sueall

I'm curious why OP wants to be a nurse. REALLY curious.

Sorry, but I just have to ask -- is this kid having any peer group or social interaction problems that would lead him to seek out positive attention at school? I know, I know, but humor the little voices in my head!

Yes. Our local community college refers to it as an "integrated" versus "blocked" program. Some refer to it as "horizontal" versus "vertical" learning. It's been around in one form or another for quite a while.

The BON website shows Cybertex's NCLEX pass rate stands at 40%. Perhaps your car did you a favor! Best of luck on the HESI.

If you will be living close to the I-45 HOV lane in Spring, check to see if the METRO HOV lane buses run down to the Med Center. It will save you drive time and parking costs. Otherwise, I know single-passenger car commuters can buy passes to use the 290 HOV lane; perhaps the I-45 HOV lane offers the same. I use the 290 HOV lane and it cuts my downtown commute time almost in half. (I-45 and 290 are major freeways in Houston.)

T.R.O.L.L.

Jon Haws, the NRSNG Academy creator and owner, knows his stuff. No question. But you have to consciously shut out his constantly saying "Okay?" at the beginning, middle and/or end of every other sentence. Drove me nuts at first. And YES, the transcripted portions of the lessons are worthless -- it's a straight, uncorrected version of each lecture, and misspellings/grammatical errors abound. But if you listen to and watch his lectures, ignore his speaking mannerisms and focus on what he's actually communicating, you learn tons. Don't read the lectures-- listen to/watch them. And his written materials are great. I'm using his lectures in conjunction with classwork/readings, so I cannot speak to their use as NCLEX preparation. But he does need to clean up the written transcriptions of his lectures, as they are very unprofessional in their current form.

Yep. The BON intends to change the approval status to "Conditional," which means no new students allowed. https://www.bon.state.tx.us/pdfs/board_meetings_pdfs/2016/January/3-2-15-a.pdf (If this link doesn't work, everything is on the Texas BON website under "Meetings")

Lupe1984 -- If you come across any other ADN program in the Houston area with a night program (and isn't some for-profit start-up mall school), would you be willing to post it here? Thanks!!

The BON public website meeting agenda outline for the upcoming BON quarterly meeting next week shows that the HCC-ADN program approval status will be dropped to "Conditional" (no new students allowed), but it doesn't show that the HCC-LVN program lost accreditation. Is there a rumor going around that the LVN program is shutting down or something?

The Texas BON meeting agenda (available to the public on the BON website) indicates that the HCC-ADN program approval status will be dropped to Conditional as of end of January 2016. "Conditional" approval means the program cannot admit new students for the Fall 2016 semester.

Just a thought -- your forum name is "WantToBeMidwife." Correct me if I'm wrong (truly!), but I believe midwifery is an advanced practice RN role. The LVN route would be a step in that direction, MA would not.

SG101 = MyStudyGroup101 LLC I love their audio CDs. I listen to them in the car while making my daily sitting-in-Houston-traffic ventures.

I can say only that the Texas BON's website shows that the HCC ADN program is being downrated from "Full Approval" to "Full Approval With Warning" due to low NCLEX pass rates. This change appears in the Board Meeting Agenda for the January 22-23, 2015 meeting. I have heard complaints from friends of mine who attended the program that it's disorganized and too crowded. To be fair, the Kingwood and North Harris ADN programs are also being downrated for the same reason. Some people are of the opinion that the low pass rates are due to testing changes from two years ago, but others point out that the majority of programs managed to weather the changes.

Love the "Mindset Stuff" -- so true, and so often overlooked.

Best of luck to you, Parakeet!

Nope, you cannot challenge the CMA test. CMA requires graduation from an approved program and completion of an externship before you can sit for the certification test. RMA, on the other hand -- a registered MA -- is through a different qualifying and testing system. It used to be you could sit for the RMA exam without completing a formal program after working a certain number of years as a MA. I don't know if that currently remains true. ETA: The LVNs in my area make DOUBLE the hourly rate of CMAs. Just saying.

Hugs and prayers, Esme! We miss you and wish you well. God Speed.

Yes, CONGRATS!!! So glad to hear there's a light! Now all I gotta do is find the darn tunnel. . .

You can find the same type of questions in readily-available study guides and free on-line sources. I'm leery of pay-for-use sites that have "fabulous" sample questions, then want you to pay for more. I did this for one site a while ago and not only were the non-sample tests horrible, the site disappeared a few months later along with my money. I like to stick with tried-and-true sources when my future's riding on it. What program did you graduate from? Most programs offer free remedial help for HESI Exit retakes. Check with your school.

I read OP as meaning "the nitty gritty heavy duty stuff," which Med/Surg truly is. I'm betting she can already pour a mean cuppa joe!

Our pharm class had a clique that always sat in the back. They swore up and down they were not disruptive, but they were constantly glancing at each other, smiling or gesturing, texting back and forth, putting on makeup or combing their hair, writing each other notes and exchanging them, snorting, giggling, or trying not to laugh. And they all wore these clunky bracelets that were constantly rattling and banging on the desk tables. They were VERY disruptive. More importantly, their behavior was disrespectful -- to the rest of the class and the instructors. They thought they were a "clique," but truthfully, they were an isolated, unwanted group because their behavior ticked everyone off. Our instructor went out of her way to make sure the group was separated during exams, while the rest of us were free to sit where we wanted. You'd think they would have picked up on this "little hint," but they never did. Please understand -- I'm not saying that you or your group are doing this!! I don't even know you. But my point is -- a group of students can be disruptive without ever saying a word.

Congrats on the BSN! And reaching the Big 5-0! And meeting both milestones at the same time! Your forum name suggests there won't be a master's degree in the works?

Age as a number may not matter one whit, but your physical fitness and ability to get through the demands of NS do matter. You've got to be able to make beds (thousands of 'em! I counted! ), transfer patients and help them with showering, toileting, and dressing. Once you're out in the Real World, stamina and endurance demands will be ten-fold, especially for LTC and rehab venues. If you're ambulating an obese patient and she starts falling, guess who's responsible for catching her. The physical demands on your ancient (heh) 40-year old body will be non-stop and unforgiving. You either get used to it or you find less-physically demanding work. You can out-think 18 year-olds, but just try out-running 'em! (Yes. I am an Ancient, and proud of it. Just don't talk to my poor back -- it will tell you a different story!)

Englishgeek -- Your post is my new "happy place" to go to when the wolves come scratching at the doors. Thank you for the bright ray of sunshine!