Hexum944

That is still a good message and means you passed. I got that same message.

Obloom14, where did you go to nursing school? Congratulations on passing! That must have been a surreal experience seeing your name post!

I took the California NCLEX-RN on 10/16/2013 and checked the PVT a few hours after I finished. I received a pop-up that said: "Our records indicate that you have recently scheduled this exam. please contact your member board for further assistance. another registration cannot be made at this time." After my name not posting on the BRN after three days I got very nervous and later contacted the BRN to see why my name hadn't posted. They said the system recently went through an update and now it can take up to 4 weeks for your name to post. They also confirmed that if PV website will not let you register than means you passed. My name ended up posting on 10/26/2013.

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It now can take up to 4 weeks for your name to post to the California BRN.

In California, took 10 days for my name to post on the BRN. The California BRN recently updated their system and they said it now can take up to 4 weeks to post.

I took the NCLEX yesterday in California and received the pop up that says, ""Our records indicate that you have recently scheduled this exam. Please contact your Member Board for further assistance. Another registration cannot be made at this time." Its interesting how there are two different messages; the one I got, and the other one that most people get that says "passed" in the pop up. I wonder if those of us in California only receive the one I got. It won't let me to go the credit card screen, so I guess that is good, right? I've been checking the California BRN website and searching for my name. It hasn't been posted yet, I heard it can take 2-3 days for it to appear. This is the website,. On the page you click the top link: https://www.breeze.ca.gov/datamart/selSearchTypeCADCA.do Any comments on any or no difference between the pop up I got, and the pop up that says "passed"?

Congrats on getting in to both schools! If I were in your situation I would look at two main things: 1. Can I handle an entire nursing program crammed into 1 year? 2. Is it worth paying more for MSMC since I will graduate and make money sooner than WGU? Regarding 1: I know a nurse who did the ABSN program at MSMC and she said it was very difficult. Cramming all the information in one year created a year of hardcore constant homework. But she was able to graduate on time. Regarding 2: In one way, MSMC would cost less than WGU. If you go to MSMC and graduate in one year, you will have 1.5 years to work before you would have graduated WGU. Therefore, if a standard nurse starts at $60,000 a year, you would make $90,000 in that 1.5 years. Therefore MSMC could theoretically save you money. However, due to the high cost of MSMC, you will probably have to take out student loans and the interest will have a marginal decrease on the savings. If you live near MSMC and think you can handle the one year program, I would say do that. MSMC makes great nurses and has the best reputation around. If you chose MSMC make sure you live near the campus, sitting in hours of traffic before and after school for an entire year can break you. If you are unsure if you can handle the MSMC workload, don't want to pay student loans for 10-20 years, and want a more relaxed school environment (and you can work while attending WGU), then I would chose WGU. You just have to decide which of the two fits you best. WGU nurses get hired very easily, I personally know of some at Cedars Sinai and Kaiser.

Congrats on getting in to both schools! If I were in your situation I would look at two main things: 1. Can I handle an entire nursing program crammed into 1 year? 2. Is it worth paying more for MSMC since I will graduate and make money sooner than WGU? Regarding 1: I know a nurse who did the ABSN program at MSMC and she said it was very difficult. Cramming all the information in one year created a year of hardcore constant homework. But she was able to graduate on time. Regarding 2: In one way, MSMC would cost less than WGU. If you go to MSMC and graduate in one year, you will have 1.5 years to work before you would have graduated WGU. Therefore, if a standard nurse starts at $60,000 a year, you would make $90,000 in that 1.5 years. Therefore MSMC could theoretically save you money. However, due to the high cost of MSMC, you will probably have to take out student loans and the interest will have a marginal decrease on the savings. If you live near MSMC and think you can handle the one year program, I would say do that. MSMC makes great nurses and has the best reputation around. If you chose MSMC make sure you live near the campus, sitting in hours of traffic before and after school for an entire year can break you. If you are unsure if you can handle the MSMC workload, don't want to pay student loans for 10-20 years, and want a more relaxed school environment (and you can work while attending WGU), then I would chose WGU. You just have to decide which of the two fits you best.

Yes, I am in the prelicensure program and overall I really like it. There are several flaws, as with all programs, but its a fairly new program and hopefully they will work the kinks out. They do not ask students for their opinion on important topics such as program improvement though. I really think they should regularly contact us to see what we feel could be improved upon. I highly recommend the program to everyone. Extending the program will have no effect on students practicing and perfecting taking blood pressure and other vital signs. Those skills are not included in the extension. We learned those over two days and practice them in future labs and all clinical intensives. If you were hoping those extra six months will give students more practice to those and other skills, I am sad to inform you that it will not. Your story about the nurse giving incorrect information is unfortunate. Hopefully the nurse was accidently referring to another patient, but who knows. Nurses, doctors, physical therapists, etc make mistakes every day. West Coast University should be avoided at all costs by prospective nursing students. They are the most expensive program I am aware of, and employers do not want to hire their graduates. You can get bad grades in college and still get accepted there if you are willing to pay outrageous tuition prices. Nursing demands more outgoing, dedicated, and bright people. I know there are some brilliant people that attend WCU, but when you look at their NCLEX pass rates, retention, and class profile statistics, you will see what I am referring to. I don't know of any programs that are less expensive than WGU, except for hundreds of community college programs. But those are only ADN programs. Mt. St. Marys is more expensive but is much more prestigious and turns out very prepared nurses and get hired immediately out of school. That program is only a year long. Then they start making money sooner and it ends up costing less than attending WGU or a community college. Concordia is 18 months, a full year shorter than WGU, and is not much more expensive. And then the nurses can work for a a full year before WGU grads can, and make $65,000 a year, which also ends up costing less than WGU.

WGU's motto or slogan is: "Online. Accelerated. Affordable. Accredited." This is a university slogan, not one that is only being used by a few different programs. This same slogan is also found on the cover of the "Program Guide Book" to the "Bachelor of Science, Nursing (Prelicensure) BSPRN" book. Certainly it is meant to apply to the prelicensure program and to attract students. Adding $3,750 essentially raised the price of tuition approximately 20% overnight. This price hike in addition to the extended program completion time only encourages students to look elsewhere. In the extra 6-18 months this program takes over traditional accelerated programs, nurses could attended and graduated other programs and could have made $30,000-$90,000. WGU is a great school and the nursing prelicensure program is a great program. I still highly recommend it. It is just very unfortunate the school has taken this longer and more expensive route. I want to see WGU and this program thrive, and I don't see that happening with these changes. I hope I'm wrong.

The Western Governors Pre-Licensure BSN Nursing program is no longer an "accelerated" program. It used to be a 2 year program, it has now been extended to 2 1/2 years. I believe the change was made about 1 1/2 years ago. It's unfortunate they extended it 6 months. Not only does it take longer to get through the program, it also costs about $4500 more. This brings the program cost up to ~$24,000, close to other traditional private BSN programs. I heard the reason for the length extension was to allow students to complete pre-reqs during the first few months and to extend the pediatric and obstetrics classes/labs/clinicals. Although this is still a good program, the extension was unnecessary. They could have taken one week away from other classes and added it to peds and ob. Although WGU can't really be considered Accelerated and Affordable anymore at least it is still Accredited.

I have a classmate that works full time and two that work part time and they are able to keep on top of things. They just have to be more dedicated.As far as studying beforehand, I don't think it will help. Just show up on day one and be prepared to write a lot of essays.

Yes I still use that email. We are not allowed to tell anyone what we were tested on. The reason is because it will give others an unfair advantage. And, I did it without knowing and you can to! You have all the answers right there in the check lists. This is the easiest one besides the first one were you have to take vitals and make the bed.

I do remember but we are not allowed to say.

Always wash your hands, introduce yourself, check physician orders, check patient wrist band for name, MRN, room number, and birth date. Ask permission to touch patient. When palpating for a pulse, do not push too hard. Your knuckles will turn white and the assessor can tell by this indication that you are pressing too hard. The hardest most difficult assessor quit, probably from all the student complaints, so it should be easy compared to what most other students went through. Always make sure the side rails are up if you are away from bed. Always raise the bed to a comfortable height and lower it before you are done. Verbalize everything you do.

The interviews are conducted over the phone or webcam. They ask why you want to be a nurse, why did you chose WGU over a "normal" nursing program, are you going to be able to dedicate enough time to study, are you going to continue schooling past the RN degree, etc. And yes, I recommend the program.

I am in the WGU nursing program in California. I am over half-way done and I can say its a good program. Luckily I got in the 2-year program before they extended it another 6 months. From what I've heard, they extended it to allow students more time to complete some prereqs during that time. If you guys have any questions, let me know.

I am in the WGU nursing program in California. I am over half-way done and I can say its a good program. Luckily I got in the 2-year program before they extended it another 6 months. From what I've heard, they extended it to allow students more time to complete some prereqs during that time. If you guys have any questions, let me know.

If something like that offends you, you will get destroyed during rotations.

"where did you guys bought the patch?" make sure you use better grammar on your future taskstream essays. they will not pass sentences like that. i actually dont remember where they had us buy them, but wgu provides you with all the information on how to buy them. you buy the patches and name tag(s) from the same place online. i know the scrubs you are required to by are from dove apparel, and that might also be where the patches and name tags come from. i bought the minimum required clothing and it was like $160 including the patches and tag. once your receive all of the gear you take it to a tailor have the clothing hemmed and the patches put on.

It depends on the loan you take out, how long you want to repay it, if you'll take extra money for the cost of living, etc. Most students take out significantly more than what school costs so they can pay rent, gasoline, food, books, etc. Here's one example: Loan Balance:$60,000.00 Adjusted Loan Balance:$60,000.00 Loan Interest Rate:6.80% Loan Fees:0.00%Loan Term:10 years Minimum Payment:$50.00 Monthly Loan Payment:$690.48 Number of Payments:120 Cumulative Payments:$82,857.94 Total Interest Paid:$22,857.94 If you take out $60,000, you will have to pay $690/month for 10 years! And that's just the cost for school! Instead of putting yourself into financial ruin, being a slave to the bank, find a more affordable school. Mt St Mary's NCLEX pass rates are just normal. There are plenty of better schools that are a fraction of the price. And there are some school with slightly less pass rates that are a fraction of the price. No doubt Mt St Marys offers a great education, but you will get the same education elsewhere for significantly less. Dont put yourself in excessive debt like that. If you go to a less expensive school, get yourself a BMW, Mercedes Benz, or something else that would cost $690/month and enjoy it!

Oh sorry about that! I wish I had posted that sooner. Maybe someone else will it and it will help them out. For clinicals we went 5 days in a 2-week period. The shifts are between 7am-7:30pm. You will be assigned a unit/floor based upon your previous health care experience. I dont have very much so I was assigned an "easier" floor. You will be with the same nurse for all 5 shifts. We are now doing our second set of clinicals and most students are paired up with the same nurse in the same unit. There were some scheduling conflicts so a couple students are with a new nurse on a new floor. You will have a clinical instructor come down twice a day and see how your day is going. (MODERATOR EDIT OF NAME) He came around 9-10am and 4-5pm. This time we have (MODERATOR EDIT OF NAME). I havent started with XXX yet, so I cant comment on how she grills you. But if you have XXX, you must be very prepared to answer lots and lots of questions about your patients. You will usually be assigned to one patient (you dont have to do everything for the patient, but for that one patient you will have to do more research on their condition compared to the other patients). In the morning you will meet all the patients and prepare for morning medications and other basic tasks. You will then need to get out a piece of paper and write down all the medications they are on, why they are on the medications, side effects of the medications, what type of class they are, etc etc. A conversation I had with XXX went similar to this: Why is your patient taking morphine? For pain. What type of medication is morphine? A narcotic analgesic. What are some side effects of morphine? Nausea, vomiting, constipation, etc. Given these side effects, what other medications should the patient be on? Antiemetic, Lasix, etc. And why does a patient who has Sickel Cell experience pain? Where are common places for their pain? What is Sickel Cell? What are common medications for these patients? Are blood transfusions advised? Why and why not? Etc etc etc…XXX is very smart and expects you to know way more than you do! You will also have to do homework for each shift. You have to do a journal entry and care plan. The care plan itself can take over an hour to do. Luckily, this round, they are only making us do 2 care plans within the 5 shifts. XXX will go over your care plan and rip it to shreds as well, so make sure you do your best. Can you expound upon the program now being 2 1/2 years? Why did they extend it, and what did they change?

Fcat, I am in the August 2011 cohort at Cedars. So far the program has progressed very well. There have been a few bumps along the way, as in any school, but overall Im very happy and satisfied with the program. The skills bootcamp is the easiest test we've had so far. We had a fantastic lady named (MODERATOR EDIT OF NAME), an NP, who did our bootcamp. She is one of our favorite instructors. We meet at El Camino community college in Torrance. If I remember correctly, the bootcamp goes over basic nursing skills like bed making (with patient out of bed, with patient in bed), helping a patient ambulate (from bed, from wheel chair, crutches, with gait belt), partial and full bed bath, taking vitals (auscultating lung sounds, temperature, respirations, blood pressure, heart rate), proper body mechanics (for you as the nurse. remember to raise bed to your comfortable height [can be an instant fail if you use bad body mechanics], make sure to completely lower bed and raise side rails and lock wheels when done, another possible instant fail), etc. They have you print off a TON of skills, and each skill has 5-30 steps that must be performed. You pair up with another nursing student for 1 hour. You are the tester for 30 minutes and then the patient for 30 minutes, or vice versa. So for example if you are the student first, your partner will be your patient and he/she will pretend that they are sick or whatever and you have to help them get out of bed and walk. You will be given a list of skills to perform, roughly 4-5 in that 30 minutes. Your partners skill will be different so that they cant see you do it first and then copy you, that would be too easy. We started with 11 students and one didnt pass. Let me know if you have any more questions.

I applied thinking they had a high pass rate, like around 96-100%. When I got denied I was frustrated and a little bitter because I only applied to a few schools and this was my first choice. At the same time I was relieved I didnt get in because I didnt want to commute there everyday (1.25 hours each way) and have enormous student debt. I recently started nursing school and looking back, I wouldnt have it any other way. My tuition for the whole program is $18k, which I had already saved for. Had I not saved for school, I could have paid that off in a year or two. Those attending the Mt will be paying that debt off for 8-20 years, especially if they take more out for cost of living. I will be doing my rotations at Cedars Sinai and am very excited to be able to learn there, there probably isnt a better hospital to do rotations at. So those going to the Mt, I genuinely wish you luck, because your going to need it. Low NCLEX pass rates and constant debt is going to haunt you later.