Parks22

Congratulations to everyone!

No poop in nursing school? She won't be that kind of nurse? What?! Maybe she should choose another profession. It's not for everyone and if she keeps that attitude she won't last very long. Not only do I clean my patient's poop but if a call light goes on for a different patient I handle it. It's teamwork and ethical behavior.

I took the vocab directly from the chapter readings in the assigned textbook. If it was bold, I knew it. I bought my recorder at Staples. It's in my car right now so I don't know the exact model but it was around $40. It has a calendar so I can easily go back and listen to a specific lecture. It also came with a usb cable if I want to save lectures to my computer. Some people might use a recorder app on their phone but I never had service and the constant searching for signal would drain my battery and I didn't want to run the risk of missing the info. Blood pressure was the hardest for me because I bought a cheap stethoscope and couldn't hear a thing! I went to a local scrub shop and they let me sample a few brands. I bought a Littmann and never missed a thump again lol.

Congrats on your acceptance! I just finished my first semester so I can try to help. 1. Learn the vocab. For me it was like taking a language in high school when my teacher only spoke in Spanish. My fundamentals professor was no different. Words like tachypnea, bradycardia, and diaphoresis were used often. Use flashcards if that's what works for you. 2. Do the reading. Some professors make tests that follow their powerpoints. Others use powerpoints generated by the textbook. If you read the book and take notes from there you will be fine either way! 3. Record the lectures. I began recording the lectures after I tried to study and everything sounded brand new to me. I stopped listening to the radio and only listened to lectures when I drove. 4. Avoid negativity. Every nursing student and graduate will tell you stories about complaining in nursing school. It happens everywhere. Stay away from people who are vocal about seemingly the smallest things. It will start to wear on you and you definitely don't want your professors and classmates associating you with people like that. 5. Practice your skills. Do you have a significant other or kids? Any relatives or friends that live near by? Make them all your dummy for skills. I practiced blood pressure, heart rate, respirations and everything else on my family and friends. No one was safe! Unless of course their arm was too skinny or big for my average sized cuff. You will learn why soon enough. My friends cringed when I walked up with my nursing bag. I didn't care because I became so confident in my skills that it became second nature. Excuse any errors. I'm typing fast on my phone. Good luck!!!

I believe the video will help but will anyone actually review the video? I had a similar situation happen to me but there was no proof. My class was told not memorize certain values but there were multiple questions on a test and we were all upset. Nothing was done to give us credit for missed questions. What you need to know is you are responsible for the material. You can't rely on a professor's word. If it's in the chapter or lecture, know it! It sucks but you need to protect yourself in the future.

Good Luck and Congratulations!

I agree with the previous posts about basic care. If you excel at these skills there may be opportunities for advanced skills. For example, I took out a foley during my first semester. Another student took out an ng tube, I think. Both under the guidance of our instructor, of course. Also a few of us were selected to observe surgery. A few students loved it so much they think they might want to work in the OR. Just use everything as a learning experience and keep a positive attitude!

^^ Jory that's great advice! I second that.

I don't think it matters where you retook those classes. LadyFree I'm at La Salle now and love it! I believe obtaining my BSN is the right choice for me and will of course prepare me to become an NP one day.

I think your best bet is to take those two classes at CCP again to get better grades and boost your overall GPA. Also most colleges won't accept science courses after 5 years. In the Philly area, most hospitals are trying to become magnet status and by the time you graduate there will be quite a few. That will impact the RNs in our area that are ASN educated vs BSN. If you want to work in a hospital look for BSN programs. If you prefer home care or LTC facilities then go the ASN route. Of course there are other areas but do some research and find your preference. There are so many nursing schools in our area but you should first decide where you see yourself working so you can choose the right program. Hope this helps!

I'm not sure I understand your post. Are you looking for a nursing program for yourself or schools for your children? This is a nursing school forum so we might not be able to help you if you are looking for grade schools. Have you tried contacting realtors and getting information on schools in different counties as if you were a prospective buyer? It's unconventional but worth a shot.

First I would like to say congratulations! I attended the weekend nursing program at Gwynedd Mercy in Fall 2012. I had a terrible experience and was one of five or six who left after the first semester. This is my first post and I'm not sure what I'm allowed to say but I will say that I wish someone would have warned me about this program ahead of time. The course load wasn't particularly stressful and I had a great clinical experience. My main concern was that I would spend 2 years, 4 semesters total, getting my ADN when a lot of the hospitals in the Philly area are moving to magnet status and are only hiring BSNs. Just like Sharon posted above, there are other schools in the area that offer a part time BSN that don't take much longer to complete. I have talked to several students that stayed and they say nothing has changed, they are not happy, and they wished they would have left. Sorry this post was so long and I actually deleted a lot for fear I would be bad mouthing them too much. If you want specifics PM and I can send an email. BTW I'm currently in another program and love it!