ahnmuhree

like sweetpei and miiki said- maybe your current location doesn't have anything available, so you may need to take drastic measures and move. i live in chicago and i constantly see postings for entry-level nursing positions. they may not be your ideal starting point (ex: ltc and hospice), but they're a job that will get you the experience you need to go elsewhere. it also couldn't hurt if you rubbed elbows with the "right" people at your clinical sites. the way i see it, anywhere you end up is a blessing. expand your horizons and don't be so picky. beggars can't be choosers.

i can't say i relate with the kid part, but i will also continue to hold my job during school (which starts for me in 1 month). i do have 2 older parents, one of which has a chronic illness that needs lots of attention, so i can relate on the level that your time will be constantly occupied. it's all just taking it in stride. like a woman at my orientation said- when you need help, ask for it. get used to asking for help from those around you for the next few years and don't feel bad about it!! sometimes you will need time for you- take it!

i hear that skechers are pretty reliable for clinicals. i will be purchasing them for my first year along with a pair of new balance to switch off between. can't go wrong with new balance (for the most part).

sorry i didn't respond sooner- i was unable to make it to the picnic because i had a graduation party to attend. how was it? did you get any good information? i really hope tatiana can get back to us through email! that would be soooo helpful because i can formally speak with my employer about my work availability without guessing what my schedule will be. and i am soooo sorry- i was looking at old paperwork from school and realized the clinical start dates are so wrong. per the class schedules (the green and blue sheets), clinicals do start the week of september 18th, which is correct. disregard, disregard, disregard what i said about october!! i feel like we've had so many dates beat into us that my brain is turning to mush haha.

the classic is the best investment of my life (ok a little overboard, but i think you get it). i was running around listening to everything like i was 3 again and taking my blood pressure over and over again. i even tried it on my little puppy just to see how well it worked lol. everything is starting to set in and it's almost surreal. two years is gonna flyyyyyy by so fast. wait, so tatiana said for sure by august 6th? that would make sense since they are doing the lottery system on the 1st. and that gives me a little relief because they were originally saying (at orientation) to log on to blackboard around the 15th to check your schedule. i was a little upset about that because depending on the schedule i get, i will need to inform my employer, and if we have to wait until the 15th, i won't even be able to give my formal 2-weeks notice. i'm sooooo anxious about finding out my schedule!!! did the bookstore say anything about other students' uniforms not coming in?? i'm concerned with why they wouldn't have everyone's if we all ordered them on the same day...? the good part is at least clinicals don't start until october so if they need to reorder them, you still have time.

i got my steth in the mail yesterday. i did a reevaluation and decided against the lightweight and went with the classic. got in engraved since i don't want it 'walking away' if you know what i mean. i'm still up in the air about saturday due to prior plans, but i'm leaning more towards going.

update: i got a call today from the bookstore- the uniforms are in. :)

thanks for the fna info! i'll be sure to let you know if i can make it!!

just an update- i dropped my forms off today and spoke with tatiana. she said that the bookstore probably sees the stock from the previous semester's list and not to purchase anything until august. the book list may be updated/changed and the finalized list and books will be in at the beginning of august. long story short,don't buy any books yet!!! other than that, for now we just play the waiting game until august for our class schedules and rotations. the anticipation will kill me between now and then.

Ay yi yi- looked up this thread to help me with my decision as well. I guess I'll be another 'silly looking' student and go with the Littmann Classic.

Hi PatMac10,SN- Did you ever make the decision? I'm currently in the same situation...?

hi! totally interested (if this is still going on)- starting nursing school this fall and will definitely spread the word to my classmates!! [email protected]

ok so here's the latest from the bookstore as of earlier today- the uniforms are in, but only partial orders. if you ordered a lab coat or clinical jacket, they have not come in yet. the scrub bottoms and tops are in though. they would prefer we pick up the whole order and will be calling us in the next few weeks to pick them up. the books for nur130/135 (same books for both classes) are available also. i asked about the math for meds book and they have that as well. i'm going to be there this thursday to turn in my health forms and will probably purchase books then, so if i run into any problems, i'll let you know. i am interested in the fna, so if you could possibly give me the info on that i would greatly appreciate it. and you're also a ptk officer? wow- i'm feeling slow lol. i will hopefully meet the requirements after this fall semester- my current gpa is 3.43- ugh. i didn't think about the penlight and scissors- i will definitely add those to the list! also, i stopped by a skechers store (north ave and cicero ave) a few weeks ago and they have sooooooo many choices- anywhere from lightweight to non-skid. while i was there, they were having a buy-one-get-one-50% off sale, and the associate said that sale should last quite some time and prices should be dropping pretty soon for the whole 'back to school' sales. i'll probably end up getting 2 of the same pair and save 1 pair for when i destroy the first ones. i'll be sure to post again thursday/friday and let you know what i come up with after stopping by school. :)

i'm glad your process is running smoothly too! i got my 2nd tb test done today, get it read thursday and have my tdap done thursday as well. so my plan is to turn my forms in this thursday as long as everything continues to go well. i chose the a01/a02 schedules- hoping for the best because they seem to fit the best time-wise. i also signed up for the math for meds- actually just did it today. i am so surprised that there are only 10 of us enrolled in that course!! i was kicking myself for not doing it sooner (thinking i wouldn't get a spot) until i did it today and realized that hardly anyone actually signed up. i'm not bad at math, but i could use any help i can get!! i am actually calling the bookstore tomorrow to check on the books and also the uniforms that i ordered back at orientation. have you heard anything about when we're supposed to get a call to come pick our uniforms up? i know the books weren't in stock at orientation either, but i just checked the online bookstore and it says they're available now...? i'll be sure to let you know what i hear. i didn't sign up for the fna because i didn't get enough information about it at orientation. i was trying to find out more about it but haven't really had the time to research. did you sign up by chance? as for supplies, i'm ordering a stethoscope pretty soon. i have a lot of family members in the medical field and i'm told don't cheap-out on it, so i think i'm going with a littmann. i've used the lightweight one in the past and it worked really well, so i'm leaning towards that one. pretty affordable considering the name- if you're interested, go to http://solutions.3m.com/wps/portal/3m/en_us/3m-littmann/stethoscope/stethoscope-catalog/buy-stethoscope/ it gives you a listing of online sites that are authorized vendors for littmann. the lightweight stethoscopes run somewhere around $40-$45 on these sites (ex: hm international, steeles) and they're warrantied for 2 years. besides that, i haven't made any moves to purchase anything else. have you bought shoes for clinic yet? i know they were very straight forward about them being all white- i'm trying to find something that isn't hideous, but also practical. easier said than done. once i get the health requirements done this week, i'm sure i'll be on the hunt for everything else. i'm so excited for this fall to begin, but, at the same time, needing all the time i can get between now and then to prepare and just enjoy my last few minutes of 'free-time'. i'm glad you responded to me! i was starting to think i was the only one (from triton) that actually uses this site!! i just used so many postings to help me get an idea of what to expect, so i figured there had to be someone out there from triton besides me. plus, it will definitely help to get your opinion and input while we prepare for this. if you have any questions, concerns or whatever, just shoot me a message- i have this linked to my phone so it tells me when i get a message/response/etc. thanks for responding! i'm sure we will be meeting very soon!! ann marie

my summer has, so far, been spent at lots of health clinics. i'm not gonna lie- orientation was a little overwhelming considering the deadlines are sooooooooo strict and a very short time frame. i think that the health forms were a bit ambiguous considering all the questions we had to ask. they’re kind of all over the place, but luckily i found a nurse from the tb clinic that was very familiar with the triton forms, so it’s been pretty easy. i’ve saved a ton of money by going to the free/low-cost clinics, rather than to my doctor. has your process been smooth so far? i also think that the current students that were at orientation were trying to stress the fact that it's not a cake walk, but at the same time, i've spoken with the new graduates and they've told me it's not as bad as they were told it was going to be (aka that the "toughness" of the program was a little inflated). so i'm not really sure what to take from that. i appreciate both sides so i don’t walk into this with just one expectation. i do feel a bit on the hectic side because i'm scrambling to get everything finished before the end of this month. i'm just really crossing my fingers that i get the schedule i want!! do you know what your first choices are? i think the time gap from the time we turn in our forms until the start of school is going to be our only free time. i’m thinking about throwing myself a going-away party to tell my friends and my social life goodbye for the next 2 years. :cheers: