rwbglock23

HURST Review or Kaplan. It will cost between $350 & $500 but you will likely pass the NCLEX after either one. Hurst claims to have a 98% pass rate and I have yet to speak with anyone who has done Hurst and has not passed first time. If that don't work you could always move out of Nevada and take the test in AZ, UT, CA, or wherever but you only get 3 chances in NV before they force you to take a refresher course. Oh and there isn't any nursing school in NV that offers a refresher course...catch 22. Good luck.

I don't think you will need much more than yourself and to be on time. Oh and of course bring cash for the breakfast and lunch food we will have for sale!!

Congratulations to all of you coming into the ADN program for Fall 2010! I am VERY late sending this email but the Student Nurses' Association will be having a BAKE SALE throughout the entire day tomorrow! We will have breakfast and lunch to serve at VERY reasonable prices so PLEASE BRING CASH and plan to eat our food! This way you aren't late coming in the morning or late coming back in the afternoon. See you all tomorrow!

Hi Everyone, I used to keep up with posts on this site, that was before starting the ADN program at CSN! I will try to keep you all up to date with information I know of for sure between now and when you hear about acceptance into Fall 2010. First I would like to introduce myself, my name is Robert Bacon and I am currently in 2nd semester full time and I am the President of the CSN Student Nurses' Association as well as the Nevada Student Nurses' Association. With that said, if you would like to join the SNA before you start your program we would LOVE to see you at our meetings. I will be posting a flyer sometime this week or next about how to get more information on the SNA around the West Charleston Campus. Joining the SNA not only offers you a chance to talk to students who are already in the program, but you will meet some staff, and to make it all that much better you can earn extra credit towards your nursing classes for participation. Ok enough of that rant for now. Let me see if I can answer some questions. mmt4 - yes you are correct about only being allowed to apply to 1 limited entry program at a time. They are all seperate departments and like to keep it as simple as possible so there is no confusion among the health science departments. Also, if you are enrolled in 189, even in the same semester, you can enroll in the class you need to take that requires 189 as a pre-req. Unless they changed that, which I don't think they did, you can say enroll in 189 for Fall 2010 and then as soon as you are confirmed on web registration you can sign up to take 251 the same semester. I know that if you get into the ADN program you can take 251 as late as 2nd semester or at the same time you take 115 (Med Surg I) if you are part time. And yes, the part time classes are held during the evenings and weekends. Ok well I hope I helped out a little bit at least. I will be posting more in the near future because I want to keep everyone informed as to when the acceptance letters for Fall 2010 are going out and what to expect at orientation. If you do get in for Fall 2010, mark my words now, take what time you have from now till August 28th to relax your brain as much as possible. I don't care how smart you are, how smart you think you are, whatever experience you have, had, will have, YOU are going to be SUPER BUSY the first semester. If you aren't super busy first semester, well you probably won't make it through the semester. If you haven't heard this before, listen closely...NURSING SCHOOL IS NOT EASY!!!! I came into this with more years experience than I would like to admit and though the clinical aspect is not that difficult, the shear VOLUME of work, deadlines, papers, care plans/concept maps, drug cards, ok I will stop there so you don't change your mind but you get my point. GOOD LUCK and I hope to see one or ALL of you soon. If you want more information about the Student Nurses' Association please send me a message anytime. Robert Bacon, President NV & CSN SNA

Andy is spot on. If you are already in the nursing program full time and wish to take a class over the summer it is done by lottery for the few slots they "may" have open. I think it also depends on the success of the part time class during the semester before that determines availability. With that said, the class starting this Spring part time will be taking either 115 or 243 over the summer (not sure) and the part time class that started in the Fall of 09 will be taking Peds. As Andy said though, it won't allow you to graduate faster, it just allows you to take one of the 2 classes you would normally take in the next semester.

sorry I forgot. You can go to www.nvsna.org and click on the tab convention to find more information and possibly pay online, or you can pay at the door the day of. Or of course you can email/contact me!

Go with what WTXgrl said and buy the books from the bookstore. Elsevier makes it so that you can not purchase the books anywhere else but from them in some way, shape or form. I wanted to sell my books from last semester because I only used them on my computer but of course they have a fail safe to prevent that $869 loss that God knows they can't afford... I won't get started with that. Congrats again on getting in. Keep reading little by little because it will get to a point where you don't possibly have time to read and watch all the videos that you have to and study for both 101 and 125 tests which are in the same week for the first 3 exams to make it all more difficult. Looking back the material is VERY easy, however it is the stress that will be put on you to juggle studying for 2 exams in the same week (usually) is what makes it so difficult. Pace yourself because there isn't a single week you are going to be able to slack off (not even spring break). If you would really like to learn different and great ways to study to be successful you should join the school student nurses' association. I plan to have study sessions each week during school through this entire semester (one in the am and one in the evening). Our SNA is having the back pack station the first week of school. It is a great way to meet your fellow classmates from all semesters and to get yourself even more excited! If you are interested in helping out and learning how to earn extra credit toward your final 101 grade let me know . Or you can sign up in the K building where the mailboxes are located. Also, the state student nurses' association is having its first convention on Jan. 16th. There will be a VERY helpful NCLEX review which I have said a million times and I apologize if you have already heard but it is worth the money. EVERY test you take in nursing school is NCLEX style, so don't think that it won't benefit you because you aren't taking the NCLEX test for 2 years...it does help. Plus theauthor of Pharmacology Made Insanely Easy will be teaching a class in the afternoon... Again, good luck and I look forward to meeting you all during the first week of class at the back pack station near the book store! Rob President, CSN SNA

Oh and I just read the postings here so I will put my 2 cents in. Yes 101 and Pharmacology are hard, but not impossible. Don't get all worked up and anxious about what people say about this program. If you stay organized and read the material (and there is more than you can possibly read in the time you get) you will do just fine. With that being said, and I have mentioned this before in other blogs, I am the president of CSN Student Nurses' Association. We talked to you at your orientation ( I was vice president at the time) and told you about the SNA. We are planning to hold study and mentoring sessions every Friday this Spring. One session in the daytime and one in the evening for those that work. Again, don't feel like you can not do this. People in my class worked full time and still made it through (barely) but they did it. We (CSN SNA) are there to support you in any way we can. I will be more than happy to meet or talk to anyone about the best way to organize yourself with studying because it does matter how you stay organized. If you do ANYTHING this new year, you should definately come to the state convention at CSN West Charleston on January 16th from 0700 till 1800, it will cost $50 at the door and will be the best $50 you have EVER spent in your life. You will learn test taking strategies for the NCLEX style tests, which all the tests in first semester are NCLEX, and Sylvia Rayfield the author of Pharmacology Made Insanely Easy will do a seminar on Pharmacology. Trust me, even if you have experience with meds, you will benefit from this because Pharmacology is difficult. You can see the flyer at www.nvsna.org under the tab named "convention". Also, the SNA will be hosting the back pack station like we do every semester just outside the WC bookstore from January 19-22 from 0700 to 2000. You can earn 5 points for every 4 hours you volunteer that goes toward earning extra credit for ALL clinical/didactic courses like 101, 115, 243, etc...As a member you can participate with very minimum time away from studying and get 4 points toward your grade. It can LITERALLY move you up an entire letter grade, it has been done. If you are interested in becoming an officer which requires only a bit more time, you are eligible for 6 points extra credit at the end of the semester and trust me it really helps. Ok well that was way too much information and I apologize for being long winded but there is a ton of information that is helpful to you new students you just have to look in the right place...like the CSN SNA! You can contact me via PM or using the email icon (below my name).

attention nevada nursing students!! hello everyone, my name is rob and i am the vice president of csn's student nurses' association. i would like to invite and encourage all nursing students and recent graduates of the state of nevada to attend the first ever :yeah:nevada student nurses' association convention. this event is being held saturday, january 16, 2010 at the college of southern nevada's west charleston campus and will last all day long. if you are a member of your schools student nurses' association or not, you will surely benefit from this event. there will be a mini nclex review, acid base imbalances and test taking strategies by hurst review, as well as a nursing specialty panel, and of course some speakers and potential employers alike!! all this for only $40 if you pay online at www.nvsna.org before december 15, 2009, or $50 at the door. please find an excuse to come to vegas and relax for the weekend before next semester begins, and help us make our first ever state convention a success! if you have any questions feel free to check out the website at www.nvsna.org or email the president at [color=#1f58b8][email protected] and of course you can post comments on this site if you would like. if you are a member of nsna at your school in nevada i would love to hear from you to know what your organization is doing and if you have been participating with the state. thank you all for viewing!

congrats ya'll!! see you November 6th at your orientation...hope you all come say hi and buy food from us at the bake sale! Rob

no hot dogs this year...sorry. we decided to go bigger and better. there will be bbq pulled pork and chicken sandwiches with a bag of chips of choice and drink of choice for $5. I think that is a great deal for a REAL meal, but that is my opinion. We will be cooking the food in a crock pot overnight to ensure it is of the best quality. Last year they did pizza and it wasn't all that great. There will also be baked goods like cookies, pumpkin bread, brownies, muffins, bagels, and things of that nature. See you guys soon!!!

If you guys/gals have still yet to hear from CSN about whether you got in or not, I would like to be the first to congratulate those of you who were accepted. As far as the numbers go, not sure about over 200, that may have been the total number submitted? I do know that we, CSN NSNA, put flyers about our bake sale on November 6th, when you all have your first orientation!!! We submitted 170 flyers and as far as I know, and I hope I don't get in trouble for saying this, the packets will start going out today, Friday, October 23rd. With that being said, I would assume that they are going to be calling you starting today, or if they are really busy, on Monday. It really isn't a big deal if you miss the call, they will leave a message. I am excited for you all, because that means I will be one semester closer to graduating!! Ok so here is the part that sucks. If you don't get in, there will be a decent size loss of students during week 7 with the math calculations test, as mia70 said, but you still won't get into the program. Vegas2009, you are correct, there are students in my class, particularly Pharmacology, that are on "learning contracts" and have to score a certain percentage on each of the next 2 tests as determined by our professor. They too will likely be the next victims, as much as I would hate to see that happen to them. My advice to avoid worrying about failing once you get in though is this: take the toolbox for success class in the winter (assuming it's still offered) it is only about 4 or 5 weeks long and it is worth EVERY penny; when you start the program you will get a form from 101 that is called NCLEX test taking tips from Drexel University(this is crucial information) EVERY test you take in nursing school is an NCLEX style test. If you aren't familiar look it up on google and see what you can find. You can answer these questions strategically, and with the information you will know from reading, attending class, and extra studies you will be able to easily pass these tests. As mia70 said, get your rest now, you will need it. If you are working a full time job, I would consider options to quit and get a loan, I was working full time and decided that school was more important for the next 2 years but I had that option. Good luck and make sure you post as soon as you find out you have been accepted!! See you November 6th...make sure you bring cash with you to help support CSN NSNA. There will be breakfast items like bagels, and lunch items like BBQ pulled pork and pulled chicken, chips, soda, water, brownies, cookies and other yummy baked goods!!! Rob

I am the full time 101 rep and vice president of NSNA (which all of you should join, and when you DO get accepted you will meet me on November 6th!) and we just finished our 6th week and 2nd exam in 101 and Pharm. I haven't heard of too many people who have been dropped as of yet, however, this week (week 7) is the drug calculation test and from what I hear we are going to lose a HUGE amount of people. The drug calculations are very simple but people think that because they are so simple they don't need to study at all...then they are gone! I am studying right now, and to be honest with you, yes nursing school does shut you up. I used to post and read this forum everyday before nursing school started and was CRAZY excited like you all are. Now all I do is read, research, study, read, so on and so forth. If you have more than 20 points I would be willing to bet that you will get into the nursing program. They did everything they could just to get 150 students or whatever the number was into our class. Keep your heads up and get ready to completely change your life! I was the guy who studied the night before A&P I & II and Micro and got 100's...not even a chance here in this program. The questions on the test are totally different and are application of the knowledge so it isn't simply memorization, it is memorization and application of that memorization. I got an A (which so you know ahead of time because I didn't an A in nursing school is 93-100, not 90-100) on my first exam and a B on the second for both Pharm and 101. Good luck and I look forward to talking with and meeting all of you on November 6th. Remember to check us out we will be selling all the goodies that day and myself and the president will speak to you all about NSNA. You can check out NSNA online www.nsna.org!! Rob

Talk about a rock and a hard place! I am going to have to agree with Bill4745 on this one, if you don't have prior experience working in the field, and aren't confident that you can handle the worst possible situation and keep your cool, I would say pass on the offer. Just think about this, you will be the ONLY professional in a building with 33 patients who could possible code at any given moment. You will be surrounded by under paid and under trained assistants who may or may not show up to work each day. Unfortunately this means more work for YOU! Good luck with whatever you do!

wilneka- you probably won't ever find out what the minimum points for admission to the ADN program are...they just don't give that info out for some reason. I can tell you from my experience though, I was admitted for this fall 09, that you should apply if you have completed all of your gen. ed. requirements, as well as A&P I & II, Microbiology, and whatever else is a co-req. for the program. Also, if you can score well enough on the TEAS to get a point or two that helps. I still have no idea what the points were to get into the program, I think I had only 21 or 22 and didn't think I stood a chance to get in the full time, or part time which requires higher points because of less seats available. I didn't have my Microbiology or US & NV Const. complete but I scored well on the TEAS and had healthcare experience worth a whopping 1 point! Long story short, apply when you have 20 points or more because more people that have more points won't apply because they are unsure they will get in or they get POOR advice from an advisor who think the points need to be near 30, like one advisor told me! Apply early too, it won't hurt to do so and if you aren't sure you have all the paperwork the lady you turn the papers into will double check. Keep copies of everything you give to her so it will be easier a second or third time applying if necessary. Good luck!

linaya, i sent you a really long email through allnurses.com. hopefully you got it...

I sent you a PM in reply to your last post mia70.

well I am glad that you are still positive...I don't know what I would do if I had to drop out at this point! I would probably have to do something like that!! hope it heals really fast so you can get back to work soon!

:chuckle That is too funny! Well, I have all of the handouts which she kinda substituted for making us take notes. I didn't record anything because frankly she didn't explain the math to us very well at all, and the care plan stuff was actually fairly easy. Math problems got a little more complicated than that and we had to show all the work. For example: Order: 125 mg IM weekly. Child's height and weight: 82 in., 105 lb. Child's drug dosage: 30-50 mg/m2/week Available: 10 mg/ml or 100 mg/ml. (a) What is the child's m2? (b) Is the dose ordered within safe parameters? © Which concentration would you choose? (d) How many ml will the child receive per dose as ordered? OR Infuse dobutamine 250 mg in 500 ml D5W at 10 mcg/kg/min. The patient weighs 143 lb. The concentration of the solution in 500 mcg/ml. How many mcg will be infused per minute? Per hour? How many ml per minute? Per hour? Anyhow, they aren't really that difficult to do when you apply the rules of dimensional analysis and cross multiply correctly. I would be more than happy to share copies of all the stuff with you if you would like. I am full time also, my classes are Tues - Thurs. Tues 12 - 2:50 Lecture, Wed 8 - 10? Pharm, and 11 - 1:50 Lab, Thur 6:45a - 12:45 Clinical. I guess we won't be having any classes together but I will be spending all day at school from Tues - Thurs at minimum anyway. Otherwise I will come home and procrastinate! I am furtunate to have had a TON of experience in health care. I have been an EMT since I was 20, and I worked and volunteered as an EMT for 6 years in New Jersey. I worked in the ER for about 6 months too and the nurses I worked with let me do everything, so I have done every invasive procedure nurses are allowed to do many times already. I have worked as a medical assistant for about 3 years here in NV too. I currently work as a firearms instructor out near Pahrump though, so it is quite the opposite teaching!! Sorry to hear about your CNA class, did that cost a bunch of money? I noticed you had to buy a different uniform for that class, or is it the medical assistant class that has a different uniform?? Anyhow, we will have to meet on Thurs during the ATI review somehow and I will try and bring that information for you to copy if you are interested.

Are you serious?? That totally stinks! I am soo sorry to hear that. Is there no other way you can possible hold out? Have you talked to any of the instructors or your adviser about this? I would hate to see you drop out now when we are just about to start!! Good luck, see you at the meeting??

Yes, I went. I think the math was really helpful, however if you are good at math I am sure you would have found it very easy. They were ALL word problems though...I must warn you! I haven't taken the required math since 2000, so it had been a while for me. We did go over how to write a nursing diagnosis, goals, interventions, and evaluations. Basically all the stuff you need to know to write a care plan, but broken down into pieces. Plus tips for Nurs 101 on how to prepare and what to expect... I think it was worth it, but I wasn't doing anything better so... What block did you get for this semester? Are you full or part time?

bluebirdlv- Ok, so I did a little research into the bylaws of the NSNA. And here is some good information for you. Section 2. Categories of Constituent Membership: Members of the constituent associations shall be: 1. Active members: a) Students enrolled in state approved programs leading to licensure as a registered nurse. b) Registered nurses enrolled in programs leading to a baccalaureate degree with a major in nursing. c) Active members shall have all of the privileges of membership. 2. Associate members: a) Prenursing students, including registered nurses, enrolled in college or university programs designed as preparation for entrance into a program leading to an associate degree, diploma or baccalaureate degree in nursing. b) Associate members shall have all of the privileges of membership except the right to hold office of president and vice president at state and national levels. The annual dues for sustaining members shall be established by the Board of Directors, and shall be paid directly to the NSNA office. $30 per year with $10 of that being sent to the state NSNA in which you will be attending your schooling. Or you can pay $50 for a 2 year membership. As I said earlier, hope to see you at our meeting on Friday the 14th.

:chuckle That is too funny. I will gladly help you with 196, but what are you taking it for? The only reason I took it was because I was considering going to medical school when I first started back. Did you take the nursing toolbox class? If so what time did you have it?

bluebirdlv- you are off to a good start because you have already taken your first class, which is the hardest thing to do when you start back to school after a number of years. Trust me I know...I started back when I was 26 and just got accepted into the nursing program starting this Fall. Granted I had already completed over 2 years of college, I had a period of about 5 years with no school because I was in the Marine Corps. Also, most of my credits that transferred were either too old, or didn't count towards nursing, so I had to take all my science classes over again. Fortunately, and unfortunately Biol 251 (Micro) doesn't require Biol 223 (A&P I) like I (and I am sure most of the staff) believe it should! Having taken Biol 223 prior to Biol 251 was a huge advantage for me, although Biol 251 isn't all that difficult. The advantage was that I hardly had to study as much of the information because it was like review to me, and lab was really easy and enjoyable. Sounds like you are able to take classes full time, which should be a great advantage, as I have been taking them one or two classes per semester the past 3 years. I can't say which route is more difficult but I can tell you both are challenging. The information listed above this post can be used wisely, as mia70 I believe stated, take your TEAS test early. I would suggest taking your math and biology (even if it is basic biol) first because that information will help greatly. However, as she suggested, there will be much less stress knowing you don't HAVE to do well that first time. Plus you will get experience knowing what it feels like preparing for that type of test and it will help you relax knowing it really isn't that difficult. If you do get to come to the NSNA meeting on the 14th, hopefully you will meet one or all of us. I know that one of the others that posted a response to this thread said that she is a Biol tutor, and I took 196 at CSN and almost got 100 percent for my final grade, so I would be happy to help out if possible with understanding more difficult concepts. Though, I am sure the starter class will do the same for you. As previously stated, stay motivated because the time will fly by (whether you do it now or not). Good luck!

bluebirdlv- that is actually a good question. I am quite sure that the NSNA is designed specifically for enrolled nursing students for ADN & BSN programs. However, I do believe that LPN's and pre-nursing students can also apply to help out with CSN's NSNA. My advice would be to show up to the meeting on Friday the 14th at 1 pm. The details are listed above so I won't post them again for the sake of being redundant. Our current president is the state NSNA president also, so he would know for certain whether you should/could join or not. I intend to run for president of CSN NSNA for this upcoming semester and if it were up to me, I would highly encourage pre-nursing students to join and help out. This way you can meet current students, get advice on classes you should take, instructors you should take, and meet nursing program staff members. I wish I would have known about and joined prior to getting accepted. Neither here nor there, one of the main goals of NSNA is to promote nursing practice, and help fellow nursing students excel in the nursing program or towards our ultimate goal of becoming a nurse. I wish you best of luck in your endeavor, and hope to see and meet you soon at our meeting. Stay focused and motivated and you will be starting the program sooner than you think!