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Futrldnrse, Did you go to OCC? I'm in the Syracuse area also and haven't started school yet but still quite curious about hiring conditions in this area (getting ahead of myself). Great to hear that the hospitals let you work before graduation! What positions were you offered? Did you find a job in 2010? Hope you (& your baby) are well! I'd love to hear from a local nurse :)

DahliaDaisy, did you end up enrolling for OCC's Nursing program? It sounds really competitive.. less than 40 students per class, plus a limited number of LPN-->RN spots. I applied for this fall, but an Admissions rep told me most first time applicants are admitted to the Math/ Science track and have to reapply for admission. That works out for me because one of my transcripts has still not made it and I'm CLEPing out of Biology but was not prepared for the test by deadline. So, I'll take A&P I, Microbio, and Psych (co-requisites) and reapply for Spring. Out of curiosity, did you take any of these classes/ what professors did you have? Self-directed sounded perfect for me because you can cover the material at your own pace and schedule your own exams. Plus, there are in-class labs and once a week clinicals, so you are interacting with teachers in person.. just not in a lecture format. Nursing is all about the application of theory, and the OCC program seems to have just as much application as a traditional lecture-format program. I do wonder how accessible the professors are about questions, though.

Maybe my question wasn't clear. I know about, and decided against, accelerated BSN (12-15 months school work only, plus the pre-req courses means 2 years for me). I'm starting an ADN this fall.. that decision is made. My question was, do any nursing residency programs accept ADN candidates? What would be the value of attending a nursing residency over having some CNA work under your belt for a new grad RN?

I have yet to start nursing school (fall '11), but I am starting to look at nursing residency programs as well. Does anyone know if there are programs that accept A.A.S. RN's? Every program I've looked at requires a BSN. I have a B.A. already; can't take the 2 years without working for an accelerated BSN. What is the value of nursing residencies vs. new grad RN's with CNA experience?

I have a B.A. in English (2005), and after a few years of testing my mettle in restaurant kitchens (uh.. no), women's health activism, and caring for elderly family members, I decided to go for nursing. The job market isn't easy, of course, but getting some patient care experience will help you clarify your path and also make a nursing school application that much more attractive. Volunteer if you can, or try working as HHA or CNA (both will require some training but many agencies will train-to-hire). The program I'm going into this fall is an A.A.S. (2 yr) RN, though I also looked at second degree accelerated BSN programs. Financially (and because I need to work while in school, which most accelerated programs recommend against) the community college was a better choice for me. Another option (that I've tried without success) is to try and get an administrative/ clerical position in a hospital. Some hospitals offer tuition matching benefits, and you would be able to network with nurses on the job. Good luck!

I'd be interested in responses to this as well.. I am going to nursing school in the fall, so it will be a while before I can actually pursue these positions. One place to try (if you want to work in a clinic, at least to start) might be Planned Parenthood. Even if they don't have an open position right away (and every PP hires nurses), a lot of PPs welcome skilled volunteers--that definitely gives you contacts in the women's health field and first consideration for open positions. I volunteered for PP in college and they ended up hiring me for the same position (counseling/ pt prep). As far as working for the Health Department, have you heard about the Nursing Loan Education Repayment Program? You can apply for loan forgiveness by serving in critical shortage areas, some of which may be in the Health Department. Maybe it is speculation, but it seems that your resume would be attractive for state/ federal jobs if you've done a similar type of public service. And again, contacts. Good luck! I'm so interested in what experienced nurses have to say!

I took the TEAS last week.. I've been out of school for a little while so it was kind of fun to brush up on the math and science. One resource I used for practice questions that I didn't see on your list was: Test Prep Review I also used a library copy of McGraw Hill's Nursing School Entrance Exams by Thomas A. Evangelist. BEWARE IF YOU USE THE FIRST EDITION! There are a number of errors in the questions. I emailed the publisher and got them to send me a list of corrections. I can't upload files (I don't know if I can even use the PM as this is my first post), so reply if you need the list and I can email you (Excel file). Have to say, I was surprised at the number and specificity of human body science questions I got.. 11/48 in the science section; the rest were 15/48 life science, 14/48 earth & physical science, 8/48 science reasoning. Maybe I should have realized the body focus.. this is a pre-nursing test, after all. Not everyone gets the same questions of course, so YMMV. Best of luck!