BellaCerraRN

Well poo! I didn't read your post until AFTER I posted my response.... Oh well, maybe someone else needs the info....

As one of the other posters stated. The BNE doesn't just do a background check, they run an FBI background check and fingerprint card. If you've been fingerprinted for ANYTHING, the FBI will have a record of it. For juvenile offenses I believe most states were in compliance with sending fingerprints to the FBI by 1987. Prior to that, it's unlikely the FBI has a record of it, therefore theoretically you could get away with not reporting a minor juvenile offense prior to 1987. My advice, do the declaration and see what happens.

I graduated GCC in 07. Every year the cut off gets higher and higher. I believe the year I was accepted it was in the 18-20 point range. As the program gets more competitive, the points will be getting higher and higher. I'd say it's fair to assume you need 22-24 points to get in. My advice to anyone wanting to get into GCC is to do your best on your pre-req's, especially your sciences and (BIG JOKE!) co-req's. The MINUTE you are eligible apply. You may not/probably won't get accepted with the bare minimum, but you've got an application on file. Then continue to add classes that give you points. Most applicants that get in are already well on their way to fulfilling the requirements for their BSN applicaions. It's a hard job, but if you want it bad enough, you'll get in and do well. As far as clinicals, there are so many options out there. You don't choose your clinical assignment, it's given to you (you get to give your first 3 preferences). There's early morning, mid afternoon and I believe some new evening rotations available. As far as scrubs, if they haven't changed anything since last semester, you'll need 1- nautical blue and 1-white. They tell you you have to have a lab coat too, but I only wore my lab coat and white scrubs 1 time. The lab coat because I was in street clothes when I had to go pick patients for my turn at charge, and my white scrubs when I did OB at McKinney. If I had it to do over again, I wouldn't have bought the white scrubs or the lab coat until I needed them. Hope this helped. Good luck in getting in!

My advice to you is to figure out what makes your heart come alive and persue that. Otherwise, you'll never be happy. And as a 42 year old that went to Nursing School at 39... we're not getting any younger hon and you deserve nothing less! Frankly, I don't like working with the nurses that became nurses for the money, the stability of the job, etc and I don't want them taking care of me. The medical field needs lots of people, not just nurses, but it's a hard job and you need to really be dedicated to your profession and your patients to be fair to them, and to yourself. If working in a Dr. office is something you think you'd like, become a Medical Assistant, because even LVN's are often over qualified.

As a former employee of GCC and recent Nursing School grad, I would say that 450 applicants is about right. I think it's great that they decided to add a spring class to the Nursing Program. I hear that they have a plan in the works to accept 100 to each semesters roll before too long. If so that will be a definite plus to the nursing profession! Good luck in your studies, WE NEED YOU!!!!

I love my Palm Tungsten E2... but then again, it's 2 years old AND I got it for 1/2 cost because the seal had been broken on the box.

I wanted to chime in on this thread as both a CCU nurse as well as the wife of a survivor of esophageal cancer/esophagectomy. My husband was diagnosed very early and had his esophagectomy within days. He did remarkably well. Out of ICU in 3 days and home in 10. He went home with a peg tube and we used it 2 or 3 times. Because of my experience in home terminal care I was able to feed him orally right out of the gate while keeping his nutritional needs covered. He did not suffer from any of the after effects that we were expecting. He does suffer a bit from dumping syndrome. Because of all the research I did before the surgery I can assume that the reason so many esophagectomy patients fair so poorly is because of the stage of disease prior to the surgery and because nutritional needs cannot be met as fast as they need to be. Most people receiving an esophagectomy are already stage 4 esphageal cancer and esophagectomy is one of many last ditch efforts at providing palliative care, not cure. So they've got a disease process in which they are essentially wasting away already only to be compounded with a surgery that only compounds that as well. Well, I'm off to take my husband to the Dr... as we are stage 4 palliative now....

At my facility the PRN nurses make close to 20 an hour more than the full time scheduled nurses, most of them work in excess of 40 a week, and you can be a full time and forgo benefits and you get a $450 allowance each month.

I get paid overtime every single pay check and so far no kisses for me!

Fact of the matter is that FLSA sets the rules, not a particular facility. They may not be paying overtime, but unless they can proove the employee passes ALL 4 tests, the employee is entitled to overtime, plain and simple. If the employee does not pass all 4 test and their employer refuses to pay them overtime then they need to file a complaint with the state and federal labor board.

At our facility our unit only gets pts if they still have the sheath and lines... otherwise they go to the floor. When they come to us it's HOB flat, leg straight, reverse trendelenberg once they start complaining. When we pull the sheath (after 2 hours and an ACT We are currently reviewing this protocol to see if it is the best and if not we will probably be changing our policy.

I just finished reading the FLSA just to make sure that I knew what I was talking about before putting my two cents in. IF you are exempt, it is because you are in the "Learned Professional" category. However, there are tests you must pass in order to be exempt. They are as follows: *The employee must be compensated on a salary or fee basis (as defined in the regulations) at a rate not less than $455 per week; *The employee’s primary duty must be the performance of work requiring advanced knowledge, defined as work which is predominantly intellectual in character and which includes work requiring the consistent exercise of discretion and judgment; *The advanced knowledge must be in a field of science or learning; and *The advanced knowledge must be customarily acquired by a prolonged course of specialized intellectual instruction. Now, you have to pass all 4 tests, not just one of them. And unless you're paid a flat salary then you are not exempt. That means you paycheck never changes it's $XXXX.XX EVERY month rain or shine, 28 days or 31, 3 holidays or none etc. If you pass that test, then you are exempt and I'd be looking for another job unless you're paid a sweet salary!

Can't tell you what their acceptance rate is, but when I entered the program in 05 we started with 121 and there were at least 30 on the waiting list to get in. They go by a point system, it's competitive but worth it.

We graduated together!

You can count on taking 3-3 1/2 years (or more) to complete your 2 year ADN. Like the previous poster said, there are pre-req's, but also co-req's. Classes that you should be able to complete while going through the nursing program, but the truth of the matter is they are thinly disguised pre-reqs. Without the classes out of the way prior to applying to the program you won't have enough points to make it. I hear that Grayson opened up a Spring class and hopefully that will cut down on the waiting time an applicant has between applying and actually making the cut. Good luck to you!

I meant to say that there isn't a whole lot they do in Dallas that we can't do here!

I work at TMC and I don't know a lot about WNJ but I certainly wouldn't call them rural hospitals! TMC is a fairly advanced hospital and we don't do a whole lot that they can't do in Dallas. We send very few cases south, in most instances the ones we do send south are burns, traumatic head injuries, MVA w/extensive traumas etc. That's not a rural hospital! I'm sure the pay is less than it is in the metro plex but so is the cost of living as well as the stress, time away from home commuting etc. I think WNJ's starting wage of $16.75 (last year) is insulting even to new nurses. At TMC last year they were starting new grads out at $18.25 but we got a hefty raise a few months ago and without shift diffs, unit bonuses etc, their new starting wage is about $21.00 hr. With diffs/bonuses I make around $25.00 hr. Both hospitals are great and both have their problems, but I don't think that is any different than anywhere else. I love the people I work with, there are a few that I don't think belong in critical care, but I still like them, and I've only had 1 nurse treat me like crap.

Hi... GCC 07 here, OMG! I can't believe it's been over a year since I graduated!!! I really AM the nurse! Ok.. on to your question... As far as study partners goes... wait a few weeks into class... you'll see who you want to partner up with for a study buddy and who you don't. Advice: Don't take lecture and lab from two different people, especially if Butler is teaching the lab. Good luck! We need you. on to another post.... Hey new grad! Congratulations on your accomplishment! I'm glad you made it!

Like I said in my previous post, almost any nursing job qualifies. The exceptions I can think of off hand are dialysis clinics, lawyers offices, insurance companies, schools etc... ANY acute care hospital, nursing home, skilled nursing facility, cancer center (I think) etc qualify. There aren't many jobs out there, especially for a new grad that aren't going to qualify. I'll find the list if I can.

It's a sweet program. I got the scholarship/stipend award when I was in nursing school. I received $1680.00 I believe in a one lump payment to use towards books, lab supplies, tests etc, really however I wanted, I also got my tuition paid almost 100% (there were a few random fees they wouldn't pay) AND I got an $1148.00 stipend every month I was enrolled in the program, all for a 2 year commitment at a critical shortage facility, which now adays is ANY hospital, most nursing homes etc. The only place I even thought about working at that wouldn't fit the bill was a dialysis center. When my 2 year commitment is up next October I plan on renewing with them to let them pay off my loans.

Actually if you take the class at Grayson, the instructor will send your tests to your local colleges testing center and you can take your tests there. Some of the instructors mail them and some fax them, it depends upon their preference and the preference of the receiving school. I did this for instructors all the time when I was the communications specialist there. And in the strange event that you don't have a college within a reasonable drive, they can also send your test to a minister/priest etc. who will agree to proctor the test.

A table to sit at to eat that isn't less than 12 inches from the bathroom!

I make $ 1605.00 for a 64 hour "week" no OT. Plus I get a weeks vacation every other week! Ok, Ok, I work 7 on 7 off, but vacation sounds better!

When I took the HESI the computer had a built in calculator but I found that it often gave me the wrong answer. I'm sure that some of that was operator error! Make sure you do each calculation twice to make sure you've got the right answer. I also found that if you're fluent in American (not English), can spell relatively well and have decent grammar skills you'll do fine on the general questions. I got perfect scores there. As for the A&P, I don't remember much, but I didn't do as well there as I could have if I'd been a better A&P student. I think I remember the questions being pretty broad based and worked into very basic nursing questions.

I agree with the above post. Make them classes that you enjoy and ones that will broaden your horizons. Electives are designed to give you a well rounded education. When I was in school (ADN) the nursing program was only 9-11 credit hours a semester so in order to qualify as full time for my financial aid I had to pick up an extra class. If you're in the same boat, save the easier electives with little or no writing required until then. It will help you get satisfy the credit hour requirement without adding the extra burden of too much studying/paper writing while you're working your butt off in the program.