13thSpade

I just graduated from this program last week, the first semester was cake! My number one piece of advice is to print your objective sheets and use them to study. No matter what your instructor says in class, the test questions have to relate to the material on the objectives. I can answer most questions anyone has about the lecture side of the program, it can be scary going in to nursing school not knowing what to expect. I can also email stuff from blackboard (objectives, forms, skills check offs etc.), I still have access to all 4 semesters. Good luck everyone!

El Centro does not give extra points for doing classes at DCCCD. Check out the info packet for their specific points/ranking system:http://www.elcentrocollege.edu/Program/Health/_docs/packet/2011FA/ADN%2012-13%20revision%20for%202013SP.pdf I just graduated from the El Centro program, the nursing classes were the first, only, and LAST classes I will ever take there!

wap (wandering atrial pacemaker) is when the cardiac pacemaker alternates between the sa node and the av node, resulting in p wave changes. the normal sinus beats will have typical p waves, while the atrial beats will have flattened or inverted p waves. a pac (premature atrial contraction) is a an ectopic beat originating somewhere in the atria before the sa node fires. they are similar concepts, but wap is considered an arrhythmia (non-normal heart rhythm). think of it as a sinus rhythm with changing p wave configurations (caused by changing pacer origins) , whereas a pac is a single, premature ectopic beat. ​does that help any?

At my college it was referred to as an Associates in Applied Science (Nursing A.A.S.), but the teachers and my employer have always said ADN. No question is a dumb question. It's the "RN" that really counts

I'm the only guy in my nursing class, and 1 of only 3 guys on the PCU I work on. You get used to it, but its frustrating when everything you hear is "Hey ladies,..." etc.

I'm skipping graduation, but going to the pinning. I don't really have a choice, my instructor told me today that I'm doing the speech!

31 days!!

My suggestion is go for the ADN first. The pay is the same for RN or BSN, and you can start working sooner. Do the ADN program, get a job, make some money, and let the facility pay for your RN-BSN bridge. Also, many people can make it through the ADN program without loans, looks for grants or scholarships. Most hospitals pay for education, either by contract agreements, or tuition reimbursement, so don't worry about having to pay student loans for a RN-BSN bridge program. Good luck!

you can do both, or neither, its up to you. i'm skipping the graduation and just attending the pinning. if it was up to me, i would prefer to skip both, but the pinning is just as much for the faculty, parents/family, and organization as it is for the students. i'm going because i know it would please my instructor, manager, and family. it may be a sappy, archaic ceremony, but it makes your teachers and family proud, don't miss it!

Good luck everyone! I'm in my last month of the ADN program through El Centro, and I really enjoyed it.

I know what you're going through. I was the only male student in our class, and my OB rotation was hell. I was already a nervous wreck going into it, and the staff made it 10 times worse. I wasn't allowed in any rooms, didn't get to practice any skills, and did nothing for the entire 12 hours of my clinical days. It was bad enough that my instructor let me round with the (male) doctors one day. My instructor was a helpful as possible, I ended up doing 3 shifts in the nursery (babies don't care if you're male or female). It will be over before you know it, and you can always remind yourself that you never have to go back!