Khor

Congrats to those of you that got in! Looks like everything has already been pretty well covered! I was going to say that I am also headed into 2nd semester, and I work full-time. It's tough. Very tough. The best advice I can give is to make sure you dedicate a good amount of time to studying and reading. If you work full-time, you may not have too much free time, so be prepared for that. Exams in nursing school are application-based. There will be some knowledge-based questions, but you need to be able to study, learn, and then apply that knowledge to healthcare situations. It takes time to prepare for exams, so make sure you go into school knowing that time is a potential stress factor. That said, it can be done! I wound up studying when I got my kids down to sleep, about 2-4 hours a night. I work 3 days a week, which is full-time where I work, and I'd study those nights too. If kids were in school, I was studying then as well. I think I had maybe one night a week where I had some good quality time that wasn't invested in studying :) So congrats again, and we'll see you guys next semester!

As far as the books go, I went to the bookstore and just sucked it up and bought everything instead of online. Total cost was a little over $1200 for the books and "clicker".

Yep, see you guys bright and early Tuesday morning!

Yep, dates are all there...

Yes, many hospitals have nursing assistant positions that require you to either be certified or currently enrolled in nursing school (minimum one semester). Great job to have in school...excellent way to observe what you are learning.

Yep, Immunitrax. I've uploaded and the files are all sitting there in my account. Just sitting there waiting for approval...

Any of you guys/girls had any delay on getting your immunization paperwork approved? I submitted mine over a week ago via upload, and haven't had a change in status or single acknowledgement. Guess I am just wondering if that takes awhile, too...

Cool, thanks...narrows down the options quite a bit for us guys. I think I saw some Skechers on the Scrubs and Beyond website.

For anyone already in the program, in regards to the shoes we have to wear...do they HAVE to be all white? Or, can they be white, with say a little bit of gray/black/red, etc. (Like a Nike swoosh or something.)

Yep, I went to see if I was registered, and I wasn't (3A). I went to the school to turn in my photo and degree plan, as well as get my clinicals ID made, and they confirmed in person that there was an error with the system. Looks like I'm getting registered next week.

I got mine done 2 days after I received the information, but I'm guessing 7-10 days to get the card back...seems about normal for processing and then sending through snail mail.

Wow, I completely forgot about the lab coat. I think waiting until orientation is a good idea on that one, I'll probably do the same. I wonder when they will allow us to register. The school site says this week, but nothing has changed on my account thus far. Guess we'll see some notification in some form or another.

I haven't picked up a penlight yet, but I will before orientation. I actually have an LED penlight, but it's REALLY bright...might end up blinding someone. So, I'll definitely need to pick up a different one. Also picked up scissors online via Amazon. I think I'm covered on everything else. Not sure if a cuff comes with our supplies we ordered online, but if not, it should be the last thing I need...

I went ahead and got my scrubs. If I need to return them, I'll keep the tags on. I'd just rather have them ready to go than wait until last minute. As far as stethoscopes go, I went ahead and purchased a Littmann. I figured it's an investment, and should be used after nursing school as well. Plus, I work in an ICU, and most of the nurses here suggested to go ahead and get a decent stethoscope, though each nurse was partial to a particular brand and model. Best advice I received was to go to a medical supply store and try them out, see which one you can hear the best with. I took that advice and tried a ton, and ended up choosing one of the Littmanns. It seemed to offer the clearest sound for me. Several nurses I work with use the same one, so I'm comfortable with my choice. A few of nurses recommended ADC, and said those were much clearer than the Littmanns. I tried a few, but I found the Littmann a little clearer. Anyways, I guess it's an individual preference...but I am glad I went and tried several out.

Getting everything done...fingerprints, background checks, immunization records, etc. What I would really like to know is the exact scrub types we will need this year. I've done my reading here, and heard elsewhere over and over that it is Landau in true red for class, and in regards to clinicals, any brand so long as they are all white. Will this hold true for Fall 2013? I'd love to go ahead and get them now, instead of giving myself the short period between orientation and school start. Maybe I'll call up to school tomorrow and find out. Is there any reason they didn't include this in the acceptance letter info?

Letter came for me today as well. I am in Group 3...clinicals are set for Fridays. Looks like I need to go chat with my work to re-arrange my work schedule. So much stuff to do!

School website says letters were sent out today. Hoping to get mine tomorrow or the next day since I'm close to campus. Tentative registration starting the 29th. Good luck to everyone! Lots to prepare for...

Hope letters come this week. Was looking at the Landau true red scrubs. Available only in unisex option for men's scrubs. Bummed, because I like cargo pockets!

I just finished browsing my NCTC account in hopes of finding that something had changed reflecting getting into the ADN program. Unfortunately, nothing yet...although I expected that. Probably a bit too early. However, I did check the registration for Fall 2013, and checked the nursing classes. These may not be set in stone, and I have no idea how accurate they are. That said, it looks like a full day of classes on Monday, pretty good chunk of the day on Tuesday is class as well. Clinicals posted for us seem to be set for Wednesdays right now. If you can access to your school account online, you should be able to see it too! EDIT: I just noticed there was only one first semester clinical class listed, so there may be more for other days...or maybe not. Clinicals II, III, and IV all have multiple classes listed. Guess we will see when we get our letters.

Acceptance scores are in...74 and above for ADN program, non-LVN students. Looks like 68 and above for LVN to ADN students. Scores of 71-73 make the alternate list. Congrats to all those that made the cut.

The Kaplan guide I used was the Kaplan Nursing School Entrance Exams, 5th Edition. I originally wasn't going to get it, but I found it in one of my local bookstores...and perused it. I originally bought it to take the 2 practice exams in the back of the book...but it broke down all the answers, as well as covered some basics on each subject. It was more valuable than I thought it would be...

Well, I finished the test. Math, writing, and reading were all pretty easy. I made sure to read through everything very carefully, and I did all my math twice before continuing. The A&P portion, however, was brutal. I was confident on maybe three of them. I barely passed the A&P section...but I did pass it. The rest of the test boosted my score, so I'm sitting on a low A overall. The critical score was higher than my overall, so in case of a tie, I'm hoping it helps. I took the test today at 9am, so I wouldn't expect anything before 12:30 or so. Maybe after 1pm I'll start checking. Good luck to everyone who tested. I'll check back here later to see how we all did! As to what's on the test, I thought everything in the Kaplan guide was spot on for math, reading, and writing. Reading was on par with the guide, as was the writing. I thought the math portion was easier...mainly focused on nursing-type math. A&P was more in-depth than the guide, and even A&P for dummies wasn't quite enough (my opinion). There was a bunch of critical thinking, and you really had to dissect some of the answers to get the "right" one. If I had to study over again, I would have gone through the reviews at the end of my A&P book, and hit on some of my in-class notes as well. I was surprised at how many of the questions were on topics emphasized in-class.

In regards to how many they are testing, I am not sure. Although, since they said they are testing all applicants with 9 priority points or above, I come to three conclusions. One, they didn't have enough qualified applicants this semester. So, they're letting everyone test. Two, they had enough qualified applicants (similar to years past), but didn't fill all the available slots last semester. This way, by testing more, they stand a better chance to fill all the seats. Three, they are just issuing a blanket policy to test anyone that qualified. No matter which way, I'm glad that everyone who qualified is getting and opportunity to get in. As to the Micro and Chem for Health Sciences in the same semester...I did last semester. I took the micro hybrid and chem for health sciences at the gainesville campus. The chem class was taught very well, and if you study, making a good grade isn't too hard. I managed a B in micro hybrid, and an A in chem. Definitely can be done. That said, I also took A&P II last semester with 2 other online pre-reqs (in addition to the micro and chem). Was a heavy load, but I wanted to be able to apply for fall. No matter the class load, if you study, work hard, and find some great study partners, getting A's in all those classes is a very attainable goal. If you have to take one class by itself though, say, over summer...definitely micro. A&P I and II are hard, and should be a priority given their weight in the criteria point scale. Chem requires studying, too...but it's do-able. Micro is very hard and requires the most outside work of any of the science classes (in my opinion). You CAN take it with other science classes, just be prepared to study your tail off. Also, if taking either A&P with another science class, remember A&Ps take priority. Getting an A in both of those classes means way more than an A in micro or chem (at least in regards to this program).

My experience lies with the Gainesville Campus A&P classes with Professors ***** and ****** As far as dissections go, we never did the cat or the heart, but they were options if we wanted to do them outside of class. That said, Prof. ******* did have an example of each that he dissected himself, and used as examples. He points out and covers exactly what you need for his exams, so pay close attention and take notes. He also emphasized info not found on his handouts, so make sure to write those things down as well. Many students took videos when he went over the dissections. In regards to class make-up, I attended both A&P I and II on the Gainesville campus in the evenings. I myself am 32, and I'd say the majority of students were +/- 7 years of my age. Lots of adults, and most were already working in a healthcare profession in one way or another. There were some younger students, but most were working during the day and needed to take A&P at nights. Obviously going to be different in Gainesville vs. Corinth, though. Seems to be a higher population of yougner students there.