carbon86

You should start applying now. I graduated in December and was offered a position before I had a license (with a certain major hospital system in Pittsburgh).

Do you realize you're openly bashing your course facilitators on a public forum while using your face as an avatar?

No, its just a regular physical. If there is an apparent physical disability the practioner is not going to sign off on the form but otherwise you're fine. Deep breath, you're freaking yourselves out.

Its been a really great experience. I am very happy with the program as a whole. Nursing school is very time consuming and if you want to do well then you are going to have to dedicate yourself to it. We have definitely lost a lot of people. We started with 80 and we are down to probably about 45 of our original class (give or take a few because we've had people transfer in such as LPN's and students from other campuses). The class ahead of ours however started with 60 and they are down to somewhere around 9. If you manage your time well and make the program your priority you'll do just fine.

They don't actually have you lift anything, its more just being healthy enough to deal with the physical aspects of nursing care. Also, don't waste your money on the lab jacket. I'm entering the second half of the third semester and it has never left my closet.

I love CCAC's nursing program. The instructors that I have had thus far are excellent. Each and everyone brings something new and unique to the table. You are not going to have much say as far as where your clinical locations are as its pretty much luck of the draw (they do a lottery) but I have yet to have a clinical instructor that wasn't excellent. Take every clinical experience for what it's worth, you may think you want to be an ICU nurse now but don't be surprised if that changes.

Your best bet would be to get a PCT position at UPMC. You may not get a position in the ICU but you will at least get your foot in the door.

This entire process is going to cost you a small fortune, it's best to just come to terms with that now. The two step TB is basically 1 test one week and then a second 1-3 weeks later. You HAVE to use the certified profile platform to upload all of your documents such as child abuse clearances, titers, physical forms, CPR, drivers license info, finger printing etc. It costs $129.00 but this price includes your backround check and drug screening. My books were over $1000 when you include all of the extras such as prep-u, hesi, ATI, and the tote. You are going to need at least one set of scrubs, top ($22.98) and bottom ($16.98) you really don't need the lab coat or warm up. You have to have all white tennis shoes, a watch with a second hand, a stethoscope, bandage scissors, and a pen-light.

They will not except any backround checks that were previously done, you have to use the certifiedbackround.com platform. Your TB test will also have to be redone if it was not the 2 step. If you have not already done so start looking for healthcare provider CPR/BLS as regular CPR is not accepted.

If you're on the do-not hire list I don't think you can even do clinical's at the facility (if you decide to go the RN route). That would seriously limit your options in regards to the nursing programs you can apply to in Pittsburgh. I may be wrong but I would definitely figure it out sooner rather than later.

I was wondering the same exact thing.

Orientation is from 4 until 7 in the Auditorium (S440) Performance hall.

I'm taking a notepad and a pen, I would consider anything else to be over-kill. That's just me though.

I guess the book lists must be different depending on the campus, I wish I had your book list lol. What campus are you attending?

Don't always believe everything you hear about previous classes. It seems like admissions at CCAC are very ebb and flow. I know when I first started pre-reqs two years ago about 75% of my AandP1 class was already in the nursing program. The following year they extended the application process due to lack of qualified applicants. Then when I applied they had a record number of applicants that were extremely competitive. The biggest factor is the extra points (at least it was last application period), I don't know ANYONE who got in with out having at least two of their sciences done. Side Note: The people that I spoke to about sciences were in the fast track program, it may be different for other campuses.