LikesToWander

No, this was at a community college. And I didn't end up paying $500 at once. We have to pay $125 per semester for 4 semesters.

Hi, I took both the GED and TEAS test and I found the TEAS test to be more difficult. I did really well on the GED, but did poorly on the TEAS. I think I did poorly on the math section on the TEAS because it seemed to me there were more word problems and I am horrible with word problems. I don't know why I did so much better on the GED. I would suggest buying the ATI TEAS study book though, and see what the format of the TEAS is compared to the GED. Good luck!

Hi all, Thanks for your input. The previous CC would only allow me to cover my tattoos with make-up. The only problem with covering up with make-up is I couldn't find any make-up that would withstand repeated hand washing, as the two tattoos are right under my thumbs when I wash my wrist. It is the school's uniform policy for students to wear 3/4 length sleeves. I knew about the policy before going into the program, but the head of the nursing department told me to cover the one tattoo with a watch and the other two make-up and told me I wouldln't have a problem. The make-up she told me to use washed right off. She told me the tattoos had to be covered up during clinicals, but she never told me they had to be covered during skills testing on campus so the watch idea went right out the window. I have inquired into the local clinical sites' uniform policies and they allow their nurses to wear full length long sleeves, so there would be no need to use make-up to cover them. Other colleges around me allow their students to wear a lab coat with full length sleeves or a white cardigan over their uniform top. The tattoos aren't offensive at all- just a floral band that goes all the way around my left wrist like a bracelet and two Kanji symbols that are each smaller than a quarter close to my left hand. I am looking into getting the tattoos removed to avoid further trouble in the future, but I need to save the $1500+ to pay for the removal. I will probably end up just going straight for my BSN; I'm just dragging my feet at the thought of 4 years more of schooling, haha. Thanks for the suggestions! :)

Hi, I was accepted into my CC's Spring 2011 ADN nursing program. I posted a thread on here somewhere about my tattoo story, but long story short, I had to withdraw from the program four weeks into the program because I was unable to cover my tattoos per the school's uniform policy and some "mis-advising" of the head of the nursing department. Anyway, I've been looking into other nursing programs around me (and their uniform/tattoo policies, which are not as strict as my old program's policies) to continue pursuing my dream of becoming a nurse. Here are my options: The closest CC near me does not allow out of county residents to apply to their program, at all. 1. The next closest CC is an hour away from me and I would either have to commute or live on campus in a dorm. Considering the price of gas these days, I wouldn't want to commute. I am also 28, so the idea of rooming with the younger population for 2 years doesn't appeal to me. But I am considering this CC, and hoping most of my pre-req's will transfer and I could get financial aid/loans for tuition and room and board. 2. I am also considering getting my LPN, instead of getting my RN for right now. The program is around $11,000 and I'd have to get financial aid and/or loans. Now, I'm pretty much set on becoming an RN in the future. Would spending that much money be a waste if I decided to get my BSN, which is my next option? The BSN program is at a private college so I would be paying $11,000 for the LPN program,plus like $30-40,000 in tuition if I chose the LPN-BSN option they offer at the private college. But I would be able to work as an LPN part-time and do the LPN-BSN evening and weekend program. 3. I am also considering skipping the LPN option and just going for my BSN. The only problem with this is, I don't know if I want to go to school for 4 years at my age- I am not getting any younger . I was going to take a CNA course (if I don't go for my LPN) and would be working as a CNA while I get my BSN. If you got this far, thank you! I know not everyone is the same, but what would you suggest? I wish every day I had never gotten these tattoos, as I would be nearing the end of my first semester of my ADN program if I had continued in the program. Stupid mistakes of the past can jump out and bite you in the future!

Oh my god! This is the school that kicked me out! Apparently OCCC is notorious for accepting students with visible tattoos then telling them they cannot continue in the program because OCCC doesn't give them any viable options to realistically cover their tattoos. I was told by a guy working in the bookstore that I was the third person in this semester that had to leave the program because of my tattoos. I sent in an appeal to get my tuition reimbursed, but was denied. I'm currently in the process of doing a second appeal. I am also going to go to The Times Herald Record and tell my story. I don't know if I can post my email, but maybe we should discuss this together and go to the paper. I wish I could find the other students that got kicked out of the program and do something about it!

Hi, I am not a guy, but I would strongly advise against getting any more visible tattoos, unless your facility allows you to wear long sleeves or something else to cover up. I have two visible tattoos on my left wrist/arm and have had nothing but problems with them- at both school and work. I got kicked out of my nursing program due to my tattoos and I posted a thread back in February about what happened to me. Long story short, the only way I was allowed to cover my tattoos was with make-up. Alas, I couldn't find any make-up to cover my wrist tattoo that could withstand repeated hand washing. At my school they wouldn't allow me to wear long sleeves or use a band-aid to cover my tattoos because of the germ factor. Their uniform policy only allows students to wear white 3/4 sleeved tops under the uniforms, which didn't cover my tattoos. The tattoos even had to be covered during my skills testing, in addition to clinicals. After I left school I worked as a cook in a chain restaurant and in June they are implementing a no visible tattoo policy- even if you work in the kitchen where the public doesn't see you! So yeah, I have had nothing but bad luck with these tattoos. I love my tattoos and I have 7 of them, but I'm thinking of spending the $2000 to get the visible ones removed to I can follow my dream of becoming a nurse. Or move out of this area.

I think the location of the tattoo is interfering with the cover up makeup. I have no problem with the cover up on the one that is further up my wrist, but when I put cover up on the one that is closer to my hand, it washes off. The friction and pressure caused by my thumb, when I wash my inner wrist, rubs the make up off. I'm glad I got out when I did because I would have hate to have gotten further and then have a problem when I have to scrub my arms for sterile/surgical procedures or something. Chrissy

Hi everyone, Thanks for all the advice and suggestions! I withdrew from class, as I talked with the VP of health professions and he said there was nothing I could do about covering the tattoos other than using make-up. It really angers me because he said this has happened to other students. I also talked to a college adviser and he told me a story about a guy that had tattoo sleeves on both arms and tattoos on both hands and the nursing department clearly knew there was no way he could cover all those tattoos according to their uniform policy- no long sleeves. They let him register for class and pay his tuition. A week into class they pulled him aside and told him he could no longer continue. It seems like they want to protect themselves against discrimination by allowing us to enroll in the program and then after we discover we have no way to cover the tattoos, they kick us out. I was told by my college adviser to write a letter to the president of the college and inform him of what is happening because he might not even be aware that this is going on. It might not change anything, but I will feel better that he knows. My college adviser told me he has secretly asked around at the local hospitals about this matter because so many students are having a problem and a lot of the hospitals around here have a no visible tattoo policy, but they are not enforced. I just have to get through nursing school to find a hospital that will hire me, even if I have a hard time finding one. I think that should be my problem, not the school's. Tattoo removal is not an option for me at this point. Maybe in the future I will be able to save up and pay the $2000 that it will take to have them removed. In the meantime, I have to be put an appeal in to try and get my tuition back. Of course I will have to take a loss on all the money I've spent on supplies and the $1000 I spent in books, but a little money back is better than nothing. I'm looking into other schools in my area and their tattoo policies. I may even have to go for my LPN instead of my RN as the LPN school in my area is less strict in their tattoo policy. Thanks again, and thank you for reading if you got this far! ) Chrissy

Hi, So 4 weeks ago I started my first semester of nursing school. I got accepted into the program in November and had orientation on December 16. The head of the nursing department was the one holding the orientation. Now, I have tattoos on my left wrist- 2 small black Kanji tattoos that are close to my hand on my inner wrist and the second is a floral band that wraps all around my wrist above the Kanji tattoos. I was very nervous to show her them, because I knew they have a strict no visible tattoo policy. I showed her my tattoos and she said to cover the floral one with a watch that has a wide, stretchy band and cover the other ones with Dermablend for clinicals. She made me feel better about the tattoos so I registered for classes and paid my tuition. I bought my books, supplies, and uniform. I bought Dermablend to cover my tattoos. Spent about $3,000 for the semester all in all, not to mention all the money I spent on pre-req's. All I had to do was wait for classes to start. Fast forward to Week 3 of NS and we have our first skills test, and there is a major problem with covering my tattoos. The Dermablend did NOT work. Neither did any of the other products I bought to cover my tattoos. My instructors wouldn't even let me test for hand washing. After my second attempt at trying to cover the tattoos and take the test, my instructor took me to the head of the nursing department. She didn't remember me at first, but then she remembered seeing my tattoos at orientation. She insisted that Dermabland has worked for other students in the past, so it should work for me. I told her I have tried everything I could to cover them and nothing worked. She wouldn't let me use a band-aid for the smaller tattoos, wear long sleeves, wear a lab coat, nothing. Just make-up and if I couldn't cover up my tattoos with make up then I couldn't continue in the program. She said it's the clinical site's policy to not allow visible tattoos, not the college's. So I cannot continue in the program and I'm out. Now, I believe she should have told me when she saw my tattoos that were going to be a problem. She also never told me I had to cover them during testing, only at clinical. Should I just let the matter drop and take a loss or fight back and try to get some of my tuition money back? Any thoughts, suggestions? I know there are nurses out there that have tattoos, even if they are covered under long sleeves. Chrissy

I recommend the Outlander series as well! The main character, Claire, is a WWI nurse and gets sent back in time to the 1700's. I especially loved the nursing descriptions! Very interesting.

Hi, I'm starting my first semester of NS on the 18th of this month. I've bought all of my textbooks except for one. We are required to buy Kaplan Nursing The Basics Book. We are only allowed to buy it at our campus bookstore and have to show a paid receipt to our instructor on the first day of class. The book list states that "this will allow for online secure access to Kaplan homepage which provides study skills workshops, practice tests, secured tests, test results, remediation resources, and NCLEX-RN prep materials." Is this the $499 package that Kaplan offers on their site? I'm not very familiar with Kaplan and I was wondering if anyone can explain it to me? Another question I have is, why are they making us buy this program in the first semester? Not to be too pessimistic, but some of us aren't going to make it through NS. Things in life happen. Why is it a requirement to purchase a $500 NCLEX review so early on? I've already spent $600 on my textbooks, plus I've spent a ton of money on NS supplies, uniform, vaccinations, background checks, drug screenings, etc. Is anyone else required to buy this or is it optional? Thanks for reading! Chrissy

Hi, We had to go to a mandatory general meeting for the nursing program and I kid you not, one of the first topics of discussion was about tattoos. The head of the nursing department went on and on about how tattoos MUST be covered and if you cannot cover them or have them removed, you will not be allowed to participate in clinicals. So, yes, I think this policy will be strictly enforced. I don't understand why we aren't allowed to wear long sleeves though, only 3/4 sleeves. I'm the type who is always cold, so I'm hoping they don't strictly enforce this rule. I can't believe how strict my school is with their uniform policy, especially because it's only a CC and not some prestigious medical university! Chrissy

Hi, I'm starting NS in January and my school has a strict no visible tattoo policy. I have two wrist tattoos on one arm and I have no idea how to cover them. We are not allowed to wear long sleeves, including lab coats. We are only allowed to wear 3/4 length sleeves under our uniform shirts. We are also not allowed to wear wide watch bands, only narrow bands, which I was how I was going to cover one tattoo with. I tried Kat Von D's tattoo concealer but didn't like it because it wasn't dark enough to cover my tats. I'm going to try Dermablend and ColorTration. I need a cover-up that will withstand all the hand washing and soap. I've read rubbing alcohol is needed to wash off the ColorTration, but I'm not sure what cleans the Dermablend off. Of course, the downside to all of these concealers is they are all very expensive and if you have sleeves, you are pretty much screwed. $50 is a lot of money to spend on a product only to find out it doesn't work. Good luck in your search and maybe one day clinical sites/instructors/NS will join us in the 21st century and accept tattoos in the workplace :) Chrissy

Well, I took the TEAS Version V last month and failed with a 63.4% I have a 4.0 in all of my math and science pre-reqs, but have a 3.83 overall GPA (stupid English-I'm not much of an essay writer). I have been asked by all of my college professors to be a peer tutor. I don't know why I did so bad on the TEAS, but I do know I am horrible at timed tests. I guess I'm just not smart enough to become a nurse after all.

Hi, So I took the TEAS v.5 for the first time today and failed with a 63.3% My school requires a 67% to pass, which I thought was extremely low and scoffed at such a low number, but I guess I was put in my place. I used the ATI v.5 study guide and the McGraw Hill pre-nursing entrance exam study guide before the test. The math and science portions killed me. I ran out of time during the math portion and guessed at quite a few questions. I don't know how I did so poorly on this test. Does anyone have any other study guides they could recommend to me to use for my next attempt? Are SAT or GED study guides helpful? I thought the questions in the ATI guide were structured much differently than in the actual test. I hate that this one test screwed up my chances of being considered for the Spring 2011 semester. I have all my pre-req's done and have a 3.83 gpa. I don't think its fair that I put all this hard work into my pre-req's and just one test sunk me. Also, not to be too nosy, but does the test cost the same every where? I paid $50 and was curious as to if the test is the same amount at every school. Now I have to wait 45 days to retake the exam to apply for the Fall 2011 program. I guess at least now I know what to expect for next time.