snow_bear

I will be applying for Fall 2013 as I am seeking to relocate to mid-Michigan. I figure I will have 139-141 points by March, so I don’t know if that will be enough.

That's what I was afraid of. I think I will be better off to finish school where I'm at and relocate after graduation. Hope the job market is better by then! Thanks for your responses. :)

Do I stand a chance of being accepted into LCC's 2013 nursing program if I don't have ALL of the pre/co-reqs completed by the end of this year? I have a 3.9 GPA, will have all of the pre/co-reqs (including Pharmacology) by the end of this fall term, except for Microbiology which I will take in the spring (both class and lab). I am also taking a 15 week Certified Nursing Assistant class this fall. It's not likely that I will find any kind of patient care employment until after I finish the course and take the certification exam. Currently, I do not work in health care so I can't earn any additional points there. I have an Associate's Degree in another field, but I don't know if they will accept that for consideration for their accerlerated track. I've been wanting to relocate to mid-Michigan for some time now and it would be great if I could attend NS there. But, I'm afraid that missing just 1 class will mean another 3 years of waiting - if I don't get into LCC next fall, I will attend nursing school where I'm at and look at employment opportunities in MI after I graduate. Sorry for such a long post and thanks in advance for any info anyone can give me!

Hi. I am a pre-nursing student and was just diagnosed with RA this past January. Since that time, I have been on prednisone and methotrexate and while I am better than I was before treatment, I still have a lot of pain and fatigue. I will probably begin a biologic soon. I currently work a full-time secretary job which leaves me stiff and tired and I work part-time as a waitress on weekends, which is killing me. I've cut back my hours, but even after just a few hours, I'm in horrible pain. At this point, I can't imagine 12 hour shifts as a nurse and rotating or night shifts which interfere with your sleep would be even worse! I really want out a desk job, but am having very serious reservations about nursing. I'm looking at a cardiac ultrasound program and I only need to take 1 more class (Physics- which I'm taking now and it isn't as bad as I was afraid it would be) to apply to that program.

I had a large disc herniation at that level about 12 years ago and had a discetomy without fusion. Made a complete recovery and returned to full function without limitations.

I would love to work for UPMC as a PCT and eventually as an RN. I've applied and applied, but nothing has come thru.

Well, I contacted Shadyside SON and was told that I could not retake the math portion of the exam because there are only 56 days between the date I took the exam and the last possible test date. I've pretty much decided to take a CNA course in the fall, find employment in that capacity, then try for nursing school next year at my current school ((CCBC-Beaver Co.).

Are you able to select whether you want clinicals on the weekends or are they randomly assigned? I don’t care if I have clinicals all weekend and have to drive to Timbuktoo to get there. I just leave my job until after I finish the first semester and can work in a hospital as a tech.

Can I retake it for this fall? I was under the impression that you could only take it once a year. I got an "A" in Algebra. I think I was spending too much time working out the trickier problems instead of just passing over them and doing all of the easier ones first. The exam wasn't hard, but it was timed - 90 questions in 30 minutes.

It looks like I may have to leave my current job if I want to attend nursing school as even the "evening/weekend" programs require that you be available some time during the week for clinicals. One program does have weekend clinicals, but those are assigned by lottery and there is no guarantee that I could get those assignments semester to semester. I have been unable to find a nurse's aide/CNA training program that works around my job and school schedule so I can't work as a hospital tech until after I complete the first semester of nursing school. My current job is not very well-paying, but it does provide my health insurance at almost no cost to me. My hours are set in stone and administration will not work around a school schedule. I also waitress part-time on weekends and could easily pick up more hours, but I would have to work a minimum of 32 hours a week for a year before becoming eligible for their insurance. I don't know that I could afford COBRA in the meantime. I don't know what to do. I'm getting frustrated and discouraged.

I had my appendix removed with NO scans before surgery because the doc was so convinced by my symptoms and I did have a high WBC.

Does anyone know how the class and clinical assignments work for CCAC? The nursing dept secretary told me that some clinicals are on weekdays from 3:00 - 11:00 p.m. and some on Saturday mornings. Do you get any choice in scheduling or do they tell you where to be and when? I want to apply for the Spring 2013 start - either main campus or Boyce (fast track). I have a full-time job, M-F 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. I do not have the flexibility to change my hours, so I need to find a program that I can schedule classes/labs/clinicals around my work schedule. Quitting my job to attend school is not an option. I'm getting really discouraged. I didn't do well enough on the math portion of the PSB-RN to be considered by Shadyside, but I have straight A's (including in Algebra!) and all of my pre/coreqs will be completed by the end of the year. Thanks for any help and info anyone can provide me. :)

I got my test results in: Reading Comphrension: 99th percentile Sciences: 95th Spelling/Vocab: 88th Vocational adjustment: 83rd Math: 36th !!! That obviously rules out Shadyside. Looking into CCAC now.

Study everything and study every day. Take notes while reading your book, use the online resources from the textbook publisher, study guide, outline notes, flashcards, coloring books, whatever you find works for you. You can NEVER overstudy A&P.

I'll be done with A&P II in a few weeks, then I'll be taking Micro & Patho in the fall. I'm not really looking forward to Micro, just hope it will be more interesting than I think, but Patho should be fun! :)

I have loved every minute of my A&P classes and am a little sad that it will be ending soon, although it seems that I can never study enough (to thoroughly learn the material, not just do well on exams). Everytime I review my notes or book, I notice something I missed, forgot, didn't remember, or don't quite understand. But now, it's time to move on to bigger and better things. Patho's next, just before nursing school. I can't wait!! :)

I think nursing school will be very demanding and time-consuming, but not particularly difficult to learn the material. As my A&P instructor likes to say, "It's not quantam mechanics!"

I am taking Intro to Chemistry w/lab and Nutrition in a 10 week summer course. Chem is 2 nights a week, 3-4 hours, Nutrition will be online. When I first started my prereqs, I was hoping to take a CNA class and work as a nurse's aide thru nursing school. I was not able to do that because of scheduling conflicts, so I am applying to an evening/weekend program at another school and keeping my day job. The other school won't accept my Biochemistry credits and they want a lab component, so that's what I'm going to do. I'll still have Microbiology for fall (and maybe Stats to get it out of the way), then I hope to start the nursing courses next Spring!

Has anyone taken the PSB-RN Exam for the UPMC nursing programs? I took mine today and am not sure how I did. There was not enough time to finish the verbal, spatial, math section. I didn't think it was hard, but I only finished 52 out of 90 questions in 30 minutes. I'm worried that won't be enough regardless how many I got correct of the ones I did. Minimum score is 60th percentile, but I don't know what the average is. I finished both the science and reading comprehension sections within the time limit and I thought both of those were fairly easy. Vocab/spelling was the most difficult, but we won't be graded on that section.

I have an appointment to meet with a CCAC academic advisor next week. I still have a few more prereqs to complete, so I'm looking at applying for the evening/weekend "fast track" program that starts next spring at Boyce campus with E/W Allegheny being my second choice.

Hi. I have recently found myself in a similar predicament and am curious about how you are doing. Are you in nursing school? Are you able to handle the physical demands of clinicals? My problems are in my neck and were found by accident. ENT was looking for something else and was concerned about what he saw in my neck on a CT scan. He referred me to a neurosurgeon who ordered an MRI and x-rays and determined that I have 3 bulging discs, arthritis, bone spurs, nerve impingements on both sides of two vertebrae, and severe central canal stenosis at two levels. I'm freaking out! I'm in my 4th semester of prereqs, have straight A's, scored over 90% on the entrance exam, and thought I was all set for nursing school in the fall. I have some neck and shoulder pain on and off, but nothing terrible. My arms go numb when I'm sleeping and I've had 2 episodes of carpal tunnel symptoms, but the EMG/nerve conduction study came back normal. I have no weakness in my arms and no feelings of instability in my spine. I'm praying and hoping that this can be managed without surgery and that I can still go to nursing school. I'm hoping to work in OR, but will consider other specialities if I have to, as long as I can do something and get away from my desk job!

What type of program are you trying to get into? I've never heard of O-Chem being required for any nursing program other than those at the grad level (NP, CRNA, etc.). A&P at the pre-nursing school level only requires a basic knowledge of chem - you'll do fine.

Programs in my area require a 2.5 to apply for consideration, but realistically, you need a 3.3 along with an 85% or better on the entrance exam for acceptance.

You don't say if you need your healthcare benefits. Do you have a spouse that can provide insurance for you and your son if you quit working? If not, then there is really no choice. You have to keep your job. If you have other means of health insurance, then by all means, give up working for a few years and concentrate on school. Look into loans for your son - you can always help him more when you are finished and earning an even better salary.

I took in in December 2011. The school that I'm taking my prereqs at allows you to take it twice per year, so I signed up for the first round even though I knew I wouldn't have time to study beforehand. I figured it would be a practice run to see where my weaknesses were and retake it in January. I scored a 92%, with my lowest subsection score being an 88% (A&P). It was not a difficult exam at all - just the basics. Since then, I've reconsidered the program at my current school (because of scheduling conflicts with work) and am applying for a 3-year, part-time program at a hospital-based school. I will be taking the PSB-RN next weekend for that program. Now, that I'm halfway thru A&P II, I hope to do better on that section.