VintageSwagger

Hey Krich72, All transcripts have to be official regardless of what they are for (college, GED, etc..)

Hey fatrabbit, I believe the foreign language requirement is waived for nursing students. As far as the 9 upper GE classes... When I was there the writing intensive class included in the nursing curriculum satisfied 3 of those units and the other 6 you had to complete on your own. Many students found online classes to meet the requirement during the nursing program however you can take them over the summer as well.

I am not sure but I will try to help you... First, no one who is an alternate will have more points than someone accepted. The cut off for any semester is the last person admitted in that pool. For example: if the 75th person accepted has 80 points and the last person accepted (ex: alternate 27) has 71 points, the cut off is 71. In my semester we even had one person drop on the day of orientation and an alternate took her place. Therefore, the point total of the alternate taking the now vacant spot is now the cutoff for the semester.

As far as commuting... It depends on where you live. Hospitals are in Roseville, downtown, and off Mather Blvd. Mental health has some in Sacramento and some in Davis (yes the city of Davis). Community health can take you all the way out in Woodland/Davis or some random trailer park in the middle of nowhere that makes you feel like you are in a horror movie. So YES, Some places are farther than others and YES, some are farther than 30 min especially in traffic!

12 hours in one day.

Sl_94 and fatrrabbit, Wow… That is a lot to summarize. Clinicals – Clinicals take place at facilities across the Sacramento area. UCDMC, Mercy, Sutter, Kaiser, VA, and various community and mental health hospitals. Each institution has its positive and negative attributes and each person views them through the filter of their own preferences. UCDMC for example is the only Teaching hospital and therefore has a different feel and flow. It also has newly remodeled units as well as some very old ones so depending on where you are, your experience will be different. That being said, I feel all of the hospitals are adequate to the task and you must choose to focus on the positive things they have to offer. Your clinical day is usually 12 hours for med/surg, ICU, peds, and OB. Mental health is different. I think is was more like 8 hours per shift and some don't end until 10pm. You will also have care plans to prepare beforehand in certain sections and these take a long time to prepare. During your first clinical for example, you will go in on Monday @ noon and pick a patient”. You then collect the information you need and go home to prepare your care plan. The following day is your clinical day where you care for your chosen patient. Preceptorship – You have to complete a 255 hour preceptorship in your 4th semester. As far as choosing which unit, it will probably change as you go through the program and are exposed to different things. Some people know what they want to do before they start school and others find their passion. You choose” your top choices of unit/hospital/shift and one of the faculty places everyone as space is available. They try to get you what you want but sometimes it is not possible. For instance, I (along with others) wanted to be in the NICU and there was only one spot available my semester. The hospitals tell the school what they have and they just have to make due. Faculty – I think the faculty is amazing and very knowledgeable. There are of course some you will like more than other and some lecture styles you may not like but, overall they are good. They expect a lot from you and it may seem harsh at times however, it is all to make you a better and safer nurse. Job prospects: You all have to realize that it is VERY competitive. In sacramento alone there is graduating nurses from SacState, Sac city, Sierra, and Samuel Merrit. Not to mention those who went to CSUEB. Chico, Sonoma, and others that want to live and work in Sac. Those hundreds of new grads are going for +/- 50-100 jobs in the whole area. As far as you getting one of those jobs…. Treat every clinical, especially your preceptorship, as an interview. Volunteer, serve on the CNSA board, get certifications, and/or do an internship. Anything you can do to stand out is something more than someone else. Stay positive:nurse:

Keen, If you can manage, I would recommend not working at all. If you absolutely have to, I would try to keep it

Dannydgk, Money: Cost is +/- $16,000.00 over the 2 years. I will try to break down some of it for you in order to give you an idea of what you are looking at. Tuition/Lab fees: 3300 per semester Books: Depends on how you buy them (Buy, rent, electronic etc…) Parking Fee: 170 per semester Parking at hospital: Varies – some are free and some (UCDMC) 6$ per day per car ATI fees: 100 per semester Background check: 100 initial and 20 for renewal Scrubs/Lab Coat: 300ish (2 sets of scrubs and 1 Lab coat) Shoes/stethoscope/Supp: Varies: 200 – 300 Class Gift: Varies Graduation: 63.50 to apply, 35 for cap/gown/tassel (more if buying honor cords) Random stuff: Could be a lot... Eating out, Nursing sweatshirt, CNSA fees, therapy (JK, maybe) I think that covers most everything and gives you a glimpse of what you need. I apologize if I missed anything. I will add it later if I think of it. Housing: It really depends on what you want. If it were up to me I would live in an apartment rather than on campus. I am not sure of the cost break down however, if you get an apartment with a roommate (preferably a nursing student in my opinion) off campus, you have more autonomy and I think Sacramento is better enjoyed off campus. Just my 2 cents. Housing can be relatively expensive in certain pockets but there are also some great deals too. Start by looking at rentals around the area and when you have narrowed down areas you can afford, ask people on here what they recommend. How far you are willing to drive is important to consider as well. Another option is University Village. It is an apartment community off campus but is still student housing. It is all CSUS students. Home - Student Housing - University Village Sacramento

Yeah, what Zeus said... me either. My level IV rarely if ever has feeder growers.

ClaudiaMoss, 1. I would call them sooner than later. You are at the whim of their schedule so you would want the most options. They are usually pretty good about it though. The test doesn't take a long time; they are pretty quick about discerning your proficiency. 2. As far as the transcript/diploma issue…. I would imagine that a diploma/graduation certificate that is transcribed in a language other than English should be fine. I have seen many people use foreign transcripts but not a diploma. I am also not sure about it being sealed. I really do not think it would be an issue though. To be safe, I would do the oral proficiency test any way just to be sure I get the points!!

Ryno, The timeline is relatively accurate. There is only a small group of people processing all of the applications and cross checking information. I have never seen the emails come after a stated timeframe; though they have come in the evening on the last day. With that said, I wouldn't expect them until the last week of April. Last fall's class found out on the 30th around 5pm I think. They are all mailed at the same time so you will know whether you are an alternate or admitted at the same time. LOL… You are right about knowing not helping. And no one believes your attempts to pretend about freaking out about getting in. I remember checking my email multiple times a day weeks before they were due to come out. I even hand delivered my application because I didn't trust the mail. Haha!:)

Hello all, I am a graduate from SacState's nursing program and I spent a few years helping with pre-nursing advising. I have been commenting on SacState posts for previous semesters in order to offer help with answering questions where I can. If any of you have questions I will do my best to help you in any way I can. Good luck to you all!

They have combined classes to make up the current structure but it is essentially the same. 111 - This is a lecture class covering nursing theroy, major contributors to the profession, professionalism etc... 112 - This is your Medsurg class. Your clinical time and lecture all contribute to your grade. Lectures cover a ton of information so take notes or record if allowed. This is also the class that will take the most effort and the most time. Tests cover multiple lectures and care plans are extensive. 113 - This is mainly a skills and assessment class. I don't remember if there was an offical lecture but there was some "teaching" in large group settings sometimes. You will be assessing each other, so some days you will be in scrubs and others it will be shorts/gown/sports bra (you just change in class). You will know ahead of time. This class also contains your check-offs. You have specific skills that you are tested on such as med administration and foley insertion. High stress but they prepare you well. Dress code: Scrubs for hospital/clinical and for most lab time. As far as lecture goes you can wear whatever you want. Most people dress nice in the beginning but is quickly turns into yoga pants and sweatshirts for most. :)

I think you should follow what you are passionate about. I never hesitated pursuing NICU because I knew it is what I wanted to do and the fact that i was the only male on a very large unit didn't bother me. Like others have said, almost every experience someone has had with a male in the NICU setting has been positive. Good luck in your pursuits.

The clinicals are different every semester... 1st semester - Medsurg: You all get thrown in to where ever they place you. 2nd semester - ICU/mental health: You will be given a list of clinicals that pair mental health and a hospital together. You get to prioritize which set you prefer. You may only get the list for mental health options and find out hospitals later but usually someone seems to find out how they are paired. If you meet people in first semester that you like, select the same options to help your odds of being together. 3rd semester - Peds/OB: You get placed initially and then they give you the option to trade” with people in other clinicals. I believe you get a week or 2. It is usually easy to trade since people always want to trade to be with their friends. 4th semester - This is your preceptorship. You will all submit your top choices for unit/shift/hospital and be placed as spots are available. Some units require interviews and choose those candidates they want. Sometines they make changes from semester to semester but this is generally how it goes. Hope this helps.