Camdfw

I graduated from TCC in May 2010...at that time only about 1/3 of us had jobs lined up to bridge from GN to RN. Mine was out of state, Kansas (grew up there and have family there), and I had work experience with THR-AMH as an nurse extern. Its a tough market to obtain employment in as a new grad...my advice is take the experience where you can get it and from there you will be able to move into more of the "dream" jobs in the future.

I worked for KHH and the management there is awful and unprofessional! They promote RNs that have no business into supervisor positions. 4:1 ratio on tele is good but it's total care and you are swamped with nursing home style patients. Great nurses there just bad management and management styles. ICU, Intermidate, cath lab and OR might be different but tele gets dumped on daily. I miss cardiac but I don't miss KHH!!

I am a TX grad, MAY 2010, and I had to move back home to Kansas in order to get a job...at graduation, only about 30% of us had jobs. This was in the DFW area. Even worked through nursing school as an aide and wasn't offered a position at my hospital....to few interships and FLOODS FLOODS FLOODS of new grads. I interviewed with 3 different hospitals in Dallas, and each of them told me that I was lucky for the interview. One even told me that I was a couresty interview. They all told me because nursing was a second career for me (was a flight attendant for 10 yrs prior) is why I was choosen to interview. It is a very TIGHT market everywhere!! That being said, in Kansas and without 2 years experience, I just landed my DREAM position in surgery. Started in PACU and will now begin to circulate in the OR. KEEP AT IT...something will come through...regardless of shift, unit, or even locale, you may want to strongly consider it. Once you get your experience the market is a lot more friendlier. GOOD LUCK!!!

I received good pop-up and passed as well. I think there is SOLID proof in this "trick". Best of luck to those who did not pass on their first attempts...you can and will do this! Keep your chin up!

Don't you think too though, that student nurses are there working basically for FREE!?! So really, do you blame anyone for having a relaxed attitude occasionally? Key word there is OCCASIONALLY! It's their education and clinical experience, not yours! Let them take from it what they will! Students have so many restrictions on them to begin with from the hospital, school and instructors that sometimes they don't even know what they can/cannot do or what's even expected of them. I know its challenging to have students follow you around like little puppy dogs, I get that! But you were once a student too, remember that please, be kind, be patient, be welcoming, be a mentor!

i have to tell you....as a sn myself about to enter my senior year, i too am pondering a career as a crna or np. and to be completely honest, i would obtain a master's not only for myself and the passion i have for nurturing others but for the financial stability that these careers afford. i would be 36 by the time i finished a master's program (if you included 2 years of "working" as an rn) and i have some catching up to do financially. \ i applaud all nursing students (and rn wanna b’s) out there.

Well Mommyof3, like I said before its just terrific that A) they told you your position in line and B) that YOU GOT IN!!!! Don't feel overwhelmed yet, you haven't even started.........Camp success will help a little but when I went I thought it was kind of a waste of time...a full day and not a lot information really. A friend told me that its been spruced up a little since we attended a year ago so you'll have to let me know. If I can help in anyway, please let me know (questions, concerns, thoughts)!!! Here's what you should find out at camp success: 1. Your schedule 2. An array list of phone numbers 3. A little more information about the associate degree of nursing (ADN) 4. Meet and greet your instructors for Foundatations 5. Proper TCC dress codes 6. Meet your CLINICAL CLASSMATES 7. Good study habits 8. Tips for success 9. Information about TNSA (Texas Nursing Students Association) 10. Information about all the FORMS that need submitted prior to registration 11. How to register, (its different than how you registered for your prereqs) JUST TO NAME A FEW!!!

Congrats to the new class of Fall 2009/May 2011. I am finishing up my second semester, graduation is May 2010, and I have some advice as new student nurses: But first, MOMMYOF3, you are so lucky to have been told your ranking on the alternate list, when I made alternate list and ended up sitting out a semester due to never being called, I was refused my number and I never could figure out where I stood (I CHECKED THE MAILBOX HOURLY....it was torture), BUT thankfully I made it in no problem the second time I applied and I'm so EXCITED for you to have been accepted as well! For starters, DON'T GO CRAZY buying every book that they throw at you. For Foundatations you will need, the KOZIER and ERB book for theory, a good CARE PLAN BOOK for clinical, a good DRUG BOOK again for clinical, ELKINS and POTTER book for skills and the Craig math book, thats really it. I NEVER USED THE LILLEY PHARMACOLOGY book, nor the SWEARINGEN book, if you must buy these books..ebay/amazon/half price book store them. I would buy KOZIER, and ELKINS/POTTER books from the bookstore (due to online components) and all the rest can be found at bn.com and/or other bookstores. Hopefully using these sites/stores will reduce your text book expense. Also y'all are lucky, we are the last class to do ATI testing, which runs us about $75 a semester in addition to tution and books. Second piece of advice; Stock up on blank paper and printer ink!!! Learn how to print front and back on one sheet to reduce waste. OMG, I have never printed off so many notes, some notes are in excess of 50 pages just on 1 subject. Thirdly, ENJOY YOUR SUMMER! Do that vacation NOW! Nursing school is so intense, and time consuming that you won't have time once the semester starts. You're gonna hit the ground running from day one. So RELAX, get what you need done for school now and take the rest of the summer off, academically speaking. There isn't much you can do to prepare for nursing school either, sure you can brush up on med term and pharm but trust me, that all is covered again, and again and again..........Go to camp success, get your CPR done, get your vaccines finished, submit all your forms and BREATHE.....Fall will be here before you know it. Fourthly, EMBRACE YOUR PEERS! I am blessed; so far all of my clinical mates have been terrific. We all take care of each other and I KNOW that they are in my life forever! Your peers are a wealth of knowledge, use that knowledge to be a better student nurse. Lastly, Have fun along the way, even if you get a "C"! You're gonna have days where the weight of the world is on your shoulders (homework, EXAMS, fellow peers, instructors, family, work, etc), but REMEMBER, this is YOUR JOURNEY through nursing school....make it a memory you cherish. Nursing school can be hard on the "ego" sometimes....the exams are HARD and you really do need to celebrate those "C's". NEVER take nursing school too personally, but always bring a personal touch to nursing. Best of luck to each and every one of ya. See ya around soon! Congrats!

Congrats on your acceptance. I am just finishing up my first semester and WHOA has it been a busy one. Your life will never be the same, but in a GOOD way. NS (nursing school) is unlike any other schooling you'll have experienced. It is hard, challenging, time consuming, demanding, exhausting, but ENTIRELY worth it. My advice for the new SN (student nurses) coming into the program is this: ENJOY your holiday(s). Don't worry to much about NS until the beginning of January. There isn't much you can do to prep for NS. Sure there are some chapters to read over, some math to brush up on, and school/nursing supplies to purchase; but honestly there won't be much going on til about the 2nd-3rd week of school. Honestly, enjoy your holiday and know that NS is awaiting you in January. Also, one last piece of advice: there is safety in numbers!!! EMBRACE your clinical peers. Mine have been a blessing. We meet weekly, outside of class, for study sessions (we study for exams, skills check-offs, clinical skills/math). We also spilt the objectives for our exams and then share our notes w/ the group. These individuals will become a family to you, EMBRACE them!!!! Enjoy your camp success day on the 5th! Congrats again and welcome class of December 2010!!!

First off, you do not need 3 A's and 1 B in your sciences to get into the program. There isn't any real formula for selecting an applicant based entirely off their GPA and prereqs. I applied in Fall 07 for Spring 08--with A's in Chem and Micro, and B's in both A&Ps, and missing comp 2......and I made the alternate list. GRANTED I wasn't called for the spring class, but I was accepted after I completed comp 2.....and again that was w/ 4 B's on my transcript: A&P 1 and 2 ...B (two) Intro to Psych...B Comp 1.....B Thats 4 B's, all the rest of my prereqs were A's and my Teas was in the 87% percentile. The only thing I can agree with from the previous post is that it does seem to be true that if you have ALL of your prereqs complete when you turn in your application, you do have a better chance of being accepted. I don't know of anyone whom is missing a prereq in any of my nursing classes. So please don't be discouraged from applying if you have a couple of B's on your transcript; and it doesn't hurt you if you apply and aren't accepted; so I would APPLY regardless of what others say. Best of luck

Congrats to all of you that will be new SNs (student nurses) in January 2009! Welcome to the nursing program at TCC. I am about to finish my first semester of NS (nursing school), and I'm so excited for y'all!!! Your life will never be the same. NS is extremely difficult but ENTIRELY worth it!!! Enjoy your holidays, and congrats again!

First all, I took Jacursio (NE) and I loved, loved, loved her. She was tough, but you know what?; I remember so much from her class that it was worth it. She provides notes and so many practice worksheets that its impossible not to be successful in her class. As far as nursing applications. I was accepted w/ 2-A's and 2-B's on my sciences(overall GPA 3.81). My TEAS was 85%. It does depend on how many people apply and how strong thier academic marks are. I made alternate list the first time I applied missing 1 pre-req (comp2), but I never got called. Once I completed comp2 I got in no problem. Never give up if nursing is what you really want to do. The selection process is tough, but it's designed that way because the program is tougher. Best of luck to all future applicants.

I'm about to start TCC's nursing program next week and let me recommend my instructors for your sciences if possible, you'll really enjoy them and should do well in their classes. I attended the NE campus: Micro---Prof. W Matthai AP 1 and 2----Dr. M Pfieffer and/or Dr. L Gargan. If you can enroll for AP online Prof. Foote is terrefic, but the online AP classes are difficult to enroll in since those slots are taken in no time. Chem 1406--Prof. M Langhor. Best of luck to everyone, the best advice I can give for your applications is to have completed as many pre-reqs as possible. I was only missing comp1302 last semester and made the alternate list but never received a call. Once having comp1302 completed, I was accepted with ease. BTW, they've also done a lot of updating to the TCC nursing website, including some videos about the program and the application process. A lot of rumors/questions are addressed about the application process and how students are selected for admission. GOOD LUCK and always continue toward your dreams!

Hey everyone! I am about to start TCC's Nursing Program next week and I remember Bev, department Sect., talking about college alegbra being a pre-req in the FUTURE and that we didn't need to worry about it since it wouldn't affect our class. So here's my advice, it probably wouldn't hurt to have it completed, esp is you plan to continue for BSN, but otherwise I wouldn't consider it a pre-req until OTHERWISE NOTED IN THE APPLICATION PACKET and/or ON TCC'S NURSING WEBSITE.

I didn't actually count the number of guys in the crowd but I noticed about 20-ish or so give or take a few. Including myself there is 1 other gent in my clinical group (2 total). I think its great that men are making more of a presence in the nursing field, I'm excited to be included in that group.

I thought the first part of orientation was very dull. It wasn't til after lunch did we really learn anything about the upcoming semester. That being said, I can't wait til August. I'm beyond ready to start!! I Love my schedule... M-Foundations 8a-12p T/Th-Clinical 1p-7p W-Skills 2p-5p Good luck all!

I am a first year nursing student and I'm gay. For the past 10 years I was a Flight Attendant for a major carrier. Both of these professions are viewed mostly as a woman's profession, HOWEVER I can tell you this, about 50% or more of the men I flew w/ back in the day were straight. (flight attendants) There will always be stereotypes out there associated w/ certain groups, people and careers. Some of us will fall into that stereotype (gay=nurse, etc...) others of us will not. Our differences is what makes the world a much better place!

Hi there. I'm starting the nursing program this Fall 08. I'm very excited and nervous. Let me say this: Although you no longer get bonus points for Pharm., patho and medical term it will do NO HARM to you to have these courses under your wing. In fact, I highly suggest taking these courses if you are between application periods or finished with your pre-reqs. I have taken all 3 of these classes and feel very at ease w/ already having a knowledge of the material...AKA...when the material is tought in nursing school it won't be the first time I'm hearing/learning the information, therefore....I think it will benefit me. Learning is a lifetime process. If you can, enroll in these courses!! Best of luck to all future applicants!

Just Breathe! Thats good advice just befoe the TEAS exam. It's not the most difficult test...just READ each question and make sure you're understanding what its asking for. A lot of the time the words: "not" or "isn't" or "least", "most", "sum", "product"...etc will casue people to get questions wrong simply because they thought the question was asking something that it wasn't. Also, the math portion of the test isn't terrible difficult, HOWEVER, it is timed and we were instructed that 98% of test takers aren't able to complete the ENTIRE math portion of the exam. Whatever you do, DO NOT GUESS ON QUESTIONS simply to finish any portion of the exam. If you have 3 minutes left and 10 questions unanswered, don't guess of the last 10 questions, simply finish what you can and don't worry about the unanswered questions. When taking multiple choice exams, ALWAYS REMEMBER that you are given the answer.....you just have to either use KNOWLEGDE to get the correct answer OR a lot of the times you can REASONABLLY answer a question w/ previous knowlegde or common sense......AKA...pick the answer that sounds right, within reason of course. You'll be surprise how much you already know by using this concept. Go into your TEAS exam tomorrow with your head held high and all the confidence you can muster up, because "you got this!" Believe in yourself, believe in your academic past and believe in your determination to become a nurse and you'll do GREAT!!!!

Hello all. I'm starting an ADN program here in Ft. Worth, TX this August(2008) and couldn't be more excited about it. Congrats to all fellow nursing students either currently in NS or about to begin your programs! Also, congrats to all you FUTURE nursing students starting or currently taking pre-reqs. I would highly suggest taking summer school. I love summer classes. The material comes at you fast (INTENSELY at times) but thats how I learn best. I took all my sciences over the summer and ended up w/ a 3.5 GPA on the 4 classes. Micro/Chem/AnP1/AnP2 (2-A's, 2-B's) PLUS if you think for one second that nursing school is going to be kicked back and relaxed, your crazy!?! Also, I had several AnP questions on my TEAS exam, so I guess everyone's test is different. Either way, all the prereqs needed at my school are good introductory materials to what we will be studying and applying towards the nursing practice. Congrats again to everyone! Best of luck to all y'all!:nuke:

I know this is a year later (2008) than the original thread but I just got into TCC w/ all pre-reqs finished....an 84% overall on the TEAS and a science GPA of 3.5 and remaining prereq GPA of 3.63. The sciences weigh the heaviest! YOU DON"T NEED A 4.0 TO GET INTO TCC!!! Some semesters are tougher than others! Keep at it, you're time for nursing school will come!

I got in too! I'm so excited. I got into Weatherford's program as well, but am going w/ TCC. Best of luck to everyone!

Hey all. If your taking Micro on the NE campus, take Matthai !!!!! Anyhoo, I'm going crazy here. I keep checking the mail hourly for my letter from the nursing department at TCC. I was on the alternate list last semester (SP'08) and pretty sure I'll make the cut this round (FL'08) but I need to know because I also got accepted at Weatherford's ADN program just last week. I need to confirm w/ them by the 11Apr08, and I would hate to tell Weatherford yes and then cancel on them you know? Best of luck to everyone! Hope to see May 2nd!