golfinrican

To ALL.. I am a new graduate and recently got hired into L&D. I personally never thought that I would have a chance to work in this area because I was a man. To my surprise the hiring manager was excited to see a male nurse apply and said she was looking to hire more males to add some diversity to the floor. I think there is a serious stigma and old mentality when it comes to males in L&D. And I must say that I am concerned how other nurses who don't share the directors vision will treat me. Yet I have no problem fighting stereotypes/ double standards and hopefully paving the way for more males to be accepted into L&D. I feel a pressure to perform better than any other nurse and be more knowledgeable just because I am a man (which is a good thing). Anyways I just wanted to add my two cents and feelings. I start in a few weeks and I am nervous, so wish me luck..

Wagnergirl Congrats... Okay.. Let me start answering these questions for ya... 1.. Key's to being successful. Do not fall behind Try to be organized ( as you will get a mountain of papers and hand-out etc) Stay on top of the reading Try and study alone and after you have reviewed the info- study with others 2. You may have issues at some point with clinical sites, but both sites we use on the island are easily accessible. Staten Island University Hospital North, Richmond University Medical Center.. Some people did have clinicals in Brooklyn at Lutheran Medical Center. ( I am sure you could work that out with professor Woody).. 3. Quality of Education.. Now this is a good question.. I would say the education I am getting is decent, and the pass rate on NCLEX has been 100% the past few years. I think clinical instructors are hit an miss type of deal. I have had the good, the bad, and the ugly... I would say if you got into a cheaper school that offered BSN-- I would go there.. Its extremely expensive, but its fast so that's good to. 4. The staff for the most part is awesome.. Very helpful and they really look out for the students. The class size is smaller then most colleges, which is good. You can always get questions answered and instructors especially DeFazio are more then willing to work out meeting times.. But nursing is still a womans world, so it can get catty at times.. 5. Usually you don't have clinical on the same day as theory, but you will have more than one class a day. Just be mindful that things are crazy sometimes and you have to flexible with your time.. Overall a very doable program. If you come to Wagner you will meet me, the senior 2nd degree class usually comes in and answers questions for the new cohort.. So feel free to post more questions if you have them, or point out anything I missed.. Good luck

Deana Marie My advice is--- don't fall behind and make the program a top priority...

Deana Marie, I don't think that getting above a 77% is a problem. But its always the pressure of always having to do well. I think those who didn't get the grades needed or failed out, lacked the motivation to study enough. If you study hard and do practice problems you should do fine.. It will be challenging, but if you want it bad enough it shouldn't be a problem.. Good luck with everything..

But there are lots of people who had low 3.0 for there GPA in both undergrad and Prereqs and made it in..

Poettree, I had a 4.0 in my prereqs and a 3.4 in undergrad.. Program starts in August and you graduate the following December.

Congrats Deana on getting accepted.. First semester is monday-thursday.. If you work this will probably be the only semester in which you can squeeze a few hrs in.. Don't start on site clinical until the 6th week.. You will have one class a day plus a clinical... Overall the load isn't bad, but it takes a minute to get adjusted to the craziness.. And the program is about 55 -60 k, but the school gives you a 10 percent discount every semester..

1). Being second degree students we are not eligible for some of the grants, but you can get secondary loans and stafford loans. Most of my classmates needed to take loans from banks to cover the cost of tuition. I have G.I bill from previous military service that helps me cover tuition plus Stafford loans. I would contact the financial aid office, they may have additional information. [email protected] (718) 390-3183 2 The teas exam format changed since I took it. So I have heard its more like the NET's exam. If you are concerned you can get the study guide from ATI test website. I used their study guide when I took it and it was very similar to the actual test.. ( even a couple identical questions). 3). I came from another state, and just rented a room in an house off campus.. Takes me about 5 min by car or 15 min bus ride to campus.. Dorms are expensive and you have to share a room, chances are you will be a lot older then your roommate and I personally didn't want to deal with that. But two people in the accelerated program live on campus, everyone else lives off campus... If there is anything else, just ask.....

Jva13, Well I like the small classes, I feel that they benefit you and allow for more individualized attention. Most of the professors are awesome, the pediatrics professor was an issue, but she has since improved her teaching methods. I expected a little more from this school, especially since it is so expensive.. I am happy that I came though. -- Just a few things you should know that they always fail to tell you.. 1st.. Passing is a 77, if you fail any class at any point you are held back for a year. 2nd. You must enroll in ATI, which is and extra $420.00, and take standardized test every semester.. These count toward your final grade in the class. 3rd. In the last semester you have to pass an ATI COMP test, if you fail you can retest, but after that you have to take a semester of remediation and that costs more $$... Finally if you pass everything and graduate, you have to enroll into a NCLEX review program (i.e Kaplan). The Accelerated program is very fast paced, but after a few weeks you will get used to the madness. The second semester has a high fail out rate (peds, OB, MED- Surg), and is a lot of work.. Despite all the listed above I am happy I came, work hard and you will be fine no matter where you go.. Hope I didn't scare you off. Looking forward to seeing you around next semester.. P.S. If you think of any specific question please feel free to ask. I will give you my honest opinion..

Hello you two.. My name is Miguel and I am currently in the accelerated 2nd degree program at Wagner. If you have any questions about the program please let me know. It is my understanding that 2nd degree's are the only ones that interview. And I interviewed in April of 2010 and have my letter of acceptance three weeks later.. So it shouldn't take to long, just be patient. Miguel

Hello to all, Last year at the age of 26 I decided to change the direction of my life and pursue nursing. I got accepting into a 2nd degree program in NYC, I start in Aug 2010. I am 27 and will be 28 when I graduate. I can't lie, Im a little nervous, but I am going to blog and do a video diary of my experience as a male nursing student. I will post a link and start a thread on this site, I hope you guys follow my journey... Good luck to everyone who is trying to get in, and congrats to those who are already in.

So I am finishing up my last two pre-reqs and I am applying very soon. I was just curious what kind of GPA those that got accepted had? I would like to see how I stack up.. Thanks for the help.. Love this site..

I will be two months shy of 28..