept. Hope this helps somewhat and good luck!

Thanks!! Yeah I definetely view an externship as a great opportunity for on-hands training.

Also, do you know if Estrella excepts applicant after Block I as well or is it just Good Sam as far as you know? Thanks!!

I was just wondering if you could fill me in with any info about the nurse extern program? I just got accepted into the Banner Nurse Fellows program and now that I know you can start the externship after just 3 months of starting, I'm curious what the application process is like? Do you get to choose a department or do you rotate like in clinicals? Is it true that the pay is comparable to new grad RN's?

Thank you so much for the the advice! Now I think I'll feel a little more prepared, aside from the nerves I'll be having on the day I have the interview. I'm just not sure what my chances are of making the cut, consdering they only take 30 students per cohort and I'm not sure how many qualified applicants they get. Does anyone else know by chance??

I'm also a Banner employee and am waiting for an interview in November for placement in the March cohort (I'm crossing my fingers!). Can anyone give advice or tips on what they ask during the interview? I'd like to be as best prepared as possible. The waiting list for the community colleges has reached a year now and I'm really hoping on getting into an accelerated program. Without any children and not having to work full-time I am confident that I could succeed in the program.

Thank you all for your wonderful advice and input! Well I'm happy to say that after weighing the pros and cons we have decided to wait 2-3 years until I graduate to start having children. I tried to imagine what our lives would be like once I begin the program, having school 4 days a week, 8 hrs a day, and then having to work part-time 2 days a week, and STILL find time for homework/studying, AND spending quality time with my husband and new baby. I don't think I would be a very happy mother or wife! I couldn't imagine having to spend so much time away from my baby as I feel it is so important to be able to have that time to bond. Wish me luck! And thanks again I wish for many blessings to you all :wink2:.

My husband and I have decided to have a baby now since I found out that I'm still going to be on the waiting list for another semester and won't be starting the program until Fall 07. We don't want to wait until I'm done (2 1/2 years from now) and I would like to avoid going through a pregnancy during the program. Is anyone else in the same boat? Or will anyone else have a newborn or infant during the program? We have a strong support system but the only thing that concerns us is that I will feel like I won't be able to spend enough quality time with our new baby once I begin the hard workload that comes along with nursing school.

I too was taking pre-reqs @ OCC last year and now I live in Arizona. The wait for nursing school out here is less than in Cali but here I am finally done with all my pre-reqs and WAITING... Anyways, I got my foot in the door at age 18 starting out in admitting/registration at Hoag Memorial Hospital in Newport Beach. Basically you can apply to any hospital, and you don't need any experience. I worked there gaining customer service skills and general medical terminology for a year and a half. I always had an interest in working in the ER so I transferred to admitting in the ER at Mission Hospital in Mission Viejo. After working there for 6 months (the minimum req'd to transfer to another position) I moved up to a position of an ER Tech. I've been working as a tech for a year and a half now and love it! You gain so much clinical skills pretty much doing everything nurses do except start IV's and give meds. After talking with several RN's, PA's, and MD's, they've all said I'll be ahead of the game when the time comes to start the nursing program. I highly recommend anyone interested in going in the program to at least get some hands on experience ahead of time. You'll get a good idea if nursing is what you really want to do, as well as learning skills that will help you through the program. Hope this helps!!

I'm just curious who has or is currently experiencing being pregnant while in nursing school. I am awaiting placement into a nursing program, either a 16-month accelerated RN program or the traditional 24-month, hoping to start in January. My husband and I have an itch to start making babies (we want 3 or 4) although we know it would be much "easier" to wait until I finish school. I work in a hospital as an ER tech (so I have the advantage of already having some clinical experience) and I've spoken with many nurses who have had young children while going through the program, and they've told me how tough it is but that if you're determined and focused, it CAN be done. Any advice would be greatly appreciated, thanks!

I'm just curious who has or is currently experiencing being pregnant while in nursing school. I am awaiting placement into a nursing program, either a 16-month accelerated RN program or the traditional 24-month, hoping to start in January. My husband and I have an itch to start making babies (we want 3 or 4) although we know it would be much "easier" to wait until I finish school. I work in a hospital as an ER tech and I've spoken with many nurses who have had young children while going through the program, and they've told me how tough it is but that if you're determined and focused, it CAN be done. Any advice would be greatly appreciated, thanks!