jazz404

15 med questions - Yikes! Did you recognize the meds? I'm hearing that a lot of people get meds they had never seen before. I think I'm weak on the meds, so this worries me. Any advice on how you studied them? Thanks

Yes - being nervous is normal and I agree that it is a good thing. It will keep you on your toes and remind you of the serious nature of your work. That being said, make sure you don't let those nerves get out of control. I've seen a number of classmates really struggle with lab skills, clinicals, etc, just because they get too nervous. I've found a lot of good suggestions on this site for dealing with stress. I can also say that my stress levels have gone down as I've progressed through clinicals and gained some confidence. As far as level of difficulty - I've found nursing classes to be a lot harder than any other classes. I was a straight A in pre-req's, but had to really improve my study habits and time management for nursing classes. Good luck!

It really depends on what you want to get out of your clinical experience. As a couple of posters mentioned, the majority of action happens in the AM. You'll experience a lot more with an early clinical.

Ha! I can't believe anyone would pick a place of employment based on the color of their uniforms. It really sounds like you should take a good look at your priorities and your reasons for becoming a nurse. If every nurse in every facility had to wear white would you have chosen a different career? Btw, at CCF the color system works extremely well and the patients and their families have an easier time ID'ing staff because of it.

my 2 cents - I agree that you have to do what is right for you, but I don't see how quitting nursing school is courageous. In the initial post, the problems seemed to come from stress and poor time management. These are all typical problems, especially in first semester. But then you rationalized quitting by saying you felt guilty about neglecting your family. You can find all kinds of reasons not to endure anything that is difficult in life, and if you use your family and children, then no one can really argue with you. Of course we would all like to quit our jobs, school, etc and spend all of our time with our family, but that's just not reality for most people. Are we bad people because we make sacrifices (for a very short period of time) and work hard for a career we love? I think the courageous people are all of us who do continue working, spending time with our children and keeping our homes and marriages together. Nursing is not for everyone, but I'm thankful for all my classmates and co-workers who continue to take on the challenge every day.

This is one of the things that really bothers me - I hear a number of people complaining about reading the text or saying that we shouldn't have had to spend all that money on the books, etc. Diane makes a good point - which is especially true in ADN and excelerated programs. We get notes and powerpoints, but they don't cover everything that's in the text. Studying for the course test is fine for getting through school, but the NCLEX will draw from every area of the text. I'd rather read it now than try to cram it all in later.

I'm at Lorain County Community College and fast approaching the half way point of the program. I can believe how fast this is going! Have you started at B&S? How's it going?

My two cents... 1) I'm paying good money to have the teacher lecture on as much material as possible during a semester. Yes, there are stupid questions and they take away from this lecture time. (99.9% of the stupid questions are answered in the text book. Please read it!) 2) You should always strive to use proper spelling and grammar - otherwise you come across as uneducated or lazy. You really notice the "dumbing down" of our country when people attack the grammar police and take pride in sloppy or poor writing skills.

I would also suggest checking out the NCLEX pass rates listed on the Ohio BON website. When I was researching schools, I found the ones with good reputations usually had high pass rates as well.

Good advice gm - I was accepted to the Parma branch of B&S for last fall. They told me up front that they were accredited - when I continually pressed them, they changed the story and said they were in the process. Does Willoughby Hills getting accredited mean that Parma is also? I don't know, and I wouldn't trust them until I confirmed it with NLNAC. Luckily, my name came up on the wait list at Lorain CCC so I didn't have to deal with that anymore. I can't comment on the academic side, but I was really put off with being lied to by the front office people. Good luck LuyshuZ - congrats on getting started in NS! btw - I did see the Willoughby Hills campus on candidate status on the NLNAC website - you could contact them for more info.

I would be more worried about the issue of your husband not wanting to talk about it - or being bothered by the fact that you want to talk about it. It could be nothing, or it could be something serious. But you will really never know unless there is honest, open commmunication. If he says that this is a result of his work stress, then why is there any question about your nursing school. I could see if you were studying around the clock and not making time for him - but it sounds like you are making an effort. Just from what you've posted, it sounds like there may be more going on here. I say just keep working at it. Good luck!

Where do they have their acccreditation from? I see that the Willoughby Hills campus is on candidate status for NLNAC. Was that the one you were referring to?

I'm half way through my L&D clinical and our instructor has been with us on all of our assessments. I was caring for a c-section mom today and I was left alone to do basics - vitals, lung and bowel sounds, peripheral pulses, etc. My instructor was with me when assessing fundus, discharge, etc. She also stays with us or close by when we are bathing or working with the newborns - all newborn assessments are confirmed by our instructor or by the unit nurses. While we are encouraged to get in there and do as much as we can - we were also told that a lot of this clinical will be observational. It just depends on what's going on that day and what kind of mood the nurses and/or mom's are in!

The toughest thing about getting into B&S was agreeing to pay the tuition! Ouch.

1) Dude - stop rolling your eyes, your constant "I am so bored and this is a waste of my time" vibe is really getting on our nerves. You saw the times for the lectures and labs when you registered - either suck it up or don't bother to show up. 2) To the same dude - do you realize you are fast becoming the joke of the class when you pack up and walk out before lecture or lab is over. We realize that you must already know everything the instructor has to say - sorry the whole going to class, lab and lecture is getting in the way.

Just some food for thought - while it is possible to work pt/ft while attending nursing school, you should also consider what your future plans might be. I know a lot of students who are working while in school - I know very few who are doing well. This is not a knock on those who really have no choice in the matter - some people just have to work. But if you want to go on to higher education, you'll want to have a high gpa. Also, I'm actually using my "free" time to volunteer, shadow or do some pt work in the areas and hospitals where I hope to work after graduation. While this isn't necessary, it might help if you want to get your foot in the door in a particular facililty or setting. After meeting and spending time with many nurses, I decided I didn't want to be one of those that just got by - but for me, that meant not working and making financial sacrifices for the next two years. Only you know what you are truly capable of - but if you do decide to work, just make sure you don't get too far behind. It can happen quickly. Best of luck in whatever you decide to do.

I was in the same situation - I finished my support courses and was looking at waiting at least a year to start a nursing program (I looked at every school in and around Cleveland). I was all signed up and ready to start at Bryant & Stratton, but I just wasn't comfortable spending that much money and I was really worried that the program was not accredited - accepted by the state BON, but credits might not transfer if/when I decided to get a BSN or MSN. I was working at a hospital and a co-worker had finished her last semester at BS - but had failed her ATI - she was scheduled to retake the test in a couple of months, but if she failed, then she had to repeat some coursework. I didn't like what I was hearing from her and I decided to defer my start at BS for one semester - luckily, I did get accepted at my local community college. Sorry this is so long - I guess my advice to you would be to really consider the trade-offs of going to BS or waiting for another program. In the mean time, apply to every program around - you never know when you might get in somewhere else. Best of luck!

I'm starting my ADN program at Lorain County CC on Jan 14 - I've decided (after much thought) to quit my job as an STNA (at a hospital 50 miles from home). But I'd like to continue doing some work/shadow/internship, etc in a hospital while in school. I'm not concerned about making $ now, but I would like to gain some experience in my areas of interest (in and around the OR, and ER/ED) - without committing to a lot of structured work time. Any nurses out there have any advice? I see the Clinic has a program once you've completed your first clinical. I'll follow-up with them, but any other info or advice would be greatly appreciated.

I'm 37 and changing careers into nursing also. I'm starting my ADN program in January and can't wait! I went the CNA (STNA in Ohio) route to get some experience and earn some $ while attending school. I worked three months in an Nursing home while applying for positions in the local hospitals. I really didn't care for the Nursing Home work and since my ultimate goal is to work as Nurse in Surgical areas, I was hoping to get into a hospital. Well, that finally happened and I'm so happy that it did. I work on a med/surge floor and do everything I did in the nursing home plus 100x more! I'd suggest you try to get into a hospital - from my point of view, the experience is just a lot better. You might even want to ask around at the local hospitals or nursing homes to see if you can shadow a nurse assistant for a day to see what each is like. Good luck!

I'm not sure why you are so surprised that private schools cost a lot more than public schools. That's pretty standard.

Thanks for the reply - how soon did you start your clinicals? How much clinical time did spend at those locations?

Thanks for the info dolphin...I'm thinking about going in to talk with a rep. Which location are you at? What's the cost of the program? Where are the clinical sites? I was unable to pm you, but you can pm me if you'd like - thanks again.

Does anyone else have any info on B&S? They are approved by the Ohio BON, but I don't think they are accredited. Anyone currently attending or know someone who has been through their program?

Does anyone know if there is a wait list at Huron? I'm looking for an alternative to waiting a year at Lorain County Community College. Is there a work requirement for the Clinic if you attend Huron?

There's no waiting list for the STNA class at LCCC. I was told the classes do fill up, but they are offered frequently through out the school year. I'm not sure about the summer schedule. The class is considered a 5 credit hour class, so the cost is equivalent to taking a 5 hour class during the semester - 400+ for a county resident.