tnt714

i have talked with many nurses, each who each have theyre own thing that makes them gag...everything from feces, to vomit, to sputum... it is OK to be grossed out by certain things, that doesnt mean you shouldnt be a nurse, it just takes some getting used to... I used to work as a CNA and i did not know how i was going to be able to handle wiping up feces, until after doing it a few times and it got a lot easier. Also i heard that a little bit of vicks vapor rub under the nose helps with smell! good luck!

you should definitely read the material.. that is obviously the most important... you can't answer practice questions if you dont know the material ..... what i found useful was reading each chapter thoroghly, then do the end of chapter questions immediately. so the info is still fresh ... our book even has a companion website that offers more practice questions .. so i did those too. and if your teacher does any type of review or powerpoints in class, that should highlight the info from each chapter that you should go back and really focus on once youve finished reading.. hope this helps!!!

thanks everyone, i think im going to go with the dansko's .. everyone seems to have a positive opinion on them :)

i took ap1 and an online course... the ap monopolized the majority of my time, but i got a B in both classes... i had lecture 2 days a week and lab 1 day a week. I took ap2 with micro and that was even MORE work (that was 5 days a week), but i did well there too, again receiving a B in each class... my a&p's were pretty fast paced and intense, but it just takes some discipline and dedication and it can be done... oh and flash cards will be a life saver :)

Has anyone tried the nurse mates clogs or sneakers? I heard dansko's take a while to get used to .. and i found some nurse mates online that are pretty cheap ($60 range) which is a lot less than a pair of nikes or reeboks .. just trying to get an opinion.. thanks in advance :)

you should definitely check which schools are relatively close to you... i personally wouldn't recommend going more than an hour away from where you live.. it will get exhausting quick. between milage, gas prices, and the extra hours to get to class and back.. it is a lot. I go to St.V's which is 1/2 hour from where i live. BUT i always leave at LEAST an hour early incase there is traffic or bad weather (being late is not an option) then i need time to find parking etc. Also, i was going 5 days a week .. thats 250 miles a week.. by the end of the semester that really adds up. But besides travel, you need to see who is accepting applications and for when. Some schools like QU (i believe), have a deadline in march for the fall program (at least that was their deadline 2 years ago when i applied) ... and some schools have a program that start in the spring and the fall, some only begin in the fall.. so i would google CT programs and their websites will tell you everything you need to know about applying, deadlines, etc .. good luck :)

i am not sure of any schools that will even allow you to take a&p 1 and 2 at the same time.. it could be different where you are from but no schools where i am from will allow that. ap1 is a pre-req to ap2 .. i am interested to know if that is allowed at your school or at any other schools? but even if i could have taken both i wouldnt have.. taking them separately was enough work in itself!

every school is different. My schedule is 3 days a week.. one day theory, one day assessment, and one day clinical ... our clinicals start 5 weeks into the program... the first 5 weeks are in the skills lab .... each section has a some what different schedule.. someone taking the same class but in a different section might only have to go 2 days a week... and i know someone going to a different school whos schedule is 4 days a week 7 hours a day.. did you find out your schedule yet?

well of course, CC's are the cheapest .. thats why they are "CC's" .. when i attended gateway it cost me less than $5000 for the entire YEAR, including books, and i took 4 classes a semester!!!! BUT .. i personally believe the education is not as good as the one i am getting now, but that is personal opinion, and i am in no way saying that gateway doesnt provide a good education... and i THINK i know which professor you are talking about, and if it is the same one i am thinking of she is the BEST ... by far

i just finished a&p2 and micro.. got a B in both :) its not that bad, as long as your dedicated to studying and can manage your time .. and i worked (very little, about 10 hours a week.. it would have been impossible for me to do more) . It was tough, the workload was a lot, sometimes I'd have an a&p exam one day, and a micro exam the next .. but I'm glad I got them both over with.. Good luck:up:

Congrats! I was just accepted into my program as well, and I can definitely relate! Are you going for RN?? We start in August, so I have some time to prepare but I am sooo excited, yet so nervous at the same time. I have been shopping for shoes, stethoscopes, penlights, etc. I absolutely can not wait. But I am so nervous to start clinicals and everything. I have been taking pre reqs for so long that I am anxious to be starting the real thing!

I had to retake 2 classes... for no reason other than I wasn't putting in the effort I needed to be putting in .. I got a little lazy and wasn't studying as much. The downside is that my school only allows you to retake 2 classes. So I guess I used up my 2 chances =/ .. But keep your head up and keep moving forward, it will be worth it. And the way I see it , it is better to fail a pre-req than to fail a nursing course. Just step up your game, put EVERYTHING else on the back burner.. My guess is you are making the same mistake that I did and probably not giving your studies your absolute ALL... and trust me, you need to! Just keep remembering what your doing all this for and it will pay off :) good luck

What A&P book do you have? if you have the Tortorta book it will be right in the front of the book. It has every system and all the organs in each system ... Also, if you have a bookstore like a barnes & noble or something like that in your area you can buy an a&p study guide.. I got the flashcards, they were helpful for systems like the skeletal and muscular, since we weren't allowed to take the models out of the lab.. Good luck!

thanks guys! and I will most definitely get it engraved! I'm not going to spend all that money for someone to steal it!!

i just went today to order mine, i always thought ours were pretty cute, sort of fitted, all navy blue, with just our logo in white ... but we are getting new ones, the old ones were unisex, now we will have ladies tops that have the cross over vneck and the tie around the waist:up: .. http://www.workngear.com/cgi-bin/frontrunner.cgi?ri=111&rc=WKNG&rs=T&ro=T&pid=380&pm=SCRUBS&sid=4153X&nid=1101&flg=S&pri=115just like these except a different brand .. i like them... i would hate to have to wear white!

first of all, ANY school is expensive. that is just the way it is.. but 32,000 for pretty much the whole time your there is pretty good compared to some schools like QU that cost 30,000+ A YEAR. second, if you do not pass the math placement test there is a chance they will not accept you.... i had failed the math placement and was rejected. luckily i was in the process of completing mat137 at gwcc at the time i took the test so i was able to send them my transcript with the completed course and was then accepted. Besides that, you probably have a good chance of being accepted. But it is not being accepted that is the hard part, its staying in the program. The courses and work load is extremely difficult but it is an awesome school and you will get a great education. I wouldn't consider getting my degree any where else.

i am at st vincents and while math is a requirement you do not need algebra.. mat137 at gwcc is algebra, not calculus.. i would take the math during the summer if at all possible, that way they see you have it and you dont have to worry about it

I am at St.V's and I really do love it, however it is an extremely difficult school. Our classes, even our gen ed classes are no joke. there is no "homework" .. its study study study every single day. Our A&P's require more work/info than most schools. We have an exam/quiz just about every week .. Also, there is no room for error. A grade below a C+ in ANY science course is considered a fail, and any grade below an 80 in a nursing course is also considered a fail . You must maintain a minimum GPA of 2.75. The teachers and other faculty are very helpful. But it is definitely one of the toughest programs around, no doubt about that!! but well worth it.

I am at St.V's and from what I have heard from just about everyone (staff/students) is that pretty much no one passes the comp tests. I am sure that it is possible to pass just highly unlikely. I would try taking the test ASAP and just plan on re-taking the courses in the fall if you don't pass... but I would hurry up, you don't want to let too much time go by if you're planning on attending in the fall, as a&p classes tend to fill up pretty quickly and there is a process you have to go to if you have not yet applied to the school. Good luck!

i made it through all of my pre-reqs using flash cards, i absolutely LOVE them :redpinkhe .. but just as the post above me says, i also heard that once you start the nursing classes flash cards aren't as useful because its less memorization and more critical thinking

I have been at my school for 2 years, and it is a very small school, and I only have a handful of friends, some that we have exchanged phone numbers and formed study groups and others are just casual chit chat in the halls. It is important to have a few people you can rely on to help you out if your having trouble in a certain area of your studies or who can catch you up on the work you missed if you missed a class... and definitely for the moral support. No one understands the physical and emotional stress of being a nursing student, than another nursing student. However, too many friends can sometimes get in the way of your studies, so you kind of need to find a balance. But I'd have to say, yes. It is always good to have a few shoulders to lean on, its certainly a rough couple of years

I did some research on the MC, C III, and the SE ... so far all I can come up with is that its basically personal preference. What I have been reading is that the MC is a little clearer than the III but also more expensive, and just about every one has said that the SE is perfect for school, since I will be doing rotations in med-surg, peds, and labor/delivery ... from what I can understand the SE will be the best choice since I will sort of be all over the place... I think? Thanks for all the input, its a huge help:)

is there any that you would recommend? i would just hate to spend the money and get the wrong one ...

Hi everyone! I was hoping someone could send me in the right direction. I am looking to buy a new stethoscope for nursing school and I have been reading some of the stuff everyone has posted and it seems that Littmann is the brand I should go with, but which type??? A few people said not to go too crazy when your still in school, but I would rather buy a good one that will last me throughout school and even in my career. Besides, I don't want to not do well in clinical because I got a "decent" stethoscope and I can't hear very well... I don't care too much about the price (however I would like to keep it below $200) but I would really like something that works well, is not too heavy, and that I can hear well with. I should also mention I am one of those people who gets distracted easily by background noise (especially if I am new at something and am nervous to begin with). It seems that the cardio III and the classic II SE are the most commonly used.. Any suggestions?? Thanks!! :)

i just finished taking ap2 and micro this spring, it was a lot of work, but definitely do-able if you are willing to work your butt off and your nose will be permanently in your books until the semester ends!! but to take all three is going to probably do more harm than good... im not sure about your school, but at mine our summer sessions are only 6 weeks each. I think you will quickly burn yourself out if you try doing them all at once... i would take the ap1 in the summer and you could take ap2 and micro in the fall ... i wouldnt rush... it is better to take your time and do well, than to rush and not pass! Good luck!