summer03

For everyone in the NVCC program, here is a word of encouragement. In 2010, I was where you are. I graduated with honors in 2012, quickly got a job with the Medical Team, and then 6 months later, was easily hired by Inova. Today, I am a charge nurse at Inova, making $80K this year. The NOVA program provides a wonderful grounding, has a superb reputation, and in my opinion, easily leads to a good job. Work hard, follow the NOVA program rules, get good grades, and you should be all set.

spoland, thank you for being so responsive. Williamsburg and Newport News are great places to live; I have friends there who would never trade that area for NVA. Also, Thomas Nelson is supposed to be a very good school and I have seen where its pass rates for NCLEX are similar to those for NOVA. Congratulations on getting into Thomas Nelson. Plus, that is just so romantic about still being with your HS sweetheart. Awww.

Spoland, so you ended up at NVCC? I noticed Tidewater in your profile. I think ultimately I would like to end up in a hospital down there, maybe Virginia Beach. Know anything about those places?

NOVA EMT, I have taken both in-person and online courses. I agree it is more convenient not to go to class and you can get the "lecture" material online. I think there is no significant difference in material, but I do think that the mechanics of online can sometimes be frustrating; there were sometimes glitches in what was posted. I hesitate to say this, but I think the younger you are, the more likely you are to find online second nature. One thought, pharmacology online; the nursing courses in-person? I am sure you will do well whatever you decide.

I focused on the powerpoints, but also read as much as I could. My estimate is that the reading helped me with maybe 5-10% of the test points. 17 credits is a lot for a semester. My typical was maybe 11 or 12, but I did have the benefit of transfer credits from my bachelors and only had to take the nursing classes. Even so, I put in long hours studying and doing homework. Good luck to all. I am sure you will find it worthwhile when you graduate. I love my job at Inova, feel NOVA did a good job of preparing me, even though when I started at InovaI felt like I knew almost nothing. My preceptor said everyone feels that way, though. And I assure you, Inova finds NOVA nursing grads very attractive. And I don't mean cute. :)

Gotta be flexible in this job. No longer in float pool and now at Alexandria. Floating was good, as I got to see lots of places. I like having a home unit better, though.

NOVA EMT, those are interesting statistics and seem to be consistent with what I observed when I was there, graduating May 2012. How did you get those data? My sense is that more of my classmates have ended up at INOVA. I run into them often and it is nice. I really like Alexandria Hospital, where I am. I know your class will do equally well. Good luck.

I don't think the TEAS is the kind of test to study for. That is what I did. I bet the VA Tech course will be accepted. I applied for and got transfer credit at NOVA from my BS courses elsewhere.

Amiga, I missed your post and am now just replying. I am guessing you have since graduated (with honors) and passed NCLEX. I found that the best way to get a job is to go in person and talk to the recruiter and case manager and even unit staff. Obviously, you need to apply online, but I have found that the personal touch makes a big difference. I was not choosy in what I took for my first job and ended up as a float pool nurse. I just got a permanent placement in the unit I had been hoping for months. I did have to accept nights in both cases, and even weekend nights early on. Once I have been in my unit longer, I hope to get a work schedule more to my choosing. Also, it helps to reach out to people who know you and can speak for you. With each try to get myself a better position, I would guess that I put my name in maybe 5 or so times for evey one that has panned out. Good luck, and I am betting it works out for you.

NOVA EMT, I am so sorry for being this slow to reply. I missed your message and you probably already know thw answer by now, but yes, those days sound about right. However, that was 3 years ago I was starting the program. The think to really pay attention to is WHERE they send you the first semester. I ended up being assigned to Loudon, whixh is the very farthers possible for me. In the following semester you get to pick, if you are quick. For the first semester, you might ask if you can have a choice, but they may not offer it. Summer

I remember 3 years ago doing all the stuff you are doing the summer before classes start. I know it is a hassle, but step-by-step you will get it done. Pay close attention to the math test; it is not hard, but there is no forgiveness. You do not want to have to take the remedial classwork. The NOVA program is not flexible, but you will learn so much. If you were good enough to get in, you are good enough to do very well!

Congratulations to all of you who got in, as I remember how it felt for me 3 years ago. For those who did not get accepted, hang in there, keep taking courses to improve your competetiveness, and hopefully, next time will work for you.

I think you are a strong candidate and likely to get into NOVA, suzichu. ODU has a lot of its BSN and MSN courses online.

suziechu, Do you mean NCLEX, which is the licensing exam, as you are all done with TEAS once you take it and pass and then are accepted in the program? If you do mean NCLEX, do not worry about it, as the program does a lot to get you ready. I did take Kaplan after graduating and before I took the NCLEX last summer. Kaplan was good, but I did not really need to have bothered with it. I passes NCLEX the first time with tne minimum number of questions, as did a number of my classmates. I hope to go RN - MSN, as I already have a BS in another area, so I am just taking classes at GMU and will later apply to GMU and/or ODU. Congratulations on the baby. I am still single.

Well, now I am a float pool nurse. Inova seems like a good place in terms of compensation, training, and work environment, but they also tend to tell you when and where you will work and it is not a 2-way conversation. As a new nurse, I don't really mind because I want good experience and am getting it. If I were more experienced, I would probably want more say; Maybe Inova would give me that or may be it would not.

NOVA EMT, everything you said sounds right to me. And you sure sound organized, too! That is exactly the type of student that does well in the program and the program wants. Assuming you live in the area covered by NOVA, I am pretty confident you will get accepted and then do very well in the program. Males were a distinct minority in my class, so I am guessing you are right that will help, but I doubt you will need such help to be accepted. Also, I would not worry at all about age. I found there were two major age groups: young 20-somethings and older 40,50-somethings. I was a tweener, haha. I think it will work out great for you.

suziechu, I suggest you just ask them if they need more. I am betting you get in. Good luck.

hanoi98, you are right that the hospitals prefer BSNs and I and my classmates had to sign agreements that we would get our BSN within 3 years. The nice thing is that Inova helps pay education costs. Also, NOVA does seem to have a very good reputation and there is demand, so we get hired with our ADNs.

Amiga, sorry to be slow replying, as I have not been on this site this month. Inova seems to do a mass hiring of new graduates in the summer, around July. My suggestion would be to take your NCLEX early, say June, and then keep your eye open for Inova job announcements. Mine was called System Float Pool Nurse and it is an RN1. Inova's openings for the new grads do not seem to be up there long, so you have to look just about every day and apply on line. This past year Inova had two such mass hirings of probably 50+ each time. The second was February. So many of my 2012 graduating classmates seem to be in these hiring groups with me. Sometimes it feels like NOVA at Inova. Hope this helps and good luck.

I agree Kaplan did not help with content. It helped me with confidences and testing expereince and strategy. Some of my classmates who passed, took Hurst and liked it; it costs about the same as Kaplan. I figure we would not have graduated without knowing the content. With a little testing experience under your belt, maybe you can save the $ for Kaplan or Hurst? In any event, good luck and it sounds like you are close to your goal.

Thanks, I am lucky enough to have 3 state universities convenient to me that offer the MSN/Nurse Practitioner and my hospital will pick up about half my education costs if I go the state school route. What I am wrestling with is whether to get my BSN first or go straight for the MSN? The schools I mentioned all offer the RN/MSN track, but they also say that they will make the decision about which track they will admit you to after they see how you do with the core courses. I assume that means they feel the RN/MSN track is more challenging than RN/BSN. Does that seem right to everyone?

I really liked the responses to the question about whether to go the RN/MSN or RN/BSN route. I am in a somewhat similar position, having an ADN RN and a separate BS, except my BS is not health-related. I currently work full-time as an RN in a hospital and would love to some day be a nurse practitioner; I am beginning to take courses towards my MSN, but have not applied to a program yet. As you know, with the first courses, they can also count to a BSN if you choose that route instead. I would really prefer to go direct to the MSN and not get my BSN. I would appreciate your opinions, as I don't have much experience. Of course, it would take several years to get my degree and would then have experience, but would hate to have gone down the wrong path. Thanks.

I did the Kaplan course and passed first time, with the minimum questions. During Kaplan, the instructor referred to cases such as yours and made the point it is not what you know, but what you know about taking the test. She said others in your place took the class, and then passed with flying colors. I cannnot recall exactly, but Kaplan has some sort of guarantee. This is not an advertisement for them, haha, but I think they might be able to help. I think it cost me $300 or $400. Good luck. I know it will all turn out well in the end, but just seems a little stressful now. Don't give up on your RN job! I love mine.

I got my ADN this past spring and it came to under $15,000, all costs included. I received education tax credits for over half my costs. I now work as an RN in a hospital, where I earn almost $70,000/year and the hospital is paying education expenses, as I start going for my MSN in an RN/MSN program. (I already had a BS in another field.) I feel quite fortunate.

I did not know, but it won't happen again. And to top it off, I posted the wrong link by mistake.