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.

I know it is hard to do but don't let all the information stress you all out... You will get most of your questions answered by or on orientation day. I can try to help with some of the questions you may have however, section numbers/locations change every semester and I can't speak to specific details since I don't know them for your particular semester. If any of you have questions I will try to help where I can. Congrats again to those who got in and try to enjoy it a little before you let it overwhelm you.

Level IV w/ 76 beds and we have been averaging over 70 for quite a while. We also have another 80 or so beds in our level II and III and they are both relatively full as well.

mwmoon, KathyVandy is correct. As long as you pass the in progress courses, SacState does not calculate them in your total. However, if you don't get in to that semester and you reapply for another semester than they will count since they would then be complete.

Jolina, 1st part - When you list the class on your application, you will list it as "in progress". Since there is no grade attributed to your in progress course, that class will not be added to your GPA calculation. If it is your 2nd attempt, you still need to do well since the grade will count if don't get accepted for the semester you are applying for and you reapply the following semester. 2nd part - If the class in progress is your 3rd attempt, you would still incur the 5 point reduction in points as it states in the repeat policy. I know it's confusing but I hope that helps you.

Lalagirl, Here is a correction for you.... "If a prerequisite or corequisite course has been taken more than once, the highest grade will be included in the Nursing GPA calculation used to rank candidates. However, if a course has been taken more than twice within a seven-year period, preceding the first day of the Supplemental Nursing Application filing period, a five-point deduction per course will be taken from the candidate's final score in the ranking for admission to the clinical nursing program. Repeats will be evaluated based on content and GE Areas; not course numbers. Exceptions may be allowed for students who completed course work as part of a previous major on a case-by-case basis. The In-Progress Policy above applies to repeated courses. If you are considering applying to other institutions, we recommend you contact each institution for advisement regarding their repeat policy." This is from the SacState website. I apologize for my mistake earlier; I haven't been advising for awhile. Source: http://www.csus.edu/hhs/nrs/pdfs/prereq_req_2-3-12.pdf

Hi Lalagirl, For SacState, you can repeat any prerequisite or corerequisite course 3 times. If you repeat it a 4th time, they take away 5 points from your total for the fourth and each consecutive attempt. Hope that helps.

akulahawkRN, There is no reason to be argumentative and condescending when I was simply trying to help and encourage someone. I was merely making a point, not arguing that SacState has the highest pass rate to the thousandths place, nor was I breaking down the exact pass rates based on number of students, combining of programs or any other factor. SacState generally has the highest pass rates amongst BSN programs in California ear after year. Furthermore if you are going to "correct" someone at least use comparable programs (BSN-BSN, 100+ students/year -100+ students/year, etc.) California NCLEX pass rates: Board of Registered Nursing - NCLEX Pass Rates "Correction does much, but encouragement does more" --Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Aggie and Mishabc, You need to accept the offers from the other schools in order to ensure that you get to go somewhere. The reason schools have wait lists is for situations like yours. When I did advising at SacState, I saw alternates called the week of orientation to fill a spot. It may seem unfair of you to accept and then decline however, schools build in contingencies for such things. Congrats on having offers already!

Hello Flowingwater, It is hard to really narrow it down since they cover so much material and because each student is so very different in what will be helpful. Since you are just getting started, you don't have your texts yet and you will cover so much each semester, it is hard to give advice on studying information that will help later (such as developmental stages for children which will help a lot for your peds class). The books you will get for nursing school are more helpful than studying your A&P books so I would probably wait to really dive in until I had the material. You can also review dosage calculations since you will have a math test each semester. I will give you a couple of ideas that may help during school however, I don't know what materials you have yet, nor do I know your particular knowledge base. 1. First understand that you are no longer studying the "parts" of the body as much as the "systems" of the body. Knowing where the lungs are is far less valuable than knowing what (disease, injury, genetic issue) affects them and how they in turn respond to these issues. Knowing that the lungs are essential to the body's acid/base balance, how gas exchange works, and common medications used to address issues is far more useful. Nearly the entirety of the lectures are about diseases and disease processes. 2. Study by body system. If you try to cover a lot of different topics, you can often get confused. Go through respiratory issues in your medsurg book focusing on things that stand out about a disease. - Example when studying peds cardiac: Kawasaki's disease (viral) (usually affects kids 3. Don't read everything. Unless you can read very fast and retain information at a high rate, reading the whole med-surg book is overwhelming and unhelpful. You will get detailed power points and an outline for most classes. Use these to focus on studying. If they are spending time in class on it than it is going to be on the test most times. 4 Focus on "what is going to kill my patient". I heard this a thousand times during school. Focus on the the big things. When you look at side effects of a medication for example, rash is far less concerning than excessive bleeding or liver failure. 5. Every answer is right. Nursing school is very different than normal college courses. The answers to a test question can all be correct but one of them is more correct (such as priority, step process, etc...). You must think critically about the situation given facts, history, lab values, symptoms, and even age of the patient in order to get to the most correct answer. A NCLEX study guide that has rational for the answers is helpful to understand this concept. I could go on for pages but that is the gist. Remember that you earned your spot in the program and that takes a lot. Just focus on what you need to and don't let yourself get behind. There is a reason SacState has the highest NCLEX pass rate in the state. It's because they cover the material well and prepare you for what you need to know. I wish you success as you get ready for this adventure. Hope this helps.

Just a quick note.... A lot of the previous semester cohorts have started a group on facebook to help get to know each other and as a support to one another as well. It is a great tool to help you know what is coming up, what is due, and where to be when. I highly recommend it due to the craziness that is nursing school! Let me know if you have any questions. me - (previous SacState nursing alum, pre-nursing advisor, and peer mentor)