PharmaRN

I happened to be online and got a notification that you responded to my thread, so I'll jump in and answer your question... I was the original poster of the thread that you responded to a few minutes ago. I graduated from the accelerated RN program in 2010 — the first Summer, Winter, and second Summer 'mini' semesters are far worse than the regular semesters in terms of pace and amount of time. If I remember correctly, the lecture schedule itself is three or so days a week and the lectures are roughly four hours or so (it's been a few years, but that's at least close). In addition to that, you'll have clinical approximately two days a week for about 8 hours each and some time spent in the lab in addition to that. On paper, it probably looks like you would be able to continue working during that time, but I strongly suggest that you not work if you don't absolutely have to. The semesters go by at warp speed and you cannot afford to fall behind or be distracted in any way. During the regular semesters (Fall and Spring), you're with the 'traditional' students for the semester and it's much more reasonable to consider working during those times. I can tell you without hesitation that the students who chose to work during the accelerated semesters were significantly less successful than those students who didn't work, and we had a very high attrition rate because of it. Having said that, I did have a classmate and good friend who had a young daughter and worked part time throughout the entire program and she ultimately made it through, but even she would strongly advise that you not work if you don’t have to. Anyway, hope that helps – best of luck to you.

If I were you, I would get my RN at HCC and then transfer to Towson or Maryland to do the RN-BSN program. You'd save a lot of money and wouldn't be heavily discriminated against in terms of being able to find a job. In fact, if I were you, I would do what I did: keep your grades as high as possible, apply to the accelerated HCC RN program (under the rolling admission process where you are guaranteed a seat), then graduate in just over a year, start working, and pursue your BSN online (or in person if you prefer) through the University of Maryland. Because of the pace of the accelerated RN program (one year instead of two), you don't actually lose any time and could very feasibly get your BSN within four or so years, the same amount of time as if you had gone straight for your BSN, but for tens of thousands of dollars less money. Hope that helps!

Hi Primie, I'm a graduate of the accelerated RN program at HCC... as a resident of Anne Arundel County who 'jumped ship' and went to HCC instead of AACC, I just wanted to let you know that it's an incredible nursing program and I couldn't be happier with my choice to have gone there. Anyway, to answer your question, I believe the standard admission applicants get notified in the early Spring. The accelerated program starts in late May and applicants for standard admission got notified by early February... I believe the fall students were about two months behind that. If you'd like a more specific date, I'd recommend you contact Robin Becker-Cornblatt in advising. She's a fantastic resource and is the assistant director of admissions for the nursing program. Here's her contact info: 443-518-4137. [email protected] Hope that helps!

Hi everybody, I am a recent grad of an accelerated RN program in Maryland. After hunting for several months for any position at all, an old networking connection helped me score an incredible, one-of-a-kind job working for a small corporation that owns a few nursing homes. Essentially, the job was created for me and tailored to my strengths, and the compensation is significantly higher than anything else around (as much as $8/hr or so more than my former classmates). I am fairly skilled with computers and have experience managing a large staff in a pharmacy setting, so my role is the IT nurse (developing electronic medical records, troubleshooting, etc.), training and inservices, PRN charge nurse, and special projects. Sounds great, right? Here's my issue... unlike all of my other former classmates, I am not building any clinical skills. It's far too early to tell if I might want to pursue a masters in nursing informatics at some point, but I do know that, for several years, I've dreamed of becoming a nurse practitioner. I have a great love of assessing and working with patients, and my years in pharmacy have given me a very thorough knowledge of drugs -- I am using neither of those skills at this point. In fact, I feel far more like a manager now than I did when I actually was one (in pharmacy). I don't feel like a nurse, and I'm wondering/worrying if I'm only a couple years away from being so far outside of the clinical arena that I'd never be able to find a job anywhere but in nursing informatics. Is there any advice you all can offer? I'm very worried that I'm going to wake up one day and realize that I've boxed myself into a role that I don't want to pursue for the rest of my life. BTW, I'm pretty much stuck working M-F 9-5, so I don't have four days off during the week in which I could try to pursue a part time job in a hospital. Should I try to get a job working PRN at a hospital? Is this even feasible given the fact that I have no clinical experience? Thank you all for your time and support!

I just wanted to point out that this initial thread was well over three years old when luvbug9956 replied to it. I wonder how much the culture really has changed there in that time. Blueorchid says its more reasonable... maybe it all just depends on how much stress one is comfortable handling? I'm also wondering if they're still hiring new grads.

If you're not a HoCo resident (I'm not either), then your best (and possibly only) bet would be to apply during the rolling admissions period, which should be running from now until February 15, 2010 or so. Rolling admissions run on a sliding point scale. Your previous bachelor's degree will get you five points, and, if I remember correctly, you'll get another 5 points for having a 3.5 or better in your science prereqs and a further 5 points for having a 3.5 overall GPA. A 4.0 in either of those would net you 10 points. You need 15 points to qualify for rolling admission, so you can see what an advantage you get by having a bachelor's in another discipline. The program is very intense but doable. It would be almost impossible to be successful in this program while working a full-time job, tough, so you should have somebody (spouse/family) who can help support you during the program. As a current student, I can't speak to how prepared graduates of the program are.

Hi there! Sorry it took me so long to get back to you! It's hard to believe, but I'm almost halfway through the accelerated program already! I absolutely love it so far, though I have to admit that it's definitely challenging. As a nursing student (and as a nurse), you've got to be willing to be flexible and dedicated, and this program certainly requires both. The faculty have been helpful and the clinical sites that I've been to have been very receptive to students. If there are any other questions I can answer, please feel free to ask. Best of luck!

Hi there. A PDA is a "Personal Digital Assistant," like a kind of mini calendar/planner/computer all rolled into one. Within the last 10 years, they have become a useful tool for nurses and doctors to organize their information, and, more importantly, clinical applications and programs can be downloaded directly to the devices, so you can have access to tons of different resources at all times. If your school or program doesn't require that you get a specific PDA, I recommend the Palm Tungsten E2. It is a couple of years old now, but it is perfectly functional, with a bright color screen and a slot for a memory card (called an SD, or "Secure Digital" card) that will hold all the applications you'll ever need. You should be able to find one used on eBay or Amazon.com for $125 or less. Hope that helps. Best wishes.

To the OP: congratulations to you! You should be very proud of yourself. To grandchildren49: Have you considered that perhaps you didn't pass the test because you didn't study enough?

nursing student 19, Thanks for your thoughtful and insightful posts -- I (and many others on this board) appreciate all of your comments. As I'm sure you can imagine, there are many of us that are both and excited and nervous about the upcoming program! Best wishes to you!

Congratulations! Yeah, we'll have to exchange information via PM (private message) or whatever so we can stay in touch. Our orientation is in early March. I believe you're right about the May-August, December-January, and May-July 'mini-mesters' being the only accelerated portion of the program itself. I like the idea that it's going to be intense for a few weeks, then calm down, then pick up pace again. You know, so there won't be enough time in between to lose interest (which is what I fear from a standard two year ADN program). As far as wondering about the BSN and whether or not that would be a better route, it's my opinion that you shouldn't worry about it one bit. If anything, we're at an incredible advantage, and here's why: -The ADN program is tens of thousands of dollars cheaper than the BSN. -At UMB, you're awarded up to 90 credits for completing the prerequisites for the RN-to-BSN program and possessing your RN. For somebody who went to school for two years to get an RN, this means 'sacrificing' up to one year's worth of time to go from RN-to-BSN. For an accelerated student, however, it's really not a sacrifice at all. You go to school for 13 months, graduate with your ADN, then go to school for another year (full time) to get your BSN. Either way it takes about two years. -During the time after you graduate with your ADN and are going to school for your BSN (which, by the way, is offered mostly online through UMB), you can work, thus earning a significant amount of money. Plus, your employer will most likely pay for most (if not all) of your tuition expenses. Furthermore, since you'll be working, you'll be learning that much more (and getting that much more seniority over your BSN counterparts). In my opinion, that route is the best by far, and for the reasons above, you should completely put out of your mind which makes the most logical sense to you. :wink2:

Hello, everybody. I've gotten quite a few questions about how I was able to do so well on all of my prerequisites, and I wanted to mention a couple of quick tips that were invaluable in helping me get an 'A' in A&P I and II, Micro, Nutrition, Chem, Algebra, etc. A lot of this was originally posted in a local forum, but I thought it might be of a benefit to other students as well. A quick background on me: I've been fortunate enough to maintain a 4.0 GPA through all of my college classes, including this past Summer when I took 17 credits in 8 weeks (sorry, I don't want that to sound like bragging, because it's not -- it was the result of a lot of hard work and dedicated studying). 1. Go get an enormous stack of note cards. Break down each and every possible study question/concept/part on a separate card, then studying the hell out of them and, once you're confident with the material on a given card, put it in a separate stack. By the time your exam rolls around, you'll have a very small stack (if any at all) of concepts you still don't understand. -When studying using the above method, use a timer and spend an exact amount of time studying (I usually did 40 minutes at a time) and then take a break (say, for 20 minutes). After about an hour of heavy studying (if you don't take a break), your mind becomes exhausted and studying becomes a lot less effective. One great advantage to using note cards and a timer is that it's easy to find a stopping point when the timer goes off -- you simply finish the card you're on and then take your break. 2. Go to http://www.eleven21.com/notetaker/ and create yourself a free custom "Cornell Method" note taking sheet. Print tons of them and learn how to use it and live by it. This method of taking notes changed my life. You've got three sections to each and every page. The bulk of the sheet is for taking notes as you're listening to a lecture. As soon as you leave the lecture (within 24 hours), take your notes and formulate questions [potential test questions] from your notes and write them in the small column on the left side. In the small section at the bottom, summarize the notes from the page in a few short sentences. -If you want to really get creative, you can color code your notes or use a highlighter to point out certain sections. In my lectures, I would write in black, and anything I missed and had to fill in at home, I would write in blue, since I knew those were items I probably didn't really understand in lecture. I would make sure to go over anything written in blue extra carefully. -Highlight anything your professor writes on a board/overhead or repeats more than once. You can bet it will show up on an exam. 3. Record all of your lectures, but don't obsess over spending all your studying time listening to them. Instead, know that you've got those on hand if there's a concept that you're really struggling with or that you just want additional clarity on. You can then go back to your recording and listen to that snippet as many times as you like. 4. Don't spend all of your time reading your textbook word-for-word unless you're certain that your professor requires that extreme level of detail. Most of the material in a textbook is filler/verbose and you could easily spend the bulk of your time reading and re-reading your textbook only to find that you've gained a vague familiarity with hundreds of topics rather than a confident, detailed knowledge about the things you really need to know. *Resist the urge to want to know and understand every single fact/detail/word in your text because you think it will make you a better student or nurse -- it's simply not possible to know it all well*. -Do carefully read all of the summaries for every chapter in your textbook, carefully analyze all images/captions, read the definitions, and scan the text itself. 5. Try to anticipate the material that will be in your next lecture (most likely, your professor gave you some kind of a syllabus at the beginning of the semester, and you should use it). You can do this by scanning your text or by purchasing a study guide for your course and skimming it before your lecture). You'll probably find that you're a lot more engaged in your lecture and learn better if you've got even a vague familiarity with some of the material that will be discussed in your lecture beforehand. And there you go -- now you know all my secrets... at least all the ones I can think of right now. I'm sure a fair amount of this stuff has been said in other ways by other people in the past, but taken as a whole, I truly believe that this can help just about any student in any class. Hope to help!

I got an 'A' in that class. Actually, I've been fortunate enough to maintain a 4.0 GPA through all of my college classes (sorry, I don't want that to sound like bragging, because it's not -- it was the result of a lot of hard work and dedicated studying). To answer your question, I took those classes over a period of eight weeks. There was an overlap between several of the classes, the worst of which was when Chemistry, A&P II, music theory, and sociology all overlapped for about two weeks. If you're going to go to AACC, I strongly suggest taking Dr. Paul Lorificen... he's one of the best, most knowledgeable, most engaging professors I've ever met in my entire life. From a general perspective, I suggest you carefully review what you learned in A&P I, since, of course, a lot of the material builds upon itself in A&P II. At most schools, A&P II is a systems based approach, so understanding the pieces is critical to being able to assemble the 'puzzle' that is the body. Also, most A&P II classes involve both lab practicals and lecture exams. I suggest going out and buying 500+ note cards and breaking down each and every possible study question/concept/part on a separate card, then studying the hell out of them and, once you're confident with the material on a given card, put it in a separate stack. By the time your exam rolls around, you'll have a very small stack (if any at all) of concepts you still don't understand. Additionally, I suggest going to http://www.eleven21.com/notetaker/ and creating yourself a free custom "Cornell Method" notetaking sheet. Learn how to use it and live by it. This method of taking notes changed my life. And there you go -- now you know all my secrets.

I took a 5-week accelerated A&P II last summer at AACC (in addition to Sociology, Chemistry, Algebra, and Music Theory). It's totally do-able if you're disciplined... but it's definitely not a time in which you can afford to take a vacation or get sick. Getting the right professor is also important. I'd suggest you find a way how to get a list of the professors as early as possible (to get it, I had to flirt with the department secretary) and then scour ratemyprofessors.com in order to find out what professor is most likely to mesh with your learning style.

Good to hear from someone who's completed the program. Yep, you're absolutely right -- preference is definitely given to in-county students, but they also have a rolling admission option: if you get 15 'points' and finish all prereqs before the application deadline, you're in. Points are accumulated by: -Having any bachelor's degree (5 points) -Science GPA: 4.0 (20 points), 3.75-3.99 (10 points), 3.5-3.74 (5 points), 3.25-3.49 (2 points) -Overall GPA: 4.0 4.0 (20 points), 3.75-3.99 (10 points), 3.5-3.74 (5 points), 3.25-3.49 (2 points) So you've got to carry a minimum science GPA of 3.75 and a minimum overall GPA of 3.5 (or vice versa) unless you've already got a bachelor's degree in another field. For most people, this essentially means one 'B' in one science class and one 'B' in another prerequisite. Since I'm not a HoCo resident, I was able to get in (with a tremendous amount of effort) by holding a 4.0 throughout all of my prereqs. To Koala_Bear: I appreciate your comments and I'm glad to hear that the teaching staff was supportive... I was also surprised that they extended it to 14 months. It was just within the last year or two that they did that-- I suppose any longer than that and it almost wouldn't be worth it, but I guess 14 months is still the best deal in town for those that can get in.