sum07

Actually, my friend was a new grad in June (Seattle U) and got hired into Harborview's Neuro ICU. So it is possible! We have 4 seasons and it rains more in NYC. We just have more cloudy days. Traffic and parking used to be okay. But in the past few years there seems to have been an influx of people to the area. The bus system is good and they're working on a lightrail system. It's a small city, the people are smart and nice, but we hate Californians and those who complain about the rain.

You CAN do it. I felt the same way during CNA training clinicals. You will learn as you go, trust me. I start my clinicals for nursing school next Monday and I know that we have at least two days of orientation. If you have orientation also, I suggest that afterwards you get a group together and practice the skills just to get your confidence up. Also, talk to your classmates. You'd be surprised at how everyone feels pretty much the same as you - overwhelmed, scared, on the verge of tears if they haven't already cried. If you need help during clinical, ask your classmates, ask your CNA, ask your nurse. No one expects us, as students, to know everything.

okay, thanks everyone! Saunders seems to be the popular choice - I'll check it out.

What does everyone think of studying NCLEX review books while in nursing school?

For my state, WA, changing a brief wasn't on our list of tested skills - thankfully! I really didn't want to get catheter or peri care. I ended up getting: washing hands, feeding, partial bed bath, fingernail care, and recording pulse. My advice for you is to breath Don't get yourself too nervous. Remember the important things - wash hands before and after every skill, provide privacy, make sure the bed is in a low position, and the call light is close to the resident. Oh and remember to wash your hands for 15-20s because one girl I tested with washed for 14s and they failed her on the spot. Good luck!!

As for memorizing parts of the body - especially bones and muscles - photocopy a picture (which you can easily get online) of whatever you're studying at the moment and draw lines coming off each part. Then use that as a study guide. That really helped me. As for learning processes/functions of organs, knowing the vocabulary specific for each organ is obviously helpful. Since you're a visual person, I suggest looking at various pictures before the lecture starts. If you really want to absorb all of the info, record the lecture. If you're too busy writing everything down, that takes away from actually understanding what the professor is saying.

Go here: http://www.washington.edu/admin/hr/jobs/apl/index.html You can look for positions for both the Univ of WA Med Center and Harborview Med Center at this site. When you reach the website just click External Applicant Login and in Category, choose Nursing - you'll get a list of positions available at both locations.

Hello, I start an ADN program soon and just wanted to get an idea of what trauma centers there are in CA. It is still really early to be looking at hospitals to work at, but I'm curious. What are the Level I trauma centers in the state (mainly the SF/Bay Area)? Any pos/neg comments or experiences? Also, for anyone who has moved to CA from another state, how was the transition?

Go on a ferry ride on a clear day (the Seattle-Bremerton ride has nice views of Mt. Rainier), go shopping around the college neighborhoods - Broadway, the Ave (University Way), and the U Village. Visit Gas Works park, go canoeing on Lake Washington, take a run or play sports around Greenlake, visit the international district. Seattle has a small downtown area. Most of us live in the little neighborhoods around downtown. So if you want to skip the busy tourist spots I suggest visiting Seattle's various neighborhoods - Broadway/Central District, the U District, International District, Ballard, etc. Here are some good places to eat: Broadway Bar & Grill, Charlie's on Broadway, Taste of India, Pho Cyclo, Salty's on Alki is a must if you like seafood, etc.

I have a friend who got accepted to OHSU and another who got an interview at the U of WA. The one that got accepted to OHSU majored in Spanish and did a spring break thing where he went into rural WA and observed the clinics. My other friend who got the interview had a BS in Bio and worked as a student in a Biochemistry lab. The Univ of WA likes students who have worked in labs. Now I'm not sure if either of them did extracurricular medicine-related activities, but I do know that both of them were multi-cultural. Now no one knows what schools look for in applications to make them decide to give an interview - each school differs. But if I were you, I would work part-time and spend the rest of your time shadowing doctors or from various disciplines - make sure it's a profession you really want to get into. Also, try to get a recommendation from one if you don't have on already.

Have you applied to Shoreline?

Thanks Lawrence, I'll tell my cousin to visit this forum. This whole process is pretty confusing (for me, at least) since communication between me and my cousin is limited. The only reason I considered her going to a review center was because my other cousin did exactly that and they seemed to be really helpful in the application processes/test registrations for the VSC/CES/CGFNS exam/TOEFL. I'm pretty sure, but not 100% sure, that she wants to apply to WA state..which, as far as I've researched, requires the CGFNS Exam. So from what I understand, she should take the CGFNS exam which includes an English Proficiency test, take the NCLEX, turn in all her documents for the CES, then apply for a Visa Screen Certificate?

Congratulations to all those who passed the Philippine boards! My cousin was one among the many. She is now looking to take the CGFNS exam, NCLEX, and TOEFL. Does anyone know of CGFNS review centers in Manila?

I went to this site (http://www.anesthesia-nursing.com/school.html) and it lists most, if not all, of the CRNA programs in the states and their websites. I've been going to each school site and listing their requirements - surprisingly, many schools don't require a BSN. But these schools do require a baccalaureate degree in a related science and a nursing license.

Hi everyone...forgive me if someone has already posted a similar question =) I know that some CRNA programs will consider applicants who have a non-nursing baccalaureate degree and an ADN. I have a BS in Biochemistry and will start an ADN program in the fall. My GPA is 3.32 and my GRE scores (taken in '05) are Verbal-470, Quantitative-740, Analytical writing-4.0. I was thinking of taking the GRE again, but I wasn't sure of how the scoring would be reported - would they report the average or the new score? I know that it's still pretty early on in the application process, but if I choose to apply to CRNA school, what do you think of my chances? ..assuming a few of things: my GPA is greater or equal to 3.32, I work in the ICU for let's say 2-3 years, and I shadow a few CRNAs.