jrinct

I'm an RN with an ADN and a non-nursing bachelor's degree from my first time through college. The non-nursing bachelor's counts for zip in my hospital's clinical ladder. As RNs, we all have the same license -- but we take many different educational paths to get there.

Check their websites. All the big ones (Aetna, Wellpoint, Anthem, etc.) list open positions for nurses.

I love libraries.

Try the VA in West Haven.

I'm another 2nd shifter who works 5 evening shifts a week. In the long New England winter especially, working evenings lets me get enough sunshine (or at least daylight) during my hours off.

Yes, an office is a great option. Often you can find short shifts in an office to fill in staffing holes or to add to staffing during busy hours -- like when everyone shows up for physical exams with fasting blood draws early in the morning. Another option is telephone triage. Or maybe methadone clinic?

Try St. Vincent's in Bridgeport, along with Bridgeport Hospital and Milford Hospital. Or, consider staying in PA next summer and interning there. More than likely you'll make good contacts there during your first year of nursing school. Good luck!

Hi -- I can't answer all your questions, but if you're interested in becoming an RN, look into Gateway Community College in New and North Haven, and go to one of their info sessions. You'll need to take Bio, both A&P I and II, Chemistry, and English 101 to apply, and there's also a math pre-requisite. If you'd like to be a CNA first, the Red Cross in New Haven offers training. New courses (they're a few weeks long; check their website) are always starting. They also offer phlebotomy classes. I believe midwives have an MSN degree -- that's what some of the nursing students at Yale specialize in. UCONN also offers an MSN degree. Good luck!

At Gateway, we ordered our uniforms from a place in Wallingford -- I think it's called The Uniform Source. White pants, navy blue polo and white jacket. We have to get all-white sneakers or shoes, but can buy them anywhere.

Hi -- I don't know anything about Three Rivers, but I'm starting Gateway's nursing program this fall, and we have lecture scheduled on Mon. and Thurs. from 4-6pm. On Tues. and Wed., we have lab for the first month or so, from 3-9:30 pm. Then we'll begin clinicals during that time period. Gateway is also offering a daytime clinical option from 7am to 1:30pm, but anytime we're scheduled for lab (apparently, even after clinicals start, we do have labs scheduled), students in the day clinicals will have to go to lab with the rest of us in the evening. Hope this helps! P.S. The college's info sessions are really helpful, so definitely go to one if you can.

Thanks for all the details. Is the med test a math test? I'm starting at Gateway in the fall. We might have the same test, but I don't know yet -- orientation's not until next week.

Hi -- I have a BA also and am starting an AS program in nursing this August. I've never used student aid before, and when I applied for it, my community college told me I was not eligible for any grants or subsidized loans, but I could still apply for an unsubsidized federal Stafford loan. You might want to clarify that with your school. Ask them about unsubsidized loans. Also, I was told I had to be enrolled in at least 6 credits' worth of classes at a time to get a loan. I never tried to get aid for any non-nursing classes at the associate's degree level, so I'm not sure if that's the cause for any problem with securing loans if you already have another degree. Good luck!

Hi CGB1, I'm certified already as a professional rescuer, which Gateway is accepting. The Red Cross in New Haven has CPR classes scheduled in June. Btw, do you think a specific kind of shoes are also required for the uniform? I can't wait to get my hands on the information packet that's supposed to come in the mail next month... See you at orientation!

Hi -- Just wondering if anyone knows what the uniforms are like for nursing students at the community colleges -- specifically Gateway, but maybe they're the same for all programs? I'm not sure if they're just scrubs, or something totally different. We can order the uniforms during orientation, but maybe it's cheaper to buy them somewhere else?

The Red Cross in New Haven holds CPR and other classes regularly. Also, you might want to call Westbrook Ambulance (but not 911!) :wink2: and ask if they know of any in the area.

Well then you're off to a good start -- happy studying!

I'm curious to hear about the community colleges, too. Those of us who were accepted into the Jan '10 class at one of them were notified that openings have become available for the fall -- we were told to notify the school by May 8 if we were interested in switching to the fall. They were going to make a decision after that (I don't know how), but I haven't heard anything else since then.

I took the test last fall and found the study manual to be particularly helpful for the math section. CTPCTstudent, I still have the manual and it's in good shape (I didn't write in it). PM me if you're interested. And good luck on the test!

Hi -- Last week I was poking around online, looking at available jobs in the Yale-New Haven system. I noticed that they were looking for nurse externs at Bridgeport Hospital. Have you considered doing that? I don't know if they pay, but it sounds like a great way to get experience and to fill in any holes in your work history. Perhaps you can even still collect unemployment as an extern...?

Hi -- If you go to one of the community colleges' Web sites (like Gateway, for instance), you can read the Nursing Informational Packet. There's a page in there for LPNs. Here's some of what it says: LPN Advanced Placement and Transfer Policy LPN Advanced Placement The Connecticut Community Colleges Nursing Program participates in the Connecticut League for Nursing Articulation Model for LPNs. To be eligible for articulation the LPN must: Hold a current Connecticut Licensed Practical Nurse license. Satisfy all the CT-CCNP admission requirements. Submit a CT-CCNP application and be admitted to the program (please note, the application process does not vary for LPN candidates.) Once admitted, LPN candidates will be advised as to their placement within the CT-CCNP. For an LPN to be advance placed into the third semester, the following requirements will need to be met: Complete the required general education courses of the first year of the CT-CCNP with a grade of C or higher. Successfully complete the Connecticut LPN Transition Bridge Course offered by Charter Oak State College and the campus based CT-CCNP LPN transition course.

You can get a sense of the fall schedule if you search for courses here: http://my.commnet.edu/cp/home/loginf. You don't need an ID or password because the course search is a public resource. For Nursing 101 at Gateway this fall, it looks like lecture is Monday and Thursday from 4-5:55pm, and then clinical (or lab?) is Tuesday and Wednesday for 6-and-a-half hours. There seems to be a choice of time slots for that -- morning, afternoon or evening.

Thanks for discussing this topic. I'm starting an ADN program in January, so I was considering enrolling in a grad-level course, Foundations of Public Health, this fall to see what the MPH program at my local university is like (I already have a BA in political science). My plan is to then get my RN and graduate in Dec. 2011, and continue with the MPH -- perhaps even taking an MPH course each summer between ADN semesters. Am I naive in thinking that a new RN (actually a pre-nursing student now) could handle starting coursework toward an MPH at the same time? I'm wondering about future career opportunities, too, provided this all goes well -- whether someone with an ADN degree and an MPH (but no BSN) could find a worthwhile position.

I also got into Gateway, but not until the spring semester. Am hoping I can switch to fall to keep the momentum going after wrapping up the co-reqs this summer... Congrats to all!

Not yet. They're supposed to be mailed later this month. See the thread from yesterday for more info -- it's called CT Colleges Ready to Apply for 2009. Good luck!

Hopefully this fall. I'm waiting to hear...letters are being mailed later this month...