BlessedAreThe

Hopeful, Hey honey. I came across your post and decided to leave you a comment. I am about to graduate from the GTCC Evening and Weekend Program. I will say first, however, that the moderator is absolutely right; whether you are here for friends or information, your posts are not going to help you get what it is you want. From this point on, I recommend learning to make friends and leaving the entitled, immature attitude behind you, or you're going to have a very tough time in the field you're attempting to enter in to. No one owes you any information about a nursing program. Most of us entered into it completely unaware of what we were getting into, and with the school transitioning to a completely new curriculum to boot. Most of the information you're asking for is opinion and varies by the individual you ask, anyway. Others most likely read your post and were turned off by the aggressiveness of it. With that being said, I hope I can help you find the information you're looking for. How many hours do we study? Every spare hour that we have. Clinicals vary from semester to semester. They start off at 6 hours a week, then 12 hours a week (split into two days, since we are an evening program, typically 3-9pm) and finally 16 hours a week. Weekend clinics are either 2 days of 6 hours or one day of 12. Some semesters you might not have weekend clinic. Sometimes you might be in the group stuck with 7am-1pm clinic on Saturdays and Sundays. I had something like 62 points when I applied. I was basically guaranteed a spot. The point system has changed since. The nursing advisors in the registrars office will gladly tell you the range of points that were accepted and declined from the previous classes, however. As for faculty. The program is very unorganized. Some problems are inherent to the nursing programs in general, such as changing clinical placements, times, instructors and groups constantly right up until classes start. If you have a job and plan to work through the program, be prepared to deal with this. You can be two weeks into the semester and still your clinic assignment can change. It's frustrating to say the least. Other problems are more specific to GTCC. Most of the professors are extremely defensive. They are not receptive to students questioning their exams or grading methods. If you stay away from that, they will love you, even if you secretly can't stand them and the unfairness of their behavior. As long as you go along with everything they say and do you will have no trouble, and even though it makes you angry, if you're able to pass the class and move on, you do just that. The head of the department is useless as a student advocate. She will stand up for her teachers at all costs, even if that cost is belittling you and your concerns. Again, if you never walk into her office with a concern about the program and stick to the small talk, you'll likely think she is an angel. GTCC consistently turns out great nurses. Maybe this is because we have to teach ourselves everything in order to graduate, and you have to have a certain intellect to accomplish that. It's a hard ride without difficult teachers, but with difficult faculty it can be terribly miserable. This is the only nursing program I've attended, so I don't know how others size up in comparison. I have a bachelor's degree as well however, and I can say through my entire academic career I've not been as frustrated with any other professors as I have with these. Knowing the department head is the way she is makes it less bearable. I hope this helps your decision. If you decide to attend, good luck. It is a means to an end. There are good parts about the program, and there are good professors there. If it gets you an RN, that's all you need. Good luck.