Roberta88

Hello everyone! I have been a night-time ortho nurse for a little over a year now (my first nursing job) and am switching to day-time peds next week. While ortho has been good to me, I felt like it was time to move on to something I was really passionate about. I have been trying to review from my old text book but it is huge and I'm really not sure where to start. I know I can't learn everything in a week but I'd like to at least have the basics down to make my transition a little smoother. So far I've made flashcards of vital signs and maintenance IV fluid... other than that I've just been reading through my 2,000 page textbook incredibly slowly. Any suggestions on what to review? I've looked through this forum quite a bit and have found a lot of suggestions for how to act but nothing specifically to review. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Hi everyone. I'm pretty conflicted and looking for some guidance. I'm in my maternity rotation and my clinical teacher has suggested that I apply for an L&D preceptorship. I looooove L&D. But I also love other specialties (specifically ER). I'd love to be an L&D nurse one day but I feel like it would be hard to go from L&D to ER, rather than tge other way around. Also, many people try to get jobs at the site where they preceptorship since the boss may already know their work ethic. On the other hand though, if this is the last chance I get to help birth babies, I want to do it! Any advice would be greatly appreciated...

I usually do the pre-lecture reading because I feel like it helps sink the information in. However, there is nothing I hate more than reading material for the following test when there is a test right in front of me. So if I have a test I give up pre-lecture reading until the test is over and then try to work it in. It hasn't hurt me to miss one lecture of pre-reading so long as I pay attention in class.

I jumped up and down then went to the zoo.

I agree with most of the people on here. It's an emotional rollercoaster and it beat the everything out of me too. But it's what I want to do and there are days that are horrible that I try to remember why I want to even be a nurse:banghead: and then there days that are so awesome where you succeed at something that you never even thought you had in you and it all makes sense again. :yelclap: Anyways, I'm about to finish my first year in a BSN program. They started us off really slowly. So slowly, in fact, that we were pretty confused. Especially since people were always telling us how hard it was. Crazy enough, I remember being a little disappointed about that. But then in our second quarter clinical started and it hit us full blast. Looking back on my first quarter though, I realize they were really just trying to prepare us for clinicals. We learned pathophysiology and ADLs (Activities of Daily Living) like changing beds and taking vitals. Our theory class seemed to be a lot of common sense broken down into really confusing question formats. 2nd quarter we had pharmacology, a health assessment class, theory, and clinicals. Now our odd class out is nursing history. Anyways, I remember a year ago wanting to know how to prepare myself and rolling my eyes at all the people who said to do relaxing things. But truthfully, nursing school is something you need to take one day at a time. But if you absolutely must do something, I'd say get a head start on the reading.

hm.... I don't think I spoke to him but I think I know who you are talking about.

I noticed today that they said they were going to go over malpractice insurance and those three modules (on the website where we turned in our immunization records) at the orientation. I don't know about the concord campus, but no one mentioned it at the hayward campus. Anyone know anything about this?

Congratulations! Does anyone know if we can accept financial aid awards yet? Because they show on my page and it has a button that says "accept/decline awards" but when I click on it it doesn't let me accept any. I tried emailing the financial aid office but they never get back to me.

Wow you guys made me feel so much better. I am going to call tomorrow morning and see if I can talk to someone though. I sent three copies of my transcripts so I should be fine. And I am going to the Hayward campus (even if my little old car can barely make it up the hill.)

I'm so confused!!! I am still waiting for it to say I was accepted into the school. It said provisional admission a few days ago and it still doesn't say they received my transcripts. Now it says "AL Data Verification Needed" in my application status. I figured they were just waiting for my transcripts but I sent three copies and I don't know what this means. I don't want to find out I got into the nursing program but not the school. Any ideas?

Whew! They are giving me a year to get the right shot. I just have to have it before my pediatrics class. I think it was about two days short of 4 weeks in between the two shots. I was kind of annoyed at the mistake but I can see how it can get lost in translation. I'm almost certain the girl who gave me it was new. She looked nervous and every time she takes my BP she takes it waaay too fast. I don't mean to judge but I'm always right at 120/80 and she told me I was 100/62. I know I wouldn't be able to get an accurate reading that fast. Anyway, to get back on track, I know the one with pertusis is usually only given to babies so I figure they just said I need a tetorifice and the person who gave me it assumed Td instead of Tdap. If that makes any sense. I think I just talked in a circle. But I feel soooo much better knowing they will give me another year to get it corrected so I don't have it too soon. Thanks for everyones responses!

Argh! So I got into the Nursing Program for fall 2010 and I got all the usual vaccinations and titers. I got the Td shot because that was what was listed. Then my school sent me an email they changed it to Tdap. That's fine, and I went to my doctor, explained the situation and was given the shot. But today I went to the doctor and found out they accidently gave me a second Td shot instead of a first Tdap. Ugh! Not only that but I had some sort of allergic rxn to it the second time and even though its been two weeks I still have a bump on my arm. So now my doctor says that it would be unsafe for me to have another one and she says they don't have ones that only carry pertussis. So I'm pretty worried right now. I emailed my school but what if they say I need it no matter what? Urgh..

YAY! Fall schedule is up. I know, I know, I'm a nerd.

HAHA! I laughed so hard when I read the beginning. It kind of reminds me of myself except with greys anatomy. I do realize that it won't be the same but I can't lie that that was my inspiration. I'm kind of scared of the question "Why do you want to be a nurse" because I know it's not the heart-wrenching story so many nurses seem to have and it wasn't one of those things where I knew my whole life either. I didn't even like science in high school. But now I'm pretty obsessed with it.

Paganoid- I was considering keeping my part time job during at least the beginning of school. Only thing is that my employer needs to know my schedule two weeks ahead of time. I noticed you said that we will be doing just a few days of clinical our first quarter. Will they give us the times in advance? School is way more important to me so if they don't let us know then I figure I should probably just quit my job and try to live on my loans and my mom. What do you think?

Lol I really love the country so I guess I'm opposite of you. I like hearing the birds singing and people playing their guitars out on there porches.... As opposed to my neighbor who won't stop playing his drum! Lol, anyways, sad as though it may be, I think I'm gonna stop posting on this page. East Bay is going to see it and think I don't love them too. Hah!

I think we are supposed to print the whole thing out, answer the questions by ourselves, then review them with our doctor so they can clear us to wear the masks. I find it weird they require this though. Isn't it just a mask. And thanks for answering so many of our questions paganoid! It's really helpful.

No I live in Newark so I'm not too far from it. It will be no more than a half hour drive, if that. But my car is so old I am going to have to park at the bart station and take a bus up that big hill. Lol, my car would not make it, especially on a regular basis. I've heard tons about Stanislaus because my boyfriend just graduated from their business program. I went to quite a few of his classes with him just for fun and he also asked around for me about their nursing program. Everyone in it that he talked to really liked it. But I swear if you get in you have to try the taco truck! They have four in a row and they all taste different. I never liked spicy food before. Ever since I found out I would be going to East Bay I have been searching for comparable tacos out here. None are even close. Lol, excuse my taco obsession please.

I just finished my pre-req's and was accepted into a fall BSN program. In high school I got A's and B's and never cracked the book. I then went to a community college and didn't know what I wanted to do at first so I just took GE classes. Again, I never cracked the book and got the same grades. Then I started pre-req's. It wasn't until I started them that I realized I had no idea how to study. In high school and college GE you are expected to get a general understanding. This is not true for science classes. So midway through biology I figured out the key to studying which is *drumroll* not just reading the information repeatedly but retaining it for longer than a the date of the next test. I got a C in that class and a B in the chemistry class I was taking at the time. Every pre-req after that I got straight A's and was even a physiology tutor for awhile. My point is, I agree with the person who said you can't do the same thing you did in high school. My biggest advice would be to make sure you are adaptable. Even though I have gotten straight A's the past two years I had to study for each class differently. On another note, I think a previous poster was saying to not get caught up in the "oh nursing school is so hard." I haven't started it yet but going in overwhelmed is no way to do it. Good luck!

Oh wow, that's good to know. I was just thinking I had to sign up for a CPR class.

I'm glad to hear your friend likes it. I was worried about it because it's the only school I applied to that I didn't hear anything about.

Yeah, people who get in decide all the time that they can't. They have money problems or they get pregnant. I think you have a really good chance. I do feel bad that your wait isn't over though. I was going crazy watching the mailbox every day. At least 49 is far enough away that I won't be waiting for it.

I think you should get your hopes up. Every school I've talked to says they usually accept about 15 people off the alternate list. 6 is a really good number.

Courcat! You followed me onto this thread! Lol, it was me that said I applied at Stanislaus. Didn't get in by a long shot. Alternate 49. Good luck to you! Oh and I was originally an alternate at East Bay too. When I talked to them they asked me my preference and said they had more than enough room at both campuses available. That was like 2 weeks ago. So if you turned in your acceptance email awhile ago you should have no problem getting into the campus of your choice. Does anyone know how often our clinical schedule will change? I was hoping I could keep my job during nursing school (part time) but if I have no definite available hours I don't think I would be able to since they schedule two weeks in advance at my work.

Hey everyone. I got my letter. Alternate number 49:crying2:. I really love Stanislaus and they have the best taco truck ever in Turlock. But on the bright side, I got into CSU East Bay, so I'm still in at least. Congratulations to everyone who did get in!