txgrlnad

Wow! Wish I would have found this thread earlier!! I live in Hurst and got my packet today, and I got accepted!! Congrats to those who got accepted and good luck to those who find out soon! :)

I'm not much help... but I just wanted to let you know that you're not alone. lol! My stomach gets terribly upset anytime before a test, before performing a skill for the first time in front of my instructor, etc. and I'll have to run to the restroom too sometimes after it's all done and over with. Haha. I get myself way worked up. I can't recommend anything, but everything is always much better for me after I have performed that skill for the first time b/c I think, "Oh, that wasn't such a big deal afterall... Why the heck did I get myself so worked up over nothing?!!!" Anyway... Good luck w/ clinical! You'll find that it's not as bad/scary as you thought it was.

Yeah, I suppose it depends on your instructor. Through college I was able to use a shoulder bag... but since nursing school, they usually require that we bring most of our books... so I of course bought a rolling backpack. A good 90% of the nursing students at my school use rolling backpacks... Idk how the others w/ regular ones did it. Who cares if you look goofy, at least you won't be the one with a bad back in the long run (hopefully) :)

I regret ever buying my Dansko Professionals... and apparently I'm the only one in this post who disagrees w/ buying them. I've almost twisted my ankle three times w/ them on and they're just way too heavy to walk in. I'll take my Nike Shox any day. :)

I bought this watch too at WalMart. I found they also have it at Kohls. I fell in love when I saw it just b/c I absolutely love Mickey and Minnie and the fact that she was dressed as a nurse was cute... But there's no way I could wear that watch outside of clinical. It ticks too loudly for me.

Oops.. Didn't realize someone already posted the same thing today. Sorry guys. :)

Hi all! What are some good rolling backpacks that you can recommend that are spacious enough, durable, don't fall over due to all the books possibly, etc??? And where'd you buy yours at? Thanks for any help. :)

I keep hearing New Balance are good shoes to buy. I own a pair of Nike Shox and they are sooo comfortable! I'll probably go to the mall to look for some white ones. Just don't buy Dansko Professionals for Women if you even considered maybe buying them in the first place... Everyone has their own opinion on these shoes, but they're not worth it at all to me considering I've almost twisted my ankle three times in them and they're too heavy to walk fast in...

I agree w/ a lot of what bob7rob7 said... but I keep seeing posts saying "Oh, you have to have a 4.0 or close to it to get accepted..." and "you MUST have A's in all of your science classes..." This apparently isn't so with everyone, b/c I was accepted into TCC's nursing school for Fall '08 and I had three B's in three of my science classes and one A in the other. I have heard it's a bit harder if you have C's in any of your science classes, so I would definitely recommend that you retake a science class if you happen to get a C... and my GPA is below a 3.7, and I still got in... However, I'm not saying you should just settle with a B, etc.. To highly bump your chances up to getting in, you will definitely want those A's in your science courses.

I took most of my classes at NE campus, and I took a couple online. For Chemistry I had Kucera, but I've also heard Patrick is a really good professor. For A&P I took Pulse over the summer at NE campus, but he mostly teaches over at SE campus. For Microbiology I took Matthai. I HIGHLY recommend him, and so do many of the other people I have talked to. For College Algebra I took Patel online. I didn't have any problems taking math online surprisingly. I've also taken Statistics online and had no problem with that. Any math class with Maggie Foster is wonderful. She's VERY helpful and tutors her students outside of class if you desire. Also, you can go to http://www.ratemyprofessor.com or http://www.pickaprof.com to find ratings from other students on most of the professors at TCC.

It's crazy how much we sound alike on some of these things. I'm book smart as well, but when it comes to actually having to apply the material, I can't seem to do it. I didn't have any experience at all going into nursing either btw. I've never changed a diaper as well. lol.. I've caught myself walking out of a room and forgetting to gel out right away or forget to check their armband, etc. I'd come home every week bawling my head off b/c I wasn't doing good in class or clinical and thought I was the worse in my class. I noticed I started losing more hair b/c I worried myself over every little thing possible in relation to nursing school. I avoided going into patient's rooms if they had MRSA, etc., but one day I didn't realize that I picked a patient who had it and was stuck with the patient for the day... but I came to found it wasn't that bad, as long as you take the necessary precautions that you're supposed to. They're just like any of your other patients. And if you're not sure what to do, ASK. I'm shy as well. VERY VERY VERY shy. I always have been. And I get made fun of it every year in school. I can't react under emergency situations and I freaked out terribly the first time I ever had to check-off on a skill. I was so nervous, my hands trembled and I couldn't even think straight. My instructor told me that I needed to get my anxiety under control. I was the slowest in my class when it came to learning care plans, for example. The last week of my first semester is when I finally learned how to do them right. I was a spoiled kid growing up (and I still am.) I've found my boyfriend, friends, parents, etc saying that I need to gain more confidence in myself, and I do need to. I strongly believe my lack of confidence is holding me back from making my dreams a reality, and I think the same thing kind of goes for you. But maybe nursing might really not be for you? After my first semester, I started thinking how nursing really might not be for me. (That's what attracted me to this post in the first place.) I'm not 100% sure anymore that nursing is what I want to do. I'm hanging in there though b/c nursing still sounds interesting to me even if I am a slow learner, etc. I'm not giving up. Yes, I keep thinking.. What if I'm just wasting my time? It won't be the end of the world if I find out nursing isn't for me down the road though. Are you sure there aren't any other majors you might be interested in?? Maybe you should try taking a class related to whatever else you think you might be interested in. Or I'd suggest to try talking to one of your instructors you look up to. That's what they're there for. You're not the only person who has talked to them about these concerns before. Or take a little bit of time off for yourself and really contemplate on what you think is best for you.... And I know it might seem kind of silly, but I know at our school, the counselors have this test where it kind of tells you maybe what majors you should consider. See if your counselors have something like that, or even just try talking to a counselor. Look up some books at the bookstore about career choices, or books on improving self-confidence, etc. I really hope you find some help. Best of luck to you (and me) on finding our passion in life.

Congrats on getting through the program!! :) Do you feel like you're well prepared to get out in the real world now?

Hey!! Orientation was alright. I started to doze off on some parts. Oops. But I like my schedule... I have clinical M/W 7-1, Theory T/Th 2:15-4:15, & Skills on Tues morn. I'm excited for school to start! Hope everyone enjoys their summer! :onbch:

I know you're at South, but Matthai at the NE campus is wonderful! I'd recommend him to anybody.

Yeah, any time I know I'm going to take an online class, I sit at my comp until midnight or w/e time registration first starts and sign up for the class. It's crazy how fast they go. But yeah... I would do what txspadequeen921 recommended if you plan on wanting to take it at TCC... Just wait until the drop date and hope that a position opens...