astarrh34

I know where you're coming from here. My kids are now 12, 10, and 8, but I still need childcare on clinical days. My hubby cant get them on the bus because he is already gone to work himself. I was truly blessed to have met a friend in NS who has kids the same ages as mine. Her mom blessedly offered to get them on the bus at her house. So my suggestion is ask around, see if anyone in your class has children the same age. If so, find out where they go to daycare or whatever, see if it's a good fit for your budget and needs, and see if you can carpool. Best of luck, you're going to do great!!!!

Hi! We had to purchase a nurse lab "kit", it had all the stuff we needed for lab in it, like blood pressure cuff, etc. I'm not sure if y'all will have to buy it too or not. If not, other than steth and bandage scissors, invest in a good blood pressure cuff. But wait until orientation to find out if you'll need to buy the bag. You'll need a GOOD rolling backpack. You're gonna be bringin a lot of books to class, and you'll want to save your back. And yes, if you clear it with the instructor first, they'll let you record the lectures. However, for me, it was easier to take my laptop and take notes on my power point slides during the lecture. But do whatever will work best for you. We each learn differently. We at WCTC have the BEST instructors. Congrats on getting into the program, and good luck!! You'll do great!

GPA 3.7, NLN 99%, Interview 25/25 Got in on first try. Graduate 2010

This is probably getting to you too late, but have you checked ebay??? I got my current lippincotts drug guide last fall for $8 + $4 shipping, and it had the CD. Just an idea.

Hello!! I just finished my first year of NS at West Central Tech (soon to be West Georgia Tech). We were only given the option of one type of top when we ordered uniforms. Plus the green pants and the lab coat. I ordered 2 tops, one pair of pants, and no lab coat. With clinicals 2 days a week, that was plenty. Also, stethoscopes, bandage scissors, bp cuffs, etc can all be purchased on ebay for much less than the med supply stores, and most offer free shipping. Look for your books on ebay as well. They are often cheaper than Amazon or Barnes and Noble. Alibris.com is also a good place to look for books. Enjoy your summer, get plenty of rest, and get ready for an interesting ride come Sept. I look forward to meeting the new class at the Orientation Luncheon when Fall qtr starts back up. Feel free to send me a PM with any more questions. Best of Luck!!! P.S. alot of your shots can be done at the health dept for less. it never hurts to call and ask.

I find my laptop to be an absolute must have for lecture! I pull up the power points, and type my notes in the little box below each slide. At the end of the lecture, IF the lecturer does a test review, I just type it into the note box on the last slide. Then when it comes time to study, my notes are already on the slides they apply to, and if I want to print out a test review, I can copy the test review into Word and print it without having to print off every single slide. In our class, it started off with only a few bringing their laptops. Now, at the end of the first year, I would say approximately a third of the class brings a laptop to take notes and such. Best of Luck!!!

I just completed my last quarter of my first year of nursing school. One more year to go and I will graduate with my ADN ready to sit for the NCLEX. I chose my school for several reasons. One being their percentage of graduates passing the NCLEX on the first try. Another reason being that after speaking to friends who work as nurses in area hospitals and LTCs, they kept saying over and over that the ADN RNs from our school came into the work force with more hands on/clinical knowledge than the BSN RNs from the local university. A third reason was the competitive entrance qualifications, the accredidation, the instructors, and the comments of graduates from the program. After speaking with instructors here, it was obvious that they are all very passionate about their chosen specialties, and that they truly want every student to succeed and become excellent nurses, they want our ADN to be our stepping stone into further nursing education. Speak to former students at various schools, meet with the instructors and talk with them about the program, check their accredidation, ask about what classes and clinical experiences are like....and then, go with your instincts. I wish you the best on your journey into nursing!

The reason why you arent able to find a completely online nursing program is because it doesnt exist. Unless of course you are already a RN working toward your BSN. This is because of the amount of clinical time involved. There is simply no way to get clinical experience in an online spectrum. I am a full time mom with 3 children, and do not work outside the home, and I just completed the last quarter of my first year of nursing school. Clinicals started the third week of our very first quarter. The clinical hours were not excessive, but they required a commitment. I wish you the best of luck in your search, and thanks for all you do as a member of the Armed Forces.

At our school, we didnt find out our clinical schedule until the 2nd or 3rd day after the quarter started. We were allowed some choice in location, but not in time or day. (Lord knows I wouldnt have chosen 0645!!!!!!!) I have 3 kids under the age of 12, a truck driver for a husband, clinicals that begin at 0645, and noone for childcare. I completely understand. Unfortunately, it goes hand in hand with nursing school. You will be wonderful........ after all, you are a mother! You are already terrific with juggling fire, chain saws, and hungry pirahnas...LOL!! Best of luck to you in NS!!!!!

Glad to hear things worked out for you, and best of luck in school. Please keep us updated on how things go for you. :)

There are great books that you can use to study for the NLN. The NLN study guide has practice tests in it that give you a really good idea of how the test is. My suggestion if you are wanting to improve your English and vocabulary is to find a GED study guide and study the English portion of it. There are also practice tests in it that you can take. As for the Math portion of the NLN, I suggest reviewing the math you studied in High School (algebra, geometry, fractions, percentages, etc). The science portion was the most difficult for me, but some find it rather easy. Those are my suggestions, but someone else may have a better idea. I wish you the best of luck on your journey into nursing.

I think ALL nurses that can make it, not just EC nurses, should attend this meeting. After all, if they can do this with one college, who's to say that at some point, they wont go after your school, or mine? My heart and my prayers go out for everyone suffering from this highly questionable decision concerning EC nurses.

In response to the post saying not to go the ADN route because he would be required to take more classes......that depends entirely on where he goes to school. Different schools require different classes as their pre-reqs. My reccomendation would be to check into the pre-reqs of the different schools he is considering. Most schools post on their websites what the pre-reqs are for each program, and if not, call the school and ask. As for me, I am 34, wife and mother to 3 young children, hubby is a truck driver and after a 13 yr hiatus, I have returned to school. I will begin classes for my ADN in October at our local Technical College, graduate in 2010 then immediately after passing boards, I plan to apply for the dual BSN/MSN degree program at our local university. We also have only one income, and our kids are 11, 9, and almost 7. I have no student loans, only the Pell Grant. It can be done, but you must be good at budgeting your money down to the last penny. BUT, you must be willing to do without the luxuries and be happy with the necessities. Best of luck to you both!

Hi y'all! I'm Amber, a 34 yr old nursing student. Married w/ 3 kids. Hubby is truck driver. Nursing classes begin 10/01/08 and I am both nervous and so very excited. It's nice to meet y'all and I look forward to getting to know y'all better. :loveya:

My recommendation to you is to find a copy of the NLN study guide. It has 4 sample NLN tests in each of the subject areas in it. I found several of the practice questions on the actual NLN test. It is what I used to study with, and I made a 99%.......and I've been out of college for 13 yrs! The science part is by far the most difficult part of the NLN....out of the 15 questions I missed, 13 were on the science section. Best of luck to you, I am positive you will do great!