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It's good to know that it is a possibility. It has been weighing heavily on our shoulders lately, but we have decided to give it a rest for the time being. I need to make it through the initial step first...school. I have been looking into the Nurse Transition Program and I am going to see a recruiter about it when I get stateside. I am not sure how things would work since we are currently on orders though. The GI bill would be a great thing for me because I want to get a Masters in Nursing, but like I said, first step first :) I tend to get ahead of myself. Thank you so much for your reply. I truely appreciate it!

We moved to Germany in Aug 09, stationed at Ramstein about 10 minutes away from Landstuhl. We live off base, the BAH is good and there are no issues finding a house under your cap. Housing is different here, but hey, it's Germany. The weather is pretty mild in general. Summers average 65ish and with exception of a few days this winter, it hasn't been bad. It snows/rains close to everyday but a lot of times this winter when it snowed its around 30* so it really isn't bad. Most people love the country and the travel opportunities in Europe. The one thing people are generally disappointed with is the lack of comradary, I am not sure why bonds fall short here, but I am always hearing that complaint. Jobs for dependants can be sporifice too if they don't want to work for AFFES. Short of that I don't have many complaints. Some people come here and want to homestead, others are done after their 3 years. If you have any other questions, I would be happy to try and answer them.

Well, I suppose I should not be picky if it means that I will have a job at all:). I would not mind working as a floor nurse, but I would like to work in a high acuity environment. I do not have a specific medical specialty that I find more appealing than another (of course I haven't gone through clinicals yet), but I really would not enjoy a job that places me at a desk for the majority of the time. I understand that training a graduate nurse takes a lot of time and money, and I didn't know if this was something that they would even want to invest in.

My husband and I are currently stationed at Ramstein and I am about to go back to the states for an accelerated BSN program. When I come back I want to try to get a civilian job at Landstuhl. I am wondering if they generally hire many RN's who are fresh out of a program, or if it will be extremely tough for me to get a job. I know we have spousal preferance here, but I am not sure how far that gets you. Anyone with insight?

AMY: Did you decide not to do the UCO program? It is a really good one too, my dad is an RN and he said that the students who come from that program are generally very knowledgeable. I also have some friends there who really like it. As for OU, I am not sure how many alternates they take for this program. They can give you more information. When you email them you can ask them how many they take, where you are on the list, how far they usually make it down the list and if there were any notes made about why you are listed as an alternate. This could help you improve your status for next year if you try to apply again. I was listed as an alternate for the PA program in Jan 09. They took 20 alternates and made it through 14 of them by the time school started. They told me to be ready with all of the items on the check list completed because you could receive a call to start up until the first or second week of school. So, I was ready to go until late August when I moved to Germany. I hope this information is helpful to you. Good Luck!

Nolimitam: I got in and I am looking forward to seeing you at orientation. I see that Tulsa has their orientation listed as April 21! So early! I hope OKC doesn't do the same, I don't really want to leave Germany before May 1. So, talk to me about text books, what do you recommend? I saw that they will be selling a package and that you can also purchase separately. I of course want to save money where I can, but I don't want to give myself a headache while I am at it. Do most people keep books, sell them to the next year if they are being used, or what? What do you think you have spent on books so far? I know we just traded around with friends when I did my bachelors, but what is the best for this program. Also, any other advice?

Me too, it looks like we will be fellow classmates. :) I would say to PM me because that is what people always say on here, but I don't know what that means or how to do it! HA

KISMET831: Yay! So exciting, right? Which location?

I have my BS degree in biology and a minor in psych so I really didn't need any other prereq's besides nutrition. I would recommend taking some filler classes just to let them know that you are serious about the program after you are done with prereq's. I would contact the program and ask them if there is anything in your area. I think the pharm class is a great idea, I cannot see how it would hurt anything besides the pocket book. Your previous experience is a bonus if you ask me; I worked as a medical assistant previously. Your GPA sounds good, a little higher than mine in fact. Volunteer at the hospital where they do clinicals (if you're applying to Tulsa, I think it is called Bedlam clinic), you never know if you will meet someone on the board. :) Oh and don't worry about the Chem class, my first year of college a made a D in Animal Bio (the first grade that shows on my transcript!), I re-took it and made a B. They really look at your last few semesters as a full-time student and prereq's. That's when you learn to study and become a serious student. I wish you well!

They usually do the mail in cycles so don't get to down on yourself if you don't get it today. Keep your head up, things happen for a reason.

I got my letter and I got in! Yay! I am so pumped, I cannot wait to get started. I hope to see all of you there! Good Luck!

i would think that admission would weigh pretty heavily on the sciences. being that it is a challenging, fast-paced program it will be important to know that the applicant won't need tons of refresher and that there is a strong grasp on the prerequisite sciences. i am sure there is plenty of wiggle room when it comes to people with previous healthcare experience though. there are so many things that can weed people out when it comes down to it. because they only take about 1 out of 4 applicants, it is impossible for us to predict whether or not we got in. on the page below, under counselor links it has the 2009 admission stats. the thing is that every year the pool of applicants is diverse so one year varies from the next. you may have seen this before but if not it's good information to know. i wish you the best of luck and i hope to see you at orientation in the spring! keep me posted when you hear something back, i am anxiously waiting as well! http://nursing.ouhsc.edu/prospective_students/index.cfm

At the OK campus, from what I have learned through others, the didactic portion is primarily on campus but portions of the course maybe online or independent study, as well as certain courses. Sorry I cannot answer more thoroughly, but I am not currently attending the program. I too would like to learn more. Some of OU's other programs have the course listing online with course objectives and when you take them. This would be helpful because I am not currently taking classes but I have been studying up on past materials, I just wish I knew what the first semester holds. But, I have not yet found this material on the website.

Thank you so much for your response! It's great to know that there are at minimum short breaks. At the least, my husband could come spend some time in Oklahoma when the schedule is light. I cannot wait to find out, the suspense is killing me. Hopefully only another week or so. Good Luck with the program! I hope that it has been all that you imagined it would be.

I appologize if I have stepped on any toes with my reply but I thought that this thread was asking for detailed responses on opinions about what is going on with MWC. I don't think that the person was asking for another response of "It's just not good, and I can't tell you exactly why." These are the kinds of responses that really don't help anyone except the person who needs to get something off their chest. Hmm...I guess it really does make you feel better to get things off your chest :)

I applied to the ABSN program for the 2010 cohort. While I grew up in OKC, I moved to Germany with my husband last year who is in the Air Force. I was curious if there were any short breaks at all for this program. I know there are classes year round but I was curious if I would even have a oppertunity to come back to Germany for a short stent. Also, when was the newcomers orientation scheduled for you all? I am wondering how soon I would want to come back to OKC. Thanks!

To be honest, I think that some people are on a high horse because some of the other hospitals are newer and prettier. Plus, the new hospital is opening now and I am sure there will be plenty of hype. I grew up in OKC and when my grandfather had cancer MWC regional took excellent care of him. Also, my father has worked there for 12+ years, he is now in CCU. My step mother just accepted a position there yesterday and she is currently employed at one of the fancy northside hospitals. So, good luck with your new job and I say form your own opinions about it and make MWC into what you want it to be!