CariocaRN

NCLEX passing rate for 2012. Source: NYS Nursing:Nursing Programs:RN NCLEX Results: 2008-2012 NYU: 89.6% CUNY Schools: Hunter College: 95.9% City Tech: 95.2% College of Staten Island: 88.3% In all 3 CUNY schools you can do the RN-BSN bridge for a fraction of NYU's price. NYU degree might help you get your foot in the door, but once you are in, you will be making the same amount of money as CUNY graduates who obtained their degree for free. Be smart, don't pay for a name. A BSN is a BSN is a BSN. It's your determination and years of experience that will get your dream job, not your school.

Hi everyone, I'm from NY and I'm considering a move to SW Florida (Ft. Myers, Lee County area). I have a BSN but no experience at all other than clinicals. I am triligual if that makes a difference. First of all, do you think I stand a chance to get hired? I'm losing hope here in NY. Also, what hospitals have the best reputation in Lee County and how long is the orientation process. Thanks a lot in advance!

I know it has not been easy for anybody. I have a good friend who failed 4th semester twice and she got kicked out literally days before pinning. It was heartbreaking. City Tech is not unorganized in my opinion, their rules are clear, they are just extremely strict. They only want the best of the best to graduate to keep the NCLEX passing rates high. Last year our passing rate was 91.5%, which is much higher than all the other CUNY schools, so they gotta be doing something right. It's just really hard to see so many excellent students, who would have been great nurses, being dropped left and right.

Hi! Yes, I appealed through City Tech. Their appeal process takes forever. I was counting myself out, so I had taken the test to get into a LPN program and everything. The waiting was killing me! The day before classes were supposed to start, they called me to let me know they had accepted my appeal. I was in complete shock! I just wanted to let you know that my case was a bit different. I only failed the class once and by only 1 point. I had dropped the first time around, even though I was PASSING the class. I only dropped because I had serious personal problems, which I explained in my appeal letter. From what I have seen, they are a bit more flexible when it comes to Dropping/Failing vs Failing/Failing. I'm not at all trying to discourage you. I'm proof that there's always hope, but make sure you get in touch with any professors who you like and who you had a good experience with. Explain your story, keep in touch with them through email. Richardson is not the only person who makes the decision, they have a meeting and a few professors attend and vote. Also, don't be afraid to get into details about what happened. In my case I was pretty uncomfortable explaining why I had dropped and failed the class, I was going through a lot in my personal life and it was embarrassing to tell them. But I know that if I had kept my letter very dry and to the point, they probably wouldn't have accepted my appeal. I also NEVER asked for a "free point" or to have my grade bumped up. I asked for the opportunity to retake the class, which they eventually allowed me to do and I passed with no problems. Whatever happens, don't give up. I graduated last year and I passed the NCLEX with flying colors. Don't let this bump in the road discourage you. Good luck! :hug:

OmedRN, I wasn't able to send you a private message here, but I just emailed you.

I took the test on a thursday and the last day I studied was the previous sunday. Still passed after 76 questions. All the topics you are focusing on and scared about might not even be on the test. The questions were very random. The only thing I would say you can review the night before are lab values and maybe meds. The rest of the content, if you don't know by now, it will be very hard to memorize the night before. Let your brain rest and be confident. You will do great!! :)

Content wise, first semester is really not bad. They will try to get you acclimated to the program and intimidate you/ scare the beejesus out of you. Don't take it personal, that is normal. We all went through that. The instructor might make you feel terrible for not making the patient's bed properly and you might feel like a failure and ready to give up. Some people cry. Don't!!! You will not be the first or last student to mess up on an "easy" skill. We've all been there. Practice, then come back the following week and do it right. Don't dwell on your mistakes and don't put yourself down! Be a good sport, get to know your classmates well because you guys will be in the same boat for the next couple years. Nursing school is a tough journey but so worth it! Hang in there and good luck to everybody!! :)

It works for NY State too. Got the good pop-up and then 2 days later paid the $8 to confirm. Yup, RN!!!! :D:D

C student here!! I passed on my 1st try, computer shut off after 76 questions. I only did Kaplan questions and reviewd a couple points. I was also very anxious and expecting the worst but I did it. If I did it, you can do it too!!! You CAN do this!!! Don't doubt yourself!! Good luck!! :)

I think you will have your hands full with nursing. Once your start nursing school, you can (and should) spend your summers doings nursing externships to gain experience and build your resume. Those are 12 hr shifts usually. So I really doubt you will be just sitting around doing nothing once your start nursing school, if that was really your concern. Also, why are you interested in a double major if you don't mind me asking? What are your long term career plans? If you love nursing, I would say focus on that. You can always advance your studies in the future.

Ask your professor if he/she allows you to record the lecture. About half of them are totally okay with it. That helped me the most. Then you can go home and listen to the audio again and again, or sit down and take notes and rewind as many times as necessary.

Sending love, prayers and good vibes your way, guys!!! Stay positive, stay calm!! You've done your work and it will pay off!!! You all will be joining the new club...The new RNs of summer 2011!!!!:yeah:

Awesome!! :yeah: I also passed after only 75 questions and I have to agree. I was in a panic, but believe me, if you graduated from a good school you will be pleasant surprised with the NCLEX. You endured what most people were not able to and graduated from nursing school. You can do this!!! Review your weakest points, know your lab values, know your infection control (different types of precautions, etc). I personally did not study a book "cover-to-cover". I focused on studying my weakest points and used the Kaplan questions to reinforce the material I did know. Remember, you won't know everything and that's okay. No nurse knows EVERYTHING, especially not one fresh out of nursing school. I was beating myself up because I felt unprepared. If you feel like I did, just take a deep breath and remember - All you need to do is get more right than wrong answers. YOU CAN DO IT!!! The information is all in your brain, you've studied this before, you got this. Don't doubt yourself!! Now go out there and kick some butt!!! :D:D

Hey dingdong, I think you can just retake Math 1275. You will probably get an A the second time around since you already took the class, as opposed to Math 1375 which can be harder. I don't think financial aid would pay for the class if you retake it, though. I took the entrance exam a few years ago while it was still NLN and it was pretty basic, kind of like SAT type of test. It covered english, math and science. The old NLN-prep book had some good practice questions, but you should go to the office and ask somebody just to make sure. It wasn't an extremely hard test, though. Like I said, that was a few years ago and I don't know if they changed it now. Good luck!!

Yes, you can apply before you have your license but you can only take the classes that do not require clinicals (a couple nursing classes in the bachelors program are theory only, no clinicals. You can take those right after you graduate). You are only allowed to progress in the program and take the other nursing classes once you have your license.

Congrats!!!! I just graduated and Im going back to City Tech for my BSN. Some of the professors who worked there for decades are retiring so the program is changing fast. I wish you the best of luck!! The next 2 years will be very exciting and challenging but remember, it will be worth it! :heartbeat:heartbeat

Your best bet is to call the nursing dept. and make an appointment so one of the faculty members can take a look at your transcript. If I remember correctly A&P2 and Microbiology are NOT prerequisites. They are requirements for graduation but you don't need them to apply to the program. If you do get accepted you will need to take them in the future though. What you do need to take BEFORE applying is Bio 101, A&P1, English Composition 1,Psychology and Math 101 and 275. Also you will have to take the Kaplan exam (the student manual talks about NLN, but they no longer use it). Focus on those classes and try to get As and I'm pretty sure you will get in. That's what I did. When i started there was no such thing as a waiting list. if your GPA was not good enough they simply advised you to retake some classes to improve it and then apply again. But keep in mind that was a couple of years ago and I've heard the admission process is more competitive now. Good luck!!!:)

I'm finishing up my ASN @ City Tech and you are absolutely right. I've seen so many great students who were kicked out. It's very sad. It's like a boot camp. They only want the best of the best graduating so they can have the highest NCLEX passing rate. The graduating classes are getting smaller and smaller every semester. One thing that has helped the recent NCLEX passing rates is that we now have a partnership with Kaplan. Fourth semester students are prepped hard core with Kaplan tutors, focus tests, QBank questions and NCLEX simulation tests. Kaplan used to be an option. Now, it's a requirement. All nursing students starting at 1st semester are required to take Kaplan tests (and pay their fee). They are SO focused on helping us pass the boards, it sometimes makes me wonder if they even care if we are going to be good RN once we get those licenses....

I took Microbiology in the summer. Yes, it's very fast paced, at the end of every week you will have an exam. To be honest, summer classes are not the best way to retain any information. It's an incredible amount of material in a very short period of time so it's all about cramming. But desperate times call for desperate measures. It was either take it i the summer and not retain anything or take it with the nursing classes and be overwhelmed. I chose to just get it out of the way as fast as I could. I think i still managed to get a B. I don't think Microbiology is that relevant to the nursing course though. It's not like A&P. You need A&P for the rest of your life as a RN so you better actually retain everything. Micro not so much imo, so i just focsed on finishing it because it was required. You will be okay!! :)

I don't know about a legal case, but can you appeal?? Maybe if you submit a letter from your doctor stating that you were injured and a personal letter pleading your case and explaining everything in detail? Usually the other professors in the department are not even aware that you are being dismissed, but once you appeal the committee gets together and they vote. Yes, they follow the policies, but there are always exceptions to the rule. Something similar happened to me and the committee voted and they allowed me to retake the class for the 3rd time. You might not be allowed to graduate right now, as you still have to prove yourself, but a third chance is better than being kicked out. Good luck!!

Review the skills you are expected to perform. YouTube has great little tutorials. I also wrote a step-by-step on my notepad with everything I had to do once I was on the floor. Like for example "1) introduce myself to the nurse/get report, 2) introduce myself to patient, 3) get vitals, etc,etc,etc. Seems redundant but I was really nervous on my first semester so it was easy to forget. I would also get a small clinical book. It helped me a lot. And remember, even if you feel awkward and insecure, try to have a smile on your face. Sometimes that's all the patient needs at that particular moment. Good luck! :)

Do not take the prereqs with the nursing classes!!!! That would be like shooting yourself on the foot! You are allowed to take 2 nursing classes per semester. That's 2x a week in school for lecture and 2x a week in the hospital for 6 hours + tutorials and study time. Micro and A&P BOTH have labs. It is just too much. I took all my prereqs during the summer. It's still a lot, but at least during the summer it is not distracting you from your nursing work.

I got pregnant while in nursing school. My daughter is now 3 and I'm about to graduate. It's been a daily struggle. I felt a lot of guilt. Guilty if I wasn't spending enough time with her, guilty if I wasn't studying enough. It is so hard to find a balance. Sometimes I wanted to give up but I always thought "she will be sitting in the audience and she will see me graduate no matter what" and that gave me the strenght to carry on when everybody told me I would never be able to handle a pregnancy/baby and nursing school. Mind over matter. I have my study time and when it's study time, I'm usually in the library so I can focus 100%. And when I'm home, that's my time to be mommy. I don't open a book until she's sleeping. So it's definitely important to manage your time so you don't feel overwhelmed. Our kids will look back when they are older and be so proud of us! I know nursing school feels like an eternity, but it will be over soon. And it will be SO worth it! Just hang in there. :)

I totally agree. Some of the medical assistant schools out there claim that you will be earning college credits, but those are very hard to transfer if you decide to go to a "real" school later on. It also takes about 1 year to graduate. You can get your LPN license in the same amount of time and make almost twice as much money and then eventually get your RN in another additional year if you so please. It all depends on your career goals and the amount of effort you are willing to put in. Nursing is much harder and if you go to a lpn school those are full time for a whole year so you might not be able to work while in the program. I know that's a factor for a lot of people who can't afford to just quit working for a year, but I think it's worth it in the long run. :)

I'm a single mom too and as somebody mentioned previously, make sure you have a plan B,C and D in case of your child getting sick. I was not prepared for that and they are very strict as far as attendance. It is also very hard (impossible really) to study when my daughter is awake (she's 3). My classes were 2x a week so i had arrangements for those days only. Little did I know the exams were given in a different day and I had lots of other projects to do that were not during regular class hours. So #1 thing I would do is get very reliable child care. Go to the dept and ask them if it's possible to get the reading assignments for 1st semester and start reading ahead of time. Make sure you know your A&P because that's the foundation for all the diseases and interventions you will learn in nursing school. Also, you can watch videos on youtube to have a general idea of how to perform certain skills. Congrats & Good luck!!