More to Learn

I started school at 48 with very few college credits to my name. I attended part-time at first, while I waited to get the pre-req classes I needed to apply to nursing school. I worked about 20-28 hours /wk throughout school. I graduated with my ADN at 52. I have to say that it wasn't easy; there was plenty of blood, sweat, & tears...but I have no regrets! Just the education & fellow students alone enriched my life more than I could dream of! And then there is the respect I gained from others, but even more important is the respect I gained for myself. Plus, I am convinced that the experience made me feel 15 -20 years younger! Word of advice; a BSN is now a must if you wish to work in Acute Care.

I started school at 48; part-time at first, while I waited to get the pre-req classes I needed to apply to nursing school. Many people told me that it would take many years to get into the classes I needed, and to expect a 3-5 year wait just to get into a nursing program. Thankfully, I did not listen and was determined to plow through to obtain my goal. I applied at only one community college and was accepted upon my first application. Along the way, I met some aspiring nurses including a retired engineer who became a nurse at 72!! It wasn't easy being the oldest student in our cohort but I was able to bond with many of the younger students and the experience is one I will never forget. I attended study groups and even led my own dosage calculation group to help other students. I became the Vice President of the Class and upon graduation, received the Leadership Award & the Esprit de Corps Award. I have to say that it wasn't easy; there was plenty of blood, sweat, & tears...but I have no regrets! Just the education & fellow students alone enriched my life more than I could dream of! And then there is the respect I gained from others but even more important is the respect I gained for myself. Plus, I am convinced that the experience made me 15 -20 years younger! LOL. So after 6 years of experience working in a hospital, I am ready to challenge myself some more; I will be starting school again before the end of the year at 58 years old! I have discovered I have a passion not only to help others, but to teach, and I am excited about the next chapter in my life!

I currently have my RN (ADN) with plans to start my BSN at WGU as soon as I get approval but since I have the ultimate goal to acquire my MSN (and I am no spring chicken), would it be better to start RN to MSN? Would that be more time efficient?

What do you mean; "test out of the assignments"?

This may be a dumb question but I can't think of it; what does "PA" and "OA" stand for?

I am getting ready to sign up for RN to BSN program but trying to get all my ducks in a row first (and I will be moving soon), so I can concentrate on school. Does anyone have any suggestions on what tasks might be completed BEFORE starting; to help ensure speedy completion? For example, I may try some advance studying for classes like STATS? Any website suggestions? I'd like to finish in 6 months if I can (due to monetary considerations), but I might just be dreaming : )

What do you mean; "test out of the assignments"?

Thank to all those posting in this section! I've been working med-surg in a hospital for a year now (since graduation) and have moments where I love my job but if I want to finish on-time, I have to cut out the majority of patient care and teaching. Unfortunately, as the hospital continues to cut ancillary staffing to bare bones, I have become more and more dissatisfied. At the same time, management constantly talks about HCAHPS (Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems) and how we must improve patient care. ???? Their actions on staffing are counter-productive to this goal! I long for a job where I can actually take the time to care for my patients and provide teaching. When I do provide teaching to my current patients, they always say that I was the first who explained a procedure/intervention/care etc. in a way that they could understand it. I love teaching and know it is my calling. The posts about Public Health nursing sound like a position I would enjoy. But in this job market, I'm afraid that if I give up my current position for a more specialized field and not like it, I may have difficulty getting back in. I am 53. Any comments from those of you who crossed over would be appreciated. Thanks, More to learn

Coke Machine, I rec'd a friend request but without a message. Can you send it again? MoreToLearn

This really strikes a cord with me because I had a similar thing happen to me; an instructor in the first week of my second semester of nursing school told me I would not make a good nurse because I was too high strung. I had just finished asking her a series of questions after her poor explaination of ABG's. She had known me all of 2 minutes and that day I had PMS, did not have enough sleep or enough to eat (was hypoglycemic). Initially, her comment crushed me and it took several weeks AND the support of my family to shake it off but I did. I agree with the other posters that we need to remind ourselves that administators and/or people in any position of power are just as human as we are. Perhaps she herself had PMS, not enough sleep/nutrition that day. As I progressed in nursing school, I discovered that many of the teachers were going through menopause; a condition that causes hormonal imbalances...the sufferer often lashes out uncontrollably at whoever happens to be around at the moment. As nurse, I must remind myself daily that human conditions such as this (along with pain, fear, etc) cause patients to react or say things they don't mean and I must not take it personally. So...this is just your first experience of many more to come...I guess this is why nurses develop such tough skin. Just don't let your skin become hard!

Darling Rose, Congratulations on being accepted into LVN-RN program. You've probably attended the orientation by now and have more info. #1. One thing you should review before you start the program is dosage calculations. You will have an exam on the first day. Some LVN's in the past have failed this exam. You have to 2 try's to get 90%. Pass = >/=90%, Fail = #2. You can buy the Nursing N52 syllabus at the PCC bookstore about 2 - 2 1/2 weeks before class starts. This will give you your reading assignments and a complete outline of the semester. I highly recommend you get this asap (sometimes there are leftovers from Fall semester you can buy if you're eager to start before the holidays but be sure to buy the Spring semester version when it comes out since there could always be changes). I believe the cost of the syllabus is $12.00 or less. #3. Try to make friends with students who started RN program from beginning (not just the LVN-RN students). These students have experienced 2 semester's of exams and assignments so they will have a wealth of information that some of the teachers assume you already know. #4. Ask about the PCC mentorship program. You can be assigned a mentor who may help you adjust to the program, answer questions, & give you encouragement. I am a PCC mentor (recent PCC RN grad). Much success! More To Learn

Hi vannery, Congratulations! Sure you can private message me and I will give you some info. to: Mereb79 The teachers really frown upon taking time off school although you are allowed to miss a few days. But it really depends on when you would miss because certain days are mandatory. Also, keep in mind that if you take off when you are not sick, what happens if you really do get sick? There are no make-ups for info and if you miss an exam, you may still get to take it if you have a good excuse but you will take a harder version of the test and you must make arrangements prior to the original test date. I found that while I was in nursing school, that had to be my number one priority if I expected to pass. Good Luck. to: rjvonrn Once you are accepted in the ladder program, there is a class you take to prepare you before you start the 3rd & 4th semester. Many students told me that the class was lacking in important info that left them lost in 3rd semester but if you can get a mentor or buddy up with students who took 1st & 2nd (and ask for help), you'll do fine. The most important thing you can do is study for the dosage calculation exam that you will have on the first day of school. You must pass with a 90% (you'll get 2 attempts, and if you don't pass...you get kicked out)

Education guy, Sounds like a nice program you have - a good option for many. But for me, I needed a school (community college)that I could afford and $26/unit was right up my alley. Some students applied for financial aid and didn't even have to pay the unit cost. Also, I'm really glad I got to go to school with other nursing students. The support I received from them was impossible to get from family members who have no idea what you're going through. But, to get in a program where there are 600-900 students applying and they accept only 60, can be tough. So yes, grades will certainly count against the competion. Of my group, no one had less than a 3.0 going into the program and many had higher than 3.5. Please note however, that guys have less competition than girls. I noticed that of the guys in my group had the lowest GPA of anyone. If I did not get accepted to the community college, I may have considered going to a private school back then but would hate to go into debt during an economy like this.

Dear mjmoon, Your thoughts about GPA correlating with entrance to a nursing program are completely valid. My school claimed that they chose students via lottery providing you had a minimum of a 2.5 GPA in English, Anatomy, Physiology, and Microbiology. However, before I finished my pre-reqs, the school changed the policy...they had some sort of calculation that took into consideration any "withdrawals" that you had - they wanted students who had a high success rate at completion plus ....good grades. Many students didn't even try for A's because they thought it didn't matter...as far as I know, those students didn't get accepted in the program! Right from the beginning, I had a feeling that getting A's would increase my chances of getting it in so I worked really hard to get A's but then I made the mistake of taking the accelerated version (6 weeks) of Physiology while I was working and it was simply too much for me...at mid-term I was getting a D. I knew that if I dropped the class, my chances of getting in would be reduced so I stuck it out and talked to my teacher about it and did extra credit. And thank God, I just barely got a B. I ended up with GPA of 3.75 (with no W's) and was accepted into the program with my first application. For me, nursing school was not easy. I did have to work part-time but being self-employed allowed me to work around school. Still, I understand why schools want to choose students with a high success rate because over one third of my original class did not graduate with me. Some got kicked out because of grades, others may have had things happen in their lives where they could not continue to go to school, and a few others got kicked out because they weren't up to par during clinicals. Note: a few of these students were allowed to simply repeat a semester and may still graduate if they pass. During the nursing program, teachers would say "don't worry if you're not getting an A, hospitals don't look at your GPA...they only want to know that you passed". Well, that may have been true in the past, but not so now...nearly every hospital that I have applied to wants a copy of my transcripts and one hospital even stated that there's no need to apply if you have less than a 3.0 in the nursing program. Lucky for me that I did reach that benchmark but I still haven't found a job yet. There are jobs in convalescent homes but my dream was to work in the hospital so I'm just going to have to redouble my efforts in my job search. Anyway...moral of my story: GRADES DO COUNT! Don't listen to other students or teachers who tell you they don't.

Hi Noski, Congrats on getting through the interview. Can you share some of the case scenarios you were given? thanks

Oh forgot to say...yes, I am a PCC mentor.

vnngo, I just sent you a private message. See if you can access it by going to your account at the top of the page in the yellow bar. If you can contact me, I can give important info for first week of school. Good Luck!

The syllabus should now be available for purchase and will confirm the books / editions that you need. Be sure to go purchase it at PCC bookstore right away...they often run out. As far as I know, the below books have not been replaced with other books but I would double check. 1. Kozier & Erb's Fundamentals of Nursing: Concepts, Process, and Practice 2. Medical-Surgical Nursing by Joseann Dewitt, Karen Burke, Mary Ann Hogan, Priscilla Lemone 3. Pharmacology A Nursing Process Approach Joyce Lefever Kee & Evelyn Hayes 4. Dosage Calculations By Pickar Of the above books; #1 need 1st & 2nd semester (may help w/NCLEX study if you have no other books to study from), #2 need all 4 semesters & NCLEX review, #3 & #4: need primarily for 1st semester (and a tiny bit in 4th semester) but you will have dosage calculation exams in all 4 semesters so you will either need to keep for reference or plan on using ones at library for review before each exam at the beginning of each semester. If you want to save money, suggest buying used books on ebay or amazon.com...unfortunately, it may take time to find the best deal & be shipped. Be sure to check current prices at bookstore to know you are getting a good deal! You'd better get started...you have a lot of reading to do! PS. do you have a PCC mentor? If not, pm me and I will give you more info.

Yes. They tell you to buy so many unnecessary books...I think they are just trying to keep the bookstore making lots of money!! LOL. The main books you'll need to start are most recent editions of: Kozier & Erb's Fundamentals of Nursing: Concepts, Process, and Practice Medical-Surgical Nursing by Joseann Dewitt, Karen Burke, Mary Ann Hogan, Priscilla Lemone Pharmacology A Nursing Process Approach Joyce Lefever Kee & Evelyn Hayes Dosage Calculations By Pickar There are lots of other books they tell you to buy but there is no assigned reading in those other books and you can just look at them at the library if you want (They allow you to check out current books for 2 hours at a time in the library to use as reference). Don't waste your money buying them. You could use a nursing care plan book and a drug book (Davis's Drug Guide) but you can buy older editions if you wish or just get the research info needed online: http://www1.us.elsevierhealth.com/Evolve/Ackley/NDH6e/Constructor/A-B.html http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/meds/a681045.html http://www.labtestsonline.org/ I didn't even like the nursing care plan book they tell you to buy and discovered that there were better ones out there! Also, you'll need the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association 6th edition but again, you can just use the one in the library. Hope that helps...good luck! More To Learn p.s. There will be a few more books you'll need in 2nd & 3rd semester but no need to worry about those now.

No Lottery, No waitlist. Either you get in or you are chosen as an alternate should any of those chosen drop out at the last minute. Good job on the grades - that's the most important consideration; esp those classed you mentioned. And....if you retook any classes or received any withdrawals...those don't make you look as good and will drop your score. Don't know about the math class except that Math 125 is a beginning algebra class. It's best to verify it with a counselor. Either way, go ahead and apply. If you have to take another math class you can always do it during intersession! Best of Luck!

For the PCC nursing program, you only pay as you go.... $26.00 a unit + cost of books. 4 semesters....about 9-10.5 units per semester. So cost not including books, about $1,014.00. Books can run a few thousand dollars or much less if you buy used on ebay in advance. You really don't even need all the books they say you need. You can simply use some of them in the library instead of buying them.

There is no such thing as "wait list" at PCC, only an alternative list. This is in case anyone who were accepted decides not to go to PCC, then those spots are filled with the alternatives. @pocoloco; there is a possibility that the length of time that it took you to meet prereqs may have decreased your chances. Anyway, I'm pretty sure that all science courses should be taken within 4 years or else you need to retake them and retaking them could also decrease your chances. Also, volunteering does not increase your chances but your grades will. The majority of the students in my class (but not all) were A students...except for the guys. Since there are less guys in the program, there is less competition for grades and I'm pretty sure they accept a certain percentage of guys. One of the reasons that it takes so long: information on applications need to be verified and as much as 1/3 of applicants have not met the 4 most important prereqs: English1c, Anatomy, Physio, Micro Staff: yes, there is limited staff to handle the hundreds of applications and every phone call you guys make into the office asking about your acceptance takes time away from the girl who is working on it >>>and she gets really annoyed But for anyone who wants to be a nurse...don't give up! Just apply at other schools. PCC is very popular because it has such a good reputation however, some of us wonder why....

Hey guys, So sorry to hear that you all are still waiting to hear about getting in to PCC...but I'm sure that you will all know by next week at the latest. The director told me on Thursday that they are really busy trying to get everyone notified. Many of the administrators are leaving on vacation next week! Good lucK!

I did hear of one student who had 2 W's (and retook classes) get in to the program but that was when they were still choosing based on a minimum 2.5 GPA and lottery system. Now they do look at the W's and retakes because they want to see your success rate. They have some sort of scoring system (besides GPA) that will deduct points for the W's and retakes. However, the main criteria for the RN program is your grades (and W's) in the following courses: Anatomy, Physiology, Microbiology, English 1C. I STRONGLY SUGGEST you do well in these classes; focus on A's and B's!!! One of my friends in 3rd semester got one C in Physio...but he is a guy and there is less competition with the guys - I believe they are now choosing a percentage of male/females which is unfair but they want more guys in nursing so the guys end up having an better chance to get in however, many of the these guys end up failing out during the nursing program. FYI, I never took Sociology or Math 131 because they are not required for PCC Associate degree however some other city colleges may require those. Unfortunately, it seems each city college has different requirements. Many of the students took all the classes required for the different colleges and applied to them all at once. If I were you, I would consider looking at some of the different city colleges and even call them and ask about the GPA required. I did hear that Long Beach City College will not accept any W's and that Los Angeles City College is easier to get into with a lower GPA. Alternatively, you can go to a private school (like Western) and get it without a problem. It will just cost you more money! Anyway, don't give up......but I would highly suggest avoiding taking any difficult classes during the accelerated Winter/Summer because it is sometimes just too hard to keep up and you don't want to scar your GPA. Go onto "rateyourprofessor.com" to review teachers before choosing classes. I have found that as a general rule, the overall rating system is true and if many people say the teacher is difficult...then don't take that teacher! And....study hard!! You are going to need good study habits for the nursing program so you might as well start now. Also, take advantage of any free tutoring the school offers. When I took Chemistry, I practically lived in the tutoring room - funny thing is that I received better tutoring from other students in there than the actual tutors! And that's another thing, get to know your co-students and form study groups. This has really saved me; especially when I got behind in my reading. My co-students helped me catch up and shared their notes. And...I think it may be easier to get in the LVN program with a lower GPA...so if you continue to struggle with your grades, suggest going the LVN route. Then get a job for awhile and come back to school for RN later. Having some hands on experience under your belt will make a difference in passing the RN part. Good luck!

Started pre-reqs Winter intersession Jan 07. Accepted in program at first application. Started Sept. 08. Graduating June 15th, 2010. Whoooop, Whoooop!