Mizz1371

Best of luck on new grad employment journey and welcome to the area! Carteret will only hire through the new grad program that is now 4 time a year they take 3 to 4 new grads each time so it's somewhat competitive but worth the wait or to keep reapplyong. It's a 6 month program, the first two are spent shadowing all departments to help decide where you want to work and how the hospital operates, and doing reading and practicing skills and charting. Then 6 weeks with a preceptor on med surg building up pt load then 6 weeks independent practice with a mentor scheduled the same time as you. You then apply to an open floor of your choosing. They also have 2 educators who run the program, who help adjust and change your orientation to your needs and you meet with periodically, stand up for you and who are lifesavers!Carteret pays the best but only by 60 cents .(20-21) Carolina east will take new grads to wherever they are hurting but their orientation is a joke. A new grad friend of mine was given 3 promising offers there and the floor she ended up on was given 5 pts and little guidance her first day and she has no one to reach out to outside of her floor to listen to her or keep her safe. If you have trouble finding hospital employment you can always look into skilled nursing facilities and keep applying. Carteret will do a modified long orientation for new grads under 1 year if you get hired within that period while working at another place.

Here is the link for the UPMC conpetencies that need to be completed. Make sure you save a copy of each certificate to your comp in case different clinical instructors ask you to show them in the second year.Huge time saver!! Mandatory Training Modules for UPMC Staff All 9 must be completed and you need to click on the 2013 mandatory modules link and do the inpatient clinical module as well.

Classes are few and far between at fire and EMS agencies if you are in a crunch for time. Office of Education - News & Events (in Oakland good quality instructors) and CPRPITTSBURGH.COM (almost weekly classes in Mckees Rocks and Carnegie quick and fun classes) are two places I have used and recommend for CPR classes. Hope this helps!

It is almost as if I wrote this myself only difference is I am a brand spanking new grad with ZERO experience. I strangely enough also reside in Virginia and my husband is getting orders to Cherry Point in Oct and I am also extremely nervous about moving. I am sure with your years floating you will have no problem gaining employment.Many positions at CarolinaEast appear to go unfilled for extended periods of time so it makes me hope that the small town hospital doesnt get tons of applicants. I most likely dont have much more info about employment prosepects or the area than you do so heres to hoping someone more informed than I replies.

I second what Carbon said about doing whatever to try and get into an icu Pct position over the next two years in your program for the experience, the connections and to make sure you truly want ICU. Just graduated from allegheny evening last night and unless you luck out you will most likely not see an ICU except for shadowing during a day or two in NUR 240 or if you are lucky enough to get *randomly* picked for ICU for your internship. They will not put you where you want, I have a degree in Emergency Medicine from Pitt/CEM and after begging and pleading still couldnt get into the ED for Nur 250(transitions). Everyone changes their mind during the program so keep your options open and enjoy the experiences. The only ICU I went to was montifiore transplant icu and half the floor was hired as a brand new grad so that might be something to look into.

The tests that you must take every semester and have two chances two pass or you fail are the dosage calc test(you can easily google problems to practice this) and the ATI tests.The ATI is where we lost half of our program.I am about to graduate from allegheny evenings we started with around 44 and only 17ish will finish on time. You fail the ati twice you automatically fail the class and clinical.You can buy used ati books on amazon for cheap to study over the summer(the first test is fundamentals) or another tip is once you get your box set from the book store,use the books as an extra study reference along with class concepts. Hope this helps! And best of luck on your nursing school journeys!

I was in a similar situation a year ago, about to grad with a BS and looking for fast/cheap route into a good nursing school. I was already taking the pre-reqs necessary for any nursing school (2nd degree,hospital and community college programs) at CCAC during summers and at night in order to save money from the horrendous per credit fee at my university. I applied on a whim to CCAC, after they got rid of their admission exam and got in, and it was the best decision I have ever made. I might be a bit biased, but the night program CCAC offers might be a perfect fit for you. If money is no issue and you would like to start this fall or summer you should lean towards a hospital program(15kto20k) since they don't require all the pre-reqs before entry and normally have rolling admissions. I don't know of any that have a night program so you might want to look at the Pennsylvania Nursing schools forum on this website. Also other options to check out are Pitt or Duquesne 2nd degree BSN programs since you already have a bachelors but with the extensive pre-reqs they require and the 30 to 40k price tag you might as well apply to med school LOL.I am quite happy,at the moment, paying per semester at CCAC what I paid per credit hour(out of state) for undergrad. I am currently a night student at CCAC Allegheny and set to graduate in May.Classes are 5pm to 10ish twice a week and clinicals are(1 to 2 times a week) offered on weekends 7-3 or 3-11 but there is a possibility of getting stuck with a Thursday or Friday 3-11 clinical. Most of my classmates working full time day have been able to choose clinical options that meet their needs or have quit and gotten more flexible pct jobs after the first semester.It is a 2 year program once you have the basic pre-reqs required to apply. The bare minimum to apply is Chem 110,algebra,Eng 101 and Bio 101 completed before application due dates of March 1st for Fall and Aug 15th for Spring. In reality, admission is based upon GPA(If you have 12 or more credits at CCAC they use that GPA vs your undergrad GPA).Bonus grade points are given based on grades in A&P 1,2 and Microbiology that were also completed prior to application deadlines. This is because,in the name of student success, they would rather have students who have minimal other classes outside of the core nursing classes.If you want first pick on campus and practically guaranteed admission it is in your best interest to complete the rest of the science classes for extra points and this will also help with applying to other schools if you choose not to attend CCAC. If you truly want to get in as soon as possible,the earliest you could apply,with practically guaranteed admission is by AUG 15th 2014 for Spring 2015 by doing the following: sign up for Bio 110(which is the pre req for both A&P and Micro) *this spring* at CCAC, then you will be able to take both A&P 1 and microbiology during the first summer semester and then take A&P 2 second summer semester with an ending date before Aug 15th 2014 so that you will get the bonus points for completing it before the deadline. It may sound daunting to take them all that quickly, especially during intense 6 to8 week summer offerings but they offer night versions if you sign up asap and aren't to picky with the campus. If you pick the right teachers via Rateyourprofessor websites its not that awful. I did exactly this and ended up with high B's and a C.If its any indication I failed/withdrew from chem 101 at my university 3 times before passing so a chem major like you should have no problem applying yourself and getting a good grade. If all this is done with mostly A's and B's you shouldn't have any trouble getting in to your choice campus at CCAC for Spring 2015 or any other program you decide on considering your science background. I apologize for rambling, feel free to respond if you have any more questions or want any more details of CCAC's program. Hope this helps! In the mean time check out the PA nursing program forums they are great for getting honest info and gauging competiveness for different programs. Best of Luck!

Gotta love the CCAC bookstore LOL.Only thing I ever bought from them were the ATI books because they charge way too much. I am I my 3rd semester at Allegheny Night. The book we used for pharm last semester was Drug Therapy in Nursing 4th Edition by Aschenbrenner and Venable. Hope this helps! There isn't a new edition out yet so I would assume they should still be using this book

I had meant to post this under the Pennsylvania State Nursing programs area but I am not sure how to move my post. If there are any admins, Moderators etc. please feel free to move this over to the appropriate board.

Thought that this information would be helpful to any newly admitted students or anyone applying for a Spring 2014 seat and onward. They kind of blind sided us with the grading scale change mid program(they are known for this lol) so I thought it would be nice to share info so that new and future students are aware of the changes. (BTW I am an Allegheny Night student entering my last year this fall) Feel free to reply to the thread with any questions or comments about the program or changes. Sorry in advance for the formatting I copy and pasted from the original source. *Grading Scale Change: The Nursing Division has revised the current grading scale performance levels (Grading and Progression Guideline, Nursing Program Student Manual (NPSM)) to read as follows: Effective Fall 2013, all students (including new admissions) will need to achieve a minimum of 78% to pass all NUR courses. The complete revised grading scale will be as follows: A 92-100 B 84-91 C 78-83 D 69-77 F 0-68 *Discontinuing Co-requisite Course Requirements: Effective Fall 2013, the Nursing Division will discontinue the co-requisite course requirement for both NUR 110/NUR 120 and NUR 220/NUR 230. Henceforth, a student that fails one of these courses does not have to repeat or repay for the course they did not fail. Please note that the "student must reenter the program within 1 calendar year after the withdrawal or failure" from a course *Admission Policy Change for LPN Entry: Licensed Practical Nurses will be admitted directly into the first year, second semester which is NUR 130 (Basic Health Concepts for Nursing Practice) and NUR 140 (Evidenced Based Nursing Drug Therapy) without a transition course, effective Fall 2013. LPNs with a valid, current Pennsylvania License will be given 8 credits for their earned degree (prior learning) and will not have to take the following first year, first semester nursing courses: NUR 110 - Foundation/Health Promotion Concepts for Nursing Practice, 6 credits; and NUR 120 - Health Assessment Concepts for Nursing Practice, 2 credits. *Nursing Admissions Point System Change: The Nursing Admissions point system has changed and will impact the applications submitted July 1 through August 15, 2013 for Spring 2014 admissions and thereafter. The admission point system will continue to look at a student's points based on required admission GPA (2.8 minimum to 4.0) and additional admission points for taking Microbiology, A&P 1 and A&P 2. However, the newly adopted point system awards diminishing points for each course repeat attempt, as shown in the table below: [TABLE] [TR] [TD]New Admission Point Chart for BIO 161, BIO 162 and BIO 175 Final Grade [/TD] [TD=width: 20%]1 st Attempt [/TD] [TD=width: 20%]2 nd Attempt [/TD] [TD=width: 20%]3 rd Attempt [/TD] [TD=width: 20%]4+ attempts [/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD=width: 20%]Grade A [/TD] [TD=width: 20%].75 [/TD] [TD=width: 20%].5 [/TD] [TD=width: 20%].25 [/TD] [TD=width: 20%]Ineligible [/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD=width: 20%]Grade B [/TD] [TD=width: 20%].5 [/TD] [TD=width: 20%].25 [/TD] [TD=width: 20%]0 [/TD] [TD=width: 20%]Ineligible [/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD=width: 20%]Grade C [/TD] [TD=width: 20%]0 [/TD] [TD=width: 20%]0 [/TD] [TD=width: 20%]0 [/TD] [TD=width: 20%]Ineligible [/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD=width: 20%]Grade D [/TD] [TD=width: 20%]Must retake [/TD] [TD=width: 20%]Must retake [/TD] [TD=width: 20%]Ineligible [/TD] [TD=width: 20%]Ineligible [/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD=width: 20%]Grade F [/TD] [TD=width: 20%]Must retake [/TD] [TD=width: 20%]Must retake [/TD] [TD=width: 20%]Ineligible [/TD] [TD=width: 20%]Ineligible [/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD=width: 20%]Grade W [/TD] [TD=width: 20%]0 [/TD] [TD=width: 20%]0 [/TD] [TD=width: 20%]Ineligible [/TD] [TD=width: 20%]Ineligible [/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD=width: 20%]Grade I [/TD] [TD=width: 20%]0 [/TD] [TD=width: 20%]0 [/TD] [TD=width: 20%]Ineligible [/TD] [TD=width: 20%]Ineligible [/TD] [/TR] [/TABLE]

Well, I apologize for the way I came off it was just upsetting seeing that you were plotting against and blaming the school as if they commited some awful injustice. There are other schools and CCAC is the one you chose. There were rumors about this for over a year and unfortunatly you didnt have enough classes done in time for the change. Instead of complaining and saying your going to sue a school that has the right to do what they want in their selection process, you should just take the 2 or 3 extra classes and apply for spring next month or next fall. There was no surprise the application stated exactly how they would be choosing people yet you applied with anyhow knowing your current situation. Of course your upset, you were expecting an acceptance letter, but you shouldnt have applied after you found out the new criteria because there were hundreds who had taken those courses and would get placed above you during this application period. You should have enrolled in the other courses as soon as your situation permitted you to. Im sure you are a wonderful canidate but just a few classes short of being competitive which can be easily fixed in a semester or two.Everyone was affected just the same by the change and some were just more prepared by doing more than the minimum courses.

you must be joking?? the flow chart is simply a flow chart showing the minimal course progression if you just came out of high school . if you went to high school and did well on your sats or placement tests the only actual course a person would have to take *before the line* is bio 151 to technically be able to apply but not necessarily be competitive. there were hundreds of people taking micro and a&p before applying to the program long before the change in criteria because they know its required anyway, they are difficult courses and they want to be able to focus on nursing once accepted. these motivated students were just finally rewarded by an official change in standards. if it never held any bearing in the past then the admissions committee would have consisted of a computer and a calculator. the new selection criteria and point system was clearly listed on pg 8 of the application packet with a revision date of december 2011. that date means it would have been impossible for someone to pick up an application during the jan-march application period without this information in it. so even if you were not informed before january 15th from keeping up with the website, your advisors, nursing office staff, or even your fellow pre-nursing classmates about the rumors of the removal of the pax and change in gpa requirements a potential applicant would have been well aware of it before turning in their application. so completely reading your application packet could have prevented anyone from being unpleasantly surprised when acceptance/rejection letters came out. also even if you would have met the original gpa requirement there is no guarantee that you would have gotten in. i can’t believe how many times i heard,” i don’t care what grade i get, just as long as i get a c ,”from other students in pre-req classes. well complacency kills….it also doesn’t get you into nursing school in this economy. even if you fought your way into the program where on earth would they put the hundreds of you all who feel so wronged? i’m pretty darn sure there’s still a shortage in nursing instructors in the us which is why if you kept up with the profession you would know that programs all over the country are cutting seats and dealing with 1000’s of deserving applicants that they aren’t able to accept (i.e. impacted programs and wait lists). so c’s won’t cut it getting into any nursing program anywhere in the country. many programs are changing admissions requirements in order to deal with this issue. there were people who started off their pre nursing courses striving for the best possible grade, had 4.0’s and were still nervous as to whether they would get into the program. they didn’t make you do anything extra from what you should have been doing to secure your spot into the program and remain competitive. it has always been advised to get all the developmental/intro and science classes done. they actually made it easier for those who were doing what they were supposed to be doing to apply and be recognized for their efforts. i wasn’t even planning on applying this year until i found out i wouldn’t have to take the pax. you should have been making progress getting courses out of the way and fighting for the best grade possible and not wasting your time and money. if you were a responsible adult you would have also had a backup plan and would have been prepared to apply to other nursing programs which also require you to take a& p and such. everyone was informed at the same exact time but some people were more prepared for success than others. if you were lazy, got c’s, took one class every other semester, read one pre-rn exam book and thought passing one test made you deserving of a seat in a competitive program you were wrong. wait your turn, finish your non-nursing courses, get a’s and b’s and your time will come. i am a full time student at pitt in a program with rigorous courses and heavy clinical requirements, a military spouse, travel on a monthly basis cross country between my two home states and was able to finish every single non nursing class at ccac in 2 summers and 1 fall semester. with a 3.1 ccac gpa and all of my non nursing classes finished i got my first choice campus and i deserve it. i will enjoy focusing on only nursing courses (in the nursing program not the”let’s see how many times it takes you to pass micro while you take up a seat in the nursing program”) .i will be taking only 2 classes a semester for 3 out of the 4 semesters and have proven with my transcript that i will most likely finish on time. i mean the reason for the change must have obviously been for a good reason not just to screw over a bunch of people. i guess they finally addressed that the pax was not a good indicator of success within the program and that often students do not do as well when tackling difficult required courses such as a&p and micro while also diving head first into the wonderful world of nursing. it’s a bit silly for them to give a seat to an applicant who has only proven they can pass developmental/intro courses with a c and are marginally good test takers. that student hasn’t taken the most difficult of the courses most closely related to the major and will have a full course load once in the program. this leads to repeats galore, effects the school’s on time completion/grad rate(( which with new education reform can affect how much federal funding a school or program can get)), wastes their time, space and your money . most ccac students work full time or have families and the school has noted the obvious trend that the more time you have to commit to only nursing classes the more likely you are to get to the end goal of becoming an rn. in all honesty, you may see it as a roadblock on your career path but they are doing you a favor to ensure your success. better luck next yr!!

hey kay0324, i guess we will be classmates!! good ideastarting a thread. just got my acceptance letter yesterday and i am still indisbelief! i honestly didn’t think i would get in, especially with how manythat i heard applied, but i am super excited for august toget here asap. i am honestly surprised that it was only a one page letter with no info on saving your seat or when to expect more paperwork in the mail. thought the waiting game would be over once an acceptence letter got here but now i am desperate to hear more info realizing that i really dont know all that much about the program.