Shep626

Glad I could help.. :)

ressicaxdanielle, They don't care what brand, but I would invest in one that will last awhile. I bought a Littmann, and I still use it to this day. Also, I didn't buy a BP cuff. They have them available in lab that you can use, and if you're at clinicals you will use the BP cuffs they have at the facility. If you have your own that's great, but you'll mainly use it for practice at home OR in lab if you choose not to use theirs.

Hey anmsmith, I graduated from the PHCC LPN program. In my opinion, of all the semesters, 1st semester is the hardest. You are taking Funds I/II, and there are TONS of papers for clinicals for Funds I. They really hit us hard. I think I recall writing 7 papers/week, and that was on-top of multiple skills check-offs and exams. Obviously, it could have changed since then (I graduated in July 2010)... but definitely something to consider. Also, I know many of my classmates tried to do the same thing you are, and admissions made them jump through hoops to do it. All kinds of appeals/approvals and such. I was in the same boat as you when I started LPN school, I wanted to start RN right away. Personally, I waited a year- and it was seriously the best decision I've made. The work experience has helped me grow so much as a nurse. It also gave me some time to re-energize myself to go back to school, because by the end of the program- you will be exhausted!! :)

When I started the program, they didn't have the books in until well after orientation. I remember the only thing I could purchase was my lab kit, but even then they recommended that I do not purchase it because they had "just enough" lab kits for each student on each campus. So basically, if I was taking classes on the North Campus, and I bought a lab kit on the West Campus.. one student on the West Campus would be short a lab kit.

Hey Kelly, LOL.. looks like I started a little terms of service posting drama.. sorry! :) I'm not sure I can answer the question regarding the hardest/easiest part of the program. The whole thing was hard! Actually, let me rephrase that.. it was definitely a challenge. :) I already have my Bachelors degree from UF, and decided to go back and get a nursing degree- lemme tell you, my Bachelors degree was CAKE compared to this program. No joke. One of my classmates, like me, has her Bachelors degree (except in Microbio) and she feels the same way. We always joke that we're actually getting our "Ph.D in Practical Nursing." :) So a few things I wanted to mention: 1. You will have to purchase a course manual for every course you take (i.e.: PRN001C, PRN002C). Basically, you're paying for a really overpriced syllabus, and there are copies of your clinical paperwork that will be due throughout the course in it. They usually range in $10-$12 per course. I had a total of 7 courses. 7 courses x $10 for each course = $70 for the whole year. It really adds up. So a word of advice: partner with your classmates and pitch in to purchase ONE manual. Then one of you scan it as a pdf and email it to each other. You can print it at home, OR if you are on North campus, you have access to the Learning Lab where printing is free if you bring your own paper. Just one way to save a couple bucks. 2. Your lab kit is "required," but honestly- you'll probably never use anything in it.. maybe 4 or 5 items max. A penlight is included in your lab kit which has a pupil measuring guide on the side of it. I would hold out on buying one until that one dies on you. 3. BP cuffs are available in the lab, so if you don't feel like forking up the money for one- keep in mind that there are some available to you. The only benefit to buying one is that you'll have one to practice with at home before faculty evaluations. After faculty evals, you'll probably never use it again because all the clinical sites have their own BP cuffs/Dynamaps you will use. 4. Not ONE of my classmates, including myself, had a "sweeping" second-hand on our watches. Biggest concerns for me were at least having a second-hand, making sure it was waterproof, the date was on the watch and it was easy for me to disinfect when I got home. MRSA and C-Diff don't play around!! :) 5. For stethoscopes: I do not recommend the ones at the bookstore. Many of my classmates stethoscopes from the bookstore ended up breaking or they complained they couldn't hear very well. Some of them stain your uniform too. I got my name engraved on the tubing of my Littmann. First name, middle initial and last name. I chose to do it because 1) It was expensive, and 2) I was not going to lose that thing!! In regards to last names and stalking, it depends on your instructor. I covered my last name on my name tag on day one- and no one argued it with me. The engraving on my stethoscope was so subtle, not one of my patients could probably see it. Besides, you're too busy telling them to sit-up, breath-in, breath-out, breath-normal and asking about bowel movements for them to even notice its there.. :) Also, Oak Hill and Brooksville Regional prohibit nursing students from wearing their stethoscopes around their neck bc it harbors bacteria. You have to keep it in your pocket. 6. For the LPN program, they require that we wear one patch on the upper left chest. Some people ironed their patches on, some used Velcro and others just secured them with safety pins. Towards the end of the program you will take individual pictures for pinning and a class photo to be placed in the nursing offices in your white uniform. One thing they didn't tell us was that we could not wear our patches in any of the photos (school policy). So to all the students who used velcro or ironed their patches on- that was a major problem-o. I was one of the lucky ones who used safety pins. It makes it easier to wash your uniforms and you don't have to worry about the patch fading or bleeding onto your whites. 7. For every course, you have to complete a "Self-Evaluation Tool" by the end of clinicals. It lists all competencies that you must meet in order to pass the clinical portion of the course. For each competency, you have to list the date the competency was met, the patient's initials and an explanation of what you did to complete that competency. To make this easier, I recommend you write down the initials of every patient you encounter and a brief excerpt about them, or what you did for them. There will be days where you will not be able to complete this self-eval tool every night, so keeping a running tally of all your patients will make it easier to complete it on a later date. 8. You CAN work while in nursing school. You'll sacrifice quite a bit of sleep.. but it is do-able. I worked 15 hrs/week.. and I had classmates who worked 20-25 hrs/week. We all passed the program. :) 9. I read somewhere on here that someone said "get use" to the staff making things up as they go along. I kinda chuckled a little when I read it. It is VERY true. :) Anyway, I hope this all makes sense. I could go on and on.. but I think i've written a pretty long novel for you.. :) Sorry about that! Hope this helps somewhat.. let me know if you have additional questions. :) Steph

Hey Everyone, This is a LONG thread.. lol. I just finished the LPN program at PHCC (North Campus-days). Just submitted my last assignment yesterday, and all thats left to do is walk at our pinning ceremony on Tuesday- so excited! Also, I read a few responses about shoes for clinicals. Just a word of advice, invest in a REALLY comfortable pair. Trust me on this. I bought a pair of white k-swiss shoes, that were cheap, all-white and comfy when I bought them.. and now I want to burn them. A lot of people in our program bought the nursemates, and ended up buying new pairs of shoes bc we wanted to chop our feet off at the end of the day. Kind of a waste of money in the end. If you all have any questions, please let me know. I am more than happy to answer them now that I've actually got some free-time.. :) Congrats to all! Steph

thanks, 3girlsmom.. I am doing days on North Campus. I rejected my seat for the evening program because I teach night classes at a for-profit college in Tampa. Part of my curriculum is basic math skills and pharmacology math (dosage calcs, IV drip rates, alligations, concentration/dilutions). So, if anyone needs help with math, I'm your girl! :) I already took the CPR course in December. I was chosen as an alternate for the RN program in January and decided to take the CPR course just incase they called me in (which they never did). If I had to make a recommendation, I would say take it at PHCC. My course was 2 nights, from 6pm-9pm. The first night we did the hands-on stuff, then the second day, we took a test and left. (I was in and out in 30 mins) Really easy, my class had a few nursing students who needed their card before their orientation, and they were able to pull some strings to have it to them by then. I guess I'll see you at orientation.. I'll be the one with all my hair ripped out..! :)

3girlsmom- have you done your background check yet? I JUST got my orientation packet TODAY. So I have less than a week to get everything done by tuesday.. talk about ridiculous!? I know we can go online and purchase it through the fdle website, but is that it? or do we have to send it in and wait 5 business days? i am so stresssssed!!!

Math 100, Reading 76, Composite 88- i'm rooting for ya..!

$4940.34?? plus $500+? wow, not the number I was expecting to hear.. glad you told us now, otherwise I would've passed out when i read it. I'm assuming they don't expect us to pay that upfront? that would be insane.. I was an alternate for the RN program last spring, so I know how the waiting can be. I think they don't tell you what number you are on the alternate list because it's continuously changing. With all the random letters they have to go through, they probably really don't know...?

rfbloveee- I know you've already started in the PHCC LPN program.. any words of advice you can provide for our first semester? What classes did you take and where did you complete clinicals? I am getting so antsy.. I've been reading the LPN forum religiously, and I just want to start classes already!

Hey Kee- I'm not an alternate, but I did reject my acceptance to the eve/weekend program. I decided to go with the day program since it was more accommodating to my work schedule. On the LPN letters it said we had to confirm our acceptance by July 27th. (It actually had two contradicting dates on it: one said the 27th, the other the 23rd). So I would imagine that if PHCC hasn't already notified any alternates, they would notify them on or after that date (the 27th). Probably not what you wanted to hear.. but at least its something?

I got accepted into both the Brooksville(day) and West(eve/weekend) LPN programs. I was a little disappointed at first, because I wanted RN- but I'm over it now. I just need to figure out the job situation, decide which one I'm going to go with and let financial aid know.. ugh, the stress!! Does anyone know the orientation dates?

you actually spoke to the person who licked all 400 envelopes? lol... that's funny.. i don't want their job.! :) I applied to both LPN and RN. I actually submitted three applications: LPN-Brooksville, LPN-West and RN generic. That's $75, plus I took the NET exam twice. So, if I don't get in.. not only will I have practically grown all gray hair from waiting on an acceptance letter.. but I'll also be out $125...! That's a lot of cheeseburgers at McDonalds!!! :)

Good news, the wait is almost over! I just got off the phone with the nursing department at PHCC.. and the lady told me the Admissions office should be mailing acceptance letters out this week.. good luck to all who have been patiently waiting! :)

I took mine at PHCC... It was suppose to be a 2-day class, but the second day we were there and left within an hour. Easiest class, ever... I paid $25. Nice thing is that it's on file at the school.. so if you ever need proof you can just get it from the school. I know when I took it, there were a couple nursing students who needed their cards for orientation, and they were able to get it ahead of everyone else because they took it through the school.

Really? Interesting. I applied to both LPN programs (west & north campuses) and have received both already. My west campus letter is dated May 28th, and the north campus is dated June 9th. I'm still waiting on my RN letter. I'm beginning to get nervous because I have all my letters except that one. I'm hoping to get it this week so I can ease my mind a little!

For the RN applicants- have any of you received a letter from PHCC confirming that you're application has been received by the admissions office and is complete? I know they have sent similar letters for the LPN programs already. If not, I think it'll be a pretty good indicator as to whether they have gotten to sorting through applications yet...

I was told the 3rd week in June when I turned in my application in May? I'm not sure how much truth there is to that though.. For the RN program, classes would start August 24th. If we do get our letters in July, that'll be quite a time crunch. We'd have to squeeze in time to confirm our acceptance, go to orientation and start classes in maybe a months time. I really hope it's sooner!

Just a thought, but you may want to check into pharmaceutical/medical device companies. I'm currently employed as a sales rep for a wound care company. I can tell you that we hire WOCNs with years of experience in the field- to serve as "clinical liason's" for us. They work from home, and answer calls from our customers who are experiencing difficulty with our products, or are uncertain about what they should do with a challenging wound patient. I know there are a lot of nurses out there who resent pharmaceutical/medical device companies- but the beauty of being a nurse is this: on the hiring totem pole- nurses are always going to have the upper hand, especially in these two industries. (Trust me, I know- and I'm not even a nurse, yet!) You mentioned you were a critical care nurse- try to remember what supplies you dealt with most often while on the floor. You might want to do some research on the bed companies your hospital may have used, or the supplies you used for fecal management, what kind of bathing products were used, what were the medications you administered most frequently.. the possibilities are truely endless. I would first look into the products that truely made your life a lot easier while on the floor, because if you do end up working for that company, you'll want to represent something you really believe in and have used on your own. Once you find a company/opening- you may want to consider calling the local rep for that company. Sounds strange, I know. But more than likely, they can give you the hiring managers name, info.. and you can even find out what the company is looking for in their 'potential' candidate. My company offers "referral" incentives (most pharm/medical device companies do).. so it's a win-win for you both. If a nurse were to call me asking for all this, I probably wouldn't hesitate to help if I could. Sorry for the essay.. but, I hope this helps!

Hey Dan, I was chosen as an alternate for Spring '09 semester. Primarily because my reading comprehension score wasn't up to par.. and PHCC looks heavily at your score in that particular portion of the test. You can purchase the NET study guide (I believe) at any of the PHCC bookstores. Mine is an old version, and I bought it there for $25. I'm sure they have the new version at the bookstore. You can also purchase it online here. You should probably shop around- because I noticed that the prices range depending on where you're buying it. Or, find someone on this forum who is selling theirs for cheaper, that's always a good option. I, personally, didn't find the reading comprehension section of this study guide very useful- but the math section was a decent overview. Hope that helps!

no, i'm not... but I did take the NET for PHCC's nursing program...

I took the NET... and have taken College Algebra twice. The first time I took College Algebra, I got a "D,".. the second time a "C..." What did I score on the NET? The first time, a 96%.. the second, a 94%. No joke.. it truely is basic math.. and I found it a lot easier than College Algebra. Like Bumblebee, I would also suggest you get the NET study guide if math is your roughest asset. That is what I skimmed through prior to taking the test. Also, unlike a lot of other study guides- the NET study guide pretty much covers what you'll find on the actual test. There isn't a whole lot of fluff to it. If you understand the concepts in that guide.. you'll be good for the math portion.

Hi pinaygirl- Thanks for the info on PHCC's point system. That's the first time I had heard that. That thoroughly explains how an out-of-district applicant would be excepted over an in-district applicant. When I submitted my PHCC application, I included a copy of my drivers license and my voters registration card. For my nursing program application, I had to submit an additional copy of my drivers license. (So, a total of 2 copies of your DL and 1 copy of your voters registration). I am assuming this is how they verify whether you are in-district or out-of-district. I was told that they look at the date in which your DL and Voters Registration was issued (I think that is just to prove you've been living in-state for 12 months). You can also submit your vehicle registration, as well. Check out the FAQ on PHCC's website and scroll down to "Residency." Also, if you do not have any of those documents, they have a list of what is acceptable here. Hope that answers your question..

I think I'd have to agree with you, Wapiti.. I am an in-district student. That being said, it was to my understanding (based on the Admission Requirements and FAQ) that those living in Pasco/Hernando counties were given preference. I, in no way, interpreted that as, "all in-district students would be accepted prior to consideration of out-of-district students." Regardless of what county you live in, someone who has a 4.0 gpa and high NET scores is a much more attractive candidate than someone with a much lower gpa/net score. It's pretty much a given that they'd choose the candidate who demonstrates a more probable chance of success throughout the program. Not trying to burn any bridges here, but I certainly don't want anyone to be mis-informed by reading this forum. P.S.- I, too, have been chosen as an alternate for Spring '09 semester. Bittersweet, yet, my scores aren't quite as competitive as yours, Wapiti! I'll just have to work a little harder for next semester! :wink2: For those accepted into the RN program, can you PM me with your deadline date to confirm your acceptance?