gatorgrad

Thank you soooooo much! I am so fresh out of school that I squeak when I walk down the hall. I started on the cardiac tele floor last week as a GN, but could only function as a tech until I passed NCLEX this morning. I'm looking at my first day as an RN in a few days with 6 pts and a fantastic preceptor. I really appreciate your time in preparing this post. Mi pockets son su pockets (thanks for the list of armaments) . Fortunately, ACLS is before my first RN shift. I chose the cardiac tele floor because it's the area I know the least about, and in the chaos last week, I have to admit that I was wondering if I should have taken a more "cushy" position. Thanks for putting wind in my sails! I'm looking forward to climbing that steep learning curve now. Most importantly, I will make time to breathe since I read your post. I appreciate the inspiration, and I will do the same next year for the incoming GNs. Sometimes we touch lives in ways we don't realize. Thanks for touching mine

mostly A's, a B or 2

I'm currently enrolled. 3.03 and 1150 got me in. Go for it!

Hello! Well, we are 3 weeks away from finishing the treacherous first summer semester. I have these few pieces of advice... when you register for the GRE (and do so with plenty of time before your testing date,) they will give you access to GRE PowerPrep software, either by snailmailing it to you or by giving you e-access. USE THE SOFTWARE. I took it once and blew the exam away without any other studying. The software is good because it gives you the rationale for the correct answer and explains wrong answers. If you want to visit campus, contact the admissions counselor who is currently our liaison to the administration. He's a wealth of knowledge and a really nice person. He knows everything about the college, esp ABSN and graduate programs. Good guy. I'm sure he'd love to arrange a visit and tour for you. When you first get started, life is crazy! Plan to be in class 8-4 M-F at least. There will be an occasional Fri off, but don't count on it because there are all kinds of things that have to be done on Fridays. Don't pay attention to your coursed schedule. Really....8-4 M-F. No joke. The college offers a BOX of books that is about $600. It is possible to get the ISBNs and shop used, but you also need access to the electronic activities associated with some of the books, which are about $60 each. I started out trying to piece together my books, electronic packages, etc. On the second day of school, I broke down and bought the BOX. Nice thing with the BOX is that you also get online access to the electronic version of each text (not the same as the electronic packages I mentioned above.) In short, do what I did and you won't be sad. Buy the BOX, register all the electronic stuff, then sell the texts at the beginning of the semester while other nursing students across the country are hunting. I actually ended up saving money, but it was a pain shipping all my books. You must have the electronic packages for some of the classes because you are graded on some of them. Clear as mud? It was for us too!! Buy the BOX as soon as it comes in, register the electronic stuff, make sure you have access to the e-texts, then sell the books. Done. The BOX weighs about 30 lbs, so take something to wheel it back to your car. Parking sucks at UF. If you have the choice, get a place close by or get a scooter or settle for a place away from campus (BUT make sure it is serviced by SEVERAL bus routes that all lead to UF.) Don't stress about uniforms. Buy one pair of white scrubs for summer. Clinical is only one day for 4 hours. The college states that shoes must be white, all leather, blah blah blah. We all wear running shoes. A little color on the side is no big deal, but basically white. You will wear your white uniform in Fall also, when there are two 8 hr clinicals. Chances are that you'll figure out which brand you like/dislike from wearing your summer scrubs. You really don't need a labcoat until it gets cold, and can probably survive without it. Just wear clothes to school. Regular old clothes. So far, no regulations, even for lab. Patho will definitely be your hardest class. You will have 2 days of patho lecture. Block off time the evening after patho to go thru your notes and make comparison charts to facilitate learning similar disorders. Your patho teacher is fantastic. He aslo teaches your second hardest class, which is Health Assessment. Fortunately, the subject matter in both classes will parallel each other. Stay on top of both of these classes. Actually, stay ahead (is that possible?) I record both classes, then go home and play them back at super fast speed while reviewing the PowerPoints. This has worked well for me. Essentials class takes a lot of time because there is a lot of material, but it's basic nursing knowledge and skills. Pharmacology I cannot remark because the course will probably change for your group. Dimensions is basically a seminar class. Attendance counts big time. One presentation, 3 papers and a lot of group discussion and guest speakers. This is the class where you will refine your skills writing in APA format. If you don't have the APA Style Manual, get one. It's not on the book list, but I followed it exactly and got a 100 on my first paper. The other students who used the online APA sources sometimes found outdated info and lost points as a result. Hope this helps. As time gets close, I'll try to give you some hints. Take care and good luck!! Sorry you haven't heard from any of us in the class of 2010, but we are all losing our minds! Hopefully, our minds will return in three weeks! Best, Tina

Whaich books do we ABSOLUTELY need for summer? I have a drug book already, NANDA book and Dx/lab test book. What do I really need? I may take you up on your offer. Thanks, Tina

Good job!! Congrats!! :bowingpur

Thanks for the advice!! One of my friends also said that she doesn't use the texts as much as the internet because the texts were written as much as 5 yrs before we get them and they are no longer current. She also buys used books from amazon, and for most classes, she can buy the previous edition for about $5. Apprecite you taking the time to explain this to us! Tina

Great! Have a nice weekend! Tina

Ivey's is at on the SE corner of the intersection of NW34thSt and Univ Ave in the Publix center. It is next to Domino's on the North side of the center that faces Univ. The address is 3303 W University Ave, 32607, phone (352) 371-4839. Hope to see you there!!

Noon. Don't know about any other guys. See you there, Tina

I'm jealous!! How nice it is to take a break to get your mind ready for the beginning of school. Have a great time and stay safe!! See you on the 8th Tina

I'll be there

Hey Ty, Naime is about to make a post about having lunch at Ivey's Grill on Thu 4/23 at noon. Come join us! Tina

Can clinical shoes have any cloth on them? Also, do we start over with a new GPA?

Hi Margaret. Nice to hear from you. Naime, Shaunna and I were able to find each other, but Ashley showed up and we missed er. That was completely my fault. So let's go ahead and plan to have lunch. How 'bout on Thu, 4/16 at 1230? I get out of work at 1230, so I'll get there about 1245. Would you like to pick the restaurant this time? Tina