Bshort73

At the school I am in, all of our background information is forwarded to the specific clinical locations. It is up to the policy at each clinical site if the students can participate at that location. Some sites may not have issues with felonies, and other sites may have issues with misdemeanors. I would suggest asking your school's nursing advisor if your past would impact your clinical rotations. Best of luck to you!

I personally don't. But, my husband uses a Transformers lunch box! Yes, seriously, he does. Gotta have some fun somehow!

...any reason other than religious views....

I'm pleased to find a recent thread on this topic, and hoping someone can answer my question. I start clinicals Jan '11 and at my school, Hep B vaccine is optional. After consulting my physician, I will start the 3 shot Hep B series next week. I find it concerning that students at my school attend clinicals without receiving this vaccine (a waiver is required if opting out). I questioned my physician as to why it would be optional given how easy it is to come into contact with body fluids, and she couldn't come up with a reason why it is optional as she sees the benefit of having the vaccine outweighs any risk of a side effect. Does anyone know of any logical reason why Hepatitis B vaccine could be considered optional at any school? I see a few posts that state it is optional at their school, but I'm curious to know the reasoning when we are required to provide proof of immunization/blood titers for so many other diseases.

Have you looked at the ones Wal-Mart sells? I think they are reasonably priced. My college requires white pants - many students purchased extra scrub pants from Wal-Mart and they seem to hold up. I'm not sure if they sell white shirts, but it's probably worth looking into!

I'm 36 and waited until my youngest was in first grade before making the switch from full-time employee to full-time student. It has been tough juggling two kids, their sports schedules, husband, house, and animals, but it is manageable. My house isn't sparkling clean and we tend to have dinners I can throw together quickly, but overall, it's been well worth it. My kids have not suffered at all. In fact, I'm home a lot more now than when I worked full-time and commuted 40 miles one way. I'll complete most of my pre-req's this semester and start the nursing program in January. I try to schedule my school so that I do not have any classes one day a week. The nursing program I'll start is designed this way - nursing classes are not held on Fridays. I use this day to study and just have some "me time", which is very important. Even if it is taking the time to go grocery shopping by myself, or taking the dog for a nice long walk, it is much needed alone time.

It would really depend a lot on your specific learning style, but A&P is very difficult as an online class. Most of the time, you are basically on your own to read the text book and learn the material. A&P is pretty tough; I can't imagine trying to teach myself the physiology concepts of the class. Also, I found that during lectures, most biology professors will stress concepts that will be on the exam. There's quite a bit of information thrown at you, and by just reading the text, you won't have any idea how detailed your professor will be on the exams. I wouldn't be able to take it as I am an audible learner. I can handle psych, sociology, etc. as online classes, but not a biology class.

Received my acceptance letter yesterday. Yeah!

Congratulations on getting in!

I am also waiting patiently! I petitioned to enter the Spring 2011 ADN program at the College of Southern Maryland. According to the acknowledgment email I received, notices will be mailed by the end of October. I feel like I am stalking the mail carrier every day! Any other CSM students waiting to hear about their petition status?

I took APII last summer and it wasn't too bad. I struggled with API because I took a general biology class the previous semester instead of intro to anatomy. I didn't know the basics (bones, muscles, tissue types, blood, etc.) because it was assumed that all students starting API knew the basics. I would highly recommend searching for some basic anatomy & physiology websites before class starts to learn all of the bones, and the superficial muscles. I had very little free time during the summer class. I did manage to work about 20 hours a week, but every possible minute was spent reviewing. I recorded all of the lectures and would listen to each one at least twice. I also car-pooled with a few other APII students and we spent the hour long drive as a review time and study group. In some aspects, I think the "compressed" semester made exam time easier. Most weeks, we were tested on material from the previous 2 or 3 lectures. It was less time to forget the material since it was still so fresh. Lastly, try your hardest to not miss any classes. Missing one class in a compressed semester could be the equivalent to missing two or more standard 16 week semester classes. Good luck!