ACKrissy

Good luck! I hope you got the job!

I just graduated and am a NICU nurse. Yes, the only requirements for me (on paper) were to graduate from nursing school and pass the NCLEX. However, they look at other things as well. They look at your personality, why you want to be a NICU nurse, etc. Being a NICU nurse is SO different than what you learn in nursing school. As one of the previous posters wrote, I would definitely do something to try to get some experience in the NICU. Work as a tech, volunteer, or secretary there. That's what I did, and it made a HUGE difference in the difficulty as a new grad. Good luck!

Congrats to everyone who got in! I go there right now, and reading your posts reminded me how crazy the whole admission process was! The next 2 years are going to be hard, but it's well worth it! Congrats again!

I go to the dallas campus, so I can't speak totally for Houston, but I assume they are the same. As far as uniforms go, they don't care about the brands. I know a lot of people bought uniforms from TNSA and they didn't like the cut/fit. I bought my lab coat from TNSA, and the brand was Laundau for men. You also must wear white leather shoes with no color on them. Those were hard for some people to find, so you may want to look for those before school starts. I went to our orientation a while ago, so I cant remember everything, but they talked about immunizations and clinicals quite a bit. We got our clinical schedule and got to meet our clinical instructors. Then they talked about classes and what to expect, and the books and supplies you need for the classes. As far as jobs go, most of the hospitals require you to have at least 1 semester of clinical experience before they hire you as a tech or nursing student. Few people had jobs in my class the first semester because of the demands of classwork.

I don't quite know, but there is going to be "other stuff". I heard it's about personality/ extracuricular/ recs/ etc. I think they are realizing that grades are not the only thing that make a good nurse.

Oh no, I highly doubt they would. I think they are still talking about it, so to actually implement it will take even longer.

If it makes anyone feel better, I have *heard* that TWU is talking about changing some of the requirements, so it wont be just GPA and NET scores. I don't know when that will take effect, but it may help a bunch of you all out. good luck, and don't give up!!

I have heard good things about their NICU jobs. However, I hear the turnover rate for nurses at Parkland in general is really bad.

What hospitals are you referring to? There are a lot of hospitals in the city of Dallas. I personally don't feel threatened walking to or from my car. Any big city you work in is going to have an increased risk of crime, though.

My advice is to get a lot of sleep now! :) Sr I was by far the hardest semester time-wise. You feel like you're constantly running around sleep deprived. If you haven't already figured a way to manage your time, I would definitely try to find a way now. You'll have clinicals 3 days a week, and class twice a week (including all day on friday). It was hard for me going from Jr 2 (when we had quite a few days off) to Sr 1. Are you working, too? Sr I is not impossible. The stuff we learn isn't too hard--it's the lack of time that makes it difficult. Depending on who you have for clinical, the paperwork in mental health can be horrible. Do you know where you're going/who you have next semester? If you'd rather PM me, you can do that, too, and I can give you info about each of those instructors.

I know! I remember our orientation. I was SO confused. There are a million things to buy/get done within just a few weeks! It also sucks away any money you have. That is totally true- you do need to get ready. It really doesn't stop. Ever. "Breaks" are no longer breaks. You are only expected to study during the breaks...not actually do what you're supposed to be doing (spend time with family, relax, etc). Jr I and Sr I are by far the hardest semesters. If you can figure out a good way to manage time, you'll make it through the semester!

I don't know anything about brands (I just bought what they told us to), but I think as long as it has a bell and diaphragm, you should be fine!! It does make a difference if you can hear or not, but half the time we never knew what we were listening for anyways :smackingf How did your orientation end up going? I thought I heard it was last week!

They are pretty much required. There are various reasons as to why you need the stethoscope with a bell. As a J2 you'll be in an OB rotation, and you have to use the bell to listen to the babies heartbeats. In assessment, you'll learn about auscultating for a bruit with the bell, too. No, I honestly very rarely use the bell, but I have had to use it in the past.

i noticed that, too. i dont know how to get someone to change it

I think it's up to you. The only reason I would get it is for simplicity...and then get the books from Amazon later on. There are all types of things in that package that you have to buy. For example, we had some skills videos and all types of codes for various things. I can't say I really used them...but they are required. Just know you're going to get a really bad deal as a Jr I. I sold a bunch of my books from Jr I to buy books for Jr 2.

Jspacegirl is right. I am still there, and have been having to buy new books every semester (except for the big blue Lemone and Burke one). It's definitely not as much as that first semester, though. Since I bought that huge package, I only buy my books on Amazon. Majors is way too expensive.

It's good you are excited! I remember those days when I was excited, too. Now I can't wait to get out of there

Yes, at first it was really intimidating picking a patient. I had no idea who was "good" to pick. Then I slowly realized the types of patients I wanted and didn't want...so I picked the ones I liked :) If that was your preference, you'll probably be at Presby Plano. That's where I was my first semester..and that's what I put for my preference. You are assigned to one or two floors there. The assignments have nothing to do with what classes you are taking..it's all about what floors the hospitals will let students on. A med surg floor is pretty much a floor with the kind of patients you would think of at a hospital (it's not ICU, not L&D, not pediatrics, etc). Your patients pretty much have whatever conditions would bring them to a hospital. The surg part of the name comes from post-op patients. They had a surgery and they are staying in the hospital and recovering from the surgery. Most of your patients are usually older (well older than 50). They are not the most exciting floors for me personally, but you can learn quite a bit.

You actually get to do quite a bit the first semester. The main things you learn how to insert and take out catheters, wound care (dressing changes), and how to give meds. You can give all meds (including shots) but can't do IV drugs. Yeah, you may have to "clean butts" a few times, but I really didn't do it much (maybe once or twice that semester). It just depends what hospital you are at and what kind of floor you are on.

Well there is always talk about what business casual really is (at TWU, it's pretty much no jeans or t-shirts, and closed toe shoes(you cant wear your typical cute semi-dressy shoes)), so that's why I was asking. Yes, pre-clinical is just what you said. You have to go the day/night before your clinical day and pick a patient out. You get all their medical history, find out why they are there, write down their meds, etc...then you have to go home and learn about their disease, all their meds, and develop a care plan as to how you're going to help them when you are there the next day. ...No, they do not select a patient for you- it's totally your choice. Some hospitals will give you a list of patients you may like, but the teachers never choose for you (or none of mine have). Some people like the freedom to choose anyone...other people don't really like that so much.

congrats!! Yes, what you heard about scrubs is true. Whenever you are in the "labs", you must wear scrubs. The scrubs are a white shirt with maroon pants. You can wear anything to class. As far as the business casual thing goes, you can either wear scrubs or business casual clothes to pre-clinical- whichever you prefer. Are you unsure what the pre-clinical is or what the business-casual is?

I don't know their acceptance rate, but I have heard it is generally easier to get into than the ones in DFW. However, I have heard great things about Grayson's nursing school!

I am so sorry to hear about that! Don't take it personally- you will get in! Where did you apply to? Is it a school that adds points onto your GPA if you took the pre-req classes there? If it's a school that takes people every semester (meaning, there's a new class in the spring), try applying again this winter- I hear the chances are much better getting in then. Dont give up!

Thanks!!

I dont know anything about UT but... I agree with horus2001- the 12 months is way too fast. I am in a "regular program", and can barely keep up with that. I cant imagine doing 2x the work! The 10:1 ratio isnt that bad. For all the clinicals that I have been in, I was alwasy assigned to a nurse to follow- my clinical instructor would come around and make sure we were doing okay and quiz us. I like it b/c if I dont like the nurse I am with that day, I dont have to be with her for the rest of the semester. I am learning a lot!