RachPapp

Thank you all for your stories and inspiration. Your stories have been a great resource for getting me excited for graduation in just 4 months. I can't wait to start and make a difference in people's lives!

Congrats to all that got in! And best of luck to those still waiting. For those of you who don't know, I'm a student of cohort 5 and officially 1/2 way through summer semester. Just dropping by to let you guys know I do have books I will be selling. Some are new editions, others are a little older but if you're interested let me know. I promise to have competitive pricing I know it's a little early for you guys to be thinking about that but I'm just planting the seed so no rush :) and don't worry because even tho I'm only one person I am sure plenty of my classmates would be willing to do the same. And as always any questions please ask.

I'm a 25yr old nursing student in an accelerated program in NY. I graduate in December and I would love to hear from the nurses who love what they do and are happy they picked this profession. This website can be quite disheartening at times because so many people post about the "horrors of nursing". I've seen people write don't do it, you'll see, turn back now and so on. In a field that people choose knowing its going to be hard work and long hours I'm surprised to see how many people complain about the decision they've made. I have chosen this field because though it may be hard and we may not get the thanks we so deserve, at the end of the day I'd rather be making small differences in the day to day lives of my patients than crunching numbers or selling advertising or planning how CEOs should spend their vacations. So please for all the nurses out there that love what they do and wouldn't change "turn back" please share your stories and remind this nursing student what it's really all about and why I can't wait to start.

Yes you're right. I just think of them as part of us but the 60 weren't all accepted ABSN students. Some were traditional and some were even people from the previous cohort that decelerated.

Our beginning size for cohort 5 was 60

I started a book but I guess school approached quicker than I thought because I only got 1/2 through it; I recently came across it and a read a page or two just to compare with what I know now. The book is called Getting the Most from Nursing School by Robert Atkins. I liked it because he actually graduated an accelerated program so I feel like he better understands the craziness. An important thing I got from the book (which I'm still trying to incorporate into every day life) is to remember that nursing school isn't about being the best student or getting the highest grades. This is a hard concept for me because I am very anal when it comes to my grades but he reminds you that your purpose of being there is to LEARN and to become the best NURSE and give the best CARE. Sometimes when we get so caught up in grades we forget to take away from the class the importance of the topic we are learning so I liked the book for that reason. You may get other things out of the book but I wouldn't say it's essential you read it. Hmm what else? Well I went out and bought all these notebooks, pens, pencils, ect. and have put almost NONE of them to use. Concordia is basically all powerpoint presentations. I guess some people are still old-fashion and like to take notes in a notebook but I quickly found that was not for me. I never thought in my wildest dreams I'd be a laptop to class kind of girl and now I can't imagine getting through this program without it. I see people print the powerpoints and write notes all over them and that works for them but to me I like structure and order. Rather than scribbling notes all over the place I edit the powerpoints by adding notes to the slide. You must find what is right for you but very few people use notebooks. Seriously I cannot stress this enough ENJOY your summer. I seriously considered taking a nutrition class over the summer because they say it helps you even though Concordia doesn't yet require it; but during my interview I was told it would not be worth it. She stressed to me that I should do things I love and if I would love a Nutrition class than take one but if it would not be fun for me then to leave it alone. I am so happy I didn't. I still think Nutrition is an important class but you NEED this summer to relax and enjoy the serenity and calmness of life. Come Aug/Sep you are theirs. I was like you and was very big on knowing how to better be prepared for this program (hence the book) but really the best preparedness is to enjoy your time off. I mean it. I don't say this to scare you but there is not much you can do to prepare yourself for what this is like. Essentially over the course of your time in the program you will be molded into the student you need to be simply by showing up and engaging in the material. TRUST THE PROCESS. I say this a lot because I firmly believe it. In the first few days of the program my head was spinning and I felt lost and disorganized. I was certain I was going to screw everything up. Over the next few weeks I was worried I was not retaining every single piece of information I needed and was surely going to fail. Here I am 6 1/2 months later with a good GPA and a firm grasp of the knowledge (and still worrying I'm not remembering enough for the N-CLEX). When I let worries take over I step back and remind myself that this is a process and MANY people have done it before me and have been wildly successful and there is no reason why I won't be too. That goes for you guys also. Trust the process and trust your own abilities. There is one little handy thing I like referring to during clinicals and that's RNotes. It's a spiral, washable, pocket-sized guide to things you need to know for clinicals. Drug administration, Assessment, Precautions (ect) it is quite handy. My sister found it on amazon I believe and it's nice to pull out during clinicals every now and then. THIS WAS LONG! Lol sorry I can get a little carried away but I think that's all I have for now.. If I think of anything else or if you have anymore specific questions let me know GOOD LUCK!

AccelBSN12 this website won't allow me to PM you back because I don't use the site enough? is it ok if i post my answer on the website?

It's hard to say because I don't really know of anyone else's situation but I didn't receive any money from Concordia directly. I met with financial aid to talk about what I may or may not receive from the government and in that sense they were helpful but as for Concordia giving money I don't know that they do that in this program. Don't quote me on that though, it could be need-based.

Congrats on your acceptance! I will probably see you around school faster than you know it. I live about 25 minutes from campus and I find the commute relaxing and a good time to wind up and wind down each morning and evening; but I would say a good handful of people live on campus. Since I live at home it's hard to say but my best suggestion would be to live on campus because Westchester, especially Bronxville, can be very expensive. I haven't seen the houses but I know a couple of people who live on campus who seem content. One of my friends did not originally live on campus but couldn't take the commute anymore so he moved on. You spend a lot of time there anyway so it may be more convenient for you to be right on campus. The food isn't bad and it's a small campus so everything feels pretty accessible. Don't take my word for it though because like I said I have not seen the houses on the inside. You should take a tour before making any decisions. Yes we definitely meet up to study, especially during finals. After finals a bunch of us usually go to a local bar. I definitely appreciate how small Concordia is. We are all pretty close and I have found that we all go out of our way to help each other succeed. We share our study guides, study together and in general look out for one another. I can't speak of other programs but it is refreshing that we are not cutthroat with each other, rather we work together. Hmm favorite moment from school... end of last semester after our last final and a whole bunch of us met up at a local bar and celebrated that we made it through our 1st semester. You learn to celebrate every accomplishment no matter how small because it's a tough program and you need to take the time to reward yourself when you've done well. Best clinical moment? I had a very difficult patient who angered most of the nurses and people around him because of his bad attitude but I still found myself hanging around him a decent amount of time. On my last day of clinical I went to say bye to him and his wife was there; she thanked me for being patient with him and for making his time there better. We don't go to school and become nurses to be thanked by family members but she reminded me that I want to do this because sometimes what seems like a small gesture by us really makes a big difference in someone's life. Hope this has helped. Good Luck to everyone with everything. And as always feel free to pick my brain. OK off to read some chapters!

I'm in Concordia now and I think our class had 60 people in the beginning.

If it helps you guys should know our pass rate is better than NYU and Columbia. We're actually currently second highest in NY state second only to Downstate.

Concordia is going pretty well. I'm not going to lie and say it's easy but it's definitely manageable. You realize pretty quickly that the most important factor is putting the time in. You don't have to sign your life away as they would have you believe but you should expect that about every other weekend or so you'll be attached to your books. As for the teaching itself I definitely think the teachers are well qualified. As with any education you will find teachers who teach just the way you like and teachers who can drive you a little crazy. My best advice is to roll with the punches and trust the process. Several teachers can teach one class (not true of all classes) and this can be challenging learning each one's teaching style and test questions; but it will start to come to you. They have been reporting to us about the class that graduated in December and so far 7 have taken the NCLEX and 7 have passed so they are doing something right. Clinical starts pretty quickly, within the first couple of weeks (5 maybe?) but they start you off at a Nursing home so it is a nice way to ease into it. Clinical can kind of be what you make of it. So far I have had good instructors that have let us be pretty hands on. Not every day is going to be what you want or expect but it's a process. The thing about an accelerated program is you do feel like your time in clinical is limited because we do everything in 6 weeks time so try hard to see and do what you can why on the clinical floor. We use Montefiore, Westchester, WP, Lawrence so there is a decent variety. Overall I think Concordia's program is pretty good. I've heard some nightmare stories from other schools and I would say nothing is that bad at Concordia. I feel that the teachers genuinely care and want you to succeed and they will take time after or outside of class to explain a topic. I applied around and I have to say that I am happy and pleased with Concordia. I would definitely pick them again knowing what I know now. Hope this helps if you guys think of anymore questions about school or the application process or anything let me know and I will check back and answer.

Hi all Hope everyone's pre-reqs are going well! I'm currently in my second semester of concordia's accelerated program. If I can help you guys with any questions/concerns feel free to ask. This website was a godsend to me last year and the Concordia students (at the time) were very helpful so I want to pass on the help. Ill try to check back once a week or so to see if I can help. Until then good luck with the process!!

Well dr. martin, if I may add a different point of view.. my best graduated from the program in dec. 2011, she was hired by WP hospital recently and absolutely loved Concordia. She said it was of course challenging and I did not see a lot of her during those 15 months but she was so happy she chose that program. She had a great support system from her classmates and she genuinely liked the teachers. And at the end of it all, she is now a working nurse, which is the ultimate goal here for everyone. We were all selected because in our interview and from our class grades we have displayed our ability to handle the stress and challenge that we will face in the next year 1/2. Not everyone can handle it, but that's why there are many non-accelerated programs to choose from. As for the class of 2013, I think we will do great and will come out of the program stronger and well prepared.

Hi allCongrats on everyone's acceptance! I too was accepted to concordia's fall 2012 program. I decided about 2 weeks ago to go there. I was torn between them and Drexel in Philly; but with it only being an 11 month program people told me I'd be insane to do it. I'm very excited for Concordia and look forward to meeting you all and getting to know my/our support system for the next year and a half.