Shay08

It's tough out there, I agree! Sometimes having a connection is key. Do you know anyone at any of the facilities you're interested in who could steer you in the right direction? How about your nursing instructors or clinical instructors? At my school, many of our instructors work (or used to work) at nearby hospitals. Your teachers may know nurse managers or HR people you could contact. Or maybe former classmates? I'm getting ready to graduate with my BSN next month. I was able to secure myself a hospital RN position for after graduation because I did an externship on the unit where I will be working. But the reason I landed that externship was because I knew someone who was able to direct me to the HR recruiter, and as a result, the nurse manager. Good luck!!

This situation just happened to me. I'm graduating in May and have a vacation already booked shortly afterwards. I recently interviewed for, and was offered a new grad position in the hospital where I currently work. Once I was offered the job, I mentioned to the manager that I have a trip planned on xxx dates, would this be a problem and if so how could we work it out. Even though it will be during my orientation, my manager said it would be fine. I plan to have this in writing when my official offer letter comes. Good luck, hope you get the job AND the vacation!

hi - my daughters are 8 and 4, and my younger one has been in preschool in the mornings since I started NS a few years ago (my 8 year old goes to full day elementary school). I really try to maximize my study time in those 3 hours I have each morning when she is in school, then I spend afternoons with her and study again after the girls go to bed. I am in a part-time, evening/weekend BSN program and I think part-time has been the key for me. I only take 1 or 2 classes a semester and that has been very manageable. My clinicals are on Saturdays and Sundays when my husband is home. We don't have any family nearby, so I have had to get babysitters if my husband has to travel for work or has a meeting on a night that I have class. It's taking our group of part-time students a little longer to finish the program, but doing it this way has been the best solution for me. We graduate in 2012. You will find a way to make it work - best of luck!! p.s. Fundamentals Success book is an excellent supplementary book for Fundamentals, and I used the Saunders book to help with Med Surg. Doing lots of practice questions really helps!

hi - I'm taking fundamentals right now and I love it! We are about halfway through, learning all the topics mentioned above. In my program, this class is where the exams start to become application/critical thinking types of tests. A lot of "choose the best response", "which statement made by the client indicates further instruction is needed," or "what would you do first" kinds of questions. We also have to take a HESI at the end of the semester. Best of luck!

hi - I also took BYU's nutrition class through the independent study. I finished it in 5 months, but you have up to a year to do it. I enjoyed it and made an A pretty easily while taking chemistry at the same time. The teaching assistants were helpful in answering questions too. Just make sure that the course will transfer in to whatever school you want to attend before you register for it. Good luck!

I used the Vangonotes audibles as a supplement as well. I liked them because they were clear, easy to understand, and had relatable examples with material that can sometimes be a little bit complicated. I listened to them in my car and also liked the practice quizzes after each chapter. Good luck!

hi there, I just finished micro this spring and I loved it! Here are a few tips that helped me... When you can, get your book and start flipping through it, just to get an idea of some of the topics you will be covering. Has your instructor posted a syllabus yet? You can check that out too. Also, some books come with a supplemental CD-rom; they often have helpful animations and practice tests/quizzes for every chapter. These are some of the things we covered in my class. (Naturally every school is different, but many times the information is the same)... - microscopy (esp in the lab) - prokaryotic vs eukaryotic cells (cell structure, shape, etc) - staining (gram stain, simple stain, etc) - microbial growth and control - microbial metabolism (glycolysis, Krebs cycle, ETC, respiration) - microbial genetics (a DNA refresher would be good if your class is covering this) - antimicrobial drugs - viruses/viral life cycle - immunology (refresh from A&P) and HIV - epidemiology and pathogenicity There is probably more but that's all I can think of from the top of my head. This class was very interesting, but there is a lot of information to be memorized. If you can, find out how the instructor does their exams. Ours were 70-80 multiple choice questions and also an essay. Our entire grade was based on only 4 exams so you really had to do well on each one. No extra credit! I hope that helped somewhat. Good luck!

Have you tried posting this question in the Pennsylvania regional forum? You might get a good response there, from people who are attending one of those programs.

nursewannabe, congrats on your A in A&P! Well done!! For micro, I did not use the same book you will be using but if you can find a copy of your book that has a supplemental CD rom with it, that could be very useful. Our book had a CD with practice tests and quizzes for every chapter, and animations that really helped with things like viral replication, bacterial metabolism and DNA. I loved this class! The labs are interesting and relevant too. There is a lot of material covered but if you review some every day and ask for help if you need it, you will do just fine. Hope that helps. Good luck!

hi - I am a SAHM in a BSN program. My daughters are 6 and 2.5, and right now I am only going part time (no more than 2 classes/semester). So far my classes have been in the evenings, so my husband can generally be here when I have class. I have also taken a few classes online. I don't mind taking it slow because I can focus a lot better this way. I definitely have a list of sitters that I use if my husband has to be out of town for work. This may all change when I get to clinicals, since I don't know if they will continue to offer an evening/weekend program at my school by the time I get to that point next fall - in which case I'll probably need to use the sitters a lot more! We don't have any family living anywhere near us, which stinks! I also like to use the time when they are in school (kindergarten and preschool) to study. It is not easy to be a student and a mom at the same time but you just find a way to do it that works for you and your family. Hope that helps!

Hi - I just wrapped up my second unknown for the semester in Micro. Our entire class knew we had Gr - enterobacteria, but we did about a dozen different tests to narrow it down. One of the big ones was the motility test, are you doing that one? Either with nitrate or a hanging drop slide. Also, does your instructor have copies of Bergey's manual that you can use? Our lab manual had several flow charts that helped too. Good luck!

Busymom, I am finishing up micro in a couple of weeks. I have really enjoyed it! One thing I did to familiarize myself with some of the concepts before the class even started, was go to Borders or Barnes and Noble and leaf through some of those Microbiology for Dummies type books. They are easy to read and got my mind thinking about what lay ahead. Also, as the date gets closer to start the class, find out how the teacher lectures - does he/she use power point slides? Are they available on shared files electronically somewhere so you can access them before the first day? I found that to be helpful too. Good luck, hope you enjoy the class as much as I have!!

Hi - it is not always easy. My kids are 6 and 2.5, so I try to maximize my study time when they are in school or asleep. I also only carry 2 classes a semester - it might take a little longer that way, but it works for me because I have enough time for my family and can make A's. In terms of the particulars of studying, it varies from class to class. For micro, my professor tests from his power points so I make sure I thoroughly study those. I write and re-write things until they stick and I can do it from memory. Any concepts I don't understand, I either ask him or look them up in other sources...books, internet, etc. Straight A's are nice but are not the most important thing. Set realistic goals. Study, but make time for your family too. Good luck!

Hi - I would take chem first. I took it last semester and am taking micro this semester, and there are definitely some concepts from chem that I am encountering again in micro. Not sure what kind of chem class it is (general, organic, etc) that you are going to take, but if there is any biochem component then, in my experience, it is useful to understand that before taking micro. Good luck!

Thanks for your responses. I think it does make sense now, and we also used a similar chart with measurements that correspond to sensitivity. So essentially, what I think you're saying is that you can have 1 drug with a zone of inhibition of 15 mm which = sensitivity toward that drug, and another drug with the same 15 mm zone but for that drug it = resistance. As far as technique, our instructor had a special method of punching the drugs onto the plate for us, all of them at the same time. There was no flaming involved. Thanks!!

I have Micro this semester and am working through a lab exercise on Kirby Bauer testing for a bunch of different antibiotics. Here is the question I can't seem to get my head around... Two antibiotics are tested for their efficacy against a single bacterial species. If antibiotic A and antibiotic B produce zones of inhibition with the same diameter, how can the bacterium be considered resistant to antibiotic A but sensitive to antibiotic B? So I was thinking - could it be that each antibiotic may have varying diffusibility into the medium? Or does that sound way off base? Could it be simply that one measurement of the zones means resistance to one type of antibiotic, but sensitivity to the other? Any insight or help would be appreciated, thanks!

Hi there - I am also a career changer, having been in marketing too. I am sorry to hear about your job loss. But it sounds like now you will have some time to gather information about schools and maybe take some pre-req's. Once you narrow down which schools you are interested in, definitely contact/meet with an advisor from each school - some schools will transfer applicable credit from your previous degree, and others won't if it's more than 10 years old...even non-science classes! You'd have to ask, each program is different. Once you find out what pre-req's you need, I would start knocking them out as quickly as possible. You might find it easier (and cheaper) to take them at a community college, and you could aim for a super high pre-req GPA. As far as applying to accelerated vs. non, I think it really depends on your own personal situation. From what I understand, most accelerated programs are fulltime, full load and intense. I would have loved to do an accelerated program since I already have another degree, but that wasn't going to be possible since I stay home with my kids who are young and I just can't carry more than 2 classes at a time without sacrificing my GPA and time with my little ones. I chose to do a traditional BSN program and I am working through my last few pre-req's part time. I am not sure about the hospitals in your area, but if you have time to volunteer it can be a great experience and help you get a sense for the environment. It may or may not be required for admission. For me it wasn't, and I did not need to write an essay or get recommendations either. Good luck to you!

We use the book by Tortora, Funke and Case called Microbiology: An Introduction, 9th edition. It comes with a CD-rom that I use sometimes to quiz myself. It is a pretty comprehensive book. If you're looking to get a head start on some of this stuff, you might want to get one of those Micro Made Easy books to start with. They can be helpful in understanding the big picture. I like the vango notes too.

Is anyone else finding a lot of chemistry popping up in their micro class? We are using the Tortora book and are nearly finished with chapter 5, microbial metabolism. I can't believe how much chemistry I'm seeing here - enzymes, electrons, protons, glucose, not to mention all the hyper/hypo tonicity, selectively permeable membranes and diffusion/osmosis from previous chapters! At any rate - I was thrilled to get a 99 on my first exam!! I think it's only going to get more complicated from here....

hi, I started back last summer when I was 34 to a BSN program. I'm also 10 years out of school and was terrified! But I LOVE it so far! My children are young like yours (6 and 2) so I study during the day when my older one is at school and my younger one is napping. Going back to study mode was not hard...in fact, I have a greater appreciation for what I am doing this time than I did when I finished my master's degree in 1997! I only go part-time at the moment because I stay home with the girls, but doing so allows me to concentrate really hard on the 2 classes I take per semester. In completing pre-req's I have done a few online and that's been a great way to do certain classes. Good luck! You can do it!

Hi - I took my nutrition class online through Brigham Young University's independent study, www.byu.edu. The course title is NDFS 100. You have 1 year to complete it. But for any online class that's not with the school you plan to attend, just make sure they will accept it before you take it. Hope that helps!

Sounds like everyone is doing well so far! We have our first exam on Monday, on four and a half chapters - intro/history, microscopy, taxonomy, prokaryotic cell structure and microbial growth. It's so much information! I've been trying to keep up and reviewing some every day so it's starting to stick. I'm enjoying the class so far and the teacher seems reasonable. Good luck to all!

Hi - I think volunteering at a local hospital is a nice way to learn about the environment and maybe even pick up some new skills, if they will let you. It depends on the place and their rules. I volunteered for about 8 months in the pharmacy dept, basically doing the same stuff as a pharmacy tech. I helped fill prescriptions, which at first seemed strange that they would let a volunteer do that with no pharm background - but since everything gets checked and double checked before it gets delivered, they allow it. It gave me a new appreciation for how a hospital pharmacy works, and how busy those people are! I also learned a little bit about drugs. I probably would have stayed on, but once school started I just couldn't give the time anymore. Good luck!

hi - Chemistry was my first class in 10 years as well, and being mathematically challenged, I was terrified! But it ended up being a really enjoyable class, and the math part wasn't as bad as I'd feared. I think if you can do some basic algebra (solving for x) and conversions (grams to kilograms, etc) you will be fine on that end. The rest, I found, was plugging numbers into formulas. All chem classes and teachers are different, of course. My class covered general, organic and biochemistry. Most of the organic and biochem was conceptual without too much math. I found that by staying ahead on my reading, attending every class and making sure I asked questions if I didn't understand something all really helped. I also formed a small study group with 2 other students in my class and we would get together before an exam to go over everything. I was so excited to make an A in that class because it was such an Achilles heel for me in high school. Good luck! You will all do fine!!

hi - I know, the wait lists are terrible in some places. I go to school in Pennsylvania (near Philly), and there was no wait list. But, it is a private 4-year university (BSN program) and pretty expensive. So when you apply here, you do not need to have pre-req's done before getting accepted. You are accepted into the nursing program or not based on your GPA (high school or other college, depending). Then once you are accepted you take your pre-reqs before you can do clinicals. You do not have to reapply for clinicals, you are already in, you just have to pass everything with a C or better. I have a previous degree in another field, so a number of my classes/credits transferred in (except the sciences, because they were too old). That said, I am only going part time because I have small children and can only manage 2 classes max per semester. I probably won't graduate till 2012. I think another reason why it is so difficult to get into nursing school these days is because there is such limited clinical space. You might have to call each school individually to find out what their requirements are, but at least then you'll have some idea. If you do decide to wait it out in your area, you could always try to take some extra nursing related classes that may not be required, volunteer at a hospital if you have time, or even try to get your CNA for some hands-on experience. Best of luck!