lilshamrock

Im currently just a student, but I have done clinicals at Sky Ridge on the med-surg floor. I did enjoy working there and the staff was really nice, but would have to agree that the turn over is high there from talking to the nurses. If you are looking for something remotely close to sky ridge as in quality of care and nurse to patient ratio, Swedish medical center is very awesome. I had enjoyed my rotation there so much that Im going back again. Some of the nurses have been there for 15+ yrs. Swedish much like Sky Ridge use the meditech system for dispensing medication to the patients, so your 6 rights are covered. I personally perfer doing documentation via the computer than writing everything by hand and trying to figure out others handwriting. Also from looking up information on swedish they do alot with stroke victims but they also have an extensive cardiology unit. Hope that helps

I have to say finishing up my first semester tomorrow at my clinicals, it has been absolultely wonderful that we not only learn things but we go out into the field and put them to use right away. The program is tough but the teachers are not heartless, they want to help you succeed and will do what they can to help you.

I had been waiting since 2003 my waitlist number was 508. Believe it or not there maybe a lot of people before you but a lot of them will either look elsewhere or drop out. I had heard there were about 40-50 people in front of me that went elsewhere/droppped out. Since I waited so long I managed to take all my prerequistes needed to get my BSN online thru UCHSC after I finish my RN degree at ACC. Hope that helps :)

I'm currently in the 1st semester nursing program at ACC. Unless they change things which is known to happen and I'm almost positive they said the up comming classes will have to also take another class but they did not tell us what class since we do not have to take it. (this is what we are currently taking 1st semester....not saying it will be the same for you but it will give you a heads up) The first 10 weeks you will be taking Fundamentals of Nursing along with a lab, pharm calculations and Pharmacology. You'll have a choice of either taking Fundamentals lecture on monday with lab on tuesday or Fundamentals lecture on thursday and lab on monday. Pharm calculations is an online class and Pharmacology is on fridays. Once you reach week 8 you will do clinicals once a week (depending on the facility, hrs are 6:30am to 1:30-2) They start you off in Long term care facilities and in some cases med surg floor at a hospital. You do these clinicals for 5 weeks. *for us we had a week off for thanksgiving, but if you are taking it in the spring, you should have this break around spring break* After the break you then sign up to do clinicals at another facility. They will give you a list to choose from, some do include nights but not all. I did clinicals at a hospital, two days a week from 6:45 am to 2pm, for 3 weeks. I right now am in my last week of clinicals for the semester. Hope that helps you out! Don't stress too much, they will send you a letter once you get accepted letting you know a date and time to come in for orientation. They will let you know then what to expect and give you your schedule and tell you what classes you have to sign up for. WHATEVER YOU DO...do NOT sign up for classes w/o them telling you what to sign up for. With the new banner system it has totally screwed up the scheduling of classes thus making it a headache for you and the instructors as well. They will tell you to be as flexible as possible when it comes to their scheduling issues, they are understanding that people have jobs and a life outside the nursing program. I am married and have two kids, so I would have to say yes, I do have a family life still. Only thing is you really need to budget your time wisely to get in all your studies and still have time for the family. These last three weeks have been the best for me because all I have are clinicals so I have more time for my family right now, but those first 10 weeks are hard! Feel free to msg me if you have any questions and good luck!:)

I agree with TBird. I am in the nursing program at the moment and I wish they would of required us to become CNA's first. For one, first day of clinicals for us we we're to follow around CNA's and help them. The most we could do to help them was take vitals. So I felt more like a burden to those hard working CNA's then helping them. I had no experience at all in a healthcare setting so now thinking back to it all I wish I would have become a CNA first.

Totally understand where your coming from. In our class we have a saying C = RN because all you need is a 77% to pass which is a C. Alot of us have said goodbye to those A's we were so use to getting. I know for some taping lectures seem to work, for me reviewing notes and reading right after class seems to be best to get it drilled into my brain. There is just so much info sometimes I wish I was a computer where I could just add a little bit more ram or a better hard drive to solve the problem LOL

WOOT I finally did it! Was 100% on the dot with my BP reading and did great with my other check offs.

I wish going part time was a choice at my school but unfortunately its not or I would diffinately be doing that. That would make things so much easier balancing real life and school. Things are going much better and I'm trying to stay positive. I sat down one day and just cried it out of my system. I have clinical check offs this week I guess that will be the true test. I found someone who's bp is strong and easy to hear and I have asked him to do check offs with me so that should help tons. I have been doing great in the class room with exams and such but for some reason I'm very scared about lab. Thankfully I have to go to a different teacher for check offs. I don't know why that one particular lab professor seems so intimidating...she really is a nice person.

Thank you all so much for posting! Normally I'm not the type to let something get me down, usually I just try harder and get it right the next time. I went and asked another instructor to help me and see if I could check her bp while she listened also on the teaching steth. Come to find out I did it perfectly, wasn't 100% on the dot but was only 2 off! That totally boosted my self-esteem. I am just taking it one day at a time and reminding myself of what you all posted. Right now I'm doing what Day suggested and doing dmg control and moving on. Thanks again everyone for posting

Hello all, I usually don't post often, but I guess for some reason I felt compelled to do so just to let some of my frustration out. I am currently in week 4 of my first semester of nursing school and I hate to say but I'm starting to feel like maybe nursing isn't for me. I've tried to stay positive in my outlook and remind myself to stay determined. I just really want to know if anyone else has experienced the up and down feelings while going to school. Some days I feel confident in my knowledge of procedures and how to take care of the patient, then others I feel like screaming "What in the world am I doing?!?" Our lab requires us to do 23 bp's before doing a checkoff of our skills with our instructor. I did my 23 felt confident in what I did was right and when I perform my check off I find that I was off by 10, some of the procedure I did wrong. For one, 2/3rds of the class wasn't doing the two step method and secondly how do we know if we are doing it right when performing it on other students who do not have the experience either?? Being the first one in there for check offs of course I was embaressed all to hell because you have to take a fellow student in with you for the assessment. So by the end of the day everyone knew I screwed up and what I screwed up on. Doesn't help with the self-esteem much when that happens. We are allowed 3 chances for check offs and if we cannot do it we are out of the program. I already have one strike against me, so I have two more chances to get it right. What is mostly nerve wracking to me right now is the what if's. What if I can't do it and I'm wrong again for the next two times at check offs. I have just wasted 4 yrs of schooling to be kicked out because I'm not within +/- 4mm of the bp. I have practiced so much on my husband over the past week that his poor arms are sore. Just some days when I leave school I just feel so dumb, hence why I'm posting this. I just had to get this off my chest and hopefully it will help me to just move on. Thanks for letting me vent.

I just got into the nursing program at ACC this year, what I did in the remainder of my wait time was take things that could be transfered to a 4 yr school like University of Colorado Health Science Center. I figured if I'm waiting to get in I might as well do prereq's to get my BSN later. So by the time I'm done with getting my RN, I can turn around and go to UCHSC and do their online RN to BSN program.

You are so not alone. I too have been thinking the same thing to myself lately. I've waited so long to do this and I've wanted to be a nurse for as long as I can remember but now actually being in classes sometimes I feel so inadequate. I have two professors, one of which I do feel comfortable talking to about things but the other seems very cold and judgemental, even though she doesn't state it her body language and facial expressions are a dead give away. I've just been trying to take it one day at a time with hopes that this will get better.

There are some schools here in CO where they don't have waitlists, but they have up to 600 applicants each year to apply for 100 positions. (CUHSC) If your not one of the lucky 100....you have to keep reapplying until you get in. So its either wait on a list or reapply each year. I've heard that private schools such as Regis university has a low waitlist because no one wants to pay 20k a year to go through nursing school. If you got the dough to spend, then private schools might be the way to go if you want a faster route. Good Luck!

check out http://www.salary.com It will tell you an aprox amt that CNA's make. I personally haven't seen a big demand for CNA's but that is just looking at the classified ads in the Denver post. Good Luck!

Im currently waitlisted at 508 at Arapahoe Community College in Littleton. So it will take me about 5 yrs to get in to the RN program just to get my associates degree. From what I've heard most schools in the metro area have a waiting list that long unless you go to a private school such as Regis (where you have to fork out 20k a year). Most colleges that are two year schools allow students to get their LPN first just incase they are unable to compete the full two year or if they wish not to get their RN degree. As for which school is the best...well I can't help you there. I know I am happy at where I am at, and I feel I have thus far recieved the best education I could possible get. I have spent big bucks at other 4 yr colleges and I feel I got a better education at ACC. Like someone else mentioned it would probably in your best interest to find a place to pay for your education if you are unable to attend full time and wait to get in or pay to go to a private school. ACC has a 98% graduation rate for nursing students. Good luck and I hope that was helpfull!

i took it last semester. i found it extremely useful for all my bio classes. i agree that it should be taken before any a&p classes because all the meanings of the words basically reflect on the function or location of body parts. i took it online also, only thing i disliked about it was the exams were timed and if you missed one letter the whole problem was marked wrong. don't know about all of you, but some times my mind works faster than my fingers and i tend to leave out letters when im typing fast.