mrigas

Nursing theory Statistics Clinical/epidem. research Sorry, I don't have the sheet with me to provide you the numbers.

I have to say that I also got MANY blank stares. This is very nerve-racking...especially when they ask you something general like "tell me about epinephrine." So you start rattling your brain for everything you know and as you're speaking and trying to read their faces you start to 2nd guess yourself. They almost look @ you like you don't know what you're talking about even if you are giving them the right info. Try not to let this bother you (easier said than done). Study for the interview and be confident with what you know.

I talked with the PD about not having O-chem completed by the time you apply and he said that they prefer it to be completed by application time but it does not detract from your application if you send them a transcript with your application showing you are currently enrolled. So that's what I did and it worked for me! Best of luck to you.

I'm going to UT-Houston...Go Horns!!

What certs do you have? How is your science background? What have you done over the past 9 years to show your leadership and clinical abilities? Maybe they felt you were overconfident at your interview? ....just a few thoughts....

Me too!!! I had to read the screen several times while piching myself to make sure it was true. Congrats!!

Congrats on getting in. I was also admited this year to a program and wanted to let everyone know that I did pretty much the same thing for preparation. A friend and I worked very hard at compiling a list of interview questions that prepared us clinically and professionally. Once we had compiled these questions and came up with answers, we would call each other and quiz ourselves. This really helped. Just as the OP had done, however, my friend and I had overstudied these questions as well as overprepared for the CCRN. We were still nervous going in but felt confident that we knew our stuff. Not only did I have my CCRN, but I had TNCC, PALS, and device certifications. The board seemed impressed with the fact that I had accquired so much in so little time after becoming a nurse. So, my advice would be to get the certifications if you are applying with less than two years of experience.

I was elated when I found out yesterday... It's REALLY going to be hard to go into work now. Transplant, I work in the CVICU across the hall from you at Hermann...maybe we can meet sometime since we've probably seen each other before...pm me if you want. Congratulations to everyone who made it!!!

Has anyone taken Kaplan's online prep course or their classroom prep? Was it worth the money? I have the money to front but I'd rather use it for something else if I can prep just as well with the book and several supplements.

"If they need more Spanish than that, they are lost. And look to the nurses as if 'RN' somehow translates to 'automatically fluent in Spanish. No kidding, I've seen this many times." This is sad but true!!

I have recently started in a CVICU as a new nurse. The managers are quite reluctant to hiring new grads because of the high probablilty of them "doing their time" so that they can go to CRNA school. Needless to say, I have kept my hopes of getting into school to myself. I realize that I have at least a year to go before beginning to apply as I have an 18 month contract to fulfil, but I would like to hear how other people have gone about getting good recommendations especially from their managers. Any other advice in dealing with coworkers, managers, etc. would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

PDAs of any kind are allowed, I had several friends that loved them and lived on them (especially in clinicals)

Recent grad of UT Houston. Was just wondering what the CANDO program is since there was no such thing when I attended. For those of you who will not be able to attend FOCUS, don't worry. You will not be put at a disadvantage, the program is designed with time for you to learn all of the material presented in FOCUS. Attending FOCUS was great for me because I just couldn't wait to get into things and I THOUGHT I would be at an advantage. It was within the first few days that I found out that FOCUS was created to solve the delima of too many students and not enough lab space to put all the students in simultaneously. Good luck to all of you and feel free to PM me if you have any questions!

I plan on applying to both schools in the near future and would like to hear opinions about each school's program. I have weighed the obvious pros and cons with each school (i.e., curriculum, clinical locations, etc) but would like to get opinions regarding student life, clinical situations you've encountered, and the stuff they don't tell you before entering the program. Please feel free to PM me if you do not feel comfortable divulging information so pubicly! Thanks!

This really does not make sense to me. Why would a manager not higher someone with 5-10 years of ICU experience for a M/S position?