time4masters

Hey, I am going on my first interview today, and I don't know what to expect. I am being interviewed by a couple people in the HR department. What kind of questions are they going to ask me? Any help would be great, thank you.

1st semester readings come from the Kozier "Nursing Fundamentals" book. Start reading it now. You will go through the whole thing. Most of the material in there is easy with the exception of a couple chapters (Fluid & Electrolytes, Cardiac, and Oxygenation). We use the Ackley book for our NANDA nursing diagnoses. All of the questions will be based on the Kozier book for the first semester though. The hardest part is the tests because there are multiple correct answers to each question, and your job is to choose the Best answer. In nursing you need to know what to do first and what is most important. Oh, and they won't give you a test review. You are expected to read between 5-7 chapters (400 pages or so), and the questions can come from anywhere in those chapters. You also have papers to write, and one is between 40-50 pages! This is to be done on one of your clients. You have to do this every semester. In your 1st semester you don't even see your first patient untill week 8, leaving you about 6 weeks to do your paper. It will get stressful at times and that is why I suggest reading and getting ahead now.

First semester is the most expensive for the books ($1200 including skills kit), and then each semester after is about $200-$300 in books. Your syllabi are about $20 each(550pages!), but don't buy them after the first semester because you rarely need it. You can actually download it in PDF on ANGEL nursing commons. Be sure to buy the study guides that are recommended. They take about 10 questions out of there for each test. First semester is so easy, you will think it is hard when you are doing it, but then you will take nursing II and that is where the hell begins. That is the semester with the highest attrition rate. Study your cardiac, fluid & electrolytes, and CVAs. You are in the night program starting in spring, which means you will take level II in the summer. You will have to take tests every other week, clinicals from 1-11pm 2 nights, pharm 1 night (easy), and theory for 5hrs on a different night. You can try working full-time, but those who do are the same ones who end up taking it again. Good luck and start studying now.

I contacted the Florida board of nursing and they said it can be done. But my school doesn't want us to sit for the boards anymore. They made us sign a form saying we wouldn't at the beginning of this semester. However, the form said that the law was changed which isn't true since I just talked to them last week.

I am looking to sit for the PN boards in Florida. I know it has been done after third semester (psych, pharm, obstetrics, peds, fundamentals, & some med-surg). I will be done with my third semester in December. If anyone has information about it, please let me know.

You are going to have trouble working during the day and going to clinicals at night. Night program for spring is 3-11 but expect to be there as early as 2 o'clock. Level II will be through the summer, and those days are packed! They are 12:30-11pm for the clinicals, and then you have theory from 1-5:30 on a seperate day. Take your pharm class online and you will only have those three days. Good luck and start reading early:)

Any ideas on how to get a job as a tech? I have been applying for months, and now I will be graduating in less than 8 months. It doesn't seem like they want students. I would like to get some experience before than. I have been trying to get in a Mease, All Children's, and I haven't seen any spots at Tampa. Do you work there? If so, get me in:)

Most schools, including mine, have to accept a certain ratio of male students as well as foreign students. So yes, it is easier to get in if you are a male because we are only competing against the other male students if that ratio hasn't been met.

Oh, thanks. Yeah they aren't my favorite.

What are sata questions?

So how many do you have to get right if it shuts down at 75 questions and you pass? Does that mean you got them all right?

My school costs $7k for the two years plus all the pre-reqs (28credits X $75/hr)

I am glad that you think that continuing your education is important, congrats. I was saying that a lot of RNs don't want to go further or want to and just can't for whatever reason. It has a lot to do with the fact that the average age of the nursing students in the ADN programs is 35, and it is their second or third career. The older people get, the less likely they will continue to further their education because they have families and bills to deal with.

Here in the Tampa area you can work as a PCT after the first semester. They will start you at $12-$14/hr. After the third semester you can take the LPN boards as well.

If you want to get it done faster, yes you will have to take the night classes because they don't stop for the summer. It will be fall 08', spring 09', summer 09' and graduation december 09', 16 months like you said. It is difficult to go through the summer, but they only put the best instructors on in the summer to help you through. Why take summer off? Not to mention the day classes have to do more dirty work, like "am care" (bed-bath, ADLs). Night instructors are better in my opinion, and the students are as well. There are a lot more dedicated students at night. I started in the days, then switched to night. Since you don't have your class schedule or know if you are in nights or days, I am guessing that you have been selected as an "alternate". Please correct me if I am wrong. Alternates don't get to choose which instructor or hospital they get to go to, they get what ever is leftover (the ones that nobody else wants). You will get stuck with more difficult instructors, but they will make you stronger if you stick with it. In the day program, there are 72 students, and the night has the same. However, out of the 144 students, 36 are in special grant programs that are paid for by the hospitals. When you go to orientation, they will tell you everything. And afterwards, they are going to make you take to tests. The first one is 2.5hrs, and the second is about 1-2hrs. The first one is the TEAS test which is on math, reading, writing, and science. When you are done, it will tell you your score, and compare it to students in 1600 nursing schools across the country. It isn't hard, but I will give you a heads up, know your metric conversions. As far as the program goes, don't waste time! Start studying now for the fall semester. The syllabus is 512 pages! Read that, and also start reading Kozier & Erb nursing fundamentals (1800 pages). If you read these before August, you will pass level 1 with flying colors.