GLG78

I am about to start my second semester at UAB and I live in Georgia. I take two classes at a time (between 6 and 7 hours) and the tuition costs have been between approximately $2600 and $3100 per semester. The tuition IS instate tuition plus a $200 fee/online class, so a total of $400 per semester. The semester that is $3100 is due to the fact that one of the classes had a lab fee of $170.

I will be attending UAB this Spring. UAB has the #11 program in the country for FNP. It is an online program, but you do have to go to Birmingham every once in a while (I think it may be once a semester for a couple of days...not sure yet...still need to talk to my advisor). You set up your own clinicals where you live. I've included a link below in regards to tuition. Tuition for online programs are INSTATE tuition + $200 online fee per class, which makes it very affordable. UAB Detailed Tuition and Fees Charges

Call the hospital's nurse recruiter in HR. If the hospital is big enough, they should have a person that has this dedicated job. They usually handle placing new grads. The one at our hospital is great! Also, be willing to work on any floor/unit. Good luck!

Thanks SillySally! UAB was not the only school to which I applied. I also applied to Georgia College and State University (received acceptance about a month ago) and Georgia State University (have not received an admission decision yet but recently had an interview) for Spring 2011. I also applied to Medical College of Georgia for Fall 2011 admissions and won't hear from them until April or so, but since I got into UAB, I won't be attending MCG. In all of these schools, I applied to the FNP program. Also, I don't mind sharing my grades/scores. On the MAT, I received a 438. My overall GPA is 3.35 (I have two bachelor degrees). My GPA at the college from which I received my nursing degree is 3.49. My last 60 hours of nursing classes is about 3.3. I had a C in Peds, Patho, and Anatomy. I don't know what is most important to UAB, but there is a woman I work with whom is completing her BSN at UAB (she is an RN but only had an associates). She also applied to Spring '11 semester, but did not get in. I know she did not have MAT scores (they are not required if your GPA is over 3.2), but she was making nearly all A's in her BSN studies. She also has one or two more years of experience than me. I've been working for 5 years. Maybe they really like strong MAT scores? I was in the 93% for nursing majors. I hope that helps. Good luck with everything:specs:

Yay! I got accepted today!

TXRN10: Have you heard from UAB? I still haven't received a letter...

Mail just came today and I STILL haven't gotten a letter! Is anybody else still waiting? Has anybody gotten an acceptance?

I have been an RN for 5 years, and have to agree with the above post, nursing school is much more stressful and time consuming than working. In most hospital jobs, you work 3 days per week. Many employers are also very flexible with schedules and understanding of new mothers. You can set up your schedule to compliment your husbands schedule so the baby does not have to go to daycare if that is your wish. In nursing school, you are constantly thinking about school, and on top of assignments, you also have clinicals, which sometime feel like a full time job themselves. Your schedule is NOT flexible at all in school. The stress of school and a crying, needy baby sound like way too much to handle for most people. Although I don't have children myself, I would encourage you to wait until you have a job, are stable, and can devote more time to your child.

I still haven't gotten a letter yet! I'm very, very anxious...

sillysally: No, the classes meet during the week and unfortunately, if you are taking more than one class, they may meet on different days of the week. You could also try Georgia State University in Atlanta. What is that, about a 2 hour drive? They have a "web-facilitated" program that meets on campus once a month. I applied there as well but have not heard back yet.

Possible Questions: Tell me a little about yourself? What are your strengths? What are your weaknesses? Why do you want to work for us? Why do you want to work in this department/this area? Why did you choose to be a nurse? Where do you see yourself in five years? Etc. If you are a good talker, you should do fine. The person interviewing you wants to like you, because they have to work with you, so just be yourself and don't take it too seriously. Think of it as meeting someone, not as an interview. Just remember that YOU should also ask questions too so you seem interested in the job and do a little research on the organization with which you are interviewing. And most importantly, try to relax. I wish I could help you with NCLEX, but I've been out of school for years and I don't live in Atlanta. Good luck!

We always have orders when we receive a patient to the floor from the ED. The admitting physician does however give orders over the phone to the ED RN, unless he has hospital computer access at home and can enter them directly into the system. How can a patient go up to the floor without orders? That's crazy! They are in the hospital for a reason and need some sort of medication/tests/labs/etc. That would not fly at my hospital.

I don't call patients "honey" or "sweetie" because I've never called anybody those names; however, sometimes I wish I could. I, too, am an RN in the south and patients and nurses and families call each other those names all the time. In the south, I don't think it is a bad thing. I think it shows closeness and caring. I don't think it is necessarily demeaning. I love it when a patient feels comfortable enough to call me "sweetheart" or "darlin'."

NurseFrustrated: I hope you really like your new job. I have been a nurse for 5 years and love my job! It's the only one I've ever had and I hate to leave it. In a few years, I will have to though, because I am returning to school to get an MSN/FNP. There are many hospitals out there that treat their nursing staff well. Our unit, a telemetry unit, has an average of 4-5 patients per RN. Most of the families I have ever dealt with have been grateful and understanding (although there are a few bad apples). My advice is to keep job jumping until you find a good fit. There are tons of opportunities for nurses, and there is no reason you should stay in a place and be treated like dirt.

Wow...you reported this after only 45 minutes of a patient's return to the floor? And to a supervisor? You should have just approached the RN for the patient and asked if you could help her out by placing an armband on the patient and placing a hat in the toilet. It would have taken you 2 minutes and solved all the problems you were concerned about. When an RN is busy, the first priority may not be measuring output or putting an armband on the patient. Perhaps she had someone with chest pain? Perhaps she had someone who couldn't breathe? How would you prioritize? No, you should not have gone to the supervisor. You should have offered assistance to the RN if you were concerned. That is the best way to handle the situation. Nursing is about being a team player. Offer assistance. Don't tell on somebody.