JQ_RN

Hey MLB4 I was wondering, did you ever interview for any of those residency programs? If so do you have any information? Thanks

Hi I'm a new RN, the job market is very tough. I have been applying for job for about 5 months, so many I lost count. Probably over 300. I've applied mostly to new grad postings, maybe about 85% the remaining were regular postings in hospitals, nursing homes, clinics, rehab centers, ect. I have had so far 5 interviews, 3 @ nursing homes, one for a new grad position and one RN residency. I've heard back from one nursing home for a second interview and a rejection from the new grad posting which was a rejection I should be hearing back from the rn residency hopefully next week....currently praying for this position. So in conclusion so far no job offers... yet

Thanks.... i already work @ Advocate and will be graduating in December.... ~fingers crossed~ Hopefully you get good news :)

Do you guys know if there are considering RNs with an ADN?

hmmm it depends, I actually work about 24 hrs per week and on my days off I would study an average of 5 hrs per day for a total of about 15 hrs of studying per week and thats besides the hrs spent reading weekly chapters.

I have just finished my first semester of NS @ Harper, and I loved it. It was hard but doable. I started school with the mentality that it was going to be hard, so I started to study hard from the beginning. The teachers are great and very helpful, they care about your success. The first 8 weeks of school are a lot "easier" than the second eight weeks b/c that's when clinicals start so you have to learn how to manage your time, especially if you work. Patho is a hard class that requieres a lot of studying but its very interesting. Good Luck, any questions feel free to ask me!

I can honeslty say I agree with you, I LOVE NURSING SCHOOL!!! :redpinkhe I am just finishing up my first semester of nursing school, and yes it is very challenging but I just love going to school everyday, I love clinicals, and learning new things everyday. I specially like making a difference in my patients lives. I hope I can continue to love nursing school throughout all these upcoming semesters, I know its going to be difficult but I have a goal to accomplish which is being an RN. Good luck to all of you in nursing school :stdnrsrck:

Hi Girls I have another question , i was just wondering about how much money you spent on your books? I was looking into the bookstore and saw a lot of books plus the nursing bundle for nur110/111/112, are they extra from the ones listed on each of the courses individually or a combination? Im confused ! Any information would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks for the info cityof_wonder, I am so motivated and nervous at the same time. I will start reviewing some of the cna skills cause I haven't used them in a while.

Thxs itsa307 and cityof_wonder for all your great advice. I am so excited to start and although I know its gonna be hard I'm gonna give it my all in order to succeed, it's hard getting into nursing school but the real journey begins when you are actually in the program. I will definitely keep in mind all your recommendations in order to prepare for school. How soon after school starts is the Cna skill test and how soon can you start practicing? I have clinicals at St. Alexius Medical Center on Thursday evenings, hopefully I'll have a good instructor as well.

Hi itsa307 Thank you for responding so quickly. I registered for Nur110-Nur111 on tuesday mornings, Nur 112 on Monday morning and Thursday evenings and nur180 on Mondays evening. I'm so glad the first semester doesn't take everyday of the week! Thanks so much for all the advice provided, it's seems like you are really enjoying your first semester. I have already started asking for christmas gifts that are related to nursing school, lol. I have a couple of questions is you don't mind answering. When and where do you buy your uniforms from, do you need specific type of shoes, and how hard has it been? I haven't received my official letter in the mail yet so I don't have any information on anything, I don't know when I'll have orientation and all that so if you have some info on what the letter contains I would appreciate it. I know it's been quite a while since you received that letter yourself. Well thank you so much for responding, good luck in the rest of the semester.

Hi girls, It's been a long time since anyone posted here, I just wanted to see how everyone is doing in their first semester? I got in for Spring 2011 and I'm so excited yet nervous. I haven't received my official letter yet but I have registered for classes. Any advice anyone wishes to share? Thanks:)

OMG, I JUST HAD TO SHARE THIS..... GIRLS I GOT ACCEPTED!!!!!!:dancgrp: I cant believe it, I am super happy. I can't wait for Spring 2011 to come, I already registered for classes and spoke to my boss regarding my new schedule since they are willing to work with me on this. There are absolutely no words to describe this feeling. I can't stop smilling.

Hey emiliisawesome Congratulations on your acceptance Thank you very much for responding, I am so worried about getting into the program because I have already been denied admission once, not at harper though. I want to get in already and start my way to the career path I chose. I know it'll be really tough but I am willing to make all the necessary sacrificies to get through nursing school as I'm sure you are too. My nln score was in the 80s but I have pretty decent grades on both anatomy and physiology. I am also currently taking micro so I hope I can be admitted. Wish me luck!

Hi guys, and congratulations to all that got in. I have just applied to harper and I'm waiting until after December 20th to get a response. I hope I get in for Spring 2011. Can anyone that got in tell me what the average score to get in is? I am so nervous cause I don't know if I will make the cutoff. Also can anyone tell me how the schedules for Spring look like. I work part-time and I'm kind of worried that if I get in I won't get much notice in advance to let my boss know about my schedule change. Any information will be greatly appreciated. Thanks:yeah:

Hey, I am trying to apply to Harper, I see they have extended their deadlines, I was wondering if anyone of you got into Harper. I just visited their website and saw how they calculate their applicants. Do you know what the cutoff is? I know the highest is 90 points and the lowest is 20, I just want to know if anyone has any information on this, Thanks.

Well its somewhat discouranging but not the end of the world, i just have to retake the nln and try to score higher. I am not too good at math so that may be where I may need to get some tutoring for . I did not apply for Spring session b/c my nln score isn't in the 90's and I didn't take the nln again so I'll just retake it again in Jan or Feb and apply for fall 2011. What would be your suggestions to improve the scores in the nln as it seems you might have scored pretty good. I need to get at least a 90% to feel like I might have a chance because the 80s are just too risky. I hope u get in for Spring session, I can't wait to also get in! :)

Spring semester is very hard to get in because you have to get a really high nln score, I would have to say a minimum of 94% and up. I talked to an advisor recently and she said that all student information is entered in the system and the computer selects the students with the highest nln scores. That is how oakotn chooses who gets in for the upcoming nursing classes. In Spring they take 25-30 students based on how many lpn students they have for spring session. The nursing advisor told me that about 25 students get in to the spring session and that the lowest nln score that gets looked at varies year after year. She mentioned that one of the advantage to applying to the Spring session is that they have considerable less amount of students applying. I applied for fall semester however did not get into that session b/c i did not have a very high nln score. The lowest that was accepted for fall 2010 was an 89% whereareas fall 2009 the lowest score was an 81%.Hope this info. helped.

I took all of those classes in Spring semester, it was pretty hard but not impossible. Pharmacology is a very hard class and I think it's better to take after both A&P are done because pharmacology is all about how the drugs work in the your system and it's very complicated. I managed to take all of these courses together but it was very hard. I would prob. advice you take ap2 first and then follow with pharmacology while its still fresh.

I am also taking Micro over the fall and the book we'll be using is "Microbiology an Introduction by Tortora". I am really looking forward to this class as is my last pre-req... yey....

I am currently 23 yrs old and wanted to be a nurse since I was in high school, however I didn't think I was capable of doing it and never went with it. I actually got talked out of my dream by an advisor from a University that talked me into going to Business Administration w/ a concentrantion in Healthcare, however I never took it seriously and for "personal reasons" stopped going to school in 2007 right before my second son was born. In 2008 I started working in a hospital and thats when I realized that working in the healthcare field was my passion. I love having a job in where you are dealing with an individuals personal well being and working hard to succeed. I started taking my pre-reqs in Spring 2009 at my local CC, I applied for NS 2010 however I wasn't accepted, I was very dissapointed and brought me down making me doubt myself once again. However I am not going to give up and I will make my dream come true. I regret not making the decision to get into NS right after HS which is why I am encouraging my sister to follow her dream right after hs, she also wants to be a nurse. Hopefully I will get in next Spring if not then fall, who knows!

Hey fulloflifelove, I am actually looking into the lpn program at the humbolt park location through carreras de salud, since you went there do you mind sharing your experiences of the program. I was told I was a very strong candidate and that it was very possible that if I apply now I would be getting in for the program that starts in Spring of 2011. They also told me that they help you get your LPN to RN after you have finished their LPN program. Any informantion would be greatly appreciated, thank you!

Ok so after reading through this thread, I've gathered some usefull information to help me prepare for my upcoming nln test. This is the second time I will taking this test because the first time wasnt good enough for my school. I received a 119 composite score and in the 81% so now I will need to retake it. Does anyone know if it's possible to increase my score to a high 90% or is that too much to ask. I will be studying very hard over the summer from the nln book as well as kaplan nursing guide since it has very good pointers and studying stategies. I will also follow some of the advice posted on here such as obtaining a tutor in math since I am not very quick at math. The science part of the exam was very hard for me as I had not taken a science class for 5yrs, however I am currently taking a&p2 and I think I am much more prepared now. The only problem is that I have a lot of pressure because for Spring my school only takes 24 students and the lowest score is usually a 92%. Can someone please offer some words of adivice. It will be greatly appreciate as I am bumbed I didnt get in for fall 2010 and want to be good enough to get in for Spring.

I might be kinda late @ answering your post, I had commented previously before I took the nln. However I took the nln and obtained an 119 composite score or in the 81%! I applied for the nursing program for fall 2010 along with a friend of mine who got a 114 composite score and we both didn't get in. I would suggest retaking the test and try to get a higher score. This year the lowest score they took was an 89% per a nursing advisor. And for spring the lowest score is usually 92% or higher. I am going to retake the nln in order to get a higher score..... I will also suggest to look into other schools and apply there too, don't put all your eggs in one basket, distribuite. Good Luck!

EricaB and cityof_wonder thank you for your responses, it is very much appreciated. I think Harper college has a very good way of selecting their future nursing students since they look at the overall history of their students and can judge fairly. At my school they mainly look at the nln scores which is not really that fair I would think but who knows, every school is different. Cityof_wonder which hospital do you work for? How do they help you get into a nursing program? I have my cna certification but haven't really worked as one yet although I would love to get some experience with direct patient care. I currently work for a hospital as a patient care assistant but it does not really provide patient care directly.