Eponine

You need to have all of your prereqs done by the NLN testing date in July. If you finish your prereqs by then and pass the NLN exam with a high enough score, you should get the call accepting you into the nursing division a few weeks later. There are no requirements for becoming a pre-nursing student with the exception of the minimum GPA required of all Bloomfield College students as stipulated by the college. Everyone who applies for the nursing program is considered pre-nursing. The difficulty is actually getting into the nursing program itself and staying there. You have to have a decent NLN score and decent GPA to be considered. Most people in my year who got accepted to the nursing program had a GPA of above a 3.4 and scored above a 70 on the NLN.

Apply as nursing. It will show up as Pre-Nursing/Nursing on your transcript.

For the school itself: The parking is a nightmare if you are a commuter. The computers are archaic and the school randomly decides to stop providing computer paper for the printer, and instructors tell you to bring your own. That's assuming the printers work, which a good portion of the time they don't. It's nearly impossible to get in contact with most of the professors and advisors. If you have a problem with a professor, you are pretty much stuck. During my freshman year, we had an adjunct professor teaching A&P II and nearly all of us were unable to hear and understand him. The school had to finally step in and average our A&P I grades into our anatomy II grades to have enough people passing the course to move onto the next part of our programs. This was a class of roughly forty students, and less than ten passed without the school stepping in. WiFi is only available in the library and isn't reliable. From what I have heard, the food in the cafeteria is horrible and mold is an issue in some of the dorms. The school is also VERY overpriced. For the Nursing Division: Favoritism is a problem with some professors. The scheduling is often impossible and requires constant nagging to get fixed. This semester they scheduled me for clinical from 7-12 and then class back on campus from 12-1:45 in a hospital half an hour from the school. Some of the professors are unfriendly and downright rude when you ask a question. One professor is notorious for telling you two facts, testing you, and then making the question wrong, even while telling you that you were correct. The nursing computer lab is always full with people on Facebook or Youtube so you rarely get a chance to do work or print. They require you to bring your own paper regardless of whether the rest of the school does as well. The coursework itself though is difficult but manageable. Schools I have heard good things about are Rutgers and William Paterson. The friends I have spoken to who have gone to their nursing programs or are in their nursing program talk about loving it. The clinicals are also offered at more times throughout the day. Honestly, I can't really give a fair comparison, since I am stuck here because I have already invested so much time, money, and energy, but I always feel like I should let people know of my experiences with the college. Some people love it, but there are a lot of us who wish we had gone elsewhere. Either way, good luck!

You are already prenursing if you declared it on your application. It's only after you finish your pre-reqs, take the NLN exam, and score high enough to be accepted into the program that you're considered a nursing student. You can take the entrance exam in January or July, depending on what pre-reqs you have completed. Your advisor can tell you if you've completed enough. I would recommend taking it in January in case you don't score high enough your first time. Then you can retake it in July and possibly get a higher grade. Personally I wouldn't recommend going into the nursing program here. I'm in my junior year and I wish I had transferred after finishing my pre-reqs. I would suggest getting out while you can. Good luck with whatever you choose.

Hi all. I have a case study due on a 48 year old African American male who weighs 240 pounds. He is on various medications, including Depakote for migraines. The order states: divalproex sodium (Depakote) 15mg/kg/daily PO. I tried to figure the dose out, and if my calculations are right he would take 1,632.93mg of Depakote per day. According to my drug guide, the maximum dose for Depakote is 1000mg. Is 1632mg too high a dose? I'm lost as to what to write in my assignment. I feel like I should state that I would double check the orders with the physician, but I'm not sure. I have to do a cost analysis for a month as well. Do I calculate the cost for the 1632mg or the maximum dose stated in the drug guide? Any ideas and help would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

I have one now. In addition to being my lecture professor, she is my CI. She is critical of every move I make. If I speak up during our wrap up session after clinicals, I'm talking to other students. If I don't speak up, I'm not being an active participant. I have never been late with an assignment, yet she has marked me late twice. I was also criticized for being "too tired and unprofessional." Because I yawned on the way to my car at the end of clinical. In the parking garage. Once. She despises me and I don't know why. I would try to fly under her radar, but she is the CI for my lab section and there are only seven of us, so she knows me already. Good luck! I know I'm going to need it.

I go there too. I didn't have the problems you have, but I do wish I had looked into it more before deciding to attend.

If you are worried about noise, try something like a snack bag of fresh sliced peaches, raisins/dried fruit, or string cheese. Easy to eat, and quiet too!

I need to work on my time management. I spent way too much time procrastinating last semester which led to things piling up which led to me being a giant ball of anxiety around exam time. And I need to force myself to remember that watching House does not equal study time, no matter how much I wish it did.

If a patient has trouble breathing due to second-hand smoke - whether it's because s/he has to walk through a cloud of smoke to get inside or because the nurse recently took a smoke break - the studies are irrelevant. Saying, "Hey, studies X Y and Z say that second hand smoke isn't as dangerous as people believe," is not going to suddenly make the patient tolerate smoke better. Also, I haven't seen anyone denying smokers their right to smoke in this thread or anywhere else. It's not as though anyone is policing people in their homes. It's just communal space. Doors to businesses that everyone has to walk through are communal spaces. Buses, taxis, trains, restaurants, bars, etc. are all communal spaces. Hospitals are also communal space, although they are also a special case considering the amount of people with respiratory problems. Again, no one's denying people their right to smoke; we're simply asking them to be considerate when they do. For the record, I've read Anthem, The Fountainhead, and Atlas Shrugged. I am not sure what difference that is supposed to make though.

Sometimes. I'm only a first year nursing student, but so far I don't find the content hard. I actually enjoy the content and reading my textbooks. I just hate the way the classes are taught, the ridiculous competition between the students, and the BS group work. I want to be a nurse desperately. I just wish I had chosen a different school.

The end of my first semester as a nursing student is rapidly approaching, and I am torn on an idea I have. This semester has been unbelievably stressful due to health problems of my own, health problems in my family, and other personal issues. My professors for the most part have been overwhelmingly supportive, helpful, and kind. I was wondering about giving them a small gift or thank you card at the end of the semester to show my appreciation. I would do so privately during office hours so that I don't put the professors in an awkward situation in front of the class and my peers won't think I am "sucking up." Would this be appropriate, or should I just settle for a verbal thank you?

YES!! I absolutely hate group work and group activities. In group work, there is always someone who doesn't do their share. And in one of my classes now, 75-80% of class time is dedicated to "group discussions." Which translates to listening to my classmates talk about who they slept with last night instead of the course content. It drives me nuts. What is even worse is the fact that the course content is actually interesting, but since the professors are so into group discussions, I never hear the professor's take on it, only the textbook's.

1: Screw you. Really. You are a horrible professor, and it is obvious to all of us that you don't care if we learn. Also, you can't talk to us like we're four years old, then turn around and tell us we're college students and need to learn to think. You can't have it both ways. I despise you, and you are the reason I am thinking of switching majors as well as schools. 2: You are a wonderful woman, and I am lucky to have met you. There should be more professors like you in the world. If I do leave the school, I would miss you most of all.

Yes, nursing schools will likely judge you because of the F's. There is still hope, however. A strong essay will help, as will an interview if the schools you are looking into require this. If the schools do not require an interview, you can try to ask if you can schedule one. If schools see you are dedicated and proactive, they are likely to give you a chance. Good luck!