sunshelley

Hello everyone. Just wanted to tell you all that I passed the HESI exam a while back and am officially DONE with EL Centro FOREVER :rotfl: I wanted to wish you all good luck! Have a great first semester! Shelley

McCarty was my clinical and my lecture instructor for first semester too. You'll be glad you got him :)

Actually, I was offered a trauma internship that is kind of competitive to get into so I decided that I would rather do that! It's at a county hospital too so I will get a ton of experience :) I figured that this would be a better fit for me as a new grad, however, neuro ICU is definitely something that I want to do in the future!

:rotfl: That is exactly what I looked like in my uniform... a big marshmallow Thank GOD I don't have to wear that anymore!!

roadtrips?

True, true... We'll see what they say. Thanks :)

Hmm... I'm kind of thinking that it's too late for that, considering I've already had the interview and they've offered me the position. However, everyone I know who works at this hospital (including new grads that went to their neuro ICU) says it's wonderful and go on and on about it...

Congrats on getting McCarty- you will be thankful that you had him as a clinical instructor. And of course, El Centro changes their ugly ALL WHITE uniforms the semester that I graduate I've seen the new ones... they are SO much better than what I've had to wear the last 2 years!! Congrats :)

Unfortunately, our clinical never got a neuro ICU clinical rotation. So, I don't really know much about it! My interview was just for an "ICU" internship and it turns out that this is the one they offered me. So,I have a general idea of what a neuro ICU is like but I was wondering if someone could give me a little more information about it? Like what kind of patients are typically seen there? What kind of meds (other than mannitol :chuckle) are commonly given there? etc. Any advice would be appreciated :)

Don't let what anyone (including me :chuckle) says about EC scare you! This is going to sound corny but if you truly believe in yourself, and keep a "can do" attitude then you can absolutely do it. It's going to be difficult, no doubt about it. Do your best and you will get through it!! Do some of that just rhyme? :chuckle

I am aware that instructors read this board... and I honestly don't care if Galloway reads what I wrote about her or not. Not to mention that she is perfectly aware of her reputation, she'll even tell you that in her class. And I would disagree that any El Centro grad will tell you how great the school is either. El Centro has so many administration issues it's unbelievable. If you want my honest opinion, had I known what I know now, I would have gone to another school. There are good things about it though too. The clinical experience is wonderful and there are a few instructors that I will continue to keep in contact with in the future. Hmm, how do I put this.... I don't necessarily regret going to El Centro, however, the whole "nursing school" experience could have a been a lot better had I gone to another school.

I had James McCarty at Presby for first semester. Try your best to get him if you can. There are a lot of new instructors so I don't know a alot about them. And yes, you are right- stay away from Mrs. Galloway if you can possibly help it! As long as you have a computer at home then I don't see why anyone really needs a palmpilot or anything else. I mean, they are nice and all but I made it through the program no problem without one :) I am eligible to take the NCLEX as of December 17th but I won't take it until the end of January or beginning of February. No, El Centro does not place you in a job or help you get one either. But I promise you will have no problem getting one on your own by the time 4th semester comes around. In 4th semester, you will take a management course that prepares you for the interview process and gets you ready for the type of questions that hospitals will ask, etc. What do I think about the program? Honestly, El Centro's program is really difficult... a lot more difficult than other nursing programs like Trinity Valley. You will see what I'm talking about soon enough. A lot of people who came in to the program with 4.0 GPA's end up getting a huge blow to their self-confidence during the first and second semesters. Most people do not get A's on lecture exams. You may get an A every once in a while, especially in first semester, but it gets progressively more difficult each semester. The passing rate is a 78. It is not uncommon to have to repeat semesters either. There are always at least 15-20 repeat students every semester. We lost like 43% of our class back in 3rd! Sorry if I'm scaring you! I'm just trying to convey to you what to expect. Nursing school is hard, no matter where you go but El Centro is 10 times worse. A lot of people end up failing and then going to another school. However, if you study hard and use your free time wisely, you can definitely make it! If possible, try not to work during the semseter. Some people do it but a lot of them have failed or are borderline... First semester is not that difficult. It's 3rd semester that seems to be the "weed-out" semester. Sorry for the rambling! Use your time wisely, study hard, expect to be studying all night sometimes, and buy a couple of nursing study books. Keep a positive attitude. You can do it!!

Trust me- don't go by what's closest to you. Go by the instructor you'll have for the clinical.

I'm confused... are you questioning if you can use a pink stethoscope or not? If so, then yes you can :)

Hello everyone. I am currently a 4th semester student at El Centro, I'll graduate in December :) Study hard! Wish you all good luck! -Shelley