mswtruth

I recently graduated with my ADN from College of Marin in Kentfield, CA. I was just accepted into a transition to practice program through Sonoma State University at Marin General Hospital. There is no guarantee of a job at the end and I'm not paid during my 280hrs working there but about 90% of the graduates who participate are hired into the units they precept in. The only downside for bay area graduates is that Sonoma State prioritizes recent nursing graduates from Marin, Sonoma and Mendocino counties. I also did my senior preceptorship at that hospital which I think helped me get in.

Happy_Nurse26 he interviewed before the open interviews as he did his preceptorship at the St. Luke's campus. Another who also did her preceptorship there also was not accepted. Some of my cohort who interviewed with me on the 23rd received a letter in the mail too indicating they did not get in. I still haven't heard anything. I've been thinking that they may be prioritizing BSN applicants over ADN. We are all ADN May graduates with most of us returning to school and nursing being our second career. I interviewed on the 23rd. Hope they give us a chance as many if us are already in the process of getting our BSN and are stellar on the floor!

One of my classmates who applied to this program received a letter in the mail indicating that he was not accepted to the CPMC RN training program. So whether or not you get in you will be notified.

Also, for those who have been accepted do they specify if you will start in the summer or fall cohort?

Tmarstaller, curious did you interview on the 17th too? Just wondering if they've only gotten back to those folks they chosen who interviewed on 5/17. Anyone who interviewed on the 23rd heard anything back yet?

Ilovedodo I wouldn't jump to conclusions. There's a lot of factors that could be in play such as where the applicant lives, etc... I'd be curious to know if the people who received letters interviewed on 5/17 or 5/23. I'm also unsure if they are getting back to everyone or only sending letters to those applicants that are accepted. They may also have alternates just in case some people don't pass their NCLEX or don't take the test in time to be licensed. There's a lot of unknowns which is why I ask questions on this thread. It helps me get some answers so I don't torture myself í ½í¸‰ lol

Well you must have done better than you thought because you obviously made a great impression. Bravo!

Congrats tmarstaller! If you feel comfortable would you mind sharing if you'd done clinicals at a CPMC hospital or any other tidbits of your info that you felt helped make you a strong candidate to get in?

Thanks for the heads up lakota93! I haven't gotten anything in the mail just yet.

Hey passion4womenshealth great to hear from you! I was surprised more people didn't step forth and jump into the conversation as I know there must have been at least around 350 applicants. I have no idea how they are going to prioritize applicants and I'll be honest it makes me nervous. I'm concerned they might prioritize BSN or MSN applicants over ADN ones. I have a very good GPA but I have no idea how they weigh that in their decision making. I got into a transition to practice program at a hospital doing PP but I'd much rather do L&D if I can. That's what I submitted my app for with CPMC. I've been a birth, post-partum and induction termination trained doula at SFGH for almost a year working there about 2-3 times a month and I've learned a ton in my doula role there. I am AWHONN FHM trained, have my ACLS, PALS, BLS and NRP Certification and did my preceptorship in L&D. I graduated a few weeks ago with my ADN and will begin my RN-BSN bridge at Villanova University online this summer. Nursing is a second career for me after working in senior mgmt for radio for 13 years. I'm very happy to have made this transition and like you adore women's health. I plan on going for my CNM as soon as I can after working for a bit and getting my BSN. I've got two children of my own and have worked so hard towards working in this specialty! Good luck to us both! I felt like I did well in my interview but it was so brief I have no idea if I'll be memorable in the slew of applicants. Let's hope for the best! Pennccrn thanks for the insight! I'm hoping it's a good program too. There's not alot of opportunities to train in this specialty as a new grad.

Just checking to see if anyone else has applied to CPMC's RN Training Program for summer '16 / fall '16? I'm assuming that Sutter has decided to not participate in Samuel Merritt's T2P this summer/ fall as I noticed they don't have it listed on SMU's site. I was told we are to hear back from them by 6/6 with 48 positions being filled (2/3 med surg 1/3 L&D / Mom & Baby ; 24 for summer and 24 for fall). Does anyone have any info on what they are looking for? Do they prioritize local new grad students? GPA? If a student precepted at CPMC? BSN vs. ADN? Volunteer experience?

Thanks anna565 for the advice. I did do some research and SFGH does have an ongoing new grad training program for both the Perinatal and NICU depts as well as RN positions. I'm interested in both. For any people who have done clinical preceptorships or any of the new grad training programs at SFGH do you have any advice on leveraging my experience doing a preceptorship there into a job at SFGH?

I have a great opportunity to possibly do my senior nursing preceptorship at SFGH's Birth Center. I've done a few other clinical rotations at the hospital but did my L&D/ Postpartum/ NICU rotations at another hospital. I was lucky enough to do a one day clinical rotation at SFGH's Women's Options Clinic which I enjoyed very much. I'm hopefully going to be doing some volunteer doula work at the Birth Center later this year. I plan on pursuing my nursing career in Women's health with a long term goal of becoming a CNM. So far I love the working culture at SFGH, love the population at the hospital (I really feel like I can make a difference in people lives with the care I give) and the hospital seems invested in its employees which I like. My question is what's the working nursing culture like at SFGH in their birth center? Would it be a good place to precept? Do they currently have any new grad programs at SFGH's birth center? Thanks for your input!

I have no idea what your schedule is going to be like but you can see as the Fall class schedule is out. My first semester consisted of Nursing Fundamentals lecture, Pharmacology, Clinical rotations, Skills lab and Open skills. It doesn't look like a lot but it gets hectic when you have clinicals. There's a lot of reading and acclimating to the new test taking methodology.

Which hospital do you work at? It will especially lend you well if its a hospital under contract with COM.

No I think that's overkill. You will learn it as you learn the material. The one thing you can study ahead is pharmacology. I feel like out of all our books our pharm book best simplifies the pathophysiology of different conditions of the body.

I wish I had enjoyed my time off that summer before school started instead of trying to prepare! Do a light review of anatomy and physio and you will be fine.

IIII have two children 5 and 16 months. When I started I was a straight A student in my prereqs and I did all 35 units of prereqs in a year. I thought no sweat i am going to rock nursing school. But nursing exams are different. Its all about thinking critically and applying your knowledge to a specific situation. All exams are multiple choice but a question is not just asking for the correct answer, but asking for the most correct answer as all of the answers are correct. Your job is to choose the answer that is most correct. What I'm saying is the most difficult part I've found about school so far is the tests are completely different than anything you are used to. The best way to prepare is by practicing questions. I love the success nursing book series. You can find them on amazon. I found that my prereqs were more difficult BUT nursing classes are even more challenging because the classes are incredibly condensed so you learn everything in 8 weeks. Its the fast pace that can be daunting. Make sure you keep up with you reading and lectures because if you fall behind you will have no time to catch up. Clinical's were the least difficult for me. Just don't be intimidated by the nurses you are working with if they are giving you the cold shoulder, show them you have something to offer and be as helpful as you can. Be self motivated in everything you do and that will shine through to your instructors. I am no longer a straight A student, I'm happy with B's the majority of the time. But I know the material well enough I can confidently put it to practice when I'm in the hospital and that's what seems to impress my instructors the most. The best preparation you can give yourselves right now is some time to relax because when school starts you will be incredibly busy. Between school and my kids I had no time off but hey its only 2 years. It seems like a long time but really its not. One more thing get your CNA or EMT license if you can and sometime during the school year get a job at a hospital you'd like to precept and work at. I already had my CNA when I started and am now looking for work so I can hopefully line myself up for work once I have my RN. Good luck and see you all at school in the Fall!

For those of you who have been accepted and are entering COM's program this fall congrats! I just finished my first year in the program and loved it. The program is rigorous but the instructors are incredibly dedicated to their students success. I'm an open book if you have any questions. Enjoy your time off this summer because when school starts you will be beyond busy.

I love COMs nursing program. The instructors really care and are very likable and friendly to students. Don't get me wrong its still challenging but I'm happy to be in a smaller cohort. My clinical sites have been great. The only downside is we did not get a lot of pediatric lecture or clinical time. That will change with a new curriculum they are starting in the fall 2015. You'll get 8 weeks of peds while we barely scratched the surface but spent 16 weeks on fundamentals of nursing alone which i thought was excessive considering how basic some of it is. Good luck to you all. Hope you get in!

Just remember that often times the answers are all right just which answer best addresses the question specifically. All answers are correct but which takes priority or is the best answer.

So glad to hear congrats!

I don't have any info but call the nursing dept and they will be able to tell you. Its really not as bad as it seems you will be fine. Just relax and do your best. I bet you'll do better than you expected to!

I ended up not applying to SSU but wish I could have but too many mediocre grades in my twenties caused me to have too low of an overall GPA to qualify as an applicant. I did thankfully get into COM and plan on attending this fall. I think I would choose COM in the long run fit myself if i had a choice simply because I know its reputation in the bay area is very good and the nurses they produce are not only top notch but have incredible skills and are great critical thinkers, two things they really emphasize a lot in their program. I plan on doing the SSU RN-BSN bridge and granted it will take me 3 years to get my BSN but I will have saved money, and can work after COM if I land a job. I also really love the staff at COM. One of the instructors was running clinicals in postpartum with COM students when I was at Marin General having my second child, a girl, this past January. I got to speak with her a lot about the program. I also got a lot of advice from the nurses at Marin General during my stay and they all raved about COM and said their favorite students are always COM students. Hearing that made me feel much more confident to go to COM. I think you can't go wrong with either school. They are both great and have good reputations. I think too i feel more comfortable at COM because I'm older too 37 and my classmates might have more in common with me than younger students.

We r both very lucky. I keep pinching myself! I replied and asked what number is. See if they respond.