FriendlyGhostRN

I've been off orientation for 1.5 weeks now, and many of the feelings described above are true to me as well. I work in the ED, our orientation is 6 months long (I always felt so "safe" and protected while working with preceptors...they double-checked my work and explained things very detailed for me). Now that I am on my own, I find myself most often running around like a chicken with it's head cut off. When I come in at 1500, that's our busiest time of day, and so usually I take over for a group of 4 patients with assessments not done, meds not given, etc (every once and a while you get lucky and don't have that happen!!), so I end up playing catch-up for the first 2-3 hours with patients the nurse prior to me handed off. Then, while playing catch-up, I get more patients added..I'm always feeling overwhelmed. Not always, but usually by 2300 I am getting caught up well and less patients are coming in to the ED (I look forward to 2300-0300!). I'd say there are days I go home feeling like I succeeded, pat myself on the back and am amazed how I survived the shift, but also days I go home feeling inadequate, scared, worried, and dreading my next shift (I love my job and my co-workers, but bad days always make me go home worried to come back). I think these are normal feelings for all of us new grads, I'm hoping one day I can get a better grip on my time management! Glad to have this to vent! :) Good luck to all other new grads out there! We CAN do this.

Just dropping in to say "congrats" to you all for getting accepted! You will all do great and soon will be nurses! enjoy your free time before it starts, because it's intense, but you CAN and WILL do it! It goes by sooo fast. :) Best of luck. Any questions just shoot me a message

Hello to everyone here! I've been "lurking" this thread all month long--but have been to busy doing my review questions to join in. I just took the NCLEX-RN this morning at 8 a.m...and felt TERRIBLE about it. The minute I got home, I pulled out my review book, and looked up about 10 questions that I could remember on the exam, and saw that I got them wrong on the exam The screen went off at 75 questions. I have since done the infamous "Pearson Vue" trick, and got the pop-up stating I need to contact a board member as I have recently scheduled the exam (the "good" pop-up everyone talks about :) ) So I guess I'll have to wait and see. Just curious--did anyone else look up questions they remembered when they got home from the exam and find they missed quite a few of them as well?!?! Or am I really that pitiful? Thanks for the support. Congratulations to all those who passed this month, and good luck to those still left to take their exams tomorrow! I find out at 8 a.m. on Thursday morning!

You will still get some breaks! Christmas break (between fall and spring semesters) is just like everyone else in college--about 4-5 weeks off. That will be your longest break. You also still get spring break in March, and after your first semester is completed around the end of July/early August, you will also have about 2-2.5 weeks off then as well. It may be accelerated, but thankfully they still give some breaks! You will need them...I know I did!

Hey I totally understand where your stress is coming from--I was SO there last year! UMSL was pretty fast regarding the application process. If you're worried about whether or not they receive your transcripts, make sure to follow up constantly until they confirm it. I honestly don't remember how long it took them to get back to me with the approved application. (Sorry for not having that info) I can say that once you're in, time flies! My graduation is 2 weeks from today, and my last final is in a week and a half. I just got hired on for an ER nurse fellowship and am thrilled about that as well! Good luck!

I'm not a May/June Grad, but I'm graduating in 3 weeks (August grad). I can say it's a rough time of year to be graduating, because all the spring/summer fellowships that were offered are filled, and many hospitals don't have any open positions for new grads this time of year. It's not looking so hot! I'm lucky I already work in a hospital in a unit I enjoy...but I can say overall, there are NOT many job opportunities available

Hello again! Besides GPA, they look to make sure you've taken the proper prerequisite courses. Also, when you send in your application (if things haven't changed from when I applied in Spring of 2008), you will need 2 letters of recommendation from college professors, and will also need to write an "essay" stating what draws you to nursing and your future goals. Good luck!..and if you have any other questions..just let me know!

Hello! As Becca said, I'm in their accelerated program currently. Set to graduate in less than 6 weeks and am beyond thrilled!! Anyways, I also suggest making an appointment with an adviser...and they do offer summertime appointments. The nursing admin. building is open all summer long! I met with an adviser @ UMSL prior to applying for their nursing program when I was still attending the community college during my last semester of pre-requisite courses. I had roughly 61 credit hours completed, and do not have a previous degree of any kind. So, it is possible to do the accelerated route without a degree--just make sure you have met all course requirements (which the adviser at UMSL will do with you). I had a 3.8 GPA when I applied..took about 5-6 weeks after I applied to hear from them regarding acceptance. It's a 15 month long program, we go during the summertime instead of taking a break. My group started in May of 2008, and will be done the first week of this August. Let me know if you have any questions. I'd be glad to answer them! :)

Hey WhiteShadows--our group varies a lot in ages--The youngest being 19, and the oldest being 41. There are quite a few people in their thirties, and many of us in our twenties. I'd say a little over half of the group has a previous degree (not necessarily a bachelor's degree, either)..I don't have a previous degree myself. There are now only 26 of us left in our group (we started last May with 32)...so we're a very close group, and we all know each other very well. I enjoy having such a small group! You will make some great friends in nursing school!

I'm hoping to stay where I'm at!! Turning in the application for the RN fellowship in my department within the next week...eek! lol..I'm also interested in the place where I'm doing my senior synthesis hours right now..so I may apply there, too. That's great you're getting all your credits done!! :)

Hello everyone! Nice to see so many of you interested in UMSL's accelerated program! I'm currently enrolled in my last semester of the accelerated program at UMSL..I love it! It's a lot of work, but worth every bit of it! I went to Meramec for my prerequisite courses..saved me tons in the long run. I never applied for any scholarships in advance--although UMSL automatically gave me what they call the "Chancellor's Transfer Scholarship"..which gave me a few thousand dollars worth of money for having a GPA on all my credits higher than a 3.5..so I'm sure you all qualify for that. Hopefully they still have that going on! It was wonderful to be given a scholarship without applying! Other than that, I have some loans, and have tuition reimbursement through my job @ the hospital I currently work at as a tech. Also, it is not necessary to have experience before the program starts--I didn't..in fact, I didn't start working in a hospital until midway through my second semester of nursing school. Don't get me wrong, having a job has given me great insight and experience, but those who don't have jobs in the medical field are doing just fine...they teach everyone as though we're a "clean slate" and don't know anything regarding the profession..so it will work out just fine! :) Good luck to all who are applying and finishing up all the prerequisites! Time flies by! Before you know it, you'll be nurses!! :)

You are correct--I took classes the Winter semester before starting the program (I'm in the accelerated program at UMSL right now--will be done in 3 more months!!) I just had my teachers email my adviser (of course, after giving them consent to email them!) If either of you have any questions, just shoot me a message and I'll try to respond soon! Good luck

Yes, UMSL does have an accelerated 15 month program. All of the schools everyone listed already are great from what I hear..St. Louis is lucky enough to have so many great programs around :)

In response to smh's post--UMSL also has a similar simulation lab--we call it "Sim Man" as he is run by a computerized system and can do many things! I believe quite a few of St. Louis nursing schools have these now. Also, yes--our nursing school is not located near a major hospital, but we can go to many of the metro area hospitals--such as Barnes, Depaul, St. John's, Missouri Baptist, Christian Northeast, Cardinal Glennon, Children's Hospital, etc. So, depending on where you live, your clinical location can be very close---I enjoy the flexibility of having my clinicals be at a hospital I prefer

I am currently in UMSL's accelerated program and like it! Take a look around the Missouri forum---there are a few different threads where people have discussed both schools in depth--and if you have any further questions, just let me know! Oh, and I've only heard good things about Barnes Jewish, so I'm sure either way you'll make a great choice! Congrats on getting accepted to both! :)

Well, I took my first two years of college at St. Louis Community College--got all of my prerequisites done, then immediately transferred to UMSL's accelerated program. I'll be done this august--with my BSN in 3 years. Not sure if it's the quickest route, but it's pretty quick I'd like to think

I heard this today at Cardinal Glennon from some of the nurses (i'm in my peds clinical there now)...and I said the same thing---if they start doing it, the other hospitals will probably follow soon. I'm scared, because I had plans to jump right back into school after graduation, and if they do this, I might not be able to! :/ No good.

Hello! I'm in UMSL's accelerated program right now. I did exactly what you're planning on doing--I got my first 62 credits at Meramec (actually, I only had 60 credits at the time I applied and they accepted me--the adviser told me that if I mentioned that I planned on taking college comp. 2 while in the program that they'd allow me in with only 60). You have to take your Junior Level writing course at UMSL--no way around that. I took my writing couse during last semester (second semester of the BSN program) and did fine--with the writing course plus my nursing courses, last semester I took 18 credit hours and worked part time, so it is able to be done. The deadline when I applied back in early '08 for starting in May of 08 was February 1st. I didn't even apply until a week before the deadline. They sent out the letters for acceptance in the 2nd week of March. I highly suggest you go to UMSL very soon and talk to a nursing adviser regarding the classes you are taking now and have already completed. They have very specific courses they want you to take for pre-reqs. As far as other accelerated programs go, I know that Barnes and SLU both offer them as well, however they are 12 month programs. UMSL's is 15 months. I'm not sure if Maryville has an accelerated program or not. Hope I helped some. PM me if you have any more questions. And, of course, good luck in whatever path you choose to take. :)

I don't work at Barnes, however I am a PCT at another local STL hospital. About 3 months ago I was wondering if I should try to get a job in the medical field to gain experience, and I'm glad I did it now. However, I'm about to go into my 3rd semester of nursing school @ UMSL. I suggest you wait to apply to one of these positions once you finish your first semester of nursing school, just as the above poster has said. You may find you are getting enough experience with clinicals, or you may find that you need more. The first semester will give you a great idea of whether or not you can handle the crazy hours that PCT's work! It's possible to do--I just finished taking 18 credits this past semester all while starting a new job (my first "nursing-related" job)--it's just a tad bit stressful is all. :) Also, many of the hospitals prefer you to have your first semester of nursing (your fundamentals course) finished, otherwise they have you take a 6 week class to train. Good luck with everything!

Hello! I am at UMSL right now in their accelerated program. Many students in the accelerated (if not all) are transfer students or already have another degree. In the traditional program, there are a lot of transfer students as well...it's very common! They do accept by GPA, as you said, so no waiting list. Their nursing website gives all the information you need regarding costs and advisors you can talk to as well. Before I was accepted at UMSL, I made a couple of appointments with the nursing advisor to make sure I was taking the correct pre-requisites, and this saved me time and money (because I took only the classes necessary). To give you an idea of costs, a semester usually runs around $5,000 to 6,000, depending on the amount of credits you take during that semester and how many of those credits are nursing related (as nursing credits cost more). I enjoy the program I'm in! I transfered in at the beginning of my Junior year just like you're planning to do, and I highly suggest their accelerated program--just check it out on their nursing website! I've got 2 semesters left now, and so far I've been pleased. Good luck with everything, and if you have any more questions, you can send me a message!! Here's the website for UMSL's College of Nursing: http://www.umsl.edu/~nursingweb/index.html

:yeahthat: ...so true. This website is great to "vent" :)

St. John's seems like a great place to start out if you don't have any previous experience! They have a 5 week (full-time) training program to become a Patient Care Tech, and I think that'd be a great way to go! St. John's is a nice place, too. I hope this helps!! Or, if you just want a little bit of exposure to the health care world, maybe you could look in to volunteering or calling up a hospital of your choice to see if you can shadow a nurse. Best of luck to you in your schooling! :)

I see where you're coming from WDW, however more factors than just blood draws alone are going into my decision. St. Lukes is much closer to home for me, and on top of the blood draws they can also do the foleys, etc. I really won't be picky where I get a job, the main point is getting experience! I was already considering the Winter Externship at MoBap...I have only heard good things so far about doing that. I appreciate everyone's input thus far! Thanks!

I just finished my 5th week into 2nd semester of my accelerated BSN program...and I completely understand how you feel!! Nursing school is all about having "ups and downs" as I like to put it. One day I'm super down because I don't do as well on an exam as I would have liked to, and the next day I'm on cloud 9 because I aced another test in a different class, or had a great clinical day. My attitude about it all changes daily. I have my days where I ask myself if this is what I want (and I only ask that to myself when I'm having a "down" day of course)...but on those "up" days, I know this is the career for me! Like the other poster said, not all areas are going to appeal to you...I just started my Psych clinicals and it's like something clicked finally...I LOVE it. Fundamentals wasn't exactly fun, but I learned a lot. But Psych is a new passion now....and it makes nursing school all worth it I feel. Once you find your "niche", it'll all come together just fine. Best of luck to you, and anytime you need to vent, we will always be here for you!!!

This is good info to know! Thanks. Unfortunately, I definitely do not have 80 clinical hours done yet, because in the accelerated program, our fundamentals clinical isn't very long. We only did 3 clinical days in July...which adds up to about 24 hours tops. :/ But for future reference it's wonderful to know that over Xmas break I could apply there for sure! I appreciate it very much :) Thanks again