SuzanaS

The applications are not due until October for Spring 2007. I have started working on my application, I have all the reference letters ready and I am studying for GRE. I plan on taking it in August or early September. I am graduating this Spring with RN-BSN and Summer with BS in HCM, so I am very busy and it is hard for me to find time to study for GRE, because I also have family responsibilities and I work PT. I am very good in Math, but English is my third language, so I am more concerned about that. Any words of wisdom and/or advice for GRE or Emory application process? I would greatly appreciate any help. Thanks

Hi, I do not work for Shephard but I have interviewed with them and had a job offer several months ago. I have a special interest in Neuro, so I thought that it was a good match. I interviewed for ICU, but they offered me Med-Surg position. After some consideration, I did not think that it was a good match for me personally. They are in the process of renovation and are expending, so there is lots of dust and noise now. I am sure once complete it will be very nice. They are good to their nurses because it is a really difficult to work there, I mean the environment. Their salaries are nice and the benefits are good as well. They have a very casual work atmosphere. RN's in rehab do not even have to wear scrubs. Most of them just wear T-shirts and jeans. I would highly recommend touring the facility if you have not already done so. It really helps you see first hand what type of an atmosphere they have. Good luck

Hi, I am graduating from RN-BSN at Clayton State University this May and I am very happy with their program. I would recommend it to everyone. I live on north side and although it is quite a drive, it is worth it. Once you are accepted into the program it is only 3 semesters and all classes are partially online. I did it ft, but there were many RNs who pursued it pt. I had all of the prerequisites completed before I enrolled, so I cannot tell you how long it will take you. The best thing to do is to make an appointment with one of the advisors to discuss what you need. Christy Hicks is the best in School of Health Sciences. She is very knowledgable and will do everything to help out. Best wishes

What unit do you work on? Did you like their RN residency program? I am considering starting my career at emory as well so that they can help pay for the grad school.

Congradulations!!!! :roll :balloons: :Melody: This is fantastic! Best wishes to you. Hope to meet you sometime! P.S. How well did you score on GRE? How did you study for it? Thanks

Hi, I wish I could help you with a good advice, but the truth of the matter is that the admissions to the nursing programs have become very competetive. Although most schools require a minimum of 3.0 GPA, the truth is that you need a much higher GPA to get into the program. From what I have heard, if your GPA is not that great but if you have good grades for sciences, Emory is your best bet. Some of the schools that offer a nursing program in the area: Georgia State University (BSN) Georgia Baptist (Mercer University) (BSN) Georgia Perimiter (ADN) Clayton State University (BSN) Brenau College (BSN) Kennesaw State University (BSN) Emory University (BSN) Good luck!

Emory University accepts students from biology majors as well as other non-medical fields and this is one of the best PA programs in the country, or at least in the South. I have looked at both PA and NP programs there and decided that NP was more appropriate choice for me personally. I know for a fact that NP's have more independance than PA's, and yes, there are clinics and practices run by NP's with a physician not present at that location. I am very proud to be a nurse. I was a pre-med student and my 1st degree was biology major/chemistry minor. However, I decided to go to school to become an RN instead, because I love what we stand for and what we do. Being NP will enable me to work closely with physicians and advance my knowledge and practice without compromising that which I love most - being a nurse!

It truly depends on what you are looking for... I was surprised to see so many negative comments. I know of many people who have worked at Grady and are or have been very happy with their experience there. For new graduates Grady pay scale is same as accross the metro atlanta. It is located in downtown Atlanta. They serve vulnarable populations and have many high-risk patients. However, if you are looking to learn and gain experience, it is fantastic! They also have one of the best new graduate orientation programs and really wonderful lab where you can learn your skills. You also will see things there that you will not see anywhere else. That is why grady nurses are in such a high demend. 1-2 years of Grady experience and any employer would love to have you!!! I am considering Grady for myself. However, I will not know for sure until I interview with all potential employers.

I am graduating in May 2006 from RN-BSN program and will be applying to Emory as well. I just bougth Kaplan 's GRE EXAM, 2006 edition and I was told to purchase the flash cards for the vocabulary and study 3-5 words/day. I am not as worried about the math as I am good at it. English however, is not my native language....

Hi, If you are looking for the best public schools in the area move to east cobb. That is what we did and we love it. It is a very nice suburb area. Most of the moms stay home and are really involved in PTAs and schools. Good luck!

Probably this is too late, but if you really want to take a review, I would recommend Kaplan. They offer reviews for US graduates as well as for International graduates. Couple of my friends took it and did great! Also good one is Hurst review. Both of those have websites. I did not take any review courses, just studyed on my own. I passed 1 st time with 75 questions, which is the minimum. I used Saunders, Lippincott, Kaplan books and CD's. All of those were hand me downs from my friends. I just practiced the questions over and over again. Saunders gives the best rational I thought. I also did 1 med/day for pharmacology review for total of 90 days. Just make a calendar and study, study and study. Good luck!

Thank you for your thorough response. I am so glad to hear that I am not alone in wanting to be properly oriented in my new role as an RN. Thank you for your encouragement.

This sounds great! I will look into it. Thank you.

Thank you for your suggestion. We actually have 3 hospitals in the area that offer excellent orientation programs for new graduate RN's that last 8+ weeks. I really would like to have a slow start and be comfortable in my area and unit. Real world is so much different from clinicas, no matter how excellent of a student I was. What scares me most is that due to the shortage of nurses, many new graduates do not receive the orientation or preceptorship they are promised when recruited. They are sort of thrown in and told to "swim or sink". I known many RN's who became charge nurses in six months or less from their graduation. Needless to say they were scared, stressed and burned-out. This is not something I am looking for. I need a quite start... So, surgical side of the med-surg sounds really great for me! I truly appreciate your help.:)

Thank you so much for your advise. I truly appreciate it.:)

Hi everyone, I have passed my NCLEX-RN and should receive my RN license in a few weeks. As happy as I am to finally become an RN, I feel completely lost. My problem is I do not know what I want to do... Does anyone else feel this way?:imbar For years and throughout most of the nursing school I was sure I wanted to work in L&D. However, now that I have graduated, I do not know what I want anymore and L&D does not sound as exciting. I know for sure that I am not interested in PEDS, NICU, PSYCH, ER or Oncology. But I am not sure if I want to do OR, ICU, CCU, NEURO... I have been told that it may be a good idea to start in MED-SURG "to get my skills", but I know that I would not like it long-term. I do plan on pursuing a Masters Degree (Adult NP or CNS) and will start in Fall 2007. Any words of wisdom? What should I do? Please help! Thanks

Hi everyone, I have passed my NCLEX-RN and should receive my RN license in a few weeks. As happy as I am to finally become an RN, I feel completely lost. My problem is I do not know what I want to do... Does anyone else feel this way?:imbar For years and throughout most of the nursing school I was sure I wanted to work in L&D. However, now that I have graduated, I do not know what I want anymore and L&D does not sound as exciting. I know for sure that I am not interested in PEDS, NICU, PSYCH, ER or Oncology. But I am not sure if I want to do OR, ICU, CCU, NEURO... I have been told that it may be a good idea to start in MED-SURG "to get my skills", but I know that I would not like it long-term. I do plan on pursuing a Masters Degree (Adult NP or CNS) and will start in Fall 2007. Any words of wisdom? What should I do? Please help! Thanks

Suzanne, Actually, I will not require that study plan after all. I just took NCLEX-RN for the first time on November 30th and I was 99.9% sure that I had failed when the computer shut down after 75 questions. As a matter of fact, as soon as I got to the car, I had a good cry. I was so sure of my failure that I had immidiately started making plans for studying and planned to sign up for Kaplan or Hurst review before retaking the exam again in February (90 day mandatory waiting period). I JUST NOW FOUND OUT THAT I PASSED:balloons: :rotfl: :chuckle I am an international graduate, so this was really challenging for me. I am so very happy!!!!:rotfl: :) :chuckle :balloons: I thank you for all your help and for your postings. I actually used Saunders green book for studying per your recommendation.- Thank you!!! It truly gives the best rationale and makes understanding the concepts easy. Pharmacology was my biggest challenge, and I have been reviewing about 1 med/day for past 3 months. I also used NSNA NCLEX-RN REVIEW (4th ed) and practiced, practiced, practiced. Thank you for all your advice and postings, I love to read them!!!

hi suzanne, how can i get one of your study plans? i am preparing for nclex-rn exam to be taken in february.:) i really enjoy reading your postings and feedback! thank you for all your help.

Thank you so much for your advice and kind words. I graduated from nursing school with honors, but I am terrified of NCLEX-RN. It is comforting to know that I am not the only one being anxious

No need to roll eyes :) Unlike you I am very new to this forum and I could not have possibly been aware of your qualifications and background. I just read your posting recommending Saunders book and you sounded like someone who knew what they were talking about, so I asked for your advise regarding best option for reviewing for NCLEX-RN for international graduates. Thank you for trying to help, but I do not require any information or assistance with visa or immigration, since I am a US citizen (It is a long story that I do not care to discuss on the forum). I definitely agree that 3-5 day reviews are of very little value, but that is all that I have found available thus far. And since, as I have mentioned to you, I do experience anxiety when tested, I would want to take every oportunity to learn, review/refresh and succeed. So, do I understand correctly that you do not teach in the US but only overseas? Can you suggest any good courses, reviews, or tools for me to use to prepare for NCLEX-RN? I do have Saunders Q & A REVIEW FOR NCLEX-RN as well as SAUNDERS COMPREHENSIVE REVIEW FOR NCLEX-RN. By the way do you "specialize" or only work with certain countries or just with international community in general? - I do have a few friends from school that are interested in immigrating to US. Thank you for your help

I have taken TOEFL as required by Board of Nursing and University admissions and have passed it a few years back. Also, a two year nursing program is sufficient as long as you have all the required class/subject credit hours, clinicals and have graduated from reputable/approved school of nursing. Very important is to be a general or a first level nurse in your country of education/practice. This is comparable to RN here. If anyone needs additional information please visit http://www.cgfns.org But back to the subject... Are there any review programs that you recommend for International Graduates? - I really would feel more at ease if I took one before going for NCLEX. What types of classes do you teach? If you prepare students for NCLEX-RN are you anywhere close to GA?

Are there any good programs you can recommend for International Students? I graduated in 2002 from a 2-year program and it has taken me this long to go through the process (with credentials evaluation, board application, etc.).. Although English is not my native language I am fluent in it. However I have a tendency to get anxious before the tests and I am terrified of NCLEX! Some of the books I got as "hand me downs" are: Lippincott NCLEX-RN Review made Increadibly Easy! 2nd Edition Kaplan Nursing NCLEX 5th Edition NSNA NCLEX-RN REVIEW 4th Edition Saunders (L. A. Silvestri) Comprehensive Review for NCLEX-RN (Purple!) Saunders (L. A. Silvestri) Q & A Review for NCLEX-RN, 2nd Edition I really appreciate your help :)

Hi Suzanne4, I think you are the best person to give me an advise. I am a graduate of international school of nursing. I am planning on taking NCLEX this fall and was planning on taking Kaplan NCLEX Review for International Graduates. However, I keep hearing that their review is not very helpful. It sounds like you tutor the students that are graduates of foreign school of nursing...Please give any helpful advise or recommendations as to which review programs are the best. I reside in Atlanta, GA, but would be willing to travel if it is not available in my area. Thank you for all your help!