BeansMama

Tat jacket website has temporary flesh tattoos, you can cut them to size to fit on your knuckles, and it lasts 3 days. I used it on a tattoo on my neck. http://www.tatjacket.com - it's the eclipse temporary tattoo It works... I had to apply two coats though, you may only need one, they come in packs of threes I think. It should hold up even with washing, mine always had to be taken off with rubbing alcohol. Hope this helps!

Just a tip, because I did not know this when I got into the program, you have to take A&P 2 at the same institution as A&P 1 in order for it to transfer. I had taken 1 and then got into Shadyside and soon found out I could not just take 2 at Shadyside. So I ended up taking A&P 2 in an 8 week summer session at community on top of my full time nursing school schedule.

My schedule started off with me having at least one day off a week, I then worked a 10 hr day at a day care center that day. I also have a 5 and 2 year old at home. But the schedule will probably change with the change in curriculum. Right now I have class Mondays 8-12, Tuesday and Wednesday clinical from 630-330, Thursdays class 8-12 (some days we have afternoon class on Thursdays as well) and Fridays class from 8-4. At orientation they may tell you that you have to be available from 630-530 Monday through Friday. If you have a work schedule that doesn't mesh with that then it'll be tough to do. Again the classes may get longer hours wise because they are trying to put logic into a nursing class. If you go full time, you have to commit to being there full time. Sometimes we get done early from a class but not usually. And attendance is huge. You can only miss two classes before you fail the class. They take attendance every class, your financial aid also depends upon you attendance. So make sure you can be there. Many people that have full time jobs have cut hours, or quit the program. A lot of people try getting hired as PCTs in the hospitals working casually.

I like Shadyside, not everyone does though. I liked the classes at ccac as well, I did a years worth of classes there before getting into Shadyside. I actually was going to go to ccac but the year that I wanted to apply to get in they had decided to get rid if the entrance exam. I heard that they had about 1,000 applicants for 80 spots. I decided that I should have a back up plan when I heard that so I took the test for Shadyside. I passed it and applied to Shadyside and got in before I had even heard back from ccac. I ended up accepting the spot at Shadyside and then found out I didn't get into ccac. It just so happened to work out for me being at Shadyside. People will tell you positives and negatives about all programs. It's ultimately up to you. One is no better than the other in my opinion, it really depends on you and what kind of person you and what you make out of it.

I am a current Shadyside student in my third semester. I am doing tuition forgiveness. It works like this, as of right now the school costs about $32K for 22 months. Upmc will pay $22K of it if you sign a contract saying that you will work for them for 2 years after graduation. The student is responsible for $10K of the tuition. You can use grants and loans to cover that portion. Upmc pays their part upfront. It is actually considered a 'loan' from upmc. If you fail one class you are automatically disqualified from tuition forgiveness. You are required to get a job within 3 months of graduation with upmc. Then they will deduct about $150 or so a pay from your paycheck to cover the tax. When your two years are up the loan is consider 'income' to you and you have to pay tax on it. Upmc deducts this throughout the two years so that you aren't slammed with $7K worth if taxes. Also if you do not take a class like A&P, then they will at the end deduct that from the tuition forgiveness loan, making the loan less and then you pay less taxes on it. The tuition is broken down by class, a nursing class costs about $2,500. So if you have two in a semester that $5K but tuition forgiveness may cover say about $3,700 of that cost. And then grants and loans can be used to cover the rest. My biggest tip, take anything that is not a nursing class at ccac. A&P 1 and 2, Micro, human growth and development. $400 is a lot better than $1,500 for those classes. Good luck!

I can certainly understand how overwhelmed you feel. It seems like physiology may not pertain to nursing, but really it's almost the center of it. A nurse is pretty much the last line of defense for a patient. Doctors spend minimal time with patients compared to nurses. Knowing physiology is going to save your patients lives. Knowing how the body works and how the drug that you are going to administer to them is going to affect them is majorly important. Anyone can be taught skills. I used to be a hair stylist and we always said "anyone can slap some color on your head, but a hair stylist knows how to formulate it to compliment your skin tone, hair type and style" Same goes for nursing, you can teach anyone to insert an IV but knowing how your immune system works and how infection occurs and knowing what to do with all of the data you gathered in your assessment is what makes a nurse. Sepsis is a huge issue, knowing physiology will teach you how to catch it before it becomes severe. Nursing is much more than a set of skills. It's critical thinking. The science classes and physiology are your foundation. If this isn't what you expected then maybe reconsider your major, BUT know that it is hard, it's supposed to be hard. Lives are in your hands. If you want nothing more than to be a nurse, you will make it through it. Hope this helps! Good luck!

Just be careful, at our school even if you study your butt off and have straight A's you can still fail in the blink of an eye. We have compentencies, many of them each semester, that are pass or fail. You get two chances. Seems like enough opportunities until you actually fail one of them (I did! But I passed the 2nd time). Then you realize that you need to cover all aspects of the program. Don't forget to practice your skills while you're studying your butt off. Calm your nerves. Learn HOW to take the tests as well. If your teachers are passing out resources, use them. The's a reason why they are passing them out. Our teachers allow us to record lectures. And if there are any small assignments that are in your grade be sure to do them (and on time), they make a huge difference. (Ours are weighted into our grade). Good luck!

I'm so glad I'm not the only one with a 'routine'! Lol I love these!

As I'm sitting here making my med cards, I realized I have a superstition that gets me through. I religiously watch deathly hallows part 1 & 2 while I study and make note cards. (waving my nerd flag) I, for some reason (?), find it comforting and I feel like I can concentrate better when it's on. Hey whatever gets us through, right?!? So what's your superstition?! I'd love to know! :-)

I take notes by hand, I can usually keep up but I also use the Quickvoice app to record lectures on my iPad. It's a great app and then I can always go back and listen again if I missed something. All of our teachers are cool with this and there's several of us who record the lectures. We can then also email them to each other (we all get along so we help each other out).

Remember nursing questions are different then normal test questions. Break down the question and pick out key terms. There will always be two (or more) answers that could be correct, it's a matter of picking the most correct question. Make sure the answer correlates to the question, there may be options that are correct but they don't have anything to with the question. It helps to try and 'think' like a nurse. Priorities, what can the nurse do within their scope, etc. Hope this helps a little. We didn't have to answer nursing questions but we had to pass an aptitude test.

I use a separate binder for each class, they aren't big though. I bought dividers from staples that are numbered up to 20 or so. I placed 1-16 in my binder and put each weeks outlines, notes, case studies, etc. in under each week. We have tests every 2 weeks for each class on the previous two weeks content. It's easy for me to go back and look week by week. I place the course calendar in front clear pocket on the outside of the binder. I label the bindings with the course number, 100C, etc. I printed our 3 column outline for the course that the school uses in the binder. And I have a folder for loose papers. I also keep some loose leaf paper in there. This has helped me tremendously. We have e books so I fortunately just have to carry my iPad and the binders I need. I also have a planner to write down exams and try to organize myself for the week. Hopes this helps! Staying organized is tough but definitely helps! Good luck!

Wow, I'm amazed by everyone's stories! (the good and the not so good) Thank you for sharing! There seems to be a resounding trait throughout all of the posts, I believe it's strength. I agree that it will help to remember these stories if there's ever doubt. :-)

Chose* to (sorry!)

When you decided to go to nursing school and become a nurse? I know not everyone has necessarily experienced a specific moment that made them want to be a nurse, but some of us have. I had forgotten mine for a little while trying to get through the grind. But my mom reminded me recently. (I didn't truly forget) It was when I was pregnant with my first daughter. I was in labor at home for 13 hours before going to the hospital. I was in pain and choose to have and epidural. It did not go well. (We later found out that my epidural space is shallower than it should be for my height and weight) So I ended up leaking spinal fluid and it was 45 min of pure torture of them trying to get the epidural in. I felt everything they were doing back there and was severely contracting on top of that, my parents heard me screaming down the hall. One of the nurses in the room grabbed me by my elbows and very calmly but firmly said, "Stop. You need to breath and calm down." She put a vomit pan in front of me because I told her felt like I was going to puke. She took breaths with me and held my arms until the epidural was in. This was my moment! Followed by many others. The home care nurse that convinced my family to get me to go get a blood patch two days later after the above birth. The ICU nurses that took incredible care of my dad when he became septic and spiked to 109F. Watching a coworker seize and remaining calm and yearning to know the correct thing to do. The nurse aides and techs that cared for my combative grandma in a nursing home. The nurse practitioners I saw while pregnant with my second daughter that listened to me and were genuine despite their patient volume. These moments keep me going. What's yours? :)