oppa84

Sorry, just wanted to edit that the brown lot is located at South Braeswood and William C. Harvin. The parking rates are: 1-4 hours = $1 4-6 hours = $2 more than 6 hours: $6

I just finished my first year of nursing school and I love it so far. I've befriended some really sweet classmates and clinicals are what I enjoy the most. I think the experiences with each school and each professor varies. So if nursing is your dream, then go for it. Naturally, there will be a few obstacles along the way but please do not give up.

This one fits perfectly: Just because you can "pass a test" with flying colors doesn't mean you will be a good nurse. Just like a person who struggles with test taking skills doesn't mean they are gonna be a bad nurse. There is such a thing as book smart and plain old common sense.

I'm sorry to hear about your predicament and I hope you find the option that works best for you. Don't give up on nursing though. Good luck with everything.

Congratulations!!! Good luck with all of your future endeavors.

Of course, the decision is yours. But, please don't quit. Retake the math test and just go from there.

Count me in. I just finished taking my last final for my 1st year this past week. Now, I'm looking forward to the summer where I'll be taking OB and Pedi. 2 more semesters to go and I'm done.

I would advise for you to tune them out as much as possible. So in other words, ignore them and sit as far away from them. You already have so much on your plate in terms of school work and clinical hours, so your classmates' drama and additional stress is not needed.

Thank you Daytonite for the answers and explanations. I actually had some similar questions on my recent Med surg final.

No problem guys. I'm glad my friend and I were able to help answer some of your questions. One more thing I forgot to add was that at the end of the orientation, there's a map that goes around for everyone to pinpoint their locations. This map is used for carpool purposes. Plus, you'll get to see if any of your classmates live nearby....perhaps a future study buddy! prasmasters: I agree about the ID badges. The lighting at that place is terrible. I imagine one would have to be extremely photogenic in order to have a great picture as a result. Luckily for me, the lady who took my picture let me preview the pic first before she made the badge. So, my picture was pretty decent . As for parking, it is extremely expensive to park in the nearby garages. I usually park in the Brown lot located on North Braeswood and William C. Harvin. You can park your car in the visitor lot, get this little token that will serve as your timed ticket in and out the parking lot, and you can then ride the free shuttle titled White to school. If you guys ride the shuttle, the nursing school will be your second stop on the bus. If you're up for some early exercise, you could also just walk to school from the parking lot. The estimated time is 10-15 minutes. Have fun during orientation guys. Let me know how it goes.

Hey again everyone. Sorry I kind of just disappeared. I had to study for finals and I finally finished taking my last one today. Woo hoo!!! I can see you guys are anxious about your upcoming orientation so I asked my friend from the Bacc2 program if she could give some insight on all of your questions. Hopefully, we cover all of the bases. *This info. is based on last year's Bacc2 orientation so this may be subject to change. -Schedule: Bacc2 program, RN-BSN program, RN-MSN program will hold a joint orientation. Upon arrival at the school, everyone will receive a UT goodie bag that includes a lot of useful information. Everyone will meet up in the auditorium and speakers will be present to discuss: UT, campus safety, financial aid, the school's different clubs (UT Student Nurse Association, Student Government), the various ceremonies (pinning and graduation), and any questions you guys may have. Then there is a 1 hour break for lunch, which is provided for. They had pizza, cookies, cake, and soft drinks on the menu last year. After lunch is over, each program splits up into their prospective groups. Bacc2 will all be in a room where they hear firsthand experiences and nursing school afterlives from the recent graduates of the previous Bacc2 program. The past graduates discuss their struggles, their future, and answers any of your questions. Some even hand out contact information (cell #, email) in case you need any help. Then, you're handed your booklist, meet advisors, and meet your professors for your first semester courses. The professors go over their syllabus, tells you what books you need, and what they expect from you in terms of assignments or tests. Afterwards, everyone is free to go. My friend said that the orientation does not last till 4, maybe 3 if thats any better. -Attire for Orientation: There is no standard or preferred attire. Most arrived wearing slacks and a button up or blouse. Interview attire may be a bit overboard but then again, there were some that chose to wear jeans and a t-shirt. The decision is yours. -Classes: For her program, their first semester courses included: Health Assessment, Research, Pathophysiology, Pharmacology, Adult Care I, and Professional Practice & Leadership. Yes, that is a total of 6 classes but before you guys faint, they did not take all 6 classes simultaneously. Instead, they took their courses 3 or maybe 4 at a time. For example, Health Assessment, Pharm, Research, and Patho were taken simultaneously and completed a little bit before Adult Care I and Professional Practice & Leadership started. -Clinicals: Yes, clinicals started during July. After the program was oriented to lab and completed check offs (you have to demonstrate to a professor that you're able to accurately measure vital signs: blood pressure, pulse, respiratory rate as well as being able to complete a full head to toe physical assessment). Do not worry, you learn all of this in Health Assessment. In July, you are given your clinical assignment (what hospital you're at and what floor you're on). The first 3 clinicals is basically like a warm up to get you acquainted with your hospital surroundings. You'll learn about care plans and you'll discuss your day in post conference (occurs at the end of the day with your clinical instructor). After this initial period, you'll be attending your clinicals solo. You get to pick the days that you want to come in but keep in mind that your schedule has to coincide with your preceptor's schedule as well. You will have to complete four 8 hour shifts and each instructor will let you know how many careplans they require of you. Also, you will have to post your shift hours so that your clinical instructor knows your schedule and can pay you a surprise visit. Yes, this seems like a requirement--at least 1 surprise visit. Every semester, your shift hours will increase. By the second semester, we were required to work nine 12 hour shifts. Just make sure that you schedule your clinical hours to where you will still have time to complete your school assignments, study for your tests, and most importantly, SLEEP!! -Financial Aid: The process is very lengthy for some folks. I'm not sure if you guys have heard about this but the John S. Dunn Research Foundation has recently awarded $1.2 million in scholarships to the UT Nursing School. You can read the full story here: http://publicaffairs.uth.tmc.edu/media/newsreleases/nr2009/son_award.htm Basically, his scholarships are geared toward the accelerated program. There were a few people in the previous Bacc2 program that received full scholarships thanks to this foundation. With this new donation, I'm sure more people from the Bacc2 program will receive full scholarships, if not some form of scholarship. But this is not set in stone though. There were some people in last year's program that received scholarships of various amount (i.e. $1000/semester or more). It really just all depends but make sure you fill out the UT scholarship application. -Books, Scrubs, Stethoscope, other necessities: You guys will have plenty of time to buy all of this and to be able to read the books if you manage your time wisely. For now, just enjoy your brief vacation before school starts . *Ok, I hope this answers some of your questions. If you have any more questions, please feel free to ask. Actually if you guys want, we could do a group chat via msn or aim. I'll grab my friend and we could give you guys feedback about the classes, the professors, study tips, etc.

Hi everyone and congrats on your acceptance to the BACC2 program! I am currently in the traditional program but I have many friends in the accelerated program that are graduating in May. If you guys have any questions, just feel free to ask/ PM and I will reply as soon as possible. You need the orange name plates when you go into your different clinical rotations. They are attached to your scrubs and they help hospital staff members identify you as a student. You order/ purchase them in the UT bookstore and you receive them about a week or two later. I believe they cost like $8 or so but I will have to check the price and get back to you.

Hey Britt, I will be going to the CPR class at UT on Friday, April 25. I just called yesterday to RSVP my spot in the class. Hope to see you there :nuke:.

Congratulations Becca76, BrittRN2b, & aggie02utson09. I got into the accelerated program too so I'm looking forward to meeting you all.