Mommaof3

There are an abundance of nursing jobs in the OKC metro area. OUMC is located downtown and has a reputation for being extremely short staffed (I have not personally worked there so this is purely rumor). Mercy is located currently on the NW side of OKC (expanding with an additional campus south side). Pay rates at either facility are going to be dependent on your experience and certifications. Mercy's pay rates for new grads start around $20 an hour, I believe, and they go through an immense orientation process to acclimate from nursing school to floor work. I have worked at Mercy and immensely enjoyed my experiences there.

Everyone's different. Personally I work doubles 3p-7a and I love it. I work 2 doubles one week and 3 the next. So I work 10 days a month and am home with my family the other 20 days. I usually sleep from 8-12 or 1 when I get home which leaves me tired enough to be able to go to bed that night when my kids do and get me on their schedule. It works for me, I preferred learning on the night shift as well but again that's just me!

Congrats y'all! I just graduated from there....my pinning was Thursday lol. Get ready for a wild ride but have fun with it and don't cry at orientation like I did! NPI instructors are just bullies, its way easier after that haha, don't tell them I said that either!! :) Good luck.

Mercy is a catholic hospital in a higher economic area in OKC (far north side), they have PRN positions as well as float/flex. Starting pay for a new grad RN in Oklahoma is about 19-20 an hour (as a staff RN) I believe PRN receive $30-$40 but don't quote me on that! If you're still looking for catholic there's St Anthony's which is downtown...but it's downtown. The Integris health systems are always on the list as one of the best places to work. There are lots of options, and then of course the specialty hospitals like the Women's Renaissance Hospitals which only do OB/GYN. I have no clue about pay or PRN staffing at those. Hope this gives you some useful info! Good luck!

Hi there! I'm in the traditional program at OCCC graduating in May, but also taking concurrent classes for my BSN at UCO, in my Transitions class at UCO this semester I have a friend who will be graduating next month (March) she says the schedule is insane. She has 2 12 hour clinical days (her entire classes are on Saturday and Sunday) and 2 class days. A lot of times they come into our class on Mondays/Wednesdays 9-1200 for lecture. I don't know if this is the info you were looking for but I hope it helps! Get ready for pure chaos for the next year! :) Good luck all!

I'm 30...a single mother of 3...a 12 year old, a 4 year old, and a 2 year old! I dare say I wish they were teenagers! LOL. I'm in my 3rd semester of NS and OMG I remember crying several times in first semester. HOWEVER; I have NEVER read everything they assigned, it would be impossible to do, even without outside obligations. Calm down, take a deep breath, and relax. We get blueprints for our exams (much like the NCLEX blueprint) to help us prepare and thats how I pick and choose what to read further beyond the lecture and powerpoints...every NS is so different though. You'll figure it out as you go, the trick is just NOT to psyche yourself out! :) Good luck.

Oh I misread the lab piece :) sorry. Yes, I haven't had the greatest experience with book store/fin aid/bursars office at OCCC, overall though I like the actual nursing program and professors. But the rest can be highly stressful to get situated because it seems like the left hand doesn't have a clue what the right hand is doing. Hope you get it worked out!

I just started my 3rd semester of nursing school and have just accepted a job offer from OU Childrens for a nurse partner (haven't started yet) so, its definitely not too late for you either. Alot of hospitals will waive requirements under CNA's, PCTs, etc for nursing students with 2 clinical semesters under their belt. Just call HRs and ask what positions you qualify for, I had alot of luck with that. I have friends that work at the Oklahoma Heart Hospital, Norman Regional, Integris, OU, and we've all just gotten our jobs within the last couple months...they're are definitely still opportunities out there. Good luck.

Yes, all your science pre-reqs for the bachelor programs in OK require the lab component. HTH

I'm just a 3rd semester nursing student but, I also have uterine fibroids. I actually spent the entire day in bed on Saturday with a heating pad because of them. I bleed like a champ in addition to being in extreme pain (sorry if tmi but you asked! lol) so I have to utilize the most absorbant tampons and pads I can find, uncomfortable but it beats the alternative! I use the tampax ultra and the kotex long extra absorbant with wings. What I have found works for me on clinical/school days is using the OTC adhesive heating pads, definitely helps me cope with the discomfort. However; since you are under a physician's care I'm sure they will have lots of suggestions for you to try out. Just wanted you to know you're not alone and I'm hoping for a partial hysterectomy very soon!!! lol Oh and I agree with pp that you should NOT tell your management. Good luck!

I am a 3rd semester nursing student currently. I have mostly enjoyed nursing school. I love to learn, love clinicals, love to practice skills. My very first semester I was top of my class (in a class of 72 4.0 students I was quite proud of myself), I had one adjunct professor who was only with us during lab times teaching skills and watching us practice skills. Said adjunct and I would chat while they watched my partner perform skills. I thought they were sweet as pie and I never said a bad word about them or any faculty for that matter. I love nursing school! Apparently said instructor did not feel the same way about me. (lol, love when that happens) so 3/4 of the way through 1st semester I get called into the head faculty office with a list, I kid you not, 2 pages long of my many lab mishaps...here's the kicker...NONE of it was true. I don't know if they got me mixed up with somebody else or if they just hated my guts and I was blind to it. But due to this one instructor that I dealt with for maybe 1 hour a week out of the 20+ hours we spent with faculty each week-I got written up...I also had the pleasure of writing a paper to apologize. I went to each faculty that I dealt with on a more regular basis to see if they found me lacking in lab or clinicals or theory and I got the same answer from each of them "Absolutely not!". I just wanted to apologize to them and ask for guidance if they felt I was truly lacking in some area. After writing my paper (which I was not very apologetic in, I will admit, because I used it as a way to explain that I wasn't sure what the allegations were about but that they were untrue) this adjunct instructor berated me in front of my entire clinical group, going so far as to make fun of my hair! Really? Because I care that you don't like that I have blonde highlights. OK! I took the criticism and avoided this one instructor for the rest of the semester like the plague because I had a really good relationship with every other instructor that I had. I got rave reviews on my mid-term and final evals, I ended my first semester with the highest grade in my class, and I gladly moved onto 2nd semester where I have had zero issues. I don't think I've ever had someone who blatantly disliked me like that before. It was a new experience but I learned from it. Swallow your pride and move on because ultimately in the grand scheme of things, this one instructor was a very, very tiny blip on the radar of my life.

I strongly recommend the "Success" books. I used the "Test taking Success" and the "Fundamental Success" and I really think they helped me start to THINK the right way from the beginning. I am going into my 3rd semester, 1st semester I was the top of my class, 2nd semester I had some serious personal issues going on and honestly didn't even open a text book, just crammed with my NCLEX questions (I don't recommend this strategy AT ALL, but with 3 kids passing pneumonia, the flu, and every other bug you could possibly imagine back and forth-they were my priority) and I still got a high B. O yeah..did I mention I am taking my nursing classes for ADN but ALSO taking additional classes at a 4 year institution so I can streamline into my BSN? In my experience its not so bad. Mind over matter. Don't go in thinking that failure is even an option, figure out your learning style as early as you possibly can and stick with it, don't listen to everybody elses "here's what I did and it really works" because the truth is what works for them probably won't work for you. My friends hate that I can not open my text book but only pay attention in class and do my NCLEX questions and still manage high grades...it doesn't work for them though. NS is a lot about discovering yourself, your strengths and weaknesses i.e. I LOVE blood and guts and needles and all that implies...but I cannot do snot, it literally makes me gag. I can change a c-diff diaper or medicate a bed sore thats down to the bone but if you blow your nose in front of me I turn green! Stupid right..but it tells me alot about what area I want to specialize in. You will change A LOT in nursing school as you figure yourself out (at least thats my experience) but just go with it, I feel like alot of the people in my class who haven't made it through were trying to hold onto their previous beliefs about themselves and nursing as a profession, its hard, its time consuming, it may bite you in the butt and open your eyes to things that you never even considered before, its not this glorious and glamorous career where you get to meet a million Dr McDreamy's everyday (or EVER!-I honestly know people in my class who thought they could become a nurse in order to marry a doctor-DOH!) but in the end its all worth it if you're there for the right reasons! So apply yourself, study, and keep your mind open to changing your ideals. Good luck.

Nope, no long sleeves, no matter what brand. They say its a health hazard since at clinicals your hands go into all kinds of nastiness...you wouldn't wanna walk around with that on your sleeve all day! They only allow 3/4 length sleeves underneath scrubs. Which most people do wear because its SO COLD at clinicals. I definitely think the link you posted with the ink armor will work though! First semester is the one that everybody watches you like a hawk...down to measuring fingernails! lol. But after that it really is pretty laid back and they don't treat you like kindergarteners any more...meaning, long sleeves=OK. lol. Good luck with the change, it's gonna be a big one from construction! :)

Hi PrettyPiedra, Sorry I didn't reply sooner, my AN has been going to spam for some reason and I just noticed it. I don't know much about starting in the spring since I started in the fall but it looks like rjsloan has answered alot of your questions. Just an FYI, the first semester is the most time consuming because there seems to be alot of extra busy work to be done and you have lab EVERY WEEK! Yuck. lol, I am starting 3rd semester in a couple weeks and 2nd semester we only had lab for 8 weeks out of the 16 and they were NOT 4 hours and the times varied. The thing about 2nd (and now what I'm seeing about 3rd semester) is the schedule varies except for class times (but even class days have changed for this semester). I agree with RJ, I hope your work place can be flexible and accomodate you...I know you say quitting is not an option and I respect that, however; you may have to look for other employment while you're in school if they're not going to be able to work with you! I do know several who worked full time and I'm not going to lie, most of them struggled. I was fortunate enough not to have to work and I made an A first semester and a high B second semester (but that was totally my fault, I did not invest the time into school that I should've because I had personal issues, an A is totally doable in second semester as well). A lot of the staff is very helpful but, as always with everything there are definitely politics to be played and there is A LOT of drama so steer clear! Overall OCCC has a very good reputation as a NS, I have gone on several job interviews over the last few weeks and each person has spoken highly of the OCCC grads that they've employed. So that speaks highly of them, I think. Anyway, if you have any other questions feel free to ask.

Hi there, I am a 30 year old who is changing professions. I will be starting my 3rd semester of nursing school at OCCC in a couple weeks. First things first, there were 72 students in NPI, there were probably a dozen men. I have not seen any discrimination as far as their gender goes and many of us female nursing students have enjoyed the company and the assistance of our male counterparts in the clinical experiences (and vice versa). We are all a team regardless of sex, or sexual orientation, or color of skin. As far as OCCC and your sleeve...you will have to cover it for clinicals and labs. Obviously gonna require more than a bandaid, however; at OCCC you are NOT allowed to wear long sleeve shirts under your scrubs, so this will require coban or ace bandage or something of that sort. Once you're out of school the requirements vary by facility. Also, I would like to point out that new grad nurses have a starting salary of approximately $18.65...therefore; the financial thing...not so much. I am personally taking a tremendous pay cut to become a nurse from my previous profession but I find it fulfilling in other ways. So don't do it for the money LOL. I agree that the AUA thing is cool...but not really necessary, most of your pre-reqs could be taken online while you performed your other job (unless you just have a desire to do the AUA thing) once in nursing school there are alot of possibilities to work as a nurse extern, nurse partner, etc. However; if AUA is the route you want to take, I'm not knocking it! :) Good luck, if you have any other questions about OCCC's nursing program feel free to ask!

If I were you I would hire a tutor for a couple of hours and then retake your math test...and take A&P in Spring of 2011. No reason to waste an entire semester when you could skip the math with a little refresher course. JMO

1st--4 hours of lecture is like an eternity to people like me...I am a self diagnosed ADHD type person. So keeping that in mind---I pick and choose which lectures to attend based on who is doing the lecture. I canNOT stand the professors who stand up and read verbatim off their powerpoint for hours on end. (Because please believe I can read their powerpoint in way less than the 3 hours they spend in class doing it). Please..break it up. Tell interesting stories, even if their not your own. Use humor instead of boring people to tears-my favorite professor is one who can find a way to make her point while getting a chuckle from us, and she's really good at it. If your institution has interactive equipment-utilize it. Don't use the same old same old "case studies", please, come up with something else. Research your info, find mneumonics, stories, poems and whatever else might be considered interesting to convey your point. Above all else, please, please, please and PLEASE read the info your students are supposed to read. As silly as it sounds, we actually have some professors who dont. As you can imagine this causes mass confusion when we are studying for tests and comparing power points, textbooks, and lecture notes when the info doesn't match. HTH.

Just a heads up...I got some info today from my faculty that will apply to you all next semester. Your book lists will remain the same as ours was...someone asked that earlier. You will only have 4 careplans to do for the entire semester (as opposed to the 6 we had this semester), you will also have no quizzes in theory (we had 8 worth 5 points each!!). So thats the good news, and I'm jealous. Now...for those of you that read this before Thursday. I'm going to let you in on a little secret....at our orientation there were literally 5 people crying in the hallways afterwards. It happens. It will be the single most overwhelming day you will ever experience. People will talk about how they forgot to feed their kids, they never saw their husbands, they missed their grandma's funeral...etc etc etc Take what they say with a grain of salt, they give you entirely tooooooo much info during orientation and in all reality you only need the basics (and I swear, I fed my kids, continued my personal relationships, and made it to my grandmas funeral). Pay attention to the "to do" list they give you to complete prior to start of the semester. Do NOT freak out about the NESA stuff. Its a piece of cake. Do not let orientation stress you out. I know right now you're on top of the world and nothing can bring you down as you embark on this new journey...but they do their best at orientation!! Don't be scared or intimidated, just suck it up and sit through it and know that we ALL felt the same way you will on Thursday! Best of luck & let me know if you need any help.

Weird...you would think that would be up to the BON not individual schools.

LPNs start off at $18.00 an hour? In OKLAHOMA? Well, why the heck am I in an RN program thats twice as long and twice as grueling to start out at the SAME base pay? Somethings not right about that information. For OP, I would check out the local CCs before going to platt due to the fact that you cannot transfer your credits, if you ever want to go on in school because of the accredidations that Platt lacks you may run into a serious problem with that. Not to mention its about 1/10th the cost to go somewhere else.

Is it a 4 semester program? I go to OCCC and was told you can't challenge until after 3rd semester...which I thought was...odd, but thats what they said.

LOL I remember that feeling! Now I'm just excited to get DONE!!! :)

In reply to posts a while back....about RN school and sitting for LPN boards...you must complete your first 3 semesters of RN school before challening the LPN exam. HTH.

Brooke--as of right now, yes you are correct you have one lab day (like 4-5 hours) and one clinical (8 hours) BUT, you also have to keep in mind you do have Pre-clinicals, its always on the day before your clinical and varies significantly depending on who your clinical faculty is and whether they have meetings, so, basically your pre-clinicals time can change if you are assigned to a full time faculty who have many meetings to attend. I had mine on Tuesdays and it could be 1pm or 430 pm, depending on my faculty's meetings. I don't recommend working, if you have ANY way to avoid it, I would. There is one girl in my clinical group who is working full time as a tech, and she is mentally, emotionally, and completely physically drained at all times! Shes a sweetheart of a woman but she is stressed to the max. Like I said, if you can avoid it then do it but if you can't suck it up and get ready to stretch yourself very thin. Nursing school requires alot of time OUTSIDE the classroom/lab/clinicals. So just be prepared. I hope you don't think I'm being negative, its just the reality of the situation. Heres some hope: Now I do not work but I am a single mother of 3 so I do have alot of obligation outside of school. I have an 11 year old who has sports, scool stuff, etc, a 3 year old and a 1 year old (they are ALOT of work lol). So I don't have nearly as much time to invest in school as some others that I know, however; I have maintained a very high grade in the course, VERY HIGH. So, its all in your perspective. Nursing school is not so much the "content" that you know but understanding the questions they're asking i.e. if they are asking you for an "intervention" don't give them an answer that starts with "assess", know the nursing process and follow it. Knowing little tips like that and the ABC's and Maslow's hierarchy of needs will seriously help you out tremendously in this first semester!! That will go a LONG ways towards a good grade no matter what else you have on your plate in your personal life. HTH some of you get mentally prepared! :)

You will get your book list at orientation. Be prepared...its the biggest, longest, scariest list I had ever seen! Just remember after first semester there's only like one or two books to buy for NPII, III, & IV. Clinical sites the 1st semester are kinda chaotic! Your first clinical is a school screening (you go to an elementary school and do vision, hearing, BP, height & weight checks) Then you go to an LTC for the next 4 weeks, and then a hospital rotation for the last 6 weeks. They had SW Medical Center, Baptist, Mercy, Chickasha (Grady Memorial), and OU this semester for hospitals. LTC was too long ago for me to remember!! I was at a Grace Living Center. Just take a deep breath and realize that no matter how much you study or how much time you spend in lab, EVERYONE feels lost the first few times, don't be afraid to get in there and ask your nurse "What can I do?!" because they will LOVE you for that. Just an FYI because a few people in my class were unaware....as a nursing student, you DO indeed change adult diapers, change linens, give bed baths and all of the other things some in my class thought they (as nursing students) should delegate to techs/cnas etc! LOL. Silly people.