yellow_p

As the original post is almost a year old, I hope this overview can still prove useful... I am currently in the ADN program (as an "advanced placement" student, i.e. I have my LVN already). I have pretty low expectations regarding nursing education, so I'm pretty much okay with how things are done here, though many of my peers think otherwise (some quite vehemently so). In terms of what you get in class on a daily basis, it's hit-or-miss as far as relevance goes, but that depends entirely on your instructor. Our Med-Surg instructor is fairly stern and strict, but comes off as fairly competent. Our Mental Health Nursing instructor was quite entertaining, but most people felt cheated out of the whole "learning" experience of it. Administratively things aren't as watertight as people expect, but as a relatively new program with a shifting budgetary status, I sympathize the with challenges the department must invariably face in order to serve the student population. It's only a shame that us students tend to either be privy to the cracks in the system or fall prey to them (e.g. scheduling inconsistencies, "mandatory" meetings, limited hours in skills lab, etc.). There is a lot of ATI material that is used throughout the program, which elicits groans from pretty much everyone, even though it's good practice in terms of answering NCLEX-like questions [but really, who likes doing those, right?]. If you're working while you're in the program, it can be immensely challenging. Some people manage all right with that, but I know at least one person who had to drop out as a result [there are a total of three who have been ousted at this time]. Clinicals are carried out at Arcadia Methodist Hospital [Arcadia], Pomona Valley Hospital [Pomona], Beverly Hospital [Montebello], and San Antonio Community Hospital [upland]. We use Davis' drug guide, Henke's dosage calculation book, Lewis for our med-surg book, and there are some other ones we also use that I can't be orificed to remember right now. Quite honestly, I say go to any school that will have you, because when you're on the job, that's where you're going to learn all your stuff again anyhow.

I took it at Citrus College. Does it actually matter where it's taken? I infer from the tone of lots of people on here that it seems to...

I'm afraid I cannot tell you about taking TEAS V at SDSU, but I did take it recently (Form B - web), and can tell you that it's not super-difficult, but you definitely want to do some prep-work, mostly from the online resources available through ATI (i.e. the online practice test for forms A and B). You might also want to go through ATI's horrible study guide which is handy as it also has a couple of practice tests there too, as well as some refresher information which might prove useful to you! Best of luck!

I would suggest the community college route (and not just because that's what I'm about to do!). I have a friend who dropped the big bills in order to go through West Coast University and his suggestions to me were to find a program that won't break your bank and will be close to you, commute-wise. There's no guarantee that you'll be able to find a job after you get your RN, so it's prudent to not have too much in the way of loans. Also, you don't want to be stuck on the road, especially with 12-hour clinicals on top of all the studying you have to do anyhow! As for pointers: You definitely want to be sure you earn good grades in your Anatomy, Physiology, and Microbiology grades, as well as your English 101 course, as those are the big 3/4 determinants of priority placement in most programs. Most schools have a 5-year recency condition for your core sciences, so you may need to retake them depending on which school you'll be shooting for. I've heard that it's not advisable to apply for 30-unit option RN courses that some schools offer because they offer those as an academic (or accreditation?) requirement and actively discourage applicants from pursuing that option. For any school to which you apply, you'll have to have you BLS CPR card up to date, along with immunizations, etc. Also, you'll need to have your official transcripts, so even before you start applying you best be sure to know how much all that will cost/how long it'll take to get them in your hand (and L.A. County's school forces you to have the schools mail them directly). The application process can seem a bit of a chore (and a slightly pricey one) in that respect! I tried to get my RN through The College Network a couple of years ago, but that required far more self-motivational will power than I could muster, even though I could have earned a BSN through that route. Notable programs: L.A. College of Nursing and Allied Health (Eastern-Downtown L.A.), Pasadena City College, CSU Long Beach, Mt. San Antonio College.

Good luck getting in! I don't think we'll be in the same classes, but hello all the same

I've only been aware of this site for a couple of days (was googling about Citrus and this site came up), so prolly not Indeed, some class sizes are smaller than others, which might skew the percentages, but since I'm not sure exactly how the percentages are yielded, it's tough to really predict one's chances by the size of the program. I do fall into the view that a smaller cohort would lead to more instructor time, but I think more realistically, a smaller class size will likely mean a more tightly knit group of peers, leading to a higher probability of academic success (via more chances for study groups, interpersonal investment and cooperation in achievement, etc).

It is true that the academic bar at ELAC is a bit lower, except for the Chemistry class I took there, that was quite challenging, but not unfairly so (as always, depends on the kind of professor/teacher you have). The core sciencey prerequisites were a mixed bag from unreasonably obtuse to walk-in-the-park easy. The one advantage of going to a place like ELAC was that I could still work enough hours to get by and yet manage to get competitive grades. It is a good idea to look at the pass rates though in considering a school, as it's a good indication of preparedness for the NCLEX, even though one's individual effort must always be taken into account. Speaking of pass rates, I brought up Citrus' relatively meager NCLEX pass rate with the counselor with whom I filled in my application and she claimed to be unaware of it- I hope she was joking.

Ah, coolies! Be sure to avoid the obnoxious Asian dude with girly hair (that'll be me)! For some reason, I was never too concerned about crime around ELAC, most likely because there's an L.A. County Sheriff's station right on campus, which I suppose is telling in itself. I'll be commuting from Temple City, which is like a 20-minute freeway drive away from Citrus. Most of the areas around the campus seem to be very suburban, so there should be no shortage of places for student accommodation.

If you're that tired, you were probably doing a good job :) If you're able to start a routine, you won't be so tired, but having a routine might become mind-numbing. The mental stress of having so many responsibilities I think weighs more heavily on the body than the physical endurance part of the shift, but those two coupled together can be a heck of a thing to go through on a daily basis. I've been trying to get back into a regular exercise regimen (after a serious lapse last year), and I find that that helps me not be so tired after work, and I sleep much better.

BBH: No, not confusing. I actually did most of my prerequisites at ELAC but decided not to apply to the nursing program there for a variety of reasons.

OkieDokie: I actually will be attending the orientation this Friday with my peers, and I found out about the class just by snooping around the Citrus/Wingspan website (because I have absolutely NO life whatsoever ). And thanks :)

OkieDokie (love that name: I actually say it aloud often ): Advanced Placement grubs start in the middle of 2nd and 3rd semesters of the standard RN program, so technically it's a late start, but we do have to take a bridge class in July (if Wingspan is to be believed). Congratulations on your acceptance and good luck in your program!

BBH: Ah, are you planning on enrolling in one of the nursing programs there, or just taking your prerequisites at Citrus? I do like the feel of the school, based on the few times I had to go there. I really do love the location of it with those mountains so close to the north! I am indeed doing the bridge thing (which they call "advanced placement"- maybe to make the applicants have a sense of superiority? I dunno). I was hoping to get more feedback from current/recent students as there doesn't seem to be a whole lot here (I know there's a big thread on the VN program, but wanted to get specific feedback for the RN program). I did look up some of the teachers on ratemyprofessors.com and the one I'll be taking this summer isn't filling me with the greatest of confidence, but I'm sure I'll manage. It's not that I'm not going to attend (at least nothing has compelled me to so far), but I like to be prepared for all possibilities. Thanks for your input and best of luck to you on your career path :)

Hi hi, I'm planning on attending Citrus College starting this summer (the advanced placement thingee). If you are currently attending or have attended Citrus College, I'm eager to hear your opinions of the school/program, what I can expect, etc. Thanks!

The horribly edited study guide from ATI (version V) is the definitive one, though I'd emphasize the practice tests near the back of the book as opposed to poring over every single page (the mind can only take so much frustration). I'd also (if you can spare the change) try the online practice tests from ATI (be SURE you order the version V, they also let you do version 3.0/4.0). They're like $35 each, but it's identical format to actual TEAS I took recently and like the NCLEX (VN) itself, drilling yourself on answering questions is the most useful study route. Good luck with your testing!