leepoffaith

Karen, That could be the hold up. Maybe they really like you and want to hire you, but aren't sure about taking someone into the program without their license yet. Overall I'd look at that as a good thing because even if you don't make it in now, I bet you would be at the top of the list next time! ~Lee

Karen, It was at Brandon. If you didn't get it then Jennifer (HR person) would have told you. I know she had to contact roughly 25 people for the PCU program. She doesn't sugar coat things so if she said she is still finalizing then you are still in it! From my experience she calls to make the offer and will email you if you are not offered it. Feel free to message me if you have any questions.

Thank you Mizladi. It will be great to meet you in person. I really appreciate all your help! :)

I'm happy to report that I just accepted a spot in the StaRN (PCU) program in the Tampa Bay area and will begin August 25th! I've heard a lot of great things about this program and I can't wait to start! I had originally interviewed for an ICU spot, but I was not chosen for that program. They did, however, recommend that I interview for the PCU program which I did and was accepted into. For those asking how to apply, the hospitals in this area post the position in the normal career section and label it as StaRN so you will be able to identify it right away. I know that when they posted it at our local hospital it was only up for a few days because they get a ton of applicants. Make sure to check every day and sign up to be alerted when new jobs are posted.

You will not need to wear uniforms to class times (at least you did not for SouthShore). You do need to wear uniform for clinicals days and that includes the clinical days you do in the lab on campus.

As for the BSN program I would tend to agree with Juleby. They have been talking about this since I did my orientation back in Summer of 2012. IMHO if you are intending on getting your BSN then take a look at the State College of Florida's program and take classes based off what they will require to get into their program. It's cheap ($120 credit/hr roughly) and all online as long as you already have your ASN and you have a job (counts as clinical hours). USF is great, but if you go there on your own it's a lot more expensive. As for a question about a PCT job, it depends. (You'll quickly learn "it depends" is always the answer in nursing! LoL) All hospitals are hiring for PCTs and as long as you get a job in the first semester or two you should be able to get a part time job somewhere. If you wait until semester 3 or 4 they are a lot less likely to hire you since they know you will be leaving soon. Also, some hospitals require you to get your PCT license as a student nurse and other hospitals don't. I'm not sure which do and which don't. During my job hunt I have also noticed that some hospitals actually hire student nurses so this is something you can look for as well.

Great topic! As a previous poster already said, as a new graduate I REALLY hope these are some of my competition! I was given a bit of advice by one of my friends in HR and it has always stuck with me. Your resume and how you present yourself during an interview should be you at your absolute best. If someone doesn't feel it's important enough to get to their interview on time or does not understand why wearing a suit or dress is important during an interview then I would seriously doubt their level of common sense and/or prioritization skills. How often will this person be late to work and/or not dressed properly if they can't even show up on time and dress correctly for an interview?

Thank you for the tips! Did you apply to the program in general, or a certain department/position?

Financial Aid is always messed up. You will eventually get your money, but it seems to vary every semester. The reading depends on your campus. At SouthShore we were told to enjoy our summer and be ready to work hard once class started. We were assigned no reading during summer. As for what I would recommend, if you are going to do anything then work on Med Calc. Find the med calc book that will come in the book bundle and buy the previous version of it. You should be able to get it dirt cheap (Like $5) and all the stuff is the exact same. This will give you a nice leg up when class starts. Personally I had no problems with med calc, but I know a lot of my class had problems. It's fairly basic math and conversions, but you need to memorize the conversion ratios and find a way that works for you when it comes to converting stuff. As for the book package, that is an interesting decision. Mind you this is only my experience, but we never used the fundamental workbook and only used the med surg workbook a few times. I never used the meg surg or fundamental pocket guide. You may be able to save money going outside of buying the book packet, but that is something that will be different to each person depending on what books you want. I HIGHLY advise making sure you get the digital and regular books for both fundamentals and med surg. I like reading an actual book so I had the books at home and then I had the digital books on my tablet. It's sooooo nice not to have to lug those heavy ass books to class every day. The books were on my tablet so I had that and my notebook during class. :) Also, you will need to get a nursing diagnoses book. (I don't think this comes in the packet). You can also get a Drug Guide and again, it's nice to have access to this on a tablet and/or phone to use in class and clinical.

Financial Aid is always messed up. You will eventually get your money, but it seems to vary every semester. The reading depends on your campus. At SouthShore we were told to enjoy our summer and be ready to work hard once class started. We were assigned no reading during summer. As for what I would recommend, if you are going to do anything then work on Med Calc. Find the med calc book that will come in the book bundle and buy the previous version of it. You should be able to get it dirt cheap (Like $5) and all the stuff is the exact same. This will give you a nice leg up when class starts. Personally I had no problems with med calc, but I know a lot of my class had problems. It's fairly basic math and conversions, but you need to memorize the conversion ratios and find a way that works for you when it comes to converting stuff. As for the book package, that is an interesting decision. Mind you this is only my experience, but we never used the fundamental workbook and only used the med surg workbook a few times. I never used the meg surg or fundamental pocket guide. You may be able to save money going outside of buying the book packet, but that is something that will be different to each person depending on what books you want. I HIGHLY advise making sure you get the digital and regular books for both fundamentals and med surg. I like reading an actual book so I had the books at home and then I had the digital books on my tablet. It's sooooo nice not to have to lug those heavy ass books to class every day. The books were on my tablet so I had that and my notebook during class. :) Also, you will need to get a nursing diagnoses book. (I don't think this comes in the packet). You can also get a Drug Guide and again, it's nice to have access to this on a tablet and/or phone to use in class and clinical.

That sounds like a great opportunity! I can tell you that unless you HAVE your BSN Tampa General and Florida Hospital won't even look at your resume as a new graduate. (Unless you already work there). I have a Bachelor's in Business as well as my ASN and I'm enrolled in the State College of Florida BSN program and none of that matters without having a BSN. My suggestion would be to get a part-time PCT position at a hospital you want to work at. If you do this it will make getting a job after you graduate much easier! :)

Also, as for community service, that will vary each semester and each campus. For SouthShore you were given pretty specific guidelines on what you were expected to do each semester. Semester 1 we worked with the elderly, semester 2 we worked with the poor/homeless, semester 3 you do a project at a daycare and semester 4 we got to do pretty much whatever we wanted. Obviously this could have changed, but just to give you an idea.

It's 15-20 lab hours a semester. It's not too bad if you keep up with it. I'm not sure I would recommend taking extra classes during any semester of nursing. You guys will have 2 summers off since you are starting in spring so if you need to take extra classes I would recommend doing it then. Semester 1 of nursing is very busy because you are learning a bunch of new concepts and a whole other way of thinking. What I mean by that is for your test questions all 4 answers you are given may be correct, however one of them is the most correct. It definitely takes some getting used to and some people struggle with this concept all the way through nursing school. Semester 2 is where you get to learn all the cool stuff. IV's, all injections (you learn about these some in NP1), NG tubes, catheters as well as a lot of the chronic medical conditions. This was my favorite semester. Semester 3 is crazy busy. You have half of the semester for OB, the other half for Pediatrics and then thrown in there you also have metal health once a week as well as 4-5 weeks where you have double clinicals (1 mental health and 1 ob/peds). It seems like you have a test every week. A lot of my classmates liked this semester because it seems that you ladies like OB and Pediatrics. I was not a fan, but I did enjoy mental health. During one of our clinicals for mental health I was asked "Are you my guardian angel?" lol Semester 4 is really hit or miss. A lot of the learning is done on your own, but you are expected to learn a lot of different acute conditions. 10 weeks of the class you have regular clinicals and regular class. Then regular class is done and you move on to your preceptorships "leadership". Half of the class will be assigned the first 3 weeks and then second of the of the class will be assigned the last 3 weeks. During this time you complete 72 hours of preceptorship where you are expected to be the nurse and manage patients on your own (with the supervision of a nurse at the hospital) I LOVED this as you get to use everything you learned. I was very fortunate and allowed to do mine in the ICU, but I know most students do their preceptorships on med/surg floors.

There are a few classes you need to graduate but are not scheduled in the nursing program. I think it's English II and an elective or two. You could do those. Other then that I can't really think of anything. If you plan on getting your BSN then maybe development and human life span or fundamental nutrition.

If I remember correctly we had to do 20 hours of lab each semester. That is outside of class and clinical hours. Each campus usually has a day or two each week during certain hours that you can do them in. We were allowed to complete our lab hours at any campus. Hope this helps