kdrm

I'm starting Block 1 at SCC next week. Did anyone on here take NUR 104AB, the optional nursing review? Was it worth it? I didn't realize until today at orientation that it is mostly online with only a few in class dates.

I got my Hep B, MMR and Varicella titer last week for $139. I had my blood drawn on July 15 at 11:20 a.m. (Arizona) and the results were reported on July 16th (per the lab report) at 20:06 ET. When I checked my email in the wee hours of July 17th, I had a link to my results. :) I went through requestatest.com/immunity-panel-testing. The price is normally $187 which was comparable to a couple other places I checked, so the discounted price of $139 along with an additional 5% off code (TITER%, only good thru July 31st) was a significant savings. I paid online and waited about 15 minutes for my order confirmation to be emailed. The draw site was a LabCorp right down the road from me. There was a short wait, it was super clean, and they were very professional Unfortunately for me, one part of my MMR, the Rubeola Ab IgG, came back low and I don't have my vaccination records so I will need to repeat that shot.

Nurse Residency Program at Mayo Clinic in Arizona Nurse Residency Program Arizona - Nurse Residency Program Arizona - Mayo Clinic They still have the 2014 info up, but if you click on "How to Apply" it says this Please visit the Nursing Jobs Web page for available programs. Search using the position title "RN Residency." If this program is not available, you may click "Email jobs to me." You'll be notified via email when future Nurse Residency Program positions become available. Since applications for this year were only open for three days, I would either sign up for the email option or watch like a hawk in early spring for updated information. Or both :)

On the Arizona Board of Nursing website, there is a CNA Education Waiver Nursing Student form (under Other Forms Downloads) that your school would use to document that you meet the following criteria: Nursing students who, within the past 2 years, have successfully completed a nursing course as part of an approved RN/LPN program including: didactic content relating to Long Term Care clients; 40 hours of patient care in a long-term care (LTC )or comparable facility; and documentation of meeting requirements from the course instructor or nursing program director/designee. You would then include that form with the Arizona Nursing Assistant (NA) Examination Application. Are you a Maricopa nursing student? The 2013-2014 Nursing Student Handbook says on pg 10 that after Blocks 2 or 3 and completion of NUR 191 (Practical Nurse Transition), students qualify to sit for the NCLEX-PN exam. Since Block 1 is Fundamentals according to the Curriculum model chart on pg 2 and it's my understanding that block 1 clinicals are in LTC facilities, I would imagine that Block 1 alone qualifies for the CNA education waiver. Do you remember how many clinical hours you had and were they all in the same LTC location?

For Spring Entry in the CEP with NAU, students finish their Maricopa nursing courses in a fall semester and then have 3 NAU courses in the spring to complete their BSN one semester later. There is one summer semester in the schedule (between block 3 and block 4) with no courses at either school. Vacation anyone? For Fall Entry in the CEP with NAU, students finish Maricopa nursing courses in a spring semester, have the summer off, and then have the 3 NAU courses the following fall to complete the BSN. So it is only one semester of classes left, but because of the summer off, it's two semesters after you finish your ADN to complete your BSN. Having that summer off to totally concentrate on the NCLEX might be really nice though! I had created a spreadsheet for the CEP with ASU and NAU (both standard and fast-track) that really helped me to see the programs side by side. I thought about posting it here but I would need to make sure there haven't been any changes since I created it, and maybe I should add a column for UOPX. I went ahead and applied for the CEP with ASU last week (I would still need stats and two gen eds to apply for NAU), but now I've also been looking more closely at GCU's program too (I could apply in the fall for spring entry with stats "in progress"). MrsBond sent me some great information and I could be done with the BSN in only 4 semesters (traditional school year and fast-track (with summers) available). It is nice to have so many options, but it can be daunting to sort through them all, and I've never been great at making a final decision.

So in addition to the Maricopa County Community Colleges, there are several other options here that really vary in requirements and cost. Nursing accreditation links: CCNE & ACEN (formerly NLNAC) Arizona State University's main campus is in Tempe, but the nursing department is on the downtown Phoenix campus. To apply, you have to have 13 of 17 critical course requirements completed. They do not use a cumulative GPA, but require a minimum 3.25 select GPA (calculated from 13 of the 17 critical course reqs, but MUST incluce ENG 101, ENG 102 and 3 of the 4 science courses). Certain science courses have to be taken within 7 years of program start. It is a highly competitive program and surprisingly costly for a state school, I thought. On top of ASU tuition, there is a $1750 surcharge every semester for the nursing dept. The nursing program has CCNE accreditation. Grand Canyon University is a large private Christian University with a highly respected nursing program. Their campus is beautiful, like "you will almost forget you're in the desert beautiful!" The nursing program has CCNE accreditation. Chamberlain College of Nursing has a long history as a nursing school that was bought out by Devry. They are spendy, upwards of $80K, but their BSN and MSN are accredited by CCNE. (They don't show up on the CCNE site for AZ programs because their parent school is in IL.) Brookline College is a private, for profit school. Spendy like Chamberlain. Their nursing department earned ACEN accreditation last year. Carrington College offers an ADN and is accredited by ACEN. I thought they also had an affilition with Devry, but I couldn't confirm that now. Spendy. Maricopa County Community College District has ten campuses and the nursing program is offered on eight. The nursing program has ACEN accreditation. The CEP allows you to complete your RN to BSN with a partner university within a semester or two of finishing your ADN. There are of course Everest type offerings like Pima Medical Institute and Brown Mackie. There may even be an Everest here. Before I start getting angry replies from graduates or attendees of those programs, let me say that plenty of people are very happy with their education and have found jobs with ease, but if higher education/degrees are your goal, those credits may not transfer.

As far as I know, no school here requires a CNA license or gives any extra points in the application process for it. The system I transferred from required the license and gave extra points for actual work experience as a CNA, so I am familiar with that in other states. The Hesi A2 is an nursing school admission exam like the TEAS or the NET. ASU uses TEAS, but the community college system (here in Maricopa Co) uses Hesi. They do not currently require all the sections, only the enlish (reading comprehension, vocabulary grammer) and math. They do not use the biology, chemistry, or anatomy and physiology sections. There are also two non graded sections: learning style and personality style (which reveal sometimes suprising, or interesting at least, results). There are extensive threads here on both the TEAS and Hesi. Happy reading! As far as grades, the community college system here is non-competitive to get on the wait list. The CEP (which you can apply for if you're on the wait list and have completed additional requirements) is technically competitive using grades and hesi scores with an extra point given for a prior degree. I say "technically" because at both information sessions I attended, they emphasized that so far, they have been able to place everyone who has applied who meets the minimum requirements. GPA is based only on certain pre-reqs. They don't use cumulative GPA - thank goodness;)! Do you have pathophysiology yet?

Hi stephatron289 I was right on the verge of applying to programs in Salt Lake City...and then my husband's department closed and they offered us a transfer to Phoenix. I had to learn about all the options here and figure out which worked best for me. I'll try to help you as much as I can, but for now, start with Maricopa nursing and click on the link to Concurrent Enrollment Programs (CEP). There's a waiting list for the traditional ADN, but for the Concurrent Enrollment Program, they partner with Arizona State Univ, Northern Arizona Univ, and Univ of Phoenix. You can work on your RN to BSN at the same time you're getting your ADN, and it is GPA and Hesi based - no wait list. I also looked at the university offerings and some of the private programs here. Where are you in your prereqs?

I could see from the other thread that the wait after the Feb. application sessions was hard for everyone! SCC hosted the CEP information session yesterday and said that for the application sessions this month (May 20th & 21st) notifications would go out mid-June. I hope they are just being conservative and giving themselves a little extra wiggle room. Then, if they notify in early June everyone will be so happy. I just finished my last two prereqs at SCC and now that ASU has partnered with SCC, that's my first choice, MCC 2nd, then GWCC. I have everything finished for ASU's CEP, but I would need another semester or two to do NAU's additional prereqs. If I was going to go with NAU, I would definitely do the fast track. I'm not sure why the standard track has an entire semester with no classes. In yesterday's CEP information session at SCC, they said almost all of their NAU students have chosen the fast track. I wonder if in the future they'll do away with the standard track and just make the fast track the norm.

Since you're in the Phoenix Metro area, consider the Concurrent Enrollment Program (CEP) with the Maricopa community college system and their partner universities (currently ASU, NAU & Univ of Phoenix, more coming). There is no wait list for the CEP; it is competitive entry. You do have to be on Maricopa's wait list to apply for the CEP, but you get on the wait list as soon as you've completed only four classes: CHM130 w/lab or one year of high school chem BIO 201 Human Anatomy and Physiology I PSY 101 Intro to Psychology (or PSY 240) MAT 120 Intermediate Algebra (or higher) To apply for the CEP, you do need to complete additional Maricopa co reqs CRE 101 Critical Reading (or test exempt on placement test) ENG 101 ENG 102 BIOL 202 Human Anatomy and Physiology II BIO 205 Microbiology (with lab) any humanities elective AND the partner universities additional prerequisites, which vary. For ASU (which does not allow HS chem for application to the CEP) you only need two more: HCR 240 Human Pathophysiology MAT 142 College Mathematics (or higher) Compare that to ASU's requirements for direct admission to their BSN. All of the above, PLUS: HCR 210, 220 & 230 NTR 241 statistics another psych (requires both PGS101 and CDE232) Most nursing programs require those first four courses at least. Registration is still open for summer classes. At only $81/credit hour, it's a significantly cheaper way to get your prereqs done for any program you end up applying to later anyway.

Hi scrubgirl16! Earlier today I read some of your posts on the CEP Feb. Applicants thread. That was/is a great thread! Very helpful in figuring out what to expect after the application sessions two weeks from now. Any advice for those of us about to apply?

The Spring 2015 Concurrent Enrollment Application was posted today on Maricopa Nursing. I thought before the ASU CEP was only available at Mesa (I could be wrong), but now it shows ASU as a partner for Mesa CC, Gateway CC, Scottsdale CC, Estrella Mountain and Phoenix College. Anyone else out there happy to hear the news?

Spring 2013 is the first cohort for applicants accepted under SLCC's new competitive entry process! Did you get accepted (or not)? What was your GPA? Hesi A2 scores? Did you have points in other areas (additional classes completed, CNA experience, etc)? Share your experience in the application process here. Because the change to the competitive entry process is so new, there's no historical data for other pre-nursing students to figure out how likely they are to be admitted. Share a little, learn a little, maybe meet some of your upcoming cohort!

Are there refresher programs after being out that long, or do you just have to do it all on your own?

There is a good book by Amy Glenn Vega that addresses lateral violence within the nursing profession. http://www.amazon.com/Lions-Tigers-Nurses-Violence-Novellas/dp/1933638435/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1323184074&sr=1-1 It wasn't available through my library, but they were able to get it on an interlibrary loan from out of state. It says on the back cover that it also qualifies for 3 CEUs. It's worth reading and I believe it's being used in some nursing programs as a textbook. I am 41 and finishing up the prereqs to apply to nursing school. I spent some time in the Air Force and the last nine years with the Postal Service. I remember in my late twenties when several friends returned to school for nursing and I couldn't figure out why they would want to do that. I have bad memories as a candystriper in the early eighties and one of my worst memories was the lack of respect the nurses seemed to get. The pay and flexibility was appealing, but I couldn't get over the stress factor. Then three years ago, my daughter was born two months early. She spent 4 weeks in the NICU at University of Utah Hospital. The nurses were amazing and for the first time I could see myself in nursing. The nurses literally got us through that time. We also had a wonderful resident who really encouraged me to consider nursing. He had tremendous amount of respect for the nurses and really stressed the need for capable, mature people to fill the shortage. Still it took a couple of years to build up the courage to leave my federal job with great pay and fabulous benefits and start over. If I get in on my first try, I'll be 42 when I start and 44 graduating with my ADN. If I start an RN to BSN program, well I could be closing in on fifty by the time I finish that! I fully intend to work into my seventies too. And I could really see myself spending some time working with Doctors without Borders, once my daughter is grown. Starting over is scary. But I think I'll be so much happier looking back and saying I was a nurse at least for part of the time.

http://www.roseman.edu/node/98 This link shows pass rates at 95% for the Henderson NV 18 month BSN.

Both of these have been released and are shipping now. I'm working my way through the Nursing School Entrance Exams, but I cancelled the other order for now. Also, if a program you're interested in requires the HESI A2 entrance exam (or parts of it), there is a new book coming out for it in March. This one is not a McGraw Hill book, it comes from the test publisher (I think). http://www.amazon.com/Admission-Assessment-Exam-Review-HESI/dp/1455703338/ref=sr_ob_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1322098770&sr=8-1 The previous edition, which is available now, has mixed reviews. Some reviewers say there are many errors in the book. Maybe the new edition next year will correct those errors. It's also a little weak on the anatomy and physiology section according to some reviews. http://www.amazon.com/Evolve-Reach-Admission-Assessment-Review/product-reviews/1416056351/ref=dp_top_cm_cr_acr_txt?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=1

the session on nov 16 was very informative. division chair of the nursing dept, judy scott, hosted the information session answered questions at length. she is smart and funny and an asset to the program, i think. here's a little more info about her http://aawccslcc.org/?page_id=366. despite speculation back in august that there would be openings in fall 2012 for the competitive application process, we know now that that won't be the case until spring 2013. the big surprise is how many. fifty of the eighty slots for the spring 2013 cohort will be available to applicants competing under the new admission standards.that's welcome new! apparently slcc has no intention to share the point breakdown for selecting candidates, though she did divulge some details. a cna certification at minimum is required, because the program no longer teaches those skills. you get "extra" points for direct patient care experience, but you get "double" points for cna work experience. so whether that means you get 2 points instead of 1, or ten instead of five, is kind of murky. and how that plays into the big scheme of things is unknown. she did say however that the two big areas were your most recent hesi a2 score and your prerequisite gpa (she might actually have said your science prereqs - i'm trying to get some clarification and i'm also under the impression that they will post faqs on the nursing website. so much better to get the information directly, of course.) there is no limit on retaking the hesi a2, and you must retake the whole exam if you don't pass in any one area. from other threads, i'm under the impression that the a&p section is barely covered in the study guide, but the questions on the exam are all encompassing. i'm using barron's e-z anatomy and physiology http://www.amazon.com/-z-anatomy-physiology-barrons/dp/0764144685/ref=sr_1_1?ie=utf8&qid=1321962307&sr=8-1 and kaplan's flash cards http://www.amazon.com/anatomy-flashcards-stephanie-mccann/dp/1427796947/ref=pd_bxgy_b_img_b for an intensive review. i'll post more if i get clarification from deron, or if i remember anything else important. if you were there, and you see something that i'm missing, please share!

If your goal is to continue working while you get your RN, the ADN route may make the most sense. Most community college ADN programs are less intense than a universitly level BSN. It is feasible that you could continue working in an ADN program, but less likely in a BSN program. Some community colleges even offer their programs in a format (nights or weekends) that allows working adults to participate, although I think that's probably rare and might require geographic relocation if your local cc doesn't offer it. Our community college even has even experimented with an online ADN. (I don't know the results of that, or if they have any intention of continuing it.) Another possibility is to work in the healthcare field while you're in nursing school. I know it's hard to imaging the benefit of taking a pay cut to work as a CNA, but it will give you a lot of experience and contacts. Currently in our area, the market for nurses is saturated and new grads are just not getting hired without prior healthcare experience. Then once you have the RN, you can pursue an online RN-BSN, or even an RN-MSN (which I'll be the first to admit that I don't know much about). Online RN-BSN programs are designed for working nurses and if you're going to have to work as an RN to gain experience before applying to CRNA programs anyway, there's no time lost pursuing your BSN concurrently. Plus your employer may pay tuition for your BSN, so the overall cost to you for this route may ultimately be less than paying the BSN on your own. One other option depending on where you live is Western Governor's University's online BSN. I think it's only available in southern California, Texas, Florida and Indiana currently. WGU is a great option if you're a really dedicated student. Look up Western Governor's University pre-licensure program. Again, you may not be in the right location, but would a move be possible? Look at some of the RN loan forgiveness programs http://www.hrsa.gov/loanscholarships/repayment/nursing/ and take the chance that you'll qualify later. I think the majority of schools advise against working while in a nursing program, and there's probably a good rationale for that. Nursing school has been described by some as two years of boot camp - intense - and the expectations for performance are very high. Something to consider is whether it feels like step backward to get an associate degree after you've already graduated with a bachelor's degree in something else and especially so if your goal is an advanced degree. You wouldn't be the first to feel that way, but many graduates who decide to return to school for nursing ultimately decide the ADN is the the best choice to get into nursing with the least disruption to life as they know it. Sorry for the typos; my three year old is sitting on my lap.

Since SLCC is going to require the Hesi admission exam, be aware that a newer version of the study guide is coming out in March and is available for pre-order on Amazon. http://www.amazon.com/Admission-Assessment-Exam-Review-HESI/dp/1455703338/ref=sr_ob_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1320338755&sr=8-1 The second version is out now, but has many error according to some reviews ( http://www.amazon.com/Evolve-Reach-Admission-Assessment-Review/product-reviews/1416056351/ref=dp_top_cm_cr_acr_txt?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=1.

the nursing advisor sent a detailed response to my questions, so here's what i received (copied and pasted to share with you). he is great about responding and i really appreciate how quickly he got back to me yesterday. 1. yes, a point system will be used to rank/select students. i do not expect that the breakdown of points will be published, but you may ask this question at the information session. 2. cna training is a requirement, and is mandatory and required prior to applying for the program.health care experience is not mandatory, but additional points can be earned for having it. 3. math 1020 may still be challenged. 4. yes, additional points can be earned for having completed additional courses, i.e., general education courses, a.s. or b.s. degrees, etc. 5. correct. no chemistry or physics in the hesi a2 exam. 6. both. biol 1610/1615 is both a prerequisite for anatomy and physiology, however this course is also a mandatory prerequisite admissions requirement for the nursing program. transfer students who do not have this courses will be required to complete it course before applying to the program. 7. retaken courses are acceptable, however students who complete "science courses" on the first attempt will receive more points for having done so than students who need to repeat a course. if you have further questions, i suggest emailing the advisor or posting here and i'll email. i know the information session will answer a lot of questions, but i'm hoping to provide them with all the questions in advance so they have the answers addressed ahead of time and no one leaves the info session being told "we'll get back to you on that." i guess you could say i'm trying to be part of the process.

After a suspenseful two months, I think yesterday's announcement was fairly anti-climatic. Not including how candidates will be evaluated (point system or percentages) might mean they're not quite done figuring out how to implement this. It's frustrating that some issues were addressed in the faqs but not in the admission criteria, or in the case of health care experience, a possible discrepancy between the pdf and the faqs. So many unanswered questions. I emailed the nursing advisor this morning, but I imagine he is swamped right now. So I'm very much looking forward to the info session on Nov 16th.

Thanks! I thought they would include that also. It sounds to me like they're still working out details maybe. Heading out the door.

Finally, some new info has been posted. Everything seems to apply to Spring 2013 start dates and later, not Fall of 2012 as implied at the Aug info sessions. The Hesi A2 exam will be required. I have an exam in one hour, so go to www.slcc.edu and go to the nursing page. Good luck!

I called too! Apparently I called before they are technically open, but she did tell me it was a technology problem and they're working on it as fast as they can. She was really nice about it, but apparently I wasn't even the first call of the day.