GoldenDomer63

I recently completed my first semester of nursing school this past December, received my CNA license and landed a job as a Student Nurse/Tech in the Trauma PACU in a large, teaching hospital with a Level I Trauma Center. I opted for the PACU because I really wanted to start working to earn some extra cash for school and there were no positions available in any of the units I would be interested in working in after graduation. My question is this: will this position provide me with some good experience and be viewed favorably should I choose to work as an RN in the SICU (or CSICU or PICU for that matter), or should I try to get a comparable position in the ICU where I am interested in working upon graduation (when a position avails itself)? Thanks!

I was accepted into UMB for Spring 2011, but deferred until Fall 2011 so I can answer your question with respect to the statement of personal goals...well, at least this is what worked for me. What you need to convey when writing your statement is your passion for being a nurse. What circumstances/events that transpired thus far in your life made you want to become a nurse? Make it personal. Don't parrot what you think they want to hear. Be original, honest and most of all sincere in articulating your thoughts. Have someone review your essay for spelling and grammar. Don't leave writing your essay until the last minute either, as you will probably have to write 2-3 drafts in order to arrive at the final product. Good luck!

Are you sure they don't offer it in the testing center? That is where I took mine and the first time I approached them they told me I couldn't...I would just be 100% sure because it is a pain in the butt to go to a testing center and much more expensive. You should just google "sample TEAS test" and go through some of the test questions...that is what I did and I scored well on the assessment. You need to brush-up on conversions from decimals-to-percentages and vice versa; algebraic word problems and metric unit conversions. The science portion is a hodgepodge dealing with biology, anatomy, physiology and chemistry. My questions were skewed more towards chemistry and physical science. Why are you taking Chem 2 if your Chem 1 credits transferred? UMD (and AACC) only require one chemistry credit. Who do you have for Chem 2? I took the class at AACC during the Fall 2010 term and it is a demanding class. You need to brush up on net ionic equations, redox reactions, thermochemistry and acid/base chemistry. Also, know your polyatomic ions and charges. Brush up on your math skills as well; be comfortable with applying the quadratic formula (program it in your calculator if you can) and utilizing logarithms. The math component of the class is what gives most students problems. You will be required to keep a lab notebook, so take good notes as you will have two lab quizzes (both open notebook). Do you have Dr. Tracey for lecture? She is a great teacher, but demanding, and her exams are tough. Hopefully, you have Dr. Sherer for lab. She explains things well and is a lenient grader, which is a good thing for Che 112 lab. If you have Dr. Miller for lab...well, my apologies. She is very tough. If you can switch I would recommend that you take Che 113. It is an introduction to organic and biochemistry. It requires more work than Che 1, but much less than Che 2 and it is appropriate for nursing students. I took it and enjoyed it. I think one can draw more parallels with Che 113 than Che 2 as most of the mechanism of actions of drugs are organic in nature. Edit: oops...saw where your chem credit was +10 years old. But my recommendation still stands, register for Che 113 vs. Che 112. Good luck!

I took two science classes each semester while I was taking my prerequisites and didn't have any problems. But it is a lot of work, especially with lab. Micro is strictly memorization and the textbook(s) contain way too much information to try and comprehend; therefore, most professors will provide handouts for the lectures. Study the handouts and only consult the book should you need additional understanding of a concept. I thought the labs were much more technical than chemistry and biology labs, but weren't too terribly involved. If you do well on the lab practicals you should do well in the lab component of the class. Bottom line is that micro is just information intensive Organic chemistry is a different animal. For exam purposes, not only must you know how to name and draw organic structures, but you also must know all of the functional groups and what properties they confer to the molecules to which they are attached. You must also know reactions and mechanisms of reaction and given either a reactant or a product, draw the appropriate reaction. In this instance it really pays to know the various reagents utilized in organic chemistry as they are often reaction-specific. This is a course where rote memorization will help you some, but you must know the concepts. A huge differentiation from micro. You didn't mention if the organic chemistry class was 3 or 5 credits. My comments assume it is a 5 credit class. If it is 4 credits you might be only getting an introduction to organic chemistry, in which case both lecture and lab will be watered down significantly. Good luck!

My experience is similar to that of carnival31. I got tired of doing the same repetitive reports, projects, analyses, presentations, etc and not being challenged from a mental standpoint. I really wasn't utilizing my technical and critical thinking skills in a way that produced immense personal satisfaction. So I resigned from my position and registered for prerequisite classes at a community college. People don't really understand the transition I made. I was compensated very well and lacked for nothing in a material sense, but gained no personal satisfaction whatsoever from my job; if one is not happy in their position then the money is immaterial. But what better way to spend the remainder one's life than to play an active role in changing the arcs of individuals' lives? To be able to do that is definitely worth the inherent risks in changing careers. So now I start my BSN program in roughly ten days. I am looking forward to the hectic and dynamic pace of the hospital. I am extremely interested in being in a dynamic environment and utilizing the critical thinking skills I have acquired and developed in my previous career and looking forward to whatever challenges are ahead.

I was a chemistry tutor while completing my prerequisites for nursing school and a large percentage of my students were those who took chemistry online. I really wouldn't recommend it, especially if you think your math skills are weak. As an earlier poster stated, there are a lot of equations and you must be comfortable algebraically manipulating these formulae to solve for the unknown variables. You must also be very proficient in unit conversions. I am not saying it cannot be done, but since you will have time to study I would suggest taking it at school. Most of those who take the online class work and cannot make it into school for lecture. Good luck!

I earned a BBA in Finance and Business Economics. I had no problems whatsoever with the science prerequisites and gained admission into a highly-ranked BSN program for Fall 2011. I started my prerequisites in Aug 2009 and finished in December 2010; however, in order to achieve that feat I took two science courses a semester as well as eight credit hours during the summer; I basically went to school year round. It is a lot of pressure too; the nursing programs are competitive and you need to get the best grades you can in your science prerequisites. I felt I had to earn an "A" in every class to be successful. But that is what works for me. Take your time...maintain a prudent class schedule...no sense in busting through the prerequisites if you are only going to earn average grades. This is not a sprint...it is a marathon. There will be just as many ADN/BSN programs available to you in twenty-four months as there will be eighteen-months from now. The bottom line is it doesn't matter in what discipline your previous degree was, or where you worked; it is about having the desire and dedication to persevere through the bad days and self-motivation when the doubts start to creep in your brain. You can do this no problem...you have the experience of a four-year degree behind you, which is more than most people with whom you will be taking prerequisites will have. Lean on that experience and it should serve you well. Good luck!

You have a strong GPA and the B's in those classes will not kill you. Micro and A&P II are some of the more challenging classes, at least in my community college. I think you will be more than competitive and should opt for the route of the BSN, given that is where the trend in nursing is going at the moment. Moreover, should the employment prospects for nurses not improve over the next 2-3 years, IMHO you will be more marketable with a BSN than a ADN. Think of it another way: the more marketable you are, the higher your earnings potential will be, which will allow you to repay those student loans faster. I think that a four-year degree always trumps a two-year degree in that regard. Also, you said that if you go the Kettering College route that some of your credits won't transfer and you have to take them again. So did you receive a conditional acceptance? It doesn't make sense that you have outstanding credits, yet they accepted you. I don't know that I would want to have to repeat ANY class to get into a school. I applied for a couple of BSN programs with a GPA slightly higher than yours and a TEAS score in the 90th percentile and was accepted into every BSN program to which I applied. With that being said, there are no guarantees. The GPA and TEAS cutoffs will be predicated on the pool of applicants; however, that is out of your control. It is a risk, but it is a calculated risk that will pay dividends for you in the long run. Good luck!

I just googled "sample TEAS test" and went through the various links provided. The tests I took gave me the answers to the problems as well. The only down side is that they didn't show you how they arrived at the answers, so you were on your own to figure them out...which kind of sucks. I seemed to remember that here were a lot of conversions from decimals to fractions and vice-versa. Also, a lot of questions involving percentages. The science section seemed heavily weighted towards chemistry and A&P. Also a few questions regarding genetics...know your Punnett Squares. The secret is going in confident...if you do that, you will be fine!

That appears to be a pretty easy schedule...but be aware of English class as you will obviously doing a lot of writing more than you think you will. Also, I would recommend that you take Nutrition as the last of your nursing prerequisites. I say this because it touches upon a lot of different concepts that you will cover in biology, chemistry and A&P. If you haven't had any of those classes and are hearing these concepts for the first time, especially in an online environment...well, it could require a bit more work. Good luck!

I would recommend taking sample tests online. That is what I did and had no problem with the TEAS test. I was not a proponent of purchasing the study guide from ATI. Although it provided a thorough explanation of the subjects, my classmates tended to get bogged down in the minutiae and the test is on general concepts for the most part. I would recommend reviewing basic percentages, decimals, algebraic word problems and basic scientific principles; also be adept at chemistry with regards to SI units, basic equations, bonding, element groups and such things. You should remember that you are allowed a single sheet of scratch paper and no calculator, so nothing on that test is going to be too intensive. This is about assessment of basic skills. I would also recommend that you impose a time limit on your practice tests given that the TEAS test is timed as well. My two cents for what it is worth... Good luck!

Yes...you will be required to take prerequisites at your local community college and then apply for admission into an ADN program. Most ADN programs have the similar prerequisites: biology, microbiology, anatomy and physiology, chemistry, sociology, psychology and maybe statistics and English. As to whether or not these prerequisites transfer towards a BSN program depends on where you decide to matriculate, as each four-year school evaluates credits differently. Look for a community college that has a matriculation agreement with a four-year school that offers a BSN program, which will ensure most, if not all of your credits will transfer intact. At the very least, send your transcripts to prospective BSN programs to have them evaluated. They will tell you which classes will or will not be accepted. Good luck!

I was accepted into UMB's nursing program for the Spring 2011 semester, but deferred until Fall 2011. I am not comfortable divulging my GPA and TEAS score, but I will tell you both were highly competitive. It is my understanding that an emphasis is placed on the aggregate GPA for the core science prerequisites as well as certain portions of the TEAS test. UMB's admissions process tends to look at all facets of the applicant's admissions package. This is true because I applied not having any previous healthcare experience; this is a second career for me. However, I know people with stellar GPAs and accolades who seemingly seemed to be assured of admission get rejected; while others with lower GPAs and such get accepted. A lot depends on the applicant pool too...which is out of your control. I know first-hand that the waiting sucks, but it goes by fairly quickly. Good luck!

I attended AACC from 8/09-05/11 in order to complete my prerequisites for nursing school and was thinking of applying to AACC's nursing program, but for the same reason you cited, applied to UM and was accepted for Spring 2011, but deferred until August 2011. I will try to answer your questions in order: (1) Yes...Developmental Psychology is the same as Human Growth and Development. (2) From what I was told by an admissions counselor, the GPA is calculated on prerequisite courses only; UM places emphasis on the cumulative science GPA for obvious reasons; since a portion of your prerequisites were taken some time ago at UD, they will place the most emphasis on your more recent grades (I believe the last 40-60 hours or so...I could be mistaken). The thing about UM is that they evaluate the total package: transcripts, both academic and personal recommendations, resume and personal goals statement. I know that the nursing program at AACC ranks students strictly by their cumulative prerequisite GPA with the top 80-90 students extended offers of admission. Does AACC require a TEAS test? I know they plan to make that a requirement in the very near future. UM will require one if you decide to apply and you need a minimum adjusted score of like 70 I believe. FYI...you can take that test in the testing center at AACC and since you are a student you will not have to pay the testing fee; however, you will have to pay to have your TEAS scores sent to both UM and AACC. If you are interested in attending UM you should send a copy of your transcripts (from all institutions, except high school) to their admissions office to be evaluated. They will let you know if (1) your courses will transfer; and (2) you are competitive or not. I think it only takes 7-10 days for them to examine the transcripts. I know individuals who had excessively high GPAs that didn't get an offer, while others with much lower GPAs get offers, so there are no hard cut-offs. I would also recommend attending one of UM's Open Houses, which would be a great source of information. Go to UMSON's website to look at the scheduled times and dates. It is a great program with great, new facilities with a lot going on. I thought their facilities were nicer than Hopkins when I went to tour their facilities. Also, bear in mind that AACC's nursing program has a stellar reputation and from the unsubstantiated rumors that I have heard their students get more clinical hours than the UM students. I know quite a few very capable and impressive individuals who could have gone wherever they wanted to go for nursing school, yet chose AACC. So it is not a huge step down if you apply and get accepted into AACC's ADN program. I think the BSN gives you a pathway into management and it seems like a lot of hospitals are requiring BSN-trained nurses to gain Magnet status...whatever that means. If you have specific questions feel free to PM me. Good luck to you!

The math component for Chemistry I is actually not that complex. It is basically multiplication and division. Be sure you are comfortable with scientific notation and significant figures. Also, be sure you can manipulate equations algebraically to solve for the unknown variable. As the previous poster stated...if you got an "A" in algebra then don't sweat it.