Austin404

Congrats! If she gave you the ok, you're golden. Good luck to all of you this fall! I wish you all the best.

I am pretty sure that they specifically want a BSN degree. I graduated with several people who already had degrees and they are all having to do the RN to BSN. Any college you're interesting in should have a web page that will tell you all about their pre-reqs. UT has them listed on their nursing website under the RN to BSN program. They also have an advisor that you can contact for specific questions. I did not work while I was in the program. However, I know that quite a few people in my class did work as a CA at the local hospitals after level 1. I think it is definitely good to do that. It kind of gets your foot in the door and allows you to get experience. If I remember right, ACC gave us a form when we finished nursing skills that we could take to an employer showing what skills we knew. Don't know if they still do that. I don't really want to comment specifically on employers, but historically many of them have offered incentives to finish education.

You're very welcome! I am currently working right now, and I am trying my best to get comfortable in that before I start school again. The first year on your own after school is the hardest. So much to learn as a new nurse. I will say that ACC was an excellent program and it really prepared me as best as I possibly think that they could have. I cannot thank ACC enough for that. I do plan to start my BSN next fall. I think I am going to apply to UT Austin. Many of the employers around town are getting strict with ADNs and requiring them to complete a BSN degree within 5 years of hire, so I pretty much have to. My best advice to those of you still waiting to get into the program is to get your pre-reqs for a BSN degree done as soon as possible. Many are still hiring ADNs, but they are really starting to show preferential treatment to new grads with BSNs when it comes to getting hired.

X41133127x, As a recent CEC graduate (May 2014) of the program, I will tell you that it really depends on the instructor you get for clinical. Some of them are a little lenient on the dress code and others (most) are 100% not. My instructors were somewhat lenient with us in level l, level 2, and level 4. However, in level 3, they were very strict and everything had to be by the book. There is always that one instructor in each level that is tougher on their students than the others. Never fails. lol Honestly, I would play it safe until you get to know your instructors. Some of them would probably have a problem with those. If you get these, it might be wise to have a backup pair that you keep just in case you get one of those instructors that wants everything exactly by the book. There is nothing worse than getting sent home from clinical because you are not in appropriate dress code. Another problem you might have with those is that the clinical sites really want the students to be color coded by school. There are going to be times when you will be with other schools at the hospitals, including UT Austin. They wear orange to clinical. As ridiculous as it sounds, I could see someone saying something about you wearing orange.

Just wanted to wish all of you the best of luck this round! I will be graduating from the program on Wednesday. I have to say that you guys are in for an amazing ride that is worth every single laugh, cry, and accomplishment. The ACC ADN program is an excellent program, and you will learn so much. Good luck!

JK4185, Personally, I would purchase the ones in Level 1 and Level 2. You can probably get away with renting the ones in Level 3 unless you want to do specialty nursing when you get out. The Taylor book you will only use in Level 1. However, most of your skills are in that book, so it is very handy as a reference throughout the program. You are going to use the Lewis textbook in Level 1, Level 2, and Level 4, so I would buy it. I tried to buy previous editions in Level one, and I ended up purchasing the current ones after the third week. They do update really important information with each edition. The issue that you're going to run into is with readings. The instructors are going to assign different pages for you to read. Different editions have different pages numbers. The second problem you're going to run into buying older editions is the professors are always going to say "we go by whats in the textbook." Well, if the new edition has updated information in it, the older edition isn't going to help you very much and it may negatively impact your grade. As far as the Nursing Diagnosis Handbook, I have used an older edition all through the program. It has worked just fine. I have compared mine (8th edition) with several of the newer ones and I don't see a difference at all. Another handy hint about the NDH is the Elsevier website has a "careplan constructor" that is free and you can access 3/4 of the handbook on there.

I think you are right about that. They are trying to incorporate more of those questions in their testing. I think they have always had the "select all that apply" on the N-CLEX. However, ACC was never able to get the software they use for testing to do "all that apply" questions. They did give us some questions like that in Level 3, but they did it using A, B, C, D options where one was "all of the above" kind of stuff. The best helpful hints I can give you: 1. Try to relax and enjoy the experience. Looking back, I think I freaked out way too much in the beginning. 2. Don't listen to all of the rumors that get spread around about the program or job processes afterwards. People start so many of them, and 95% of them wind up being not true. I have stressed so many times only to find out that I had nothing to worry about. 3. Every Level has it's challenges, and everyone has different opinions of which ones they think are the most difficult. In my opinion, Level one was the most stressful so far. Everyone is new and they don't really know what to expect or what they're doing. It seems like there are checkoffs and tests happening every week to get you ready for clinical. If you can really focus, go to class ( 4. One thing I really wish I had done in the beginning is bought the Saunder's Review. The 6th edition is the current one. It is published by Elsevier who also publishes all of the textbooks ACC uses. You can get it online of at the ACC Bookstore at Eastview or Round Rock. Starting in 1341 (second half of Level 1), it will be incredibly helpful to you. Most of the people in my class use it to study for exams. Using it has definitely brought my grades up. It is also a great thing to use to study for the NCLEX. It breaks down the subjects and focuses only on what the nurse needs to know without all of the fluff that is in the textbook.

You're welcome! No more white shoes is definitely a good thing! I can't wait to get rid of mine. One of the best things for you guys is the fact that they have changed the grading scale for Spring. It used to be that an A was a 91-100, a B was 83-90, and a C was 75 -79. Thankfully they have changed it to a more traditional scale. Now, an A is 90 - 100, a B is 80 to 89, and a C is 75 - 79. This will definitely help you guys be more competitive in four year universities by helping to boost your GPA. The old scale definitely put us at a disadvantage with students at other schools.

I just wanted to wish all of you entering the program in the spring good luck! You guys are going to do great. This program goes by so quickly. You guys will be done before you know it. I will be in Level 4 in the Spring at CEC. So ready for graduation in May!

Sungal, The teal scrubs are mandatory for clinical. You have to be in them at all times while you're in a hospital. I bought three pair before level 1, and they have lasted fairly well (I'm going into level 3 this fall). I have yet to even purchase a white lab coat. When I was in Level 2, one of the clinical instructors made their students wear them to the hospital when they went to go get patient information. However, my instructor didn't make us do that. I know that you have to have them for graduation, so I will probably rent one at that point if I don't need them in Level 3 or Level 4. It's good to buy all of the textbooks. You're going to use them all. In Level 1, you use Taylor mostly for 1413, and then Lewis for 1341. In Level 2, you primarily use Lewis. Level 3 has their own books. In level 4, you'll be using them all again, so you kind of have to keep them over the semesters. As far as advice: Practice your skills and dosage calculations as much as you can. Also, get some rest and enjoy your summer. :) The first part of Level 1 was pretty intense. It seemed like there were checkoffs and tests left and right.

Carmelite, In all honesty, I would take Nursing Skills as quickly as you can, because when the next cycle comes around, it will boost your score. Instead of them counting 10 classes in the rank, they will count 11. So, it does get figured in. If you take it in the fall, it most likely will not be counted for the spring cycle. When I was waiting to get in the program, having nursing skills was what lead to me having a high enough score to get in. Without it, I would've had to wait another cycle. Another thing to keep in consideration is you still may get accepted for the fall. There are people who decline admission and others who don't pass background checks. When I was waiting to get accepted, there were several people I knew who were not accepted during the first round of letters, but they were accepted during the second round. If you haven't taken Nursing Skills, they won't let you in the program. As far as taking all of that during the summer, I would try to lighten the load a bit. That is a lot to do during the summer. Nursing skills requires a lot of time to read the book and practice your skills. I don't know how intense the Intro to chem class is, because I took General College Chem I. However, if it is anything like Chem I, I don't recommend taking it in a summer format. That class was so hard, and to this day, I still don't know how I passed. lol

You're very welcome. Thank you! Good luck to you as well. You're going to do great.

You're very welcome. That's awesome! Stats is a very interesting class. I go to CEC, which I cannot recommend enough. I have really enjoyed being there. I can't say enough good things about the instructors. All of them in Level 1 and Level 2 were amazing. They were helpful and really kept the best interest of the students at heart. All of Level 2 met the instructors for Level 3 at CEC a few days ago, and they all seem really awesome as well. All of the instructors are listed in the course schedule. If you're looking for online reviews of them, there are not very many of them on the web, but there are some on myedu.com if I remember right. I have heard in the past that there were some really tough instructors that would belittle students and so forth, but in all honestly, I haven't run into that as of yet. I can't really speak for the other instructors at other campuses, because I don't know them, but I'm sure that they are just as wonderful as the ones at CEC. I completely understand your fears. I felt the same way when I was waiting to get in. Looking back, I really wish I hadn't worried so much. It isn't as bad as we all make it out to be. The program is designed to help the student grown from the very beginning. As long as you always keep patient safety in mind and you prepare, you'll have no problems. I know it's hard, but for right now, I would just focus on nursing skills, dosing calculations, and anatomy and physiology. Getting that stuff really cemented in your brain will help you so much when you get into the program. When you start Level 1, the instructors will teach you and guide you through everything you need to know. Hope this helps. :)

ACC has the skill check off sheets posted on the ADN website. They're listed under the "Skills Lab/ Video" section. If I were you, I'd follow those, because you'll be expected to do skills the ACC way when you get into the program. The videos on Youtube are helpful, but they tend to differ from the way ACC wants us to do things. The textbook that is used for Nursing Skills and Foundations of Nursing Practice comes with a set of videos that are very helpful and are a good reference. One issue you might run into is getting supplies. In order to do the skills, you'll need a kit. You can order those online, but half of it is shipped directly to the school, so you wouldn't be able to access it. Other than that, I don't really know what else you could do to prepare. Another option would be a get a job as a tech in a hospital to get experience working with patients and doing things like blood draws, patient hygiene, vitals, and so on. That is probably the best thing you could do to prepare. The best advice I could give you is to take classes for your BSN before you get into the program. It will help you so much to get that out of the way now while you're waiting.

Ruddergrl, I'm currently in Level 2, going to Level 3 in the fall. I have to say that I absolutely love the program. ACC really does provide an excellent nursing education. It's really awesome to hear the nurses at our clinical sites say how much they love ACC students and complement on how much we know. The program does tend to consume your life while you're in it. This is to be expected. I would say that most of the people in my class are enjoying their experience. In my opinion Level 1 has been the hardest. Probably because it is so new to everyone, and there are tons of checkoffs and tests in Level 1.

hyunjung001, I was in the 55 range when I received one.

Naturally Brilliant, No, you don't. Admission is solely based on the formula posted on the ACC ADN Website. Basically: GPA X # of prereq classes taken + HESI Score + review points.

Hyunjung001, Nursing skills is a required class that you have to take the semester (or two) before you start Level 1. You're not officially able to register for it until the nursing department grants you access via petition. A petition for nursing skills is granted when you have enough points to possibly be admitted to the program. I say possibly, because they usually send petitions to more students than they will accept so they will have a good number of applicants in case students defer or are not able to enter the program due to background checks. In my case, I received a petition one year before I was able to start Level 1 (I'm currently in level 2). With that said, you never know if you're going to get one or not until you actually get one. It all depends on where you fall in the applicant pool and the number of spots they plan to accept. The class itself focuses on very basic nursing skills that you will need in clinical: bed making, bed baths, how to apply restraints, taking vital signs, collecting basic specimens, and so on. It has a classroom component and a lab component that is taught at an ACC campus.

Just want to wish all of the applicants for Fall 2013 good luck! :) I'm currently a Level 2 student at CEC. I know this has been said again and again, but it would be a really good idea to start BSN classes while you're waiting to get in the program. Hope everyone is enjoying their spring.

Congrats you guys!!!!!!

angelbabyguh, there are many things that determine the class size: One of the most important is the requirement of the Texas Legislature in regards to class size. I believe there can only be 8 students per clinical instructor. Any more than that and instructors wouldn't be able to keep up without compromising safety. Instructors have to be there when we are giving meds, doing most procedures, and so on. Just passing meds in my group takes a huge chunk of the morning. Two, there has to be instructors to hire. Not many nurses are willing to take a pay cut to come teach. They make more money out in the field. Plus, an MSN degree is required to teach at ACC, and a university requires a Ph.D. I guess some nurses don't feel that a graduate degree to teach is worth their time and money. Third, clinical availability in Austin is scarce these days. There was a time when ACC and UT had their pick of clinical spots. These days ACC has to compete with UT, Texas State, Concordia, and Texas A&M for clinical space. There are only so many clinical settings to go around.

Sungal, the CEC is owned by Brackenridge; however, ACC has previldges to teach there. It's connected to Brackridge Hospital. It used to be the wing that was used for the Children's Hospital; however, it's the CEC, Austin Cyber Knife, and other offices now. The CEC has several different programs in it: ACC is there, Concordia is there, and Seton's Versant Program is there. The Versant Program is for Seton Nurses who have just graduated and are in the process of transferring from a graduated nursing student into being a professional nurse in a specialty. It's like paid on the job training. I could be wrong, but there are some UT students at Brackinridge, but they don't use the CEC, just Brack facilities. There are also medical students: UTMB and Southwestern are at Brackenridge. Each program is separate. We don't really interact with students from other schools other than just passing them in the halls. The CEC has classrooms in it, skill labs, computer labs, and an excellent medical library that we have access to. ACC also has some of the offices on the second floor, and those are used for instructors and faculty. Typically, we go to lecture Mondays and Wednesdays. We are in Lab on Tuesday. On Thursday and Friday we are at our clinical sites. Before we started going to clinical, we went to lab on Thursdays as well. You don't actually start going to clinical until the third week of Level 1. The other levels go to lecture and lab on Mondays and Tuesdays from what I've seen. They also go to different clinical sites that can change every semester. Summertime: During the summertime, classes are only offered at Eastview and Round Rock. The CEC is closed. Only certain things are offered in the summer. Usually, they offer part of Level 2 or Level 3. The only advantage of taking summer classes is to break up a normal semester. For instance, in level three you can take mental health or the pedi/ob portion in the summer. You can't take them both at the same time. In other words, you can't do a full semester during the summer. You would do part of it during the summer and the other part the following semester. I think that the Mobility Track has priority over the summer. If space is left over, the Traditional Track can take them.

We take all of our tests in one of the computer labs at CEC. We do everything at CEC, with exception to clinical. Parking is a breeze. CEC students get UT parking stickers. At first I thought we had to pay for them, but we didn't. We have access to all the C lots. Most of us park at the Erwin Center and walk across the street. There have been times when we were unable to park there, because UT was having an event at the Erwin Center. However, ACC will validate CEC garage parking if that happens. It has happened once so far this eight weeks. If I'm not mistaken, level 3 and 4 get to park in the CEC garage all semester. I know at the beginning of the semester one of our instructors said that they usually lose one student from Level 1. We still have 1341 to get through, so who knows. I think you definitely have a chance if that's the case.

Texaslvn12, the CEC is great!! I've really enjoyed it so far. The instructors and lab experience are great. It's inside the old children's hospital at Brackenridge, so you really feel like you're in the real deal. There are times that I miss being at a campus. You can kind of feel disconnected from ACC at the CEC, but it's nice that Rio Grande and Eastview are close by. I find myself going to Rio Grande a lot to use their computers. The ones at the CEC are not as advanced. One really nice thing about the CEC is they have free and unlimited printing and photocopying. There's none of the 15 page limit stuff that ACC has. Really comes in handy when you're printing out PowerPoints. One other thing I will mention about CEC: The labs are not open as much as they are at other campuses. We have to share the open labs with not only ACC Levels 2, 3, and 4, but also with Concordia. On the flip side of that, we are the only ACC students that get to use the CEC labs. Eastview and Round Rock students don't have access to them. Personally, I think the CEC labs are more real life. Level 1 is flying by!!! I can't believe 1413 is over in six days. I never believed people when they said that the program went by quickly, but it's true. As far as losing people, we haven't lost anyone so far this semester that I can remember. Most people seem to be doing well and wanting to stay in the program. I'll keep my fingers crossed for you! I wish you the best of luck. Let me know if you have anymore questions about CEC.

Just wanted to say "Good Luck!" to you guys!!! I'm currently in Level 1 at CEC.