denise0815

Hi njgrl622, Sounds like you had a great semester. You must be very proud! I am looking forward to starting next month, but, I am anxious. It is nerve wracking not knowing what to expect, but thank you so much for all the info. I have been working on the SLM and will go to the lab in January to practice and test. It seems like it is definately going to be a BUSY semester. I pray I make it!! Hope you enjoy your New Year and good luck in NUrs. 2!!!

Congratulations!!! Your story made me teary-eyed. I know the feeling of not having enough money to pursue something you want so desperatley and feeling like you might have to give up. I seem to go through it every semester. Besides financial struggles, I also have a teenage son that will be home 4 nights a week without me (while I am at school/clinicals) and I feel guilty about that. But if I dont persevere, we will be in the same situation forever. I keep telling myself school is only temporary, and worth all the sacrifices. The moment you describe when you realized your 'nightmare' was a reality is one I hope to experience someday soon. :) Best of luck to you in your career!

Mookaduke, Thank you sooo much for the information. I will definately check it out! It is a great opportunity to get paid while training and then you are guaranteed a position, what else can you ask for.... Good luck to you!

Hi Mookaduke... That sounds like a great opportunity. Can you tell me the location where the training is being provided? I would love more information. I am also changing careers and start clinicals in January, would love to get my "foot in the door" and gain some experience while in school. Good luck on your interview!!!! Let me know how it goes. Denise

Hi, That would be great!! You must be so excited!! I went to the orientation in May but, I had to defer to the evening program, so I will start in January. I do have that self learning packet, glad to hear it was not too bad and the nurses were nice and helpful. I was already nervous about that...lol Please let me know how you are doing, and I wish you the best of luck!!! Denise

Hi everyone, Does anyone here attend the Passaic County Evening Program? I am starting in January and I am very nervous....all my pre-req are done so all I have to focus on is Nurs 101. I am wondering how everyone handles it? Unfortunately, I do have to work during the day, and I am in the middle of changing careers. Nursing is something I have always wanted to do and would like to get a feel for the program....likes/dislikes, workload, schedule. Any info would be great!! Thanks, Denise

Hi everyone, I need suggestions please!!!! I have finally completed all my pre-req and was accepted into the nursing program for Sept. But now I am at a crossroads, which I knew was coming, but hoping I would have a plan in place before now. Nursing was to be a 2nd career for me, however I do need to work atleast part time while in school.(single mom of two boys - 18yr and 14yr) How do people make it through nursing school without working? Am I missing something? We are all not straight out of high school...lol Does anyone know of positions that are generally held by students at hospitals or rehabs? Can you get student loans to cover living expenses? This is a career move that I have waited a long time to make and now I feel like I am stuck..If I have to quit after getting thru the pre-req., passing the Net and Chemistry, and being accepted into a program... I am going to be deeply saddened. How does everyone do it?? Any suggestions, greatly appreciated!

Hi love4nursing101, Would you mind sharing where you worked? or have any ideas where to apply? I am starting Nurs101 in September and I am looking for A CNA position. Do you know if any hospitals hire and train you if they know you are in Nursing school? Any info would be appreciated, this is a 2nd career for me and I do not know where to start!! LOL!

Hi, I am a student at PCCC, I am halfway through chem. and can not wait to be done with it....lol! I am also 30 something and a single mom of two boys. Determination is definitely what you need in order to make it. I have finished all my other pre-req. except microbiology which I was thinking of completing in the summer. I am taking the NET tomorrow morning!!!!!! and will apply to the day program for Sept., however, I might end up doing the evening if days do not coordinate with my work schedule. How do you find the evening program to be? it must be exhausting working all day and then classes until 10. Help!!! I need some suggestions on how it can be done....I need some encouragement!

Hi Newgrad, That sounds like a great opportunity, it must have been so interesting! Do you know who I can contact at Cooper Hospital? Should I contact the HR department?

Hi, Does anyone work in the hospital as a PCA? I just have a few questions...I am finishing up pre-req in order to get into the RN program at PCCC. I do need to work and was considering getting certified as a nursing asst. Would anyone mind sharing the salary offered? Also, do you need certification or do they offer training? Any info would be appreciated...thanks!

I am also taking it online now during the summer I semester. I dont mind the online course as much as all the info crammed into 8 weeks....lol... If I could do it again I would utilize a full semester, I feel as if I am rushing through it. But to answer your question, the lab is primarily done through visual tools, just like Mezabeth stated. You use your text, lab book and additional software to complete lab exercises. I find all the materials very useful,the pictures and powerpoint are really great and you still get all the info you need, you just dont have the "hands on" experience.

Hi everyone, I am thinking about attending the Paramus campus, any advice? What do you think about the program?

Hi , Here is my ......... I am also working on my pre-req and have met several people in my classes that are also pre-nursing...some are genuine and some are extrememly competitive. The ones that are competitive,in a bad way, I stay away from. I don't need the distraction of worrying how the other person is doing, that is not my business, nor do I share my grades with them, unless they ask. I have learned over the years, that you can only control your actions. Do not get involved in all the drama, only focus on your journey! I am hoping to make some good friends in all this so we can support each other, that is what it is all about, or should be anyway...... Do the best that you can and the rest will fall into place! There is no use to worry about how many people are competing for the same spot, you can not do anything about that. Things will change over the course of the semester and the students that are not in it for the right reasons will probably not make it anyway!

Hi, I am looking for an evening program and wondering if Hohokus offers one...and if they do, do you have any info on it, like hours etc? Any info would be appreciated...thanks!

I am so relieved that I am not the only one overwhelmed with the amount of information to learn for A&P I in an 7 week class!!! I am doing this online and feel I have made a big mistake and should of waited until the Fall semester..but there is no turning back now... I am in week two and think to myself , how am I going to do this? The most frustrating thing is that you dont know what to expect on the quizzes and tests, which are every week, I have already taken three and feel like I am just getting by and not really getting a good understanding of the info. Then I think to myself ,it must be me, because why would they offer these courses online and in a shortened timeframe if it was not working for the students? I guess I just need to adjust to this method and the material and figure what works best for me. I hope I can do that before the class is over though....lol! Wish me luck! and good luck to everyone else who dared to do it!

Hi kdrose, I was told it is totally online, no need to go to the campus. It should be interesting to see how the lab experiments are going to work out. The only thing I had to buy so far is the text and lab book with the software for the lab experiment simulations.

Hi, I am starting A&P I online through Passaic County Community College, on Tuesday for the Summer I session. I am excited and hope this works out well, a little nervous about it. It is totally online, lab also. I work fulltime and a single mom, so I thought this would be a good option and offer more flexibility.

I want to thank everyone for responding!!! The responses have been great and definitely lifted my spirits. I am in the process of completing my pre-req. and will take A&P I online this summer and Chem in the Fall and then I can officially apply to the nursing program. At that point I will only have the core classes left and will be taking one class a semester..(nurs 101,102 etc)..should be done in two years. It is so nice the hear positive things about this profession we choose,it helps remind you why you chose it in the first place. Thanks again for all the positive thoughts! Good luck to everyone!

Hi everyone, Can someone please say something positive about nursing school......I am really starting to get freaked out because of all the negative comments. I do not know how anyone gets through school let alone makes it as a nurse. I am 38 and a single mother of two, this decision was supposed to be a positive one for myself and my kids but now I wonder if I am making a mistake. It is a career change for me so this is a decision I am not taking lightly, but I am starting to question my decision because there seems to be so much negativity among new nurses and experienced nurses, also students claiming instructors are out to get them??..?What is going on, is this really what it is like ?

nursemike, Thank you for the explanation...you managed to put everything in perspective for me. No matter where you go there is going to be problems among peers, I guess that is a reality. It just surprises me how it seems like everyone is out to get each other. I am 38 and a single mom, nursing is suppose to be a positive career change for me, something I waited a long time to pursue and it just gets so discouraging to hear such negativity....it makes me wonder if I am doing the right thing..,,

Hi All, What in the world is lateral violence??? Reading these posts that are so negative, freak me out!!! I am trying to get into a program, finishing my pre-req. and I am scared to death....what goes on in nursing school???? I guess I better stop reading....lol.....

I can relate to your dilemma because I am going through it myself. I am a single mom and need to work, but currently hate my cubicle job. I am trying to figure out what route to take. I have been attending the local community college and working on pre-req part-time...it would take me 3 years to finish at this point if I ever even get into the RN program. It is frustrating and complicated.....sometimes I just want to give up! I am trying to see if there is an LPN program that would be good and switch to that and then do the LPN to RN bridge. However I would need to supplement my income , thinking about student loans??? Wish I could just quit work, get a part-time job in a hospital setting and go to school full-time....that would be ideal!! lol...dont know if it is a reality, I guess I am getting a little discouraged trying to figure all this out.. Anyway good luck to you and keep me posted!!

Hi, Anyone live off student loans while in nursing school? I am a single mom and currently working full-time in a cubicle job I hate, and I am completing my pre-req part-time. It would take me 3 years to finish my RN and I dont know how I would be able to get to clinicals by 4:00. I am considering a LPN program that would be completed in a year if I went full-time, and then bridging to RN once I begin working. Hopefully tuition asst. would be an option!! The only problem is how would I pay the bills? Are there good part-time jobs for LPN students in a hospital setting? I was thinking about student loans to compensate for the lost income during this time, has anyone gone this route? Please help!!!!

Hi.. I am going through the same thing right now..I am a single mom with two kids, mine are older though, 16 and 12. I have finally decided to go back to school. The only problem is I do have to work also. I am stuck in a cubicle job that I hate and I am trying to figure out how to to transform my life for the better for myself and the kids. So you are not alone...lol.... I am currently taking pre-req at the community college, but I know once I get to clinicals I will need to be available by 3:00, dont know how this is going to work. I was thinking about an LPN program to see if I can complete that in a year and then go to work and bridge to RN,once my foot is in the door. However, I am having trouble finding a program in the evenings even for that. I am not sure how all this is going to come about, but I just keep faith that somehow it will. I have waited so long to go back to school and I do not want to give up now.....lol The only other thing I was thinking about is applying for student loans and living off of that for a year..???? Keep me posted on how you make out....remember you are not alone!! Good Luck!!