amyca

What are the pros and cons of working as an RN at a LTC facility? It seems as though many RN's avoid LTC positions. Is it the nature of the job (LTC duties)? Lack of variety? Do hospitals look view LTC experience as unfavorable experience? I'm pretty new to the nursing world, but am learning that hospital jobs are highly sought after, while LTC facility jobs the ones to avoid. (Not necessarily my opinion, merely an observation.) Just looking for some insight/opinions!

Check out this link: http://www.csusm.edu/el/degreeprograms/absn/ABSN%20Program%20Sequence%20and%20Cost%20Analysis.pdf It helped me plan my budget... Good luck to you!

@Sashapatra: You mentioned the last class you need is the o-chem. If you've already taken a chem (general, intro, etc.) class you may want to consider testing out of the "Fundamentals of Chemistry" class. This way you can take the o-chem class earlier (Spring). Just a thought... You'd still apply for Fall '12, but at least they can rank you among the applicants sooner than later, thereby allowing you to be accepted earlier. I hope this makes sense... As for the TEAS and other admission stats check out this link: http://www.csusm.edu/el/degreeprograms/absn/absnstats.html Good luck!!!

@gc1010: thanks for the sound advice. you've lifted my spirits a bit. :) i don't feel as discouraged as before... i am starting to think about living out of my van... jk. i live in the san diego area and will be attending the san marcos campus. oh with respect to the first semester, how many days did you need to be on campus? i'm thinking i may try to continue working through the 1st semester depending on how many campus days/week.

@gc1010: thanks for the info. it's really helpful to have a clear picture of the cost of everything. so correct me if i'm wrong... but you're saying: - about 43K for tuition/fees/supplies/books...etc. (for the entire 2 years) - 40k for housing (the full 2 years) ______________________________ equals about 83K for the entire program plus cost of living. SO $83,000 - ($12,500 + $12,500) = about $58,000 is needed... i don't know if i can swing that...

hey if this is a second post of the same question i apologize. ... my original post isn't registering on this forum. anyway, i'm curious as to how everyone is paying for the program?! - loans? if so, what type? (federal/private) - working? if so, how many hours? where? - living costs? (are you living alone? with spouse? family?) unfortunately i'm an a huge financial pickle (completely unexpected), but i REALLY want to attend the program. any and ALL advice is GREATLY appreciated. i hope to hear from someone...

hey if this is a second post of the same question i apologize. ... my original post isn't registering on this forum. anyway, i'm curious as to how everyone is paying for the program?! - loans? if so, what type? (federal/private) - working? if so, how many hours? where? - living costs? (are you living alone? with spouse? family?) unfortunately i'm an a huge financial pickle (completely unexpected), but i REALLY want to attend the program. any and ALL advice is GREATLY appreciated. i hope to hear from someone...

@USMC: Here's what I think EL used to calculate my points. Pre-nursing GPA: 3.7ish - TEAS: 87.5ish - Last 60 credits: 3.95ish. I'm estimating my total point value was about 40. (This is totally a guesstimate b/c it really depends on how they calculate the GPA's.) Hope this helps! And I hope you get in!!! :)

Hello! For those who are currently enrolled in CSUSM's ABSN, how has it been going so far? I would LOVE to hear your thoughts, tips, advice, etc. Hope to hear from you. Thanks!

@socalgrl: Congrats!!! I also received my acceptance today! I was accepted to the San Marcos campus.

@UCSM: Yeah, I'm pretty sure the "Pre-Admission Advising application and Pre-Admission Advising fee" is the $50 fee and ABSN application. I didn't have to fill-out another application of pay another fee.

@USMC: Yeah, I'm pretty sure the "Pre-Admission Advising application and Pre-Admission Advising fee" is the $50 fee and the ABSN application itself. )

Is there anyone out there who has been accepted for Spring 2012?!?! If so please share!!! :)

@USMC: I've heard the same thing Rpelayo mentioned; the ABSN considers the entire quarter/semester. @Rpelayo: I bet zoology was a killer! I almost think they should give extra points to those who've taken additional science courses w/labs.

@rpelayo: Grrr... That stinks! It's tough to do our part as a student when our the professor doesn't teach well. As for the adjustment made to my advising worksheet, I emailed one of the advisors for the ABSN. I had 2 courses that fulfilled the Oral Communication section. In one course I earned an "A" and the other a "B". I requested the course in which I received the "A" to be used for my pre-nursing GPA. I did all of this via email over the middle of the summer. I'm sure you've probably already taken the same steps... I've heard they're pretty busy, but I'm sure they'll get to you soon! Is there another class you can use to fulfill that particular section? I know there are a few different Math, Oral/Written Communication, and Critical Thinking classes that would fulfill each section.

@USMC: My TEAS was slightly higher than the average, but not by much! @rpelayo: My advising worksheet is like yours in that there isn't a total point value for TEAS, GPA, etc. So this also means it doesn't specify my rank among other applicants. (I don't think they would be able to specify a "rank" value on the worksheet because where one ranks probably changes as new applicants apply. Hope that makes sense.) I can't recall the rules about repeated courses. I know if you take a different course that fulfills the same requirement, they will fully accept the better grade, not average the two. For example: Let's say for the Math requirement you received a "C" in Calculus, but then took Trigonometry and received an "A". I believe EL will use the better grade, your Trig grade, to calculate your pre-nursing GPA. I don't think they would average the Trig & Calc grade into one. However, the circumstances may be different if you've repeated the same exact course? I don't know... I would definitely ask though! I know for some colleges grade replacements are valid, while other colleges don't consider them to be replaced, they average the two grades. For example, let's say a person fails bio at a community college, but then retakes the same exact bio course and receives an "A". The community college then replaces the "F" with the "A" and the new GPA reflects the "A" grade only. However, if the same person applies to medical school, the "F" and "A" grades will be averaged, regardless of the fact that the CC replaced the grade. Personally I think that part of the system STINKS!!! As for the adjustment process, I had my pre-nursing GPA adjusted once before; it was an easy and quick fix! I hope the adjustment is easy for you too! It’s definitely worth talking to your advisor about. Good luck and I hope this info was useful! :)

@USMC: Yay! Congratulations on the new TEAS score! The worksheet that took about 10 weeks to receive lists all transferred classes as well as any additional classes you may need to complete, if any. As long as your application is complete, they should be able to rank you. Hopefully it doesn't take 10 weeks for you to receive it! @rpelayo: I'm not sure how they're going to notify us. Maybe both snail mail and email? Hmmm... This means I'll probably be glued to my mail box, and computer obsessively checking my emails! Good luck guys!

@USMC: If you think you can improve your score within a month, I say go for it! However, if you honestly feel that you could use the extra time to study then waiting can only help you. From my understanding once they've received AND reviewed your full applicant package (transcripts, TEAS, etc.) they should be able to rank you. (For me this process took ten weeks.) If you decide to send in a new TEAS score after you've already been ranked they will automatically update your ranking to reflect the new TEAS. In other words, you don't have to wait another 10 weeks to be re-ranked. This information is what I was told a few months back. I'm not sure if they've changed the process or not... Hope this helps and good luck! I'm sure you'll great. @rpelayo: I heard they will be accepting students starting next week. Hopefully the rumor is true!

Makes sense! I find it interesting too.

@ USMC: I studied for about 2 weeks and then took the TEAS. I scored over the average 85.7%. I would say, figure out your weaknesses and focus on those sections. For me it was the punctuation section. If I were to re-take the TEAS I would definitely review comma usage! @ Rpelayo: My undergrad degree is a social science degree, but I've taken quite a few bio/chem courses (not the nursing pre-reqs). How come you ask?

@rpelayo: I know what you mean! In spite of knowing that I probably won't hear for a few more weeks I still anxiously check my email/mail everyday! You're right, it does look as though Spring 2011 began to hear news around October '10. It seems logical to assume this is when we'll hear from them too... but I'll still keep my fingers crossed for sooner! I'll post if I hear anything.

@ Rpelayo: I think it took about 10 weeks for them to send me my Pre-Admin Advising Worksheet. When I applied I sent everything at once (TEAS and all transcripts). I'm not sure if the wait is the same, shorter, or longer. Hope this helps!

AWESOME! Great job! I'm sure everything will work out. Sooo... 4-6 weeks you should be hearing something, as in acceptance or the Pre-Admission Advising Worksheet? I received my Pre-Admin sheet in July and now I'm waiting to hear something new... (i.e. acceptance hopefully?!)

Hi Rpelayo, I applied to the CSUSM ABSN 2012. I haven't heard anything from them yet. (Hopefully I, and you, will soon!) I think I have a pretty decent chance of getting in, but of course I don't want to jinx myself. You mentioned you're concerned about your stats, I attended an information session and learned the best way to increase your total points is to re-take the TEAS and perform better. A higher score on the TEAS can really boost your overall score. Best of luck! :)

Congrats to all the NCP selectees! For all the NCP selectees: 1) Can you give a brief rundown of the NCP application process? 2) What's your profile? (GPA? Who your references are? Work experience? Etc.) 3) Was there an interview? If so, do you have any tips for success? 4) How long after submitting your package did you hear of selection? 5) What area of the country are you in? (Ex: Navy Region Southwest) Any info is greatly appreciated! And thank you for sharing!!!