sher1206

I imagine that all schools have different policies but we had to have: vaccination records, a current TB test, current BLS (or proof of enrollment in a BLS class), a background check and take urine drug screen.

I suggest OSU in OKC. It is, in my opinion, the best nursing school in the state. Our NCLEX pass rate is consistently greater than 90% and our graduates are able to find jobs quickly due to our excellent reputation. If you are interested in pursuing a BSN at a later time then OSU is for you as well. They announced to us this semester that they are in talks with Stillwater to add a BSN program at the OKC campus. I am starting 3rd semester in January. OSU was the only school I was interested in attending and I've had a very positive experience. Your GPA is fine. Your science prereqs are: Human Anatomy w/cadaver lab Human Physiology Microbiology Chemistry 1214 The deadline to apply for the Fall of '09 is April '09, I believe.

Also, and forgive the double post: The way that the MedsPub questions are set up and the way they teach you to answer them, it seems to me, that if one learned how to read the questions correctly and you're a decent test taker you have a pretty good chance of getting the answer correct without any real knowledge base of the subject matter. For instance they teach you to choose the most global response and eliminate questions with absolute words like only, never, always etc. --And if a portion of the question is repeated in the answer that is probably the right answer or if two of the answers basically say the same thing they are both the wrong answer. Also usually one of the answers is blatantly incorrect. So saying I have a question on Renal. If one of the questions has an absolute word, it's out... if two others say the same thing in different words then BAM I know the answer can only be the remaining one and I MAY or MAY NOT understand why it is or isn't correct from a Renal standpoint unless I go back and explore the rationale behind it. We're not gonna have this luxury in real world situations but we do need to understand WHAT to do WHEN and often times under pressure. You only know that if there is knowledge base on which you have built. Is this how the NCLEX questions are set up? Do they follow the same theories/format as MedsPub because my program pushes MedsPub as if it were the be all end all to passing our boards. There is a girl in my class who is an excellent test taker, she understands how to read a question, and makes excellent grades but then you ask her why she chose the answer she did and she invariably can't explain why. She just always says "Process of Elimination." Conversely there was a girl in my group last semester who ruled at clinicals and understood why she needed to do what she did and when, however she sucked at test taking and didn't pass first semester because of it. Sorry if this is confusing I'm just wondering how much effort & time I should put into this beyond what I have to be able to take our first test.

We are forced to use it and charged 107.00 per semester for it. That means that by the time I graduate I will have spent 428.00 on MedsPub alone so it BETTER have proven to be useful when I sit for the NCLEX We have to do NurseLogic in its entirety before we take our first unit exam next week or they won't even allow us to test nor will they allow any makeups if we miss the test due to lack of completion. NAZIs! I have sat at this computer for the last 11 hours methodically going through each module and although I am starting to see some of the rationale behind it from a test taking standpoint, I gotta say.... that narrator's monotone voice is about to make me stick an ice pick through my eardrums. If I could I would smack her and tell her to liven it up. She'll probably visit me in my sleep in the form of a nightmare!

Thanks Spatialized. That was most helpful. Now I can start investigating what some of those terms mean, since a lot of this if Greek to me. It will be nice to walk on the floor with atleast a precursory understanding of what is going on instead of feeling like a complete fish out of water! Thanks again.

Mine too, sorry BBFRN. Now where is that election thread? GRRR!:smiley_ab Just joshin'!

I agree Leslie. However it is very typical given the obsession with appearance so predominant in the U.S., and sadly, not at all in any association with how healthy living affects appearance. Maybe I should consider a future as RN to a plastic surgeon, since that's where the big bucks will be.

That is really interesting because more than once the man (McCain) has admitted that he doesn't really understand the workings of our economy. http://krugman.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/01/22/can-this-be-true/ Also when being questioned by Tim Russert during the Republican debates on a the subject of interest rates and wether or not Ben Bernanke, Chairman of the Federal Reserve, had sufficiently cut them. McCain stated that he did not have sufficient knowledge of interest rates but, "I've got Greenspan's book." Good lord, have mercy! He then goes on to say that he is ALWAYS happy when interest rates are cut and that he wishes they were at zero% I don't know if I should laugh or cry but what I do know is this: Wall Street would crumble if interest rates were zero, there would be no interest gained on your money in the bank and money would flood out of the U.S. like a hemorrhaging hemophiliac leaving our economy bankrupt. These are just two, of many examples, of the man's staggering fiscal ineptitude. I don't want him anywhere near my money.

This disease is fascinating. I wrote a paper on it for Physiology. I go to Oklahoma State University and Dr. Rhonda Casey at our Tulsa hospital is one of the nations leading experts on Morgellons. Google "Dr. Rhonda Casey & Morgellons" and you will hit the jackpot. One of the things I found most interesting is that when the Tulsa Forensics/Crime lab ran these fibers through a battery of tests they were unable to match them with ANY other fibers in their extensive database. Suggesting that they were indeed manufactured by the body or possibly parasitic in nature and not implanted by an OCD/psychotic client as is the current consensus by many doctors and therapists. In researching for the paper the saddest thing I came across is that so few people are believed when they present these mysterious fibers that they are frequently put on anti-psychotics. Sadly after years of suffering, with no end to the pain in sight, many of them end their own lives believing that this is their only option.

I am in the same boat as Sweet & Sassy, in that I just found out my clinical rotations will be on a cardiac unit. Although I am in my second semester and last semester I was on a med-surg floor. I don't know if my wing also houses the step-down unit or not. I am curious as to what I can expect and if my prior experience/knowledge base with med-surg will serve me in cardiac care. I have to be honest and say that cardiac scares me a little. Also any good websites to teach myself by would be much appreciated.

okay? I was responding to the original post and I said nothing of a political nature. That said, it's kinda hard to have an intelligent exchange on an article which discusses the influence of politics on health care and not discuss politics and policy reform in the process.

Just started second semester and I love our program more each day. It used to feel like graduation was eons away but I can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel. Yay!

That was interesting. Thanks for posting it.

Hey, Ambitizous. I can't reply to your PM about school because I don't have 15 posts. Just didn't want you to think I was ignoring you. I'll try to rack up 15 quickly but until then you can email me and I'll be happy to answer all your first semester questions.

I'm in my first semester nursing at OSU-OKC. Chem is definitely the hardest part of the HESI however the test is very basic. There are a couple of sections you don't have to take. I believe it is the grammar and biology sections. You will love our program. We have excellent and very caring instructors. They will seriously bend over backwards to help you be successful if you show them you are committed. I will tell you now the grading system is entirely different than what you are probably used to.