kveban

As far as I know with Keiser, if you pass the TEAS and everything else checks out (reference letters, interview etc.) then you are in the Nursing program. You will do your Gen Ed courses first and then when those are finished, you start the actual Nursing program but even while doing your Gen Ed courses, you wear your scrubs - you are considered already in the Nursing program. Good luck!

Sheeco - I am pretty sure that is it - just went to my library's website - that's the name on the book I took out but the year said 2009. Name is the same though - good luck!

Hi - I also want to add to my prior post that another reason I'm glad I decided to go to a private school was because it's only one class at a time instead of having to juggle a few different classes at once, like at a community college. It has made school so much easier for me, someone who is 40 and hasn't been in school for over 20 years.

Hi calif! Well, I don't know much about nursing in Californina but I can only share my own experience with making the decision not to go to nursing school at a community college. I was all set last November to start at my local community college (would have to do pre-reqs first though). I went to pick up my cousin who was having a colonoscopy and in the recovery room, I met a nurse who upon finding out that I was going to attend the local commuity college for nursing school exclaimed "Oh no! You don't want to do that - you'll be on that waiting list forever!" She then went on to explain how even though private school was more expensive, I would probably be working 2 or 3 years earlier and whatever loans I have, I could already start paying them back. She explained how that's a small price to pay for a career that would ultimately compensate me very well and that although I'm 40, I don't have any kids, so paying back a loan should not be a problem. Most people who go to school for good careers end up with loans - I guess I figured why should I be any different. I wanted to be back on my feet and working as soon as possible and quite frankly at this point, I would have no problem paying my student loans if I'm happy and successful and finally working in my chosen field. Plus my other cousin started school at that same community college, finished her pre-reqs and waited and waited and waited to come up on the waiting list for the nursing school and she was never called. She even took extra classes while waiting around. She's been a CNA for years now! Well, anyway that nurse was so convincing and she immediately changed my mind. The next day I went to the nursing school near me, had to quickly study for the TEAS nursing exam, passed and started school in January. Yes it's expensive and yes, I had to take out a lot of loans but I love it! The time has flown! I have 2 pre-req's left and then I start my clinicals in January. I've loved knowing that I had an exact date to start nursing school - no waiting list - no wondering if I'm taking all these classes only to have to sit around and wait for 2 years forgetting everything I learned in Anatomy & Physiology. My plan is smooth and I'm forging ahead - things are moving much more quickly. From January, nursing school is 16 months and I'm done and working as a Regsitered Nurse. Knowing this has made all the difference in my going back to school and my outlook on life and I am happy to pay back whatever I have to pay back. I guess it all depends on your situation but that nurse changed the whole course of my life as far as I'm concerned and I have not regretted my decision. Good luck with your decision! Karen

Boy am I really glad you posted this question although I feel so bad about your situation. I'm pretty much in the same boat though (or will be). I'm a life long New Yorker who moved to Florida to temporarily help my elderly parents out but decided to stay and get my ADN while here. My plan is to go back to NY and work at a major hospital. I'm stunned at these responses. I had no idea things were so bad in NY. I was certain I would have no problem getting a job. Well, this post was quite a wake-up call - good luck to us both!

This was a great thread and one I needed to read because I used to feel as though I wasn't going to make it as a nurse because I didn't always want to be a nurse. In fact, I was a corporate secretary for 15 years but a few illnesses and life setacks caused me to be out of work for a few years. When I was ready to enter the work force again, it was difficult to get a job in the financial industry again. I needed to find a career that would allow me to play "catchup" - one that had an abundance of jobs and allow me to get back on my feet financially and create a comfortable life for myself again. I'm single with no children so I need to ensure that I will be able to eventually provide a solid retirement for myself since it's just me (for now anyway - who knows what the future might bring:)). Both of my parents were RN's (my Dad was an ER Nurse for 30 years) so it's kind of in my blood anyway. And I've always enjoyed helping others even if it was in a different capacity. I'm now at a point where I'm pretty secure with my decision. I'll be 40 next month and in my 4th month of pre req's - starting my clinicals in January 2011 and looking forward to being the best nurse I can possibly be - just like I was the best secretary I could be.

Hi - I will be 40 in May and I'm just 4 months into my pre-reqs in Nursing School. I had the same fears and sometimes I still do but I look at all the nursing graduate pics on the walls of my school and see many who are older than me and know I'm going to be just fine. (My Mom and Dad were both registered nurses too so I'd better make it!!)

Starting Nursing School on Jan. 4th - Accelerated ADN program. Had my financial aid meeting last this week - felt a little sick when I left. Will owe over $30K in student loans when I graduate. Was very disappointed with the amount of financial aid I received but the then again, the school itself is quite expensive. Was thinking I would owe about $20K, not $30K. In any event, it will all be worth it.

hi davo: i didn't buy the online ati test, just the manual, so i don't know anything about it except that other people have found it helpful. i studied at least four hours a day by reading, reading and re-reading and taking the practice tests from the ati manual, mcgraw hill's nursing exam book and the teas practice tests at www.testprepreview.com. i usually did the practice tests after each section i read and yes, i took tests and then studied where i lacked. i also used the internet to look up things i didn't understand. on test day, the math and science were very hard for me. but again, i used www.math.com to study and was able to pass the math. i don't think you should spend more than a minute or so on each question judging from the total time of the math section and the amount of questions. breathe and read each question carefully. there are no breaks in between the test, not even to go to the bathroom, to prevent cheating. but each section has a timer at the top of the screen to let you know how much time you have left. i glanced at it frequently. sometimes if you're spending too long on a question, you just have to make an educated guess and move on or you'll run out of time. start by eliminating all the wrong answers then guess on the others. i'm sorry i couldn't answer all your questions but i hope this was helpful. hope all is going well with the studying. - karen ps: my family members first suggested that i get a tutor from the local college to help me with the math but i decided to just study on my own. it ended up working out but the tutor was not a bad idea. pps: when you search this website for tips, type in "teas" or "teas tips" or "teas science" etc. you'll access more message boards that way and get more tips.

hi david: i totally know how you are feeling. there is a website called www.testprepreview.com. you can take teas practice tests for the english, science and math on that site. you will be able to tell which areas you need to focus on by the ones you keep getting wrong. i was always poor in math and literally had to learn 4 years of high school math in 2 weeks. the site www.math.com helped me so much! go to homework help and it will teach you about fractions, percentages, decimals, etc. practically every topic you need to know. it also gives tests after each lesson and the tests are quick and fun. i was actually starting to enjoy it. also, you will have to know the difference between average, median & mean and how to figure it out. also how to find the area of something and you should also know how to convert celsius to fahrenheit and vice versa. a friend of mine tutored me for a few minutes on those things. i used the internet to study and kept looking up everything i didn't understand. as far as the english, i honestly didn't study much since i'm pretty strong in that. i did the sample tests from the ati study guide and did so well that i decided not to focus on that. i also used the mcgraw hill nursing exam book (got it from the library) which helped me with the science so maybe it would be helpful for the english & math. i learned about it from reading other posts, which brings me to my final suggestion - on this website, do a search on "teas" and read as many other posts as you can, even old ones. a lot of people have taken the test and have listed many, many tips on what to focus on, some very specific. as far, as the timing on the test, this is the breakdown: reading 50 minutes 40 questions mathematics 56 minutes 45 questions science 38 minutes 30 questions english 65 minutes 55 questions total testing time is 3 hours and 29 minutes like i said, i hadn't been to school in 20 years. i studied at least 4 hours a day, every day, sometimes more. i failed the first time but passed it the second. i'm sorry you only get one try but just buckle down and discipline yourself and study as much as you can and take many practice tests. see if you can get the mcgraw hill book from the library to help you with the math & english. i told myself i would study as hard as i could so that if i failed i wouldn't beat myself up because i would know if my heart i tried my best. hope this helps! good luck, david!

I didn't know there was a school either - no apology necessary. Good luck JBaker!

Hi JBaker: Thank you for your kind words - I am definitely psyched! Unfortunately, I can't answer your question regarding ATI. I believe ATI is the maker of the TEAS test and they sell a Study Guide that goes with the test. I didn't know they have a school as I will be attending nursing school in Florida. However, this is their website and it seems as if they do scheduling for the test - http://www.atitesting.com/. Good luck!

I just wanted to pass on my experience with the TEAS test. I took the test 3 weeks ago after having just 2 ½ weeks to study for it and having not been in school for 20 years. I read a lot so I felt I would be okay with the English & Reading but when I looked at the Math section of the ATI TEAS Study Guide I flipped out. It was so difficult - not only was I terrible at Math in High School but there were things I had never even seen. I was certain I was going to fail the Math portion of the test. I used the Study Guide, and took the TEAS sample tests from the Test Prep Review website and the biggest help of all came from the website, Math.com. IT HELPED ME SO MUCH, especially with fractions and percentages. You should also know how to convert Celsius to Fahrenheit and vice versa. I am convinced that it was because of this site that I passed the Math. I couldn't believe it. However, I failed the Science part and I had to come back the following week to retake it because that was the last testing session for 2009. To study for the Science part, I used the ATI Study Guide, the McGraw Hill Nursing School Entrance Exam book (got it from the library- it was very helpful) and the Internet (Wikipedia and children's physics and chemistry websites) because I needed concepts broken down REALLY SIMPLY. The Science part of the TEAS was very hard for me but I passed it by studying REALLY HARD and just reading everything about Life Science, Human Body Science, Chemical & Physical Science and General Science(all the Topics in the ATI Study Guide). I also took out Kaplan's and Barron's Nursing School Test books from the library, plus a GED book but I found McGraw Hill's to be the most helpful. Some of the things you need to know about are independent variables, rock formation, tectonic plates, the nervous system (parasympathetic etc.), eukaryotes, the periodic table, velocity and hydrogen bonding. Bottom line, I passed the Science this last Monday and cried because I couldn't believe it. I will start Nursing School on January 4, 2010. These last 3 weeks have been excruciating, - the Math & Science sections of the TEAS test were not easy (for me anyway) but if you study, you can pass it. I found this website (Allnurses.com) to be very comforting and very helpful regarding tips. Read all the posts relating to the TEAS, as many as you can - it helped me a lot. I just want to say thank you to this site for all the helpful information and for giving me more confidence. It was inspiring to read about all the people who passed in spite of the test being difficult. I am one of them. It can be done - good luck to all!

I just wanted to pass on my experience with the TEAS test. I took the test 3 weeks ago after having just 2 ½ weeks to study for it and having not been in school for 20 years. I read a lot so I felt I would be okay with the English & Reading but when I looked at the Math section of the ATI TEAS Study Guide I flipped out. It was so difficult - not only was I terrible at Math in High School but there were things I had never even seen. I was certain I was going to fail the Math portion of the test. I used the Study Guide, and took the TEAS sample tests from the Test Prep Review website and the biggest help of all came from the website, Math.com. IT HELPED ME SO MUCH, especially with fractions and percentages. You should also know how to convert Celsius to Fahrenheit and vice versa. I am convinced that it was because of this site that I passed the Math. I couldn't believe it. However, I failed the Science part and I had to come back the following week to retake it because that was the last testing session for 2009. To study for the Science part, I used the ATI Study Guide, the McGraw Hill Nursing School Entrance Exam book (got it from the library- it was very helpful) and the Internet (Wikipedia and children's physics and chemistry websites) because I needed concepts broken down REALLY SIMPLY. The Science part of the TEAS was very hard for me but I passed it by studying REALLY HARD and just reading everything about Life Science, Human Body Science, Chemical & Physical Science and General Science(all the Topics in the ATI Study Guide). I also took out Kaplan's and Barron's Nursing School Test books from the library, plus a GED book but I found McGraw Hill's to be the most helpful. Some of the things you need to know about are independent variables, rock formation, tectonic plates, the nervous system (parasympathetic etc.), eukaryotes, the periodic table, velocity and hydrogen bonding. Bottom line, I passed the Science this last Monday and cried because I couldn't believe it. I will start Nursing School on January 4, 2010. These last 3 weeks have been excruciating, - the Math & Science sections of the TEAS test were not easy (for me anyway) but if you study, you can pass it. I found this website (Allnurses.com) to be very comforting and very helpful regarding tips. Read all the posts relating to the TEAS, as many as you can - it helped me a lot. I just want to say thank you to this site for all the helpful information and for giving me more confidence. It was inspiring to read about all the people who passed in spite of the test being difficult. I am one of them. It can be done - good luck to all!