outsidegraykittie

I haven't graduated from ATC yet, but I already have a job offer for when I do. I have many classmates already working in hospitals as CNA's and patient care techs who will have an RN position when they pass the NCLEX. My ATC instructor said the students who don't get a job offer after passing the NCLEX are the ones who are very picky about what area of nursing they want to work in, such as Mother Baby or Labor and Delivery. There are not very many job openings in these areas, but some graduates would rather not work and wait for one of these jobs than to jump in and start working where they're needed. Nurse recruiters from the hospitals have said the same thing. They don't even consider these new graduates for positions because there are plenty more new RNs waiting to be hired. We are encouraged to pursue our BSN or MSN after graduating. I'll probably keep working towards my BSN. As for being worried about getting stuck with a worthless degree, please worry more about graduating from a nursing program that does not prepare you to pass the NCLEX. Please look at the nursing schools' NCLEX pass rates when you're considering where to apply. ATC had a 100% pass rate in 2009, and a 99% pass rate in 2010. That one student who failed did not attend the NCLEX prep classes ATC provided. Maybe he/she passed the second time. ATC instructors really want their students to succeed, and their NCLEX record for the past few years proves it.

ATC has a wonderful ADN program, although, like most nursing schools, it's very hard and very time consuming. It's hard to live life and pass tests, so I'm very glad it's only a six quarter program. Care Plans are now "shorter" and consist of 15 to 20 pages, one of which is now a diagram of the pathophysiology of the patient's disease. The graduating class of 2009 had a 100% NCLEX pass rate, and the class of 2010 had a 99% NCLEX pass rate. The student who didn't pass also did not attend the ATI NCLEX prep classes. Not sure if this student passed on their second attempt. Most of the instructors at ATC are wonderful, although a couple are students working on their doctorates. They tend to use us students as guinea pigs and use the new "less lectures with more class participation, group discussion, and group projects" method, which really makes learning difficult. There's an extra amount of self-teaching involved with these two instructors, although nursing school itself involves a lot of self-teaching since only a tenth of what we need to learn can actually be taught during lectures. ATC is a great school, and very reasonably priced, but know that your GPA will suffer in their ADN program. If you plan to continue schooling after your ADN and will be trying to get accepted into a competitive nursing program, choose another school where it's easier to keep a B average. As for ATI, we don't get any credit for the tests, but in the last quarter of the program, we must make a 75 or above (which is 95% compared nationally) in order to stay in the program. We get two attempts to pass. If we fail both times, we're out of the program even if we're passing the ATC program. Clinicals are okay in our program, depending on the instructor you wind up with. They are scheduled to be from 6:30 to 3:00 six days each quarter. We also have some observation days in place of working with a patient. Those are fun most of the time.