CPD4RN

I'm not a nurse (yet) but my husband is a Chicago Police officer. Let me know if you have any questions:nuke:

It's hard, but not as hard as people sometimes say. I overloaded one semester cna,a&p II,micro and life span. That felt a lil crazy, but I still got A's and one B. Just focus on getting A's in your four core classes. my a&p teacher is gone, but try and get renfree for micro. Check out taking Life Span online. That was a cool class to take online, imo. Just keep pluggin along, you can totally do it!

Orientation starts tomorrow and I am soooo nervous. I don't know anyone that got in this semester. I went to talk to Ms. (M) about taking pharmI over the summer, and she said it will all be explained at orientation. AHHHH! I didn't mean to come off pushy or mental, but I'm pretty sure I did. One of the "harder" teachers is on board to teach it over the summer. SO do I wait and take pharmI in fall with my first clinical? Or get a jump start and start in the summer?

stafford loans through the gov do not go by credit score. first fill out your fasfa and talk to a financial aid counselor at your school. You can get government loans with ****** credit. Private loans you can't. Just be straight up with the financial aid counselor, they will tell you all your options, and maybe even some scholarships and extras. YOU CAN DO IT! Those girls need you to do it! Good luck, I feel for you.

Oh you sure can work on your BSN while at a CC! I know, I'm doing it! I am in a similar boat, taking classes as i waited to hear about my ADN program ( I just got in!) I had 2 semesters with nothing left to do as an applicant. So what I did is researched the BSN programs I would like to complete once I am an RN, got their core requirements and started working on those at the CC. Each school has different core requirements and maybe about 5 could be attained thru the CC while I waited. Example: BSN #1 school wants: statistics religion/ or ethics o-chem 2 history 2 fine arts While my adn program requires none of these classes. So this semester and summer semester I have taken these classes at the CC to be applied to my BSN degree once I'm ready to start! Use your time wisely, you'll be less resentful with the "wasted classes" I know I am!

i am one of those self loathing smokers. i think it's a disgusting habit. i have tried to quit about 7 times, and each time with varying degrees of success. what i HAVE LEARNED is that i am in fact an addict. i am 100 percent addicted to smoking. if smoking became outlawed tomorrow, i think (more then) a few of us would resort to junkie-like behavior. I mean, if you think about it we already do... huddling around a doorway at -40, panic when you can't find a lighter, working a stop to 7-11 everyday into your schedule, knowing all the "good spots" for a cheap fix...er i mean the gas station with the best price for ciggs. i don't look down on other smokers, THAT would be hypocritical. i do have more empathy for junkies and drunks though, because i know in MY heart, I am an addict, same as them. Just because my drug of choice isn't illegal, and doesn't impair me mentally, doesn't mean I am some kind of "better" addict. We all have issues, if we reached out to each other as a nursing community, instead of shaming and ostracizing our patients, coworkers, and family members by passing judgment,maybe then we could empower each other to be better people.

What I've noticed in my area is that if you can put a current employee's name on the application it is a HUGE plus. Now I know you SAID you don't have connections... but if you really think about it I bet there is a neighbor, friend of a friend, your kid's soccer coach's sister,etc that works for a hospital. Just ASK if you can jot their name down on the application(often times people will allow you to use their name because of a referral bonus) I got a job as a unit secretary before I was accepted to nursing school, but while taking a CNA class. They asked that I submit to a "medical terminology" test to see if I was qualified. This was DURING the interview, I had NO advanced notice! Holy cow, I started to panic! Turns out, it was a VERY basic quiz. Things like what does STD stand for, what does AIDS stand for (all multiple choice) If you aren't able to take a CNA class, consider taking a medical terminology class. Remember to mention you are a pre-nursing student, not only because it is a great opportunity for them to PRE-recruit you, but also because your schedule may become less flexible once you are in nursing school. GOOD LUCK!

I'm hoping that your last post ment that you had found a way to pay for classes. If not, go to your school and ask about every scholarship they offer. Go to your church(if you have one) and do the same. Many states and hospitals offers scholarships to residents/employees if you agree to work for them a certain amount of time after you graduate. DO NOT GIVE UP! If there is a will, there IS a way.

Hey! You can own a condo in the city on an RN's salary! If the estimates given above are true and starting salary at those hospitals works out to be about 50k-55k a year and a good rule of thumb is to spend about 3 years salary when buying a home. So that works out to be 150-165k. I looked on realtor.com and found some options for you. (sorry if this is too forward, but I LOVE looking at real estate, so I figured why not?) I found only a handful of properties in super trendy neighborhoods like Lincoln Park and BoysTown in that price range and each of them needed lots of updates or were only studios. But if you look a little further out (still within in the city limits and close to transportation and those hospitals listed above) In areas like BuckTown and Logan Square you can find AMAZING totally rehabed units (even two bed two bath units) for 140k. That's asking price! Feel free to pm me if you have more questions about which neighborhoods to search in! Good Luck! Erin

GOT MY LETTER!!!!!! WHOOOHOOO! Trying to decide if I should dare take Kern for pharm I this summer... ekk! I'm too excited to wait til August to start!!!!!!!!!

I got my acceptance letter today! It didn't happen like I imagined at all! I worked a 12 hour overnight shift last night and he woke me up after about 4 hours sleep to open it. AWW he was so excited. Once I wake up maybe I can be too!

anyone get a letter yet?I heard not until mid-April...but I'm getting antsy!

I am a MVCC student. Applied for fall '08, so basicly I run to my mailbox everyday since March 15. HAHA, I kid....(not really). I know what my POINTS are, and I'm pretty confident I'll be accepted, but will not rest until I have the letter in my hand. I took all my pre req's there including my CNA class. So if you have any pre-nursing questions, feel free to pm me. I am super nervous to begin, I hear it's a killer :X

hi, i am brand new to the board, but your post made me register in order to reply! at my school they require you to become a CNA in order to be accepted to the nursing program. as it has been told to me, by taking the CNA course it cuts out about the first 6-8 weeks of your first nursing semster. basic patient care. taking vitals is an aquired talent, imo and more practice can never hurt. why not be the kid that has a "leg up" on your classmates? During my CNA class and clinicals you could absoultely see the progression on vitals, patient care, time management, and even the comfort level. Any experiance you gain is better then none. i recently became a unit secretary on the mother/baby floor just to be in the hospital setting. now that my CNA is complete i sit there wishing that I was able to provide patient care as well. but charting and order entry is also an important facet of nursing, so i feel that by just being there and learning how the floor works is valuable to me as an RN-to-be (wannabe,lol)