sunshine5300

Take the job!! It's nursing experience. Period. I am a new grad also and now charge at a LTC. Today I did a blood draw on someone with documented violent tendencies,full head to toe assessment for an admit, communicated with staff about admit, verified too many med orders to count, care planned, met with a nervous family member, met with the dietician, intervened on 3 negative patient behaviors and of course met with the docs who round each day on my unit. As you can see, I used all kinds of skills that I just learned in nursing school. All very valuable experience for the future!!

Try to relax, you will be fine! 3 CNAs is an amazing ratio for only 11 beds. Trust your CNAs if they have worked there for a long time. They probably know a lot more than you think, and they will appreciate that you ask for their input. If you have any questions, and of course you will have many, ask all those RNs down the hall! It sounds like you will have lots of resources. When you start off, just know the most basic stuff like where the crash cart is, how to use the phones, and how to use the med cart/ med room. Also find out if you have a pharmacy resource you can call with questions, like in the morning daytime hours of your shift. I find that pharmacy is always a huge help for those times when you are unsure about medications dosages/interactions. You will be needed for nighttime and morning med passes, both routines and prns. When you orient for those two days, ask for a list of the most commonly used meds, and then brush up on those. These will likely be pain meds, anti hypertensives, diuretics, antipsychotics, hypnotics, antidepressants, mood stabilizers, antianxiety meds and anticoagulants to name some of the more common categories. But don't sweat it. I bet everyone is thankful to have you so readily available to work! Good luck!

I am so sorry for what you are going through. Everyone handles death differently. This experience might end up molding you into a stronger, more resilient person, and a better nurse. I lost my father while working on pre-req classes. I was taking Microbiology, which we all know is a rigorous class. During that semester, I had to make numerous trips out of state to visit my father and stay in touch with the Hospice nurses. To this day, leaving my father in the care of those wonderful nurses was the single most difficult thing I have ever done. I felt very conflicted about it. I had a family back home who needed me, and I had to keep going in my hard-won seat in Microbiology, but yet I wanted to stay by my father's side every single minute. I still cry when I recall how much my father was alone in in his last days, and how much he suffered. But what motivated me to keep going in school was knowing how much my father loved me, and how proud he was of me. He was SO proud! I still recall the last time I saw him, his loving gaze up at me, his weak eyes absorbing every detail of my face. I finished my Microbiology course with one of the top grades in my class. I felt like a fighter that semester. Every single day I put on my "I am going to DO this!" attitude and just fought it out. I found my grief to be overwhelming at times, and my children would find me dissolved in tears on the couch. But as I absorbed myself in my studies, I felt a stronger focus than I have ever felt before. Indeed, as I look back, I think it was the grief that motivated me and propelled me to excel. I hope your farewell and grieving process is peaceful and that you have special moments with your loved one that you can cherish always. I wish you much success this semester in your studies. You will do well!

Hi, The email is so that Samuel Merritt can communicate directly with your recommenders. I do not know if they are sent a form to complete, or if they are invited to write a letter. Just be sure to ask your recommenders which email address they prefer to have you use. Good luck!

Congrats Movingwolf and Simply_soni! I think the schedule will be clarified at orientation. But it doesn't look like there is a break in the summer term. In fact, it doesn't look like there is a "break" after the end of March, other than national holidays. It's a little confusing how it's listed. I'm sure we'll get more details later!

Congrats rinaa!

We were told May 30 is the deadline to pay, although when I got the welcome email from Administration, it looked like we only had 10 days from the date of that email, which I received last Friday. Either way, by end of May, I think there will be some movement in the waitlist. Good luck!

You will get in for sure at #2 so it's good you are planning ahead. I think a few folks are indeed planning to move so hopefully you will find a roommate. Good luck with that!

Movingwolf, I did them both at Ohlone College. They were great courses with excellent instructors. However, the junior colleges can have very full sections with long wait lists. Ohlone is no exception. Chemistry and microbiology are both popular courses that fill up quickly. You might have better luck with a larger junior college such as Chabot. However, what is nice about Ohlone chemistry is that they have a one semester biochem with lab that SMU accepts. Good luck!

I didn't, but I've heard of online for those classes. I can't imagine them online though. I learned a lot doing the hands-on experiments. Also, microbiology really reinforces microscope skills, which could come in handy on the job someday.

Hi small-ring, I'm in 18913 for Pharm, and 18917 for Patho. Did you find the FB group? I look forward to meeting you in the Fall. Congrats!

Sure I will if I can Pm you. Not sure if I've posted enough though.

You never know, it could be something as simple as going through the alphabet and running out of time! Really, it's impossible to predict. I think the bottom line is, everyone will be notified in some way by end of today.

I don't know about the phone calls, why some were called and others not. It must be a lengthy process to communicate all the decisions to everyone. Maybe it was a time issue, or maybe you will be phoned later today. Anyway, congrats jh3697!

Congrats CurlyNurse76! You will be fine as long a you finish up those classes before August 31. Many people (me included) still needed pharm and patho at the time of application. Where are you planning to take these classes? I got in for the summer at Santa Barbara CC, and there were lots of open seats when I registered. The only caveat is, as you mentioned, you will need your physio official grade (transcript) in order to register at Santa Barbara as it is a pre-req. So hopefully you can speed it down there, or whichever school you are choosing, and still get in. Good luck pulling it all together. I hope it works out for you!

For any who care to know, I had TEAS 94% and got accepted today. There are so many facets that they look at that I think it's virtually impossible to predict. I am a 4.0, but I had heard of other 4.0 candidates from previous cohorts who were rejected or waitlisted. I did hear that I had outstanding letters of recommendation, so that likely helped. And I have some real life experience with health issues in family members, but nothing professional. I think the bottom line is that they look at the candidate overall and try to determine that person's ability to succeed in an accelerated environment.

Just got the acceptance phone call about an hour ago. Good luck to everyone!

Sabotech, I appreciate your input. We obviously all believe and trust that SMU's reputation is awesome, or otherwise we wouldn't be placing our time and (hopefully!) money on it. But it's very reassuring to hear from someone "in the field" that the reputation is, indeed, excellent. And I agree with you that NCLEX pass rates is only one indicator. But I was interested to see that, for both the BSN and ABSN programs, the rates are still high. Only 34 more days of waiting! : )

Hi, I purchased the TEAS V study guide from ATI and found it very helpful. I went through every single page in the study guide, highlighting stuff that seemed difficult. Then I did the practice tests, answering every single question. I also purchased the online practice tests and did every single question in those as well. In the end, I scored 94% overall on the TEAS exam, which I just took last month. So for me, the study guide and practice tests from ATI were very helpful. Just so you know, I did feel like some of the practice test questions were far more difficult than the actual test itself. So don't feel discouraged on the practice questions! I think if you stay focused, you will do great!

I agree, it was a challenge to stay within the limit! I cut and cut. I felt like a sculptor with a chisel in my hands. : ) Did you guys notice that they extended the application period for Fall? It now says to apply by March 15th for the Fall ABSN. I'm guessing that it must be a rather flexible application period.

That's a good point about following directions. I hadn't thought of that angle. I did stay exactly within the word count for all of mine.

Hi, I had this same question regarding chemistry. I think the 4 science classes just means the four subjects (chem, micro, physio and anatomy). Some people take 2 classes of chemistry, while others only take one chemistry with lab. They only require 4 semester credits with a lab. They probably count both of your chemistry classes, but not sure. You could ask. My stats are 4.0 science GPA, 4.0 last 60 and 94% Teas overall. I still have to take pharm and patho though, so it isn't exactly "apples to apples." SMU looks at the whole person when they admit, not just grades. We all know this, but it's good to remember. They look for commitment to serving our communities. So, I don't like to emphasize just the grades. :) I really don't think anyone is a "shoe-in." If I don't get in this time, I plan to just reapply until I do. Just two more months of waiting!

Ok Thanks Rinaa. I know Santa Barbara seems to be very popular with hopeful SMU students, and I have heard it's not too hard. But like HopefulBSN1, I worry that I won't get in. I'm glad to know about Yuba Community College as another option. Look forward to learning alongside all of you in the Fall! Hey, is it still November 1 start (meaning early November)? Has anybody heard anything different?

Hi, I just applied last Friday for this Fall. Nice to see you've started this group! No, I am not applying anywhere else at this point. Where did you guys take patho and pharm? I still have to take those. I think I'm going to have a busy summer. : )