excitedtobehere

I also STRONGLY recommend checking NCLEX pass rates. I distinctly remember one of those schools listed as being pretty bad. Don't recall the stats for the other. I'm not really much help recommending where to take additional classes, as I took NAS 161 and 162, and had AP credit from high school for chemistry and biology. Martha has given you some awesome suggestions though, so I would definitely look into those. Good luck!

No problem! As Martha said, NVCC doesn't care which sequence you take. Your likelihood of being accepted is the same. I wanted to refer you to another thread that I responded in, as I think it clears up the pros and cons of each decision. https://allnurses.com/va-nursing-programs/nvcc-to-mason-545745.html For me personally, I did NAS 161 and 162, because I could apply more quickly to the program and it was less expensive. Also, as long as you intend to get your RN from NVCC, it doesn't matter. There are so many "RN to BSN" bridge programs out there, that once you have your RN, they aren't looking at specific classes. My suggestion would be to look at the school you intend to go to for your BSN and see what the "RN to BSN" requirements are. They are not the same as a transfer student. If they don't offer an "RN to BSN" program, then your best option is to avoid the NAS classes as they don't transfer. Only then will it matter.

Hi NOVA EMT, I think you mistook everyone’s silence for rudeness, but the reality is, they don’t share this information with the students, nor are they obligated to. All we can do is notice when someone stops coming to class, or when a student readily shares that they are having issues passing. We can piece together information, but that doesn’t necessarily lead to the right conclusions. I will try to answer to the best of my ability though. The acceptance rate to the program will vary depending upon how many people applied, therefore this number changes every year. It will not necessarily be indicative of how many people apply in 2013, so something to keep in mind. 50% sounds about right for my particular class. For the first semester, I was able to get a schedule that had me going to school 3-days-a-week (and I had an ideal schedule). I had class on Mondays and Tuesdays, and clinical on Wednesday from 7-3. The clinical is only 8 weeks, and then a new one kicks in, so the clinical day/time could change half way through the semester, depending on what you get. Some people had to go to school 4-days-a-week. Honestly, it depends on the schedule you get, and the clinical portion is assigned for the first semester, so you get what you get. I am now in second semester, and go to school 3 days a week again, with lectures on Monday, lab on Tuesday, and clinical on Wed. Attrition rates… I see how you arrived at 25%, but I’ll tell you why that number is misleading... A lot of people do drop out or fail first semester, and it’s the same if not higher second semester. The reason 25% is not accurate is because they add the LPN students to our class in the second semester, so the number they give you as “graduating RN” numbers includes the extra people added to our program later on. Does that make sense? The LPN’s are not included in that 200 number that they give you for RN program numbers. They also add in people that failed maternity or psych last year (if they have room) again skewing the numbers that graduate. From what I’m hearing for this year, we don’t have any additional space for prior year students this spring, so they may offer something in the summer for them, or they may have to reapply to the program. It really sucks. But now you know it’s higher than 25%, although I couldn’t tell you what that number is. It’s a difficult program. And although “150 graduating” is 25% of 200, bear in mind they’ve been adding LPN’s and prior year students that failed into the holes created as people drop out, and these people weren’t included in the 200 that started. Academic vs. clinical failure vs. voluntary drop outs… Again, hard to say. Most people get a phone call or letter letting them know they are in danger of failing, and drop out before that “F” actually happens, so it’s kind of a “forced” voluntary drop out if that makes sense. I will say that the people that decide nursing is not right for them happens in the first semester, and when that happens, it doesn’t really have anything to do with academics. It just isn’t what they thought it was. Our clinical experience is pass or fail, and I haven’t heard of anyone failing because they failed clinical. The people that drop out do so because they fail the academic portion. I’m only finishing up the first year though, so second year clinical could be more intense and a different story. No idea about the demographics. There are people with previous degrees, people that are already in the medical field, a handful right out of high school, and everyone in between. None of these seem to predict success or failure in the program. It’s a very diverse group. I would guess there to be about 15-20 males in the program. So they are there, just not in large numbers. The few I actually know have previous medical experience, generally ER. Anyway, I hope this helps. Good luck with the nursing program!

I think it's great that she ponders these types of things without being prodded to do so, if indeed that is the case. For what it's worth, my nursing classes start next Monday, and guess what question is on the orientation packet that is due this Wednesday? Just sayin...

Hi Tina! I'm not sure if you've already heard from Carolyn, but I'm definitely interested in carpooling! I can't tell you how thrilled I am that there are so many people out this way! I got to meet Carolyn and Tanya in person, and they are super-nice! PM we if you want to talk!

Hi Dave! You're right... I think Carolyn found 5 people (including myself) in our class that live in Loudoun. You make 6. A carpool is definitely the way to go. I guess when it gets closer, we can figure out the details, and who's interested in doing that. I know I am! I'm on board with the steth too... I have my eye on a master cardiology too. The only thing is I had someone GIVE me a steth and blood pressure cuff (I think it was an Allheart) which was SO nice... So now I'm having difficulty paying that much money when I technically have one... I already tried with the uniform thing too! I'm on the tall side and pretty thin, so finding anything that fits is difficult. Something tells me unisex pants are not going to work, but Mrs. Vito says they MUST come from the same dye lot and be purchased through MEC. No workaround like there may have been in the past. Look forward to meeting you!

Yay! Then I guess I'll sign up now! I'm thrilled it's less expensive and shorter than MEC's! I'm 5'9, so I usually need a 33.5 inch inseam. Maybe they have more sizes if I actually go in to the bookstore. We'll see!

Name: Amanda (Mandi) Years at NVCC: 1 Joined the FBook Group: Not yet... Gotta make a "school use" name. Track: Traditional Career Goal: I'm really interested in cardiac/thoracic ICU, which I'd like to do for a few years before becoming a CRNA Planning to Transfer: Yes. Will apply to VCU as soon as I get my RN. Classes Completed: Had AP Bio and Eng in HS (which they took), I have a previous AS in Business, and I have all the prereqs and coreqs out of the way (except for pharm and intercultural communication, which I'm in now) About me: I'm 31, have 3 kids, and have been married for almost 10 years. I must look a lot younger, because people seem to think I'm my kid's nanny as opposed to their mom, LOL. My kids will be 8, 5, and 3 when the program starts, so it's going to be a challenge balancing school and family. My husband used to be an officer in the Marine Corps, so we've lived in Hawaii for 3 years, Georgia for 2, and now we're back in NoVA (where we both went to HS). I'm not really sure when I decided I wanted to be a nurse, but I love helping people, and it seemed like a career I could do anywhere (my husband is now with the State Dept and we may potentially go overseas later). Anyway, I'm excited to get started and can't wait to meet everyone! Questions: 1) Does anyone know if the INOVA BLS course is acceptable for our CPR class? I really want to do it at Loudoun Hospital (I live like 2 miles away) but it makes me nervous that it's shorter and doesn't really mention infant CPR in the description. Did anyone email Mrs. Vito and get confirmation? 2) Is anyone planning on getting a nicer stethoscope? I don't want to have to keep "upgrading" and spend more money over the long run if I know I want to do something in cardiology. Is there any chance they won't let us use the nicer ones in clinicals? 3) Is anyone completely dreading the fact that we HAVE to buy our uniforms through the bookstore? There are no exceptions to this because the pants all have to be from the same "dye lot", etc. I really need a tall size, and they don't even offer it. Oh well. I guess I'll just have to hope for the best. I'm wondering how I'm supposed to inspire confidence in my abilities when I'll look like I can't even dress myself, LOL.

Oh no! I'm so sorry! My friend got bad news as well... Hopefully, they've told you what you can do for next year to make yourself more competitive, and you can start chipping away at your corequisites. Don't give up on your dream! This little bump in the road will make you that much stronger in the end, and you'll go into the nursing program well prepared and be successful. Good luck in your future endeavors! :heartbeat

150 applicants doesn't sound right to me... I can tell you, based on the sheer number of people that were in the MEC testing center on the last day, that that number is highly unlikely. The line to take the TEAS was out the door and around the corner, and they had people taking numbers. My friend was number 75, and there were a bunch of people after her. She estimated there were close to 100 people taking the test that day. Since a lot of us seem to be "type A", I'm sure a good number didn't wait until the last day to take it. I wonder if the actual number will be disclosed at orientation... As far as no waitlist, I'm wondering how they fill the slots of all the people that 1) fail the background check/drug screening, and 2) applied to the hybrid program and the traditional, and are declining their traditional slot. They must have some method of filling the seats, because I can promise you they don't let them remain empty ($$$!) Regardless, don't lose hope! We are all just speculating at this point, and have no idea what the process is. I HOPE you hear something today! I have my fingers crossed for you!!! :heartbeat Let us know when you do! Good luck!!!

It feels that way! Luckily, the CPR classes are pretty frequent, so it should be easy to find one that works with your schedule. This background check business/drug test I'm wondering about... Sounds like it may take awhile to get the results back. Too bad we don't have any more info until the website becomes available... Immunizations will just be a PITA. No idea what I need. I'm sure when we finally have access to the site, I'll freak out, because I'm sure I'm forgetting things. :)

Where do you live? That could be part of it. Are you out of state?

Exactly! Not to mention saving an hour and a half of our time! A lot closer, too! It's definitely AHA, but I'll verify with Mrs. Vito just to be sure. Thanks, thirdcareer!

It appears to have been sent to everyone that received a letter so far... At least from what I can tell from this website and from some people in my current classes. One of my friends didn't receive the email and hasn't gotten her letter yet. I HOPE that doesn't necessarily mean anything. Does anyone know how many people generally get put on the waitlist? Any idea how many of the waitlisted people tend to get in? Does anyone know how many applicants there even were this year? Sorry for all the questons! :)