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Hi guys, I was not able to get a straight answer about buying books for the kindle. They may address it at orientation. If they don't I would ask. As for registration, I believe they will have you quickly speak with an instructor to go over all of your pre reqs and the classes you have left to take. If everything checks out ok they have you sign a form and then they register you for Nur 101. Do any of you know what time orientation is going to be? I'm going to try and go.

As of right now BCC has a policy that says students can not bring electronics while they are on clinical time. I would not buy the drug guide or the nursing diagnosis handbook for the kindle because you typically bring these books with you. I am not sure if they allow electronics in the lab, but if they don't, I probably wouldn't buy the main textbooks for Kindle either. I'll find out about the lab for you.

It does sound strange, I think they don't want people to know it's for a drug screen lol I should probably be at the orientation on the 3rd. Last year they had the student officers (in the begining you will elect approx 6 students, one will be the president, another vice president, and a few other positions) from a year above us talk at orientation. I would love to stay after to meet some of you and answer any questions :) Are you guys feeling feeling excited, nervous, both? It really is such an amazing program, you guys are going to love it!

Yes, you'll be busy alright. Make an effort to enjoy the summer lol

Not a dumb question at all :) For me, the first week we went to lecture all day on Tue after Labor day from 8-2:30 and did the same on Wed. On week two we went to lecture on Mon from 8-12 (Lecture stays this way the rest of the semester) and had lab two days for six hours each day. There are 72 students who get split into three lab groups of 24. each of the three groups have different days and times. each lab group is further broken down into 3 clinical groups of 8. You'll stay with these 8 students the whole semester and go to your clinical site with them and your assigned clinical instructor, your clinical instructor will also stay the same for the whole semester. All 72 go to lecture together and the instructors take turns lecturing. Starting week three we did lecture on Mon and had one day of lab and one day of clinical six hours each. this stayed the same until about early November and then you go to clinical twice and no more lab. Once you get your assigned days they stay the same the whole semester. For example I always had lab on Tue from 8-2:30 and clinical on wed from 7-1. But all of the clinical groups had different days and times, and unfortunately we didn’t get assigned until that first week of class! But hopefully they will get it out sooner this time.

There is a lot of reading and some test questions are taken right from the book. Plus it would be difficult to constantly have to go and search what chapters match from the old to the new book. If they use the same thing as last year they actually have the main books in a bundle that contains a text book, lab book, and dvds, youll need all of them. I would say for the main text and refernce books (dictionary, drug book, pharmacy text, lab book, and nurse diagnosis book) buy new. Plus new books sometimes come with online codes so you can access the text anywhere. If they still require a nutrition book, and dosage and calc book I would buy and old edition. And if they still require a study guide to go with the pharmacy text I would just not buy that at all. I spent thirty bucks and didnt open it once. They will probably require another set of med surg text books, buy them new too because they carry over to year two and if you buy them used they will be really old buy the second year. Tuck this away for the future: If you start lab and they still ask you guys to print off proceedure checklists (they come on the text book CD), you might want to invest $25 on a pre printed book that contains all of these. I would also recomend RN pocket notes and a pocket size nursing diagnosis handbook for when clinical starts, they arenet needed, but come in handy. I hope all of this is helpful, just keep in mind I have no idea how much they change things from year to year, this is all based on my experience.

Hi guys, and congrats!!! So exciting, it brings me right back to how I felt. Few things (for the standard program, I don't know about online), you'll get a letter and paperwork about orientation (which I believe I went to in late April), but the book list and list of things to buy will be given at orientation. A specific reading list of what chapters to read probably wont be sent out until late July/ August. They really want you to enjoy the summer lol. Make an effort to buy as many books as possible from a place like Amazon. If you don't know already, the bookstore is so overpriced. Even with buying on Amazon (or whatever) I would guess you'll be spending at least $500.00 (and that's being generous). I'll tell you what I can remember about the items to purchase. At orientation we had to make a deposit on uniforms (I think it was $40). We had to get at least two tops, two bottoms, a lab coat, name tag, and a optional warm up. IF you're able to I would recommend a third outfit and second name tag. the name tag in case the first gets lost, and the third outfit for your car in case a patient vomits on you, you spill coffee, etc. Don't go crazy buying a $100 Littman stethoscope, the store where you'll get your uniform sells MDF stethoscopes for about $25 and they work just as well. For shoes I recommend looking at these: Clothing, Toys, Electronics, Jewelry, Jaclyn Smith - Kmart.com Half the price and more comfy than my first pair. you'll need a BP cuff (spend no more than 20), a gait belt (maybe 10), a watch with secondhand (15-20), a pair of protective glasses (5-10), while you're there I would pick up bandage scissors and a pen light. you'll get these in a nurse pack, but they suck. Our nurse pack cost $50 and was available in the bookstore around August. It's basically filled with practice stuff for the lab. Also expect to pay around $50 for a drug screen. check if your phone can record, if not a recorder is very useful. Also don't take CPR until at least the end of May and a little later if possible. They last for two years and need to be valid for the whole program. Some girls from my class were so excited to get started that they took CPR in Late March or April, and sure enough had to do it again before school started. Try and make friends at orientation and invite them here (or start a private facebook group) the more the better to get information. A few of us started here around Jan/Feb of last year and today we have almost the whole class on FB lol. Whew...I think that's it for now. I'd love to answer any future questions you guys have, but if I don't get back right away it's because I'm busy. Also, I'm curious about how the online nursing works, one of you got accepted, keep us updated. Congrats again!!!

I work 20 hours a week, and try to do less on quiz weeks. I don't have any other outside obligations. I honestly don't know how some people do it with kids, working full time, etc. But somehow they manage. Everyone is different when it comes to how much extra they can do, but in general the professors don't recommend working more than 20 hours per week. Most people figured out by mid semester if they were working too much or not.

My TEAS was 72 and GPA 3.65. I've heard that it doesn't matter what you get on the TEAS as long as you pass. If you still need to go to an information session that might be a good question to ask because I'm not sure if they changed it. They also look at more than just the TEAS and GPA. For example, they look at how may pre reqs you've taken, generally the more the better. They also tend to weigh the science classes like chem, bio, A&P, and micro higher than classes like English & Psych. I heard all this info at the last information session I went to back in 2010, not sure if any of this info is outdated. A lot of students in my class already had all of the pre reqa and other gen eds done before the start of the program, but there are some who still needed to a few classes. If you can get some in during the summer it's a big help. If you guys have any other questions, please, ask away! I remember being in your shoes, and it helped a little to have some answers. Oh one more thing, if you start calling the receptionist and asking about when the letters will be out, don't get your hopes up. If I remember, they told us at first it would be late Feb. That date kept getting pushed up a week or so, and they came a month later. I think they mean well, and try to make time to look at them, but they are all teaching right now and have crazy schedules. I know it sucks, but they'll come when the come, and in the meantime check degree works lol.

Last year we got our letters around late March/ early April (it's hard to remember). But I found out a few weeks early because they changed my major from general studies to nursing in degree works (which is under access bcc). They may have caught on by now, but it will be worth checking out.

Hello, I'm entering my second semester tomorrow for BCCs nursing program. If you have any questions let me know. There is also a thread from last year that basically started like this and it has a lot of good information.

I work with an LPN who applied for the bridge program. She said the notification letters should get mailed out this month. They start in the fall also, but it will be the third semester for them.

Better late than never lol

Does 11am work for everyone? I think the easiest place to meet would be BCC, how about the library entrance?

Does this sat morning work for everyone? I also have a FB, but I'm not sure how to make a group, does anyone want to go ahead and make one?

After 6pm or weekends are the best for me. If any of you have little ones we could try and meet at a park or some other place where they can play while we talk.

Thank you for the info! I'm going to check my mail now. When should we plan a get together. I think it would be nice to see some familiar faces at orientation :)

I paid my deposit today. unfortunately, the nursing receptionist said she couldn't give me any additional info or paper work. Just like with the acceptance, we have to wait for everything by mail. I feel like I just got accepted to work for the CIA, not nursing school :lol2:she did tell me that the packets should be mailed next week. they will include info on the orientation in April and info on some of the things we need to do/buy. she also said that at orientation another packet will be given out. If all goes well and we do get the packets next week, do you guys want to meet up the week after?

I'm pretty sure our info packets tell us we have to buy the scrubs from a particular uniform store in Fall River. The reason is because that store puts the BCC logo on all the clothes.

I have all of the classes done besides nursing.

I'm paying my deposit this Friday. I'll be going down to the school, and after I get my receipt, just for the heck of it, I'm going to the nursing department to see if they'll give me the info packet. I called maybe a week ago and they said the packets should be mailed the end of this month or beginning of next. I doubt they'll be ready this Friday, or that they would just hand one over to me, but I'm giving it a shot anyway.

Just wanted to share a some new info.... I got to speak with a friend of a friend who is a recent RN grad(from cape cod CC). I asked her what I could do over the summer to make life a little easier when I start school. She said to definitely get a book on care plans and do a little reviewing before hand, don't go crazy tying to memorize, just get familiar with the structure and concepts. I'm going to wait for our book list first in case this is already required. She also mentioned to do some dosage and calculations. Try and get familiar with the new way of test taking (for example, a lot of the multiple choice options will all be correct answers, you have to pick the best answer) example questions like these are throughout the nursing text chapters, and in any NCLEX review book. She also said to definitely get the summer reading assignment ASAP, and read a little further if possible. She really stressed to just enjoy the summer though lol. She said there isn't too much you can do before hand. Once your in, she said these are the things that will help you survive: time management, keeping up with assignments, don't procrastinate, do all the reading, get into a study group right away, and take time to prepare for cliniclas. I've also been watching a lot of great videos on you tube about what to expect from NS, search for something like "first semester nursing school" or "nursing school preparation". Maybe I'm digging too deep into this, but I feel like the more I know about what to expect, the more at ease I feel. I know this will be in our welcome packs, but I decided to call the uniform store and ask what we need and prices: -2 white pants, about $15 each -2 sea mist green shirts, about $22 each -1 Jacket, $24 -1 Lab coat, $21 -Name tag, $10 The prices are more or less depending on sizes. I believe these are the only things we have to purchase from the store, the other supplies can be bought wherever. It seems like Amazon has some pretty good deals on things. I also wanted to say that you should call whoever is in charge of CPR at BCC and ask if it's alright to share the book. In the past, work has sent me to Charlton to get certified through the AHA, and I definitely remember sharing the book. Again, can't wait to meet all of you! I hope we get our info packs soon. Whoever gets theirs first , please share what's inside with us :)

Sorry to hear you're having a hard time. Here are some things that helped me. Finding a blank picture of the body system I was studying and trying to label the parts. If you do well in physiology you can try and combine that with memorizing the parts. for example, follow the flow of blood through the heart and keep saying the name of the chambers and valves. Personally I would invest in pre made flash cards. They are sold at Borders for about $25. I'm a visual learner and the way the cards outlined the body systems just helped it stick. I'm not sure how you are tested on anatomy, but at my school we had models and an answer key to look at during lab time, and every week the professor would point to parts on the model and we had to write the name down. I used to take pictures of the models and answer keys to review at home. I also loved to find/make nifty mnemonics. I can't think of any for A&P right now, but for example in microbiology we had to remember the order of classifying organisms (kingdom, phylum, class, order, family, genus, species) I remembered King Philip came over for green salad. If you can think in terms of physiology, flow of blood, creation of urine, flow through the digestive tract, etc then make some mnemonics based on that. Hope this helps :)

Hi Nikki.m! Congratulations on your acceptance. I also go through phases of feeling nervous and excited, mostly because everyone who has gone though nursing school tells me of how it's so different than traditional learning. I've heard there is a lot to get adjusted to and a lot to learn in those two years. However, I also remember being told how hard A&P was going to be by other students. They made it sound like there was no way to get an A in that class. Then while I was in A&P 2 students would tell horror stories about micro lol. What I noticed while taking those classes myself was that the ones who complained the most were usually the ones that skipped class, didn't study, unmotivated, etc. I'm sure nursing school will be challenging, but we've all gotten this far! I'm sure that as long as we stay positive and motivated we'll all do fine :)

Turns out I wont be taking CPR with all of you because I found out my work will pay for it :) If anyone here is currently working, try asking your employer if they offer it before booking through the school.