lovleeme

First of all, no nursing program is perfect. Believe me, I have friends in other local nursing programs and GPC is great compaired to some others. No job is perfect either! I feel sorry for negative people who expect to have everything handed to them and cannot adapt to change. This shows lack of maturity, life experiences, and coping skills; not to mention the poor grammer and punctuation of your post. You have to take accountability for your own learning. After all, it's all about passing NCLEX in the end, right? Since the NCLEX increased in difficulty it only makes sense they increased the difficulty of the program for our own success. Please try not to pass your negativity to the others who are beginning the program. FYI guys, I also found out they will not be offering the Kaiser insurance anymore. Not sure what, if any, they will be offering. Sorry:-(

Bridge36, I did a CNA class over the summer to try to help me since I had no prior medical knowledge and got my CPR through them. Go to www.heart.org and you can search for classes near you (they usually offer them at a hospital). Just make sure you are searching for BLS for Healthcare Providers. Also, the school does not accept CPR from Red Cross, it has to be through American Heart Association. Here is the exact link to find a course: (there are other places/ways to find a course, but maybe this will help you get started) http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/CPRAndECC/FindaCourse/Find-a-Course_UCM_303220_SubHomePage.jsp

bridge36, They do sell some of the books you will need in the bookstore, I know the Fundamentals book is sold in there, but unless you receive financial aid and want to use it to purchase your books, I would suggest searching online because I got mine a LOT cheaper than buying in the bookstore. Also, they are going to tell you that they recommend buying 2 uniforms (and I think they were around $70ish each) but take it from someone on a budget, it is very doable to get by on one uniform. Also, once you start the program, there is a way to buy used uniforms that graduates donate for people in financial need...so that is something to inquire about once you get started (I wish I had known about that before buying mine). Shoes - I got some awesome shoes from allheart.com - they are by Scrubzone. They are very comfortable, have good reviews, ultra slip resistant, wipe squeaky clean (mine still look brand new after 4 semesters) and only $24!! Background check/drug test will be done through Advantage Students and I think that was around $75. Try your local health department for your shots. Once you are a student at GPC you can get some of the shots/tests at the school clinic. The nursing program & Kaiser will offer you health insurance through Kaiser (at least they did for us - not sure now since the new health care reform) but it is cheap and great coverage. The shots are considered preventive care and you get them free once you are part of the Kaiser network. Please let me know if I left anything out or if you want any other information :-)

Congratulations!!! I am crying while reading your story. I know this will be me!! I have 4 weeks left until graduation and I am scared that I wont even have the courage to schedule myself for the NCLEX! I am scared that I will keep putting it off - saying "I'm not ready yet". I am also a visual learner and really have to study harder than the next person, (things don't come easy for me) so a lot of things you said made me think about myself. Thank you for sharing your story! When I am sitting there sweating, I will still have hope! LOL

I am not sure if the ADN programs are easier to get in to because they are all competitive. Do not put all your eggs on one basket! I wanted the ADN route because I am older with a family and wanted to do it as quickly as possible. There was talk yesterday in our lecture that as of 2020, the entry level for nurses will be BSN. They encouraged us to pursue a bridge program once we graduate. Having said that... I am assuming you are in Georgia (hence your reference to Chattahoochee)? I am in my last semester at Georgia Perimeter College. I had a lower score than you on my TEAS and 'B' in the sciences you are referring to. I would definitely give them a shot. You missed their application deadline, which was earlier this year. Do some research about Chattahoochee and make sure they did not lose accreditation, as I have heard through previous threads on Allnurses that they have either lost, or lack some type of accreditation. That goes for any school - do your research! You may also want to look into West Georgia Tech, I know for certain they have a 2 year program. I have seen Gordon, Bauder, and Chamberlin students at various hospitals in the Atlanta area while doing my clinicals - but do not know anything about those schools. Something to look into, though. Best of luck to you!

Good Luck Everyone! I am in my last semester at GPC and it has been a great journey! It is very doable with family/kids. I noticed someone mentioned taking a CNA class over the summer, and I can say that really helped me when I started GPC. I was not stressed out with check-off's and it helped with some of the anxiety while waiting for Fall semester to start & made clinical easier, too. Also, make sure you have a good grasp on the content each test/semester because if there is anything you struggle with and don't master, it will come back to haunt you in your last semester. The teachers there are great and want you to succeed and there are a lot of resources to assist you along the way! I hope I have eased some of your anxiety and wish you all the best of luck!!!

Hello, Does anyone know if Nursing Central comes with a code and a CD? Basically, I want to know if I buy it can I put it on both my phone and my computer at home? Thanks :)

That is the same calendar I was looking at and it is open on Mondays. I have tried calling the school to see how check-offs are done. For some reason I was thinking it was a first come, first serve basis. But I do not know if that is correct and I do not know the time window to do the ckeck-offs (e.g. are they open from 8-5 on Mondays for skills checkoffs)?

Are there any current nursing students who can tell me how Monday's go? I know we don't have class, but I think that is when skill checkoffs are done. I have something to do on Monday mornings and want to know if it will be a conflict before I commit. Thank you so much :)

Sorry to say, but the email we got from Mrs. Creel awhile back said they can no longer offer Nursing Central App for free to the nursing students, and if we want it we will have to purchase it ourselves. I am assuming it is because of the financial issues the school is having. I dont think there will be anything free anymore. I love that Walmart has it cheaper than the school is offering it to us! That is where I will be buying it from. My only question is putting it on a phone or a tablet. Which is more efficient if we will be using it during clinicals?

@aelmo...I have a TEAS V study book with 2 tests in it, I can sell it to you for cheaper than the bookstore. PM me if you are interested. The study guide is very helpful and some of the same questions in the book were on the test! @tygaspoohbear...I am wondering the exact same thing! There are so many books! Also, I am wondering if it is better to get a tablet for the nursing central app, or if putting it on your cell/iPod touch is better. They told us that we may need it in clinicals to look things up and a smaller device would fit in a pocket better. A tablet is easier to read, but you would have to carry it around in your hands at clinicals and that does not seem efficient. Current nursing students, please feel free to chime in!

@mangopeach - Congratulations on passing your NCLEX! That is awesome news! Also, thank you for sharing what you used to study for it! This is valuable information. So it sounds like most of your class made it through, with the exception of a few. That is also good news :)

I was in the same boat, but knew I wanted RN. Find a community college that is on quarter system to complete your pre-reqs. Go to the nursing school and get a list of what they require for their pre-reqs. If you are at a school that is on the quarter system to do your core, you can literally get all of your core done in a year (including summer quarter)! I did that while working full-time. Also, I would like to mention that I had been out of high-school for 15 years and was scared to death! I also had to take the math support classes and still did it in one year. Keep up with the deadlines for applying to whatever nursing school you want to go to, and check with them frequently for changes. I will be starting nursing school on Aug 20, so YOU CAN DO IT!!!! Good luck to you!

@nurselizzy...I am the same as you...I have to study really hard for a good grade - they dont come easy to me. I have not been to school for 15 years when I decided to go for my RN and was scared out of my mind! The thing that helped me most, besides reading the material, taking all tests in the book after each chapter and also subscribing to the website for the book so I could take the practice tests, was an anatomy coloring book! The coloring book was a life saver! I learned all of the bones without even going to lab working with them hands-on! I was working full time and did not have the time to come in to lab. On the day of the test I got there an hour early to look at them and KNEW every one of them! Get that book! I got the Kaplan book that also included the muscle flashcards in the back for around $20 at Barnes & Nobles. Good luck to you!

I had orientation on July 26 and that is when it hit me that it is real! When I was sitting in an auditorium because there isint a classroom large enough to hold all of us, I was looking around thinking...'wow'! Then they gave us our reading material for our first test...and I was like 'wow'! So I went and got the book and it was SO big...I was like 'wow'! I literally cant wait for Aug 20th to get this thing rolling! Good luck to you!