Isiah4031

I went through this program and loved it! Great professors, clinical sites, and opportunities. Make sure you all apply elsewhere if you can so as to not "put all the eggs in one basket." HCC, PHCC, SPC, USF, and UT are the likely others classes may count towards. Good luck!

I work at FHT and love it. All the changes have been positive and the newer management has been supportive and encouraging. Pay is less than TGH, but profits are also higher and FHT is non-profit. That means there are no shareholders and money made is money put back in. I work on a floor where a lot of physician's groups have come over from TGH. In the end, it's your decision to make. But- it also depends on what type of floor you'd be working on. Good luck!

Wow, you guys really must not like Florida Hospital Tampa. Yeah, the old UCH wasn't all that, but the ownership company has been pouring money and resources into the hospital like crazy. I've been there about three years (two as a Nurse Tech, and a couple months as a Nurse Resident) and have loved it. Go where you feel most comfortable and where you feel you have a chance to do what you'd like!

I work at Florida Hospital Tampa and love it!! I was a Nurse Tech for about two years while in school and then was fortunate enough to get into the Nurse Residency Program. Yes, they do have an entire floor dedicated to the program before you go to your "home floor." Any questions, just ask! The Program Coordinator is awesome!

I would HIGHLY recommend getting your CNA and trying to work in a hospital during your time in school. Even if it's one day a week, there are Managers who will allow it. First, try to get in at the places you do clinicals at. You're there, in their face, and allowinfg them to view your interest and skills. I had a much easier time getting hired as a nurse once I passed my boards than most of those that did not work as an aid or tech. I was fortunate enough to get in where I worked as a tech.

Florida Hospital Tampa and St. Joseph's (Baycare) offer Nurse Resident Programs for new graduates. HCA facilities will hire new nurses out of school as well. Florida Hospital's program is 12 weeks in length and includes lab simulations and check-offs, journal article reviews, group projects and prevalence studies, lectures, seminars, and training for certifications for whichever specialty hired into. First 6 weeks are on a general medical/surgical floor under close supervision of an experienced BSN. Second 6 weeks are on whatever floor you were hired onto. Not sure how St. Joe's program is, but I've heard it's very good as well and that HCA's hospitals give 12 weeks of orientation too. They will interview and hire out of state. Just make sure you have your license before you apply and make yourself stand out! Good luck!

I've heard some hospitals (especially small ones or ones that only serve a particular demographic) can burn new nurses out pretty quick. I'd be curious as to why you hated it. You can PM me if you'd like, but some of the things I've heard that cause new nurses to quit or get burn-out early are unqualified preceptors, bad nurse to patient ratios, patient acuity, poor teamwork, for-profit hospitals that seem to not support or listen to staff, or too short of a training period altogether. Personally, I don't know if I could work in Peds. To me, IMO, it seems like it could be a double-edge sword when you get sick children AND parents to deal with. If that's your calling, go for it! I hope you found, or find, the right place for you. It seems once you get your initial experience, wherever it may be, you get considered for a lot more positions. It's that FIRST job that seems to be the most difficult to land.

I don't comment often, but this post caught my eye enough for me to do so. I graduated in May, licensed in June, and was extremely fortunate to be hired into a hospital's residency program for new grads. In the Tampa market, it is very competitive for nursing jobs in general- not to mention new/unexperienced nurses some Managers are often not willing to take on and train. You should take whatever job you can get. Many of my classmates from our ADN program put in over 30 applications with few call backs. If you work in a hospital already, don't let that opportunity pass you by. NETWORK!! As for the Med/Surg part, I recognized I never worked a day as a nurse in my life, so I didn't want to even look into high stress/speed specialties that can burn me out or cause an error. I love Med/Surg because you see everything and it stays fresh. The whole hall can have the same diagnosis, but everyone still be different. It gives you the opportunity to converse with patients more than ER/ICU and allows you to learn which meds normally go with which disease process and visa versa. And, when you think about it, Med/Surg is a great foundation to allow you to more easily move into specialties once you get your routines down. But, again, that's my own opinion and bias. Find good and experienced nurses you can trust and pick their brain.

Now that I'm done, I plan on trying to find a job in the hospital setting. Since I did the CNA route as well, I've managed to network a little and got to know some Manager's in that setting. I'm going through all the application processes now, so wish me luck on that front!

To the best of my knowledge, FHT's program is 12 weeks in length with a 2 year commitment. You have to be licensed to apply or they'll just bounce the application back to you (like mine!). The first 6 weeks are spent on a general Med/Surg floor where residents are oriented by a BSN who has to meet specific criteria to be a preceptor. After that, the remaining 6 weeks (and more if needed) are on that resident's home floor. I've heard they'll have residents attend lectures, seminars, complete book work (makes up about 25% of the program), and will help them get whatever certifications needed for certain specialties. I looked into other local hospitals as well, and as Evansmum said, they really only take BSN's. St Joe's recruitment line said only BSN's are considered candidates for their GN program and said their job fairs are aimed at "experienced" RN's. TGH apparently doesn't hire ADN's out of school either. My honest guess is if an ADN graduate worked at one of those hospitals as a tech or CNA during school, AND they liked that person, they MAY consider them for a GN or residency position. So, as Evansmum and I recommended, get your CNA and try to work at least a shift or two a week to get the exposures that can help you in school and allow you to network.

Lucy, The teachers at Dade City are great! Over the course of the first two semesters, our group of 20 didn't have any drop out or be retained for academic reasons. I think the program will greatly prepare you, providing you take advantage of the opportunities, for whatever nursing roles you want to fulfill. I would HIGHLY advise to get your CNA license over the Summer so you can market yourself during your clinicals to work at least PRN or Part-time during your time in school. Unless you have kids, already have to work, or have another "life" reason preventing you from seeking one out, a CNA/Nurse's Aid job will open MANY doors you and allow you to network and essentially "interview" for jobs for when you graduate. Some students who graduate with no prior experience have had difficulty finding hospital jobs. I'd be careful how much you work regardless since most need to read, review, or study materials to truly get what you need to out of the courses. I can say those that had to work more than others more often missed classes, quizzes, and opportunities than those who didn't have to as much. As for the books, learn patience and wait for the books to come in, go to the bookstore, write down the ISBN #'s and find the PRIMARY TEXTBOOKS on Amazon. The publisher is BS and ALWAYS tries to sell a package with all types of books, study guides, discs, ect. Very few students made any use of the study guides or pocket notes. Honestly, some didn't even use the textbooks because they focused solely on the powerpoint lectures the two Dade City profs use. I used my textbook for supplemental help and to better understand everything. You'll have to find whatever works for you. But, don't waste a test grade to find out. Studying for nursing exams is far different than A&P or any other course. Hope all this helps!

I currently work at FH and it is VERY competitive. They offer 7 week rolling admissions and (to my knowledge) take anywhere from 4-8 GN's in each class. Pay is in the low-20's and they either want you enrolled in a BSN program or be a graduate from one. I'm working on applying to the next class myself, but have been made aware of their requirements from other Nurse Residents on the floors I work. Good luck!

Just graduated from this program and loved it. I went to Dade City first year and stayed on West after my 3rd Semester was done. If anyone has any questions, feel free to ask as I may be able to help. Good luck and enjoy it!

http://www.allheart.com/stethoscopes.html

The booklist from orientation will often be outdated. Either call or go to the campus bookstore directly to get the ISBN #'s off the backs of the books. The publisher will always try to get you to purchase a package deal through the bookstore, but that's only useful if you'd utilize an e-book or supplemental info. on a disk. The study guides are practically useless as most lectures are Powerpoint based and the textbooks are supplemental to that. But, things do change and vary from professor to professor. I found most of my books the 1st 2 semesters off Amazon since they do free shipping and you can actually buy package deals on there too (book, disk, study guide, ect.). A stethoscope will DEFINITELY be needed for lab, check-offs, and clinical. I'd recommend a Littmann and getting some kind of of identifier (tape, engraving, diff. color ear pieces) on it so you'd know it's yours if someone accidentally picks it up. If you don't have one, may want to invest in a recorder since some professors will repeat particulars in lecture that may be on the exam (if you're an auditory learner that is). Also, studying for these exams will be entirely different than learning the body like a road map in API and APII. Just be open to change and figure out how to best learn what's given!