Jennybird

I used a daily planner, a binder for ppt printouts and took handwritten notes, had a few folders in the binder for more organization. I used my iPhone voice memo recorder for recording lectures- just upload files to iTunes and you have better control over rewinding, FF, etc. I also recommend Ackley (book) for care plans. My advice is to not purchase textbooks until you know you really need them, otherwise you may end up with them collecting dust and depreciating in value on bookshelves. I agree with the PP that less is better! For writing papers, just google Purdue OWL for APA specifics, which is very helpful and straight forward. No need to purchase the APA writing manual. If you like to study by doing practice questions, I would recommend the books from the Success series, especially Med Surg Success. There is also a Peds, Maternal Health, Fundamentals version. The Reviews & Rationales series are also good, they also have different topic areas like the Success books. I only used the Fundamentals and Med Surg Success books and found them to be helpful if/when I had the extra study time to fit them in. I also agree with PP that the Saunders NCLEX prep book is good for topic area review. It's a comprehensive outline of different topics with a practice question cd. I used it for NCLEX but while I was reading it, I really wished I had cracked it open during school! Looking back, I feel like so much of school seemed a lot more overwhelming than it really was. Just take it day by day, and one step (assignment/careplan/test) at a time. Also please know that care plans are a slight departure from reality. They are made to make you think critically about your patients, but know that when you hit the floor, the thinking that is prompted by careplans comes naturally and is not as complex and involving as careplans seem while you're in school. Advice for clinicals: ask questions and volunteer yourself to do certain skills if the need comes up, don't be scared! Use your time as a chance to practice, especially starting IVs. Make sure you have a good school/life balance. You DO have time for fun even though it may seem like you don't. Just make time for yourself to have nights off from studying and a free weekend day here and there. Lastly, be sure to develop relationships with your clinical instructors because they are the best reference sources for when you go to apply for jobs. I needed 4 refs for my current job, 2 of which were past instructors. Good luck to you!!

Hey there, I'm a Goldfarb grad and there are no restrictions on employment while in school. they just strongly encourage you to not work because you have to commit a lot of your time to school. I didn't work, but there were several students in my class who were techs and they made it work. I personally couldn't imagine working because of all of the time I had to devote to simply being in class on campus, in clinicals and studying. I was also an ABSN student. Best of luck to you!

I'm a current ABSN student at Goldfarb. I also chose it for the reasons that stealthkit listed above. I also was deciding between UMSL and Barnes. The programs are competitively priced, but Barnes is a bit more pricey, in addition UMSL factors books into the estimated tuition costs whereas Barnes doesn't. But I chose Barnes for it's higher NCLEX pass rates, newer state of the art simulation labs (which are now internationally accredited). Also, and this is a pretty big one, I have my master's degree from UMSL and I just could not imagine doing the drive every day back out to the UMSL campus. For me, Barnes is much closer and I like how we are truly in St. Louis city, located right on the CWE, and near several major highways. I also loved how Barnes required many less pre-reqs (so you would have to factor these extra costs into your total tuition--making the the UMSL price increase). Barnes also has a rotating schedule, w new classes starting each semester. When I looked into UMSL, they only had one start date in the summer, which would have pushed my start date back an entire year bc I would have had to RE-take Chemistry bc it has been over 10 years since I took it. Barnes doesn't require Chemistry! or Economics! Lastly, and very importantly, I chose Barnes bc of the association with Barnes Jewish Hospital--one of the best in the world!!

Update: Wow, I just revisited this page and see that I meant to say that UMSL and Barnes are competitively priced. For the Accelerated BSN: Barnes: $36,694 UMSL: $31,876

What schools are you comparing Barnes to? You're going to pay a pretty similar amount in other BSN programs such as UMSL and SLU. Remember that if you're looking at their general undergrad cost per credit hour, this is not an accurate reflection of what nursing students will pay, as there is always an additional allied-heath fee added per credit hour. It makes sense that they don't disclose the textbooks. They don't want us trying using the ISBN codes to purchase online for likely much cheaper/used books. This sucks but it's just something that we'll have to deal with. I just look at the books as an additional tuition expense.

That's wonderful news! I'm really excited as well. I'm sure things will fall into place for you and it will all work out. My only concern now is to secure enough financing for the program. Since we can only get up to $12500 in fed loans, I'm hoping I can make up the rest with a bank loan, or financial assistance (that would be ideal!) It's such a great feeling to take steps to get closer to our nursing goal!

The programs at Barnes and Goldfarb are actually competitively priced--UMSL is certainly not half the price! UMSL: http://www.umsl.edu/~nursingweb/pdf/academic/bachelors/accelerated-cost.pdf Barnes: Fall 2011 - BSN Accelerated Program Costs - Business Office - Goldfarb School of Nursing at Barnes-Jewish College

Ok, turns out Chamberlain does have an accelerated BSN, according to some other posts? This was not made clear on the website to me!

Chamberlain doesn't seem to have a strong "voice" on the boards. You could try to do a search to find more info from past postings. But, I persoanlly have not heard anything re: Chamberlain. I'm a future Barnes student and I didn't consider Chamberlain bc they don't offer an accelerated BSN in St. Louis, only a 3 yr BSN program. Also, the program seems to have a focus on the online component, which is not what I was looking for. Maybe some Chamberlain students might chime in to give more info!

I would simply just focus on the interview itself, on your responses, building confidence in what you say, etc. I think this will in general help you to feel less stressed and likely will reduce your likelihood of stuttering. I do think it's a good idea just to be real and explain briefly that it might happen--and if it does, then it does, just try not to beat yourself up about it and just push through the interview. I would hope anyone interviewing you would know that stuttering is simply stuttering, a condition, not a reflection of your intelligence or competence!

Awww, shucks! Thank you!!!! :redpinkhe I'm so excited--I just can't believe that nursing school is really going to happen for me!

I just received my acceptance letter today!!! I'm slated to start Sept 4, 2012 (Fall 2012 semester).

I have not heard anything yet, either. My application was complete a bit later than yours, on July 20. They initially told me the processing time is 4-6 weeks! So, for me I'm going on 6 weeks and thought I'd hear back soon, but sounds like I'll be waiting a few more weeks. This worries me to hear how long you've been waiting, but at the same time, it's good to know so I know not to get my hopes up this week. Argh...I'm thinking it's probably a combination of their office receiving many applications and probably low staffing to process them?? I will keep you updated, though. Also, it's great to hear from someone who's applying for the same semester! Are you taking pre-reqs now? Go ahead and PM me if you want :0)

I think it's unfortunate that the new health care reform laws don't target the front-end of the problem--exorbitant fees for services. Like someone above noted, having medical insurance can somewhat protect you from these costs by negotiating an acceptable price with the provider. With Medicare, this is called accepting assignment, where there are huge adjustments (deductions) to bills which brings the fees down tothe contracted/accepted amount. But yes, the uninsured don't have this privilege. BUT--with the new health care reform, I'm hoping that all Americans will eventually have this protection...we shall see.

I roll up lunchmeat in romaine leaves, pack a handful of grape tomatoes, and sometimes a hard boiled egg. Handful of almonds/walnut mix. Always fresh fruit-berries typically, loving cherries right now though.