bhanson

Unfortunately that is how it works. There is very specific criteria they use to determine if parental income is figured into your expected family contribution (EFC). I am 23 and file my own taxes. I completely support myself and have not had parental financial support for a while. I am still required to list my parents' income on the FAFSA and it is figured into how much I am eligible for.

I'd just like to add that you will get as much out of A&P as you put into it. Yes, a lot of the anatomy is rote memorization and will require brute repetition for retention. Yes, you will forget most of it soon after the class finishes. However, you will remember a lot of it and nursing classes down the line will expect you to as well. While it is entirely possible for you to remediate down the line (you will, everyone has to a bit), the more you learn now the more time you will have later to focus on nursing process. Some things are more important than others. Knowing exactly how the heart works will help you understand fluids. Knowing the levatores costarum's insertion point and how it is innervated will not. Important concepts for anatomy: Major bones, muscles, regions, organs Important concepts for physiology: *Understanding* how things work. After you learn about the heart you should be able to tell me how the blood travels through it. However, if you actually understand the heart you should be able to tell me what happens if the right ventricle is having difficulty pumping.

While it is much tougher to find a job these days if nursing is the only thing you can see yourself doing then there is no choice. By the way, anecdotal evidence in my local area leads me to believe good nursing candidates are still able to find jobs without too much difficulty. Yes, it will be hard for some people to find jobs just as it's hard for some people to get admitted into nursing school. Everyone I personally know (n=30~) that has graduated in the past year already have jobs or one lined up. If you do your due diligence during school I think you can increase your chances DRASTICALLY of finding a job upon graduation. Things to do: Strive for straight-As (rationale: Having good grades will enable you to list your GPA on your resume. After you get your first job the GPA means much less, but for getting your first job it will help. Hiring managers aren't stupid, the know new grads that don't list their GPAs probably do not for a reason.) Get to know your professors (rationale: Your professors have rapport with many of the nursing leaders in your community. The recommendation from one of these people goes a LONG way towards getting you a job. In fact many people will hire someone based solely on the recommendation from one of your professors.) Join your student nursing association and become a leader (rationale: As an RN you are a leader. The CNA has a problem? They come to you. The LVN has a problem? They come to you. You also manage a multidisciplinary team and they all go through you. Not only does joining a professional organization show initiative but it is the stuff that managers are looking for. Quality leadership is something that is still scarce.) Volunteer in your community (rationale: Volunteering shows that you are a real person that cares for other people. You would think going into nursing would show that, but a cursory survey of any nursing class would show otherwise. You might be the most compassionate person in the world and I commend you, but having some proof will help you land that elusive first job.) Get a job close to your desired place of employment (rationale: Most places give preference to hiring internally before they even look at external candidates. Get a job as a CNA, patient sitter, unit secretary, etc. and work your rear end off. Don't complain about anything. Be there on time with no exceptions. These qualities are not something that show up on a resume but are very important to hiring managers. Once you get your degree they are given a choice between hiring you, the dedicated hard working person, or letting you go else where.) Things NOT to do: Join the C=degree camp (rationale: Stay away from anyone that heeds this methodology. This thought process is poisonous and goes against everything you should be doing.) Think graduating and passing the NCLEX will guarantee you a job (rationale: It won't.) If you do everything in the TODO list above I think you'll find plenty of job opportunities upon graduation. I should add, every person I know that has gotten a job very soon after graduation had at least 4/5 of the above criteria. I do not think this is a coincidence.

The first part of A&P I also covers some basics. Most notably you would be missing vocabulary, chemistry, cells, and tissue. The vocabulary is simple and the Chemistry you would have already learned in a G. Chem class. Cells are covered briefly although it's nothing you wouldn't have learned if you've taken a General Biology class. You'll also be missing some basic histology which once again the significance will depend on your science background. If you're strong in science then I suppose it's doable but if didn't get As in your previous science classes I wouldn't do it. [edit] Forgot to include a tidbit about tissue, which I think would be the most difficult deficiency. They'll make reference to the types of tissue and expect you to know what they are. Connective tissue, simple squamous, what is vascular and avascular, etc.

If you haven't been accepted to a program yet, why not work overtime for a year so you can afford to focus on nursing school when that time comes along?

Try looking for a patient sitter position. It doesn't pay very much but it may get your foot in the door. They usually don't require any experience.

Candy is hyperosmotic and will make them even more thirsty. Use ice chips instead although remember that x volume of ice chips is roughly equal to about x/2 volume of fluid.

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showpost.php?p=3289972 FWIW I use a Littman Classic II SE so I don't have to deal with the tunable diaphragm issues.

In my area it is the clinical instructor's responsibility to arrange clinical sites. The same cohort taking the same class will have clinicals at entirely separate facilities. In fact, most of the hospitals in this town do not provide scrubs for their employees either.

Managers at hospitals have a lot of red tape to cut through when hiring people. When I applied for a CNA position a while ago I didn't hear anything back for 2 months. I had completely forgotten about it until I got an e-mail out of the blue. By the way, I also applied to a heck of a lot more than 3 positions.

I don't think that analogy is accurate. I don't believe you need someone to "teach" you the vast majority of material in nursing school. Some lectures may be helpful and it really depends on the professor and the specific subject, but for the most part I think lecture is a waste of time. The volume of information we cover is so large that it becomes inefficient to deliver in lecture format. It is in a sense "low-yield" learning where as if you just use the equivalent time to self-study you can cover so much more information. Here are some quotes from students that subscribe to this: Lectures can be helpful if the professor is good, but I do not think attendance is *required* to learn the material. In most cases I think attendance is actually harmful to your education. I unapologetically skip lectures if I do not think it is to my benefit to attend.

You're going to want to have A&P done before you start nursing school. This is for two reasons: (1) they'll expect you to already have that knowledge and (2) you'll want the extra time for the nursing material. I suggest you take A&P II this summer so you can focus on nursing classes this fall.

Carry on then.

That is an incredibly liberal reason for throwing out questions. Anything in our book is fair game. In fact, I'm not even sure how such a policy could exist in nursing school considering it is impossible to cover everything in lecture due to the volume of information.

No, there is not any grade inflation at my school. In most of our classes 1-2% (in some classes Exams are worth 25% and contain 40 questions including alternative format. You have 50 minutes for each exam and there is no extra credit. Occasionally a question may be thrown out, but you will only get credit if you didn't already get it right the first time. Median GPA throughout the program is most definitely a 2.0.

How deep is the macerated open area? Remember impaired skin integrity only applies to altered epidermis or dermis. If there is any damage to the subcutaneous tissue then impaired tissue integrity should be used. Your outcome needs to be SMART: specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound. Specific: Be detailed and meticulous. Specify each parameter that would identify defining characteristics that contribute to the nursing diagnosis. For "risk for infection" for example you would AT LEAST include temperature, heart rate, WBC, absent redness, swelling, pain, purulent drainage from any surgical sites, etc. Measurable: Your goal should be explicit and measurable. If you're writing an outcome for activity intolerance, include explicit parameters that can be objectively measured. "as evidenced by HR 60-100, BP 110/60-125/85 on activity." Attainable: The goal should be realistic. If your client is experiencing chronic pain level 8, a goal of pain level 0 is not appropriate. Relevant: Every parameter you include should be something that defines having the condition stated in the nursing diagnosis, some diagnoses may be more prone to this than others. For example adventitious breath sounds are not a defining characteristic of ineffective breathing pattern. Time-bound: Explicitly specify a date when the client should complete the goal. Your goal is not measurable or specific. You want your patient's wound to heal, but how do you define healing? What objective criteria can you establish to measure if the wound has healed (or is healing)?

I have an iPod Touch and always have Internet, but I never use it for anything. There's really nothing I need it for that I cannot do on the unit. Every hospital is going to have some form of drug guide, and for other stuff most facilities will have Internet.

I wasn't addressing the cheating, but rather the OP said they were distracted easily and the earplugs would solve that.

I wear earplugs during exams and sit in a corner to minimize peripheral vision activity. I think this is the optimal method for exams. Testing centers (like for your NCLEX) will either have earmuffs, earplugs, or allow you to bring your own earplugs. If you're easily distracted then maybe you should stop by a pharmacy on the way to your next test.

I would choose a roommate for the reduced cost. My freshman roommate and I had some incompatibilities but it was still a worthwhile experience in the end. You can always wear earplugs if you need but there were always ample study facilities. By the way, nursing courses are nothing at all like your pre-reqs. I've taken up to 22 credits a semester (with A performance) and I can say I personally couldn't do the same amount including nursing credits. The material is not at all more difficult, but there is a disproportionate amount of content compared to the number of credits you receive. For example 10 credits at my nursing school represents 20-25 hours of required attendance plus whatever preparation time you need. Why are you taking pre-med courses in addition to nursing school? If you want to be a doctor then skip the nursing courses because they'll only be a time-sink and effectively be very low yield. Also, I guarantee your peers will not be studying as much as you will be with that many credits. I'd have to see your schedule but if you're taking two labs in addition to nursing school you will definitely have minimal social time and might as well live off campus and save money.

I worked full-time through my pre-reqs (4 classes at a time and kept a 4.0) but was unable to continue it into nursing school. If I was okay with straight B's I could have done it but the time requirement to earn A's in my program makes working full-time prohibitive. We had a test every two weeks so lets say I worked 3 shifts a week. Compared to a peer that didn't work I would have 72 hours less study time per exam. You can learn A LOT of material in 72 hours. I already had two years experience as a CNA so cutting my hours was a no brainer. [edit] By the way, although the skills you gain as a CNA are definitely helpful, the theory you learn in nursing school is more important. In my case working full time would interfere with the acquisition of theory and I wasn't willing to compromise my entire future career as a nurse for $10/hr.

By chance are you going to a for profit school? Sounds like something those schools would do to increase their bottom line.

Four point what?

Following this advice will be much higher yield than pre-studying nursing before nursing school.

Go exercise. It will relieve some of your stress and promote optimal study efficiency.