Biggles25

I have an interview with a few hospitals in the Port Charlotte area at the end of August. The nurse recruiter told me the base pay for a new grad is $21.00. Shift diff for each hospital varies but I know that Fawcett Hospital pays $3.00 after 3pm, $3.50 after 11pm, and $1.50 for weekends. I hope this gives you some insight to pay in the area. :)

Hello, My husband and I have discussed moving back to the Port Charlotte and Punta Gorda area. We lived there for many years before we relocated to Jackson, Tn four years ago. I will be graduating in December with my ASN and we're trying to decide whether to move or not. When we were living there, the market began to turn downward and shortly after we moved many of our friends lost their jobs. I'm a little gun shy on whether moving back is a good idea. We're greatly considering it because we miss our social life and family. How is the job market for a new grad nurse? Which hospitals in the area would be willing to hire a new grad from another state? Would it be wiser to stay where I'm at for at least 6 months to gain some RN experience? I'm working as a nurse intern on an ortho/telemetry floor and will have 7 months experience in December. Does this experience count for anything? Which hospitals in the area would be the best to pursue? Has the nursing pay scale changed along with the economy changes in the area? How has the housing market changed in the area? Any responses to these question would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks Crystal!! We have some friends who live in New Market, which is about 30 minutes from Sevierville. We have been looking for homes in that area. I will definately check out the Covenant Facility in Sevierville on my next visit to the area.

I will be graduating in December with my associates in nursing. My husband and I are planning on moving to the Knoxville area shortly after. We currently live in West, TN. It seems that most of the information I am finding shows East, TN to be one of the lowest paying areas for new grads. Regardless, we love the area and are willing to make the sacrifice. My interest is in critical care and cardiac. However, I am still open minded to many other areas of nursing. As a new grad, what can I expect from the area hospitals? What is the current pay rate? I have done some research and have found more desirable information about Covenant Health. Is this the company I should pursue first? I really just want a starting place where I can learn what I need to advance into a critical care or cardiac setting. I know there are many debate over whether a new grad should be hired into a critical care setting such as ICU, CCU, CVICU, ER ect. What are your suggestions? Where does a new grad who is interested in these areas begin? Thank you in advance for any of your comments!!

Hey powers2004 nursing school is everything they say it is. I have been on information overload for the first half of the semester. The program challenges you physically, mentally, and emotionally. I have had to remind myself to take one thing at a time. I have kept a detailed schedule and have made extended time to study. I find myself studying 3-5 hrs five days a week. The content goes very fast and it is not possible to read all of the content assigned although it is recommended. Each test consists of 4-5 chapters and some of the lectures are over 7-11 chapters. I found it easier to compare the instructors notes to the textbook and read the content discussed in lecture. There are many people in the program who are 40 yrs old and older. One of my study partners is in her early 40's and is taking A&P II and developmental psy with nursing foundations. She has maintained a high B and is doing great. I hope this gives you some encouragement because many older students are doing wonderful in the program. I did better on my second ACT because I knew what to study and I was not as anxious. I am certain that you will do great the second time around. I do not have any afternoon classes on Monday. I have lab on Monday morning and am out by 11:00am. Hope to talk to you again soon!!

Sorry it took so long to respond. I do not know anything about Michael Cogiardo, but you can look on ratemyprofessor.com and see if he is on there. Most students will leave feedback about professors on this website. I am glad to hear that the ACT is over. The real important parts on the ACT are reading and science. They each count as 25% of your points. I made a 20 composite score and still got in the program. I made a 22 on reading and a 23 on science. The points I recieved from the reading and science portion brought my score up. You can go on the JSCC webpage and look under the nursing link. There you will find all of the point requirements to get in the program. I hope this helps. Let me know if you need anymore info. I can give you my email address if you would like.

I would take Psy II first because everything you learn in this class will be the foundation for what you learn in the other two. I have taken two online classes and I think they are a bit easier than on campus classes. As long as you keep up with your work, you will do just fine. I am not sure if you need to go to class to take the mid-term or final. It depends on what the teacher decides to do. I had on online class over the summer and I never stepped foot on campus. My math class this semester has required me to take my final and midterm on campus.

I took Dr. Raines for Psy II and Abnormal. He is by far the best teacher for any psychology class. He provides power point slides for each lecture so you do not have to take alot of notes. If you print them off you can just follow along as he lectures. I took Vivian Grooms for Developmental Psy. She is interesting but her classes tend to be a little unorganized. However, she gives alot of extra credit. Many of the students who take Grooms pass because of the extra credit. The only thing that is time consuming in her class is the essay assignments. She assigns four short essays throughout the semester. She always provides a detailed outline for each chapter and the test questions usually come from the outline. I would recommend both of these teachers for Psy, but try to get Dr. Raines for Psy I or II and Abnormal. I absolutely loved his class.

A&P over the summer is very difficult. It is one of those classes that I had to dedicate alot of time to. I do not have kids so it was a bit easier for me to study, but I can completely understand why you dropped. I have not taken microbiology, but I think I am going to take this one over the summer too. I would rather get it over with in 5 weeks than in 15 weeks. Regardless I am with you britney_RN, I would not recommend these classes over the summer unless you have plenty of time to study.

The hardest pre-reqs for me was A&P, but I decided to take them both over the summer. I took A&P1 in the first 5 weeks and A&P2 in the second 5 weeks. It was alot of work but I did get through it. If it makes you feel better my mother-in-law decided to go back to school for nursing when she was 43. She has been a nurse for 15 years and loves it. She tells me all the time that it was the best thing she ever did. Depending on your situation, I believe nursing has the best stability over any other job. You will always be able to find a job. If you have any questions or want recommendations on teachers at JSCC just let me know.

Thank you for the information dixiechickn71. It is good to hear from someone who is in the Jackson nursing scene. The money is definately not my main priority but it does make a difference. I spent six years working in the healthcare industry and I know that nursing is a difficult job. The main reason I decided to be a nurse is because of the patients I worked with in Florida. I managed a medical equipment store and specialized in orthotics and prothetics. I can't tell you how many times I seen patients that had been rushed out of doctors offices with little information. My patients were relying on me to give them the information that the nurses and doctors should have taken the time to tell them. They are my inspiration and one of the reasons I am in nursing school now. My husband and I have a house near the gibson county line, but neither one of us like this area. We only moved here because my husbands job transfered him here. However, the job he was on lost there contract and he has spent the last year traveling for work. If we had to pick we would have moved to east TN. I grew up in western NC and I think I am just stuck on living near the mountains. It's absolutely beautiful!!! Thank you again for the info and I will consider my options.

I have been attending JSCC since Fall 2007. I applied to the nursing program twice and finally got in on the second try. I will be starting my nursing classes in Jan 2009. I can relate to the fear you feel about the ACT. That was my biggest problem. I was a nervous wreck taking the ACT. The first time I took it I did not score high enough to get into the program even though I had a GPA 4.0. However, this fall the nursing program changed there points system so it is a little bit easier to get in. The ACT did count as 80% of your points but now it only counts as 75%. They count your cumlative score, reading score, and science score as 25% each. This past spring the cumlative score counted as 60%, the reading and science score as 20%, and your GPA as 20%. I attended the nursing orientation a couple of weeks ago and they are now excepting 105 students. My advice for the ACT is if you have time study the Barron's ACT guide. It comes with a great CD that scores your tests and evaluates where you need help. If the ACT is right around the corner I would recommend buying Crash Course for the ACT. This book is an easy read and has alot of useful information. Try to focus on the reading a science sections because the math only counts into your cumlative score, 50% of your points for the ACT depend on your reading and science scores. I have completed all of my nursing pre-reqs so if you need any help just let me know. Good Luck

Powers2004 I am a nursing student at JSCC as well. I will be starting in January and have found out alot of information from students who are alreading in the program. After you complete maternal nursing, Jackson General will hire you as a nurse extern. Students tell me that the pay is around 15.00hr. I have been attending JSCC since last fall and have completed all but three of my pre-req for my AA and BSN degree. However, I have researched the medical field in this area and I am not impressed. The pay scale is much higher in Memphis, Nashville, and Knoxville. I do not know how true this is but students in the program say that the teachers advise them not to work at the hospitals in Jackson because the pay is lower than the TN average. Hopefully, we will meet each other in the program. Good Luck.

Hello Everyone, This is my first time using the forum and I am very excited to find so much useful information. I currently am a student nurse in Jackson, TN. My husband and I moved here from Florida a few years ago and I must say there is not alot to offer nurses in this area. We want to move towards middle or east TN, but we are not familar with many of the areas. I have been to Nashville and I love it, but my husband wants to be further away from the city. I have heard that the pay scale is good in Nashville, but I was wondering if anyone knew the pay scale around Cookeville, TN. I will have one year of experience as a nurse extern and will be graduating with a BSN. :wink2:

Hey, I am also a student at JSCC. I was just reading your story and it sounded a bit like mine. I am 26 years old and decided to go back to school for nursing. I am currently taking my pre-recs at JSCC and I did apply for the nursing program for fall of 2008. I have never applied before, but I have found out alot of information from other students in my previous classes. The main key is it have a high score on your ACT. As you might already know, it counts as 80% of your points towards getting into the program. Most of the people I have talked to made a 25 or higher on the ACT and had a very high GPA. It is a very competitive field to get into. Each year about 400 people apply for the nursing program. It just stinks that only 80 get accepted each semester (spring and fall). Well I am glad to know I am not the only one freaking out right now. All we can do is wait to see if we get in. Good Luck to you!!! Maybe I will see you in some of my classes.