hopefulinct

Iggywench, I laughed when reading your story- I was also a teacher for 7 years prior to nursing school, 4 of those years working with 6th graders. Out of curiosity, how long did you work in nursing before going in to school nursing? This is a long range goal for me. I just started my first job out of nursing school, working in peds. I know I want to take a while to get more confident with my skills before moving on to school nursing (since with school nursing, it seems like you are essentially on your own). What do you like/dislike about school nursing? Thanks!

HC92, You definitely need to be self motivated, organized and flexible. You will learn a ton, but the teachers range from pretty good to pretty awful. The most important thing to remember is that it is only a year! You can do anything for a year (that was my mantra). Figure out your learning style (as much as that is a cliche, it is also important). I am a big reader- I read almost everything assigned- and I also found videos on YouTube to get more information about things I didn't get. But, it is important to remember that not everyone works this way. I know students who barely opened a book, just studied from powerpoints, and did really well. Also, find a study group. I had several, and they were the biggest piece of my survival!! I'm not sure about revamping the program (if they did, that's great! it needed to happen ). I have heard about a few things changing, but nothing concrete. I haven't started working yet, but I did get a job and I start next week. I really lucked out, this job is exactly what I wanted, but I know others had a harder time. Yale and Hartford Hospital hired most of the students who got jobs right away. I know students who were looking for jobs out of state have had a much more difficult time. Also, start looking early. Look into hospitals with a Nurse Residency program- that's what I ended up in, and I've heard that it provides a ton more support, rather than throwing you into the deep end! Also, don't be afraid to look for a specialty job (psych, peds, etc) if that's what you're interested in. I'm not saying you'll definitely get it, but many new grads think they have to do med-surg first, but that's not always necessarily true. As for whether or not I feel prepared, I have absolutely no idea!!! We'll see how I feel once I'm actually on the floor. Good luck!!!

Hi, I graduated from the UCONN CEIN program in December and went to the Waterbury campus. I applied late and wasn't reviewed until August. I also had an outstanding prerequisite and I still got in (pending a B or better in my micro class that I was taking in the fall). I got my acceptance the second week of September. My undergrad GPA was 3.65, and my prereq GPA was higher (all A's and A-, except 1 B+). The program is what it is. It is tough, requires a lot of learning independently. It is also extremely disorganized. On the positive side, you get a bachelor's in a year, which is amazing. Despite the many many frustrations I had with the program, overall, I'm glad I did it. It's definitely worth applying. Good luck!

Thanks so much turtlesrcool, that was incredibly helpful! I was just looking fora basic overview, to give me an idea of what to expect. I really appreciate it!

Hi! I just got provisionally accepted to Waterbury (I'm taking micro now). Does anyone know what day/days of the week classes are held there? How far in advance do we know our schedule? I have 2 small kids, so I'm trying to figure out how best to arrange childcare. Fortunately, childcare will be my mom and in laws, but I am hoping to let them know what I'm going to need. Thanks in advance for any help! Congrats to all who got in!