Keen Observer

There are some previous cohort threads on this site where I remembering seeing someone post a list of common medical abbreviations that you will be tested on in during the second week. You'll have to do some searching, but it's there, and I recommend starting there. That said, the NCLEX style questions you get in nursing school are more clinically based as opposed to memorization; that is, how you will act as a nurse given a clinical situation. You will be given the tools and information to answer these questions, but you might not know what clinical situations the questions might pose, just as you can't alway anticipate a change in your patient's condition or circumstances in real life. (And of course, all of the actions [answers] are correct actions, but which one is most correct?! Or, as one professor told me, "If you could do only one thing and then walk out of the room, what would you do?"). I hope that makes sense.

You're welcome. Nursing school units don't compare with lower division units. You'll have 12 units in first semester, but it will feel like 24 units.

Good questions. Yes, I am working. I would say 80-90% of my cohort has either started working, or have been hired. There's a lot of variables that go into when you start looking and how long it takes to land a job. For starters, how soon you finish your preceptorship, other classwork, and projects determines how much free time you have to research job openings and new grad programs at hospitals at the end of the semester. (How soon you finish your preceptorship is largely a product of how well your preceptor and your schedule match up). But even then, most hospitals won't look at your application until you have your RN license. As mentioned, however, there are new grad residency programs at hospitals that you can apply to before you have your license (and your working is contingent upon you having passed the NCLEX and having your license by the start date). I think our whole cohort applied to UC Davis Medical Center's new grad program before graduation, and many others had applied at other residency programs as well. Second, studying for the NCLEX is a full time job, and then some. You have to decide how much time you want to spend looking for and applying to jobs against studying. Some people put off looking for jobs until they had passed the NCLEX, others mixed it up. It all depends on what what you can manage and have energy for. Most in our cohort received our authorization to test (ATT) for licensure in the second half of June, and most had taken and passed the NCLEX by the end of July. Some things that might increase your odds of getting hired sooner rather than later might be having an externship at a hospital, volunteering, or getting involved with leadership. I know Kaiser and the VA have externship opportunities, and there are opportunities with organizations that operate in rural areas near Chico that I know of people participating in. Volunteering goes a long way. My hiring manager and I discussed my volunteer work for a good ten minutes during my interview. Get involved with Men in Nursing, or CNSA, and take on leadership positions within those organizations. An "A" average is a great thing to have in nursing school, but it only takes up one line on a resume, and lots of other graduates will have it, too. You'll want to have additional highlights on your resume, and leadership positions are something many employers look for. Was it the job I wanted? As a new grad RN, most people don't start off in the units that they want unless they are willing and able to relocate to areas most people wouldn't. Jobs in large cities are difficult to come by as a new graduate, let alone in the most desirable departments such as ICU's, pediatrics, NICU, L&D/post-partum, etc.. If you are determined to go where you want fast, you need to be willing to move elsewhere. I am fortunate and grateful to have a job at a great hospital nearby. Pay in Sacramento, Bay Area, and in between is near the top, if not the top in the nation. I think most hospitals in the Sacramento area start in the $49-$54 range. Hospitals in the Bay Area pay a little more, as high as the low $60s per hour. There are many things to consider other than pay, obviously. About nursing school, yes, it is hard, and there are students of all ages who struggle, but it's doable. I found the most frustrating part at first to be that I could study as much, if not more for a nursing school exam, and still end up with an 84% whereas I would've had a high "A" or over 100% before. That can be disheartening.

I am a recent graduate of the program. I'd be glad to try my best to answer questions if anybody has them. One common question asked by people who get into the program (or any nursing program for that matter) is what they can do to prepare. My anecdotal answer would be to relax and enjoy your time off. It's often said that nursing school is difficult, but difficult is a vague term that might not absolutely register with you until you've been in the program for a semester or two. You will long for the days you had time to spare. If you can't help but to review something beforehand, I suggest starting here: Clinical Pathophysiology Made Ridiculously Simple (follow the link below). It's made for medical students making the jump from 2nd to 3rd year, but it's applicable to nursing students as well, and helps to bridge the gap between your basic pre-requisite sciences and clinical practice. Perhaps the most important tip I can give is to learn how not to be perfect when it's perfection that got you into this program. You'll be in class for two years with the smartest people you know. It will be near impossible not to feel inadequate at times, but rest assured, you will become a well prepared and competent nurse at the end of it. Clinical Pathophysiology Made Ridiculously Simple: 8612436297: Medicine & Health Science Books @ Amazon.com

Having spoke with the nursing faculty about this, they had it changed because the large number of pre-nursing students retaking pre-requesite classes made registering for these classes challenging. Science faculty and department administrators from those departments at Sac State and other schools were frustrated with the School of Nursing's policy that encouraged it, and asked that it change. I think the increase in applicants has to do with people trying to test their chances before the point system changes. The language requirement will likely be the biggest change with applicants needing to speak the language competently. It's a good change that will help the workforce better reflect the diversity of the patient population and better serve their needs, frankly.

Good question. The only thing I wish I had done differently would have been to have taken a pharmacology class beforehand. Pharm is integrated into the curriculum, but having taken it before would have lessened the learning curve. I recommend buying and reading as much of the book linked below as you can beforehand. It does a great job of dumbing down pathophysiology which you'll be learning in great detail starting in first semester. It's a great book for easing the transition from your pre-req sciences to clinical practice. Clinical Pathophysiology Made Ridiculously Simple: 86�12��436297: Medicine & Health Science Books @ Amazon.com Other than that, take time for yourself. You're going to be busy :)

I am in my third semester and will be graduating in the Spring next year. I have no regrets about going to nursing school here at Sacramento State. It's an accelerated program in the sense that it's two years compared to two and a half or three years at other schools, so it's unlike anything most students will have experienced before. Regarding pharmacology, although it's not a prerequisite anymore, I recommend taking a pharmacology class if given the chance because I've noticed that questions students struggle with often tend to be drug related questions. Just an observation. I'm glad to answer any specific questions you have.

The School of Nursing at Folsom Hall is having an open house tomorrow from 2-6 for anyone interested. There will be current students there to advise and answer questions, as well as tours of the simulation labs. Hope to see some of you there.

Here's a hint: go to your csus mailbox and send everybody in your cohort an invitation and a link to the cohort Facebook page. You can search for classmates using the search option in the upper lefthand corner. People should slowly trickle in. Also, be sure to search under 'Groups,' and not 'Top,' when searching for group pages on Facebook. Good luck!

Off the top of my head:Tuition and related fees are about $3,500/semester. Textbooks are either $455 (e-book bundle), or $755 (e-books + hardcover textbook), depending on which you choose. My understanding is that the bundle, which you are required to purchase, is also used during second semester, so textbooks are relatively cheap. Two pairs of scrubs (2 pants and 2 tops) and a lab coat is about $145. (You're only req'd to buy one pair of scrubs, but I highly recommend two or more because you'll wear them often). Parking for the semester is about $160. Required online materials for your courses run somewhere between $200-$300, but I cannot remember exactly. Other supplies, such as a stethoscope, second hand watch, forceps, etc. will be about $60-$200, depending on what you have and don't have. This is a pretty rough picture, but I hope it helps.

Congrats to those of you who were accepted. I can lend some info regarding the schedule during first semester. Each cohort is split into 8 clinical sections of ten. Four clinical sections will have Tuesday clinical rotations at the hospital and a Wednesday skills lab. The other four will have Wednesday clinical and Friday skills lab. Keep in mind that schedules can change on a whim. Your ability to communicate as a cohort will be a key to your success. Case in point, the evening before our (soon to be second semesters) very first class, our instructor sent out a message that class would start at 7:30 instead of 8. Had a couple of classmates not posted it to our cohort FB page (something I recommend setting up), a lot of people wouldn't have known. So yeah, get used to it :). Also, the schedule your first two weeks during "front loading" will be different as you'll be in N113 most of Tuesday both weeks. But here's how the rest of the semester should shape up: Monday: N112, 8-11 am. After class, Tuesday clinical sections will go to the hospital to pick out a patient to take care of the next day, and will be up until like midnight completing their patient care plans. Tuesday: No class. Tuesday clinical sections go to the hospital to take care of the patient they'd picked out the day before from about 6 - 2, depending on the hospital, and Wednesday sections will go to the hospital to pick out their patients. Rinse, dry, repeat. Wednesday: Wed clinical sections will be at the hospital from 6-2, and Tue clinical sections will be in Skills lab at Folsom Hall from about 8-4. Thursday: N113, 8-11; N111 3-6. Friday: Tue clinical sections are off (but not really, of course), and Wed clinical sections are in skills lab from 8-4. Best of luck!

About the immunizations, I would call the school of nursing and explain your situation. They'll probably be lenient if there's any conflicts. Otherwise, yes, you can get them done now. If you have documentation of any past immunizations (MMR, Hep B, Tdap/booster, varicella, flu shot, or a TB test w/in the last year [e.g. 2 step skin test, or a QuantiFERON gold blood test]), scan those now and have them ready to submit when the school of nursing asks you to. If you've been vaccinated for a disease, but don't have documentation, you're probably still producing antibodies for them, so I'd ask your physician for a blood titer to test for those antibodies. If you haven't been vaccinated for any of those diseases, do so ASAP, and have the documents proving you've received the vaccines scanned and ready to be sent when the school of nursing asks. This is my experience with the immunizations. It's a lot of hoops to jump through, but what hasn't been up to this point?

The list Jl0202 provided is similar to what our cohort received. There are a few differences, but it's not anything to worry about now. I'd just take care of the vaccines. If you don't have documentation, you'll need to get a blood titer done. If you're accepted, the School of Nursing will send you information about when you need to have all of that done, which will likely be sometime before the start of the semester. If you're confident you'll get in, you probably want to start thinking about that now. Edit: Also, the company we buy uniforms from has changed from that on the link above. The current uniforms are way more comfy!

This is a list of about 190 of the medical terms you'll be tested on during frontloading (your first 2 weeks). There's about another 20-30 terms that aren't on this list, but it's a good start. You'll receive an email with a list of all the medical abbreviations to memorize before the semester starts, if you're accepted (and maybe on the waitlist too, idk). Also, if you've made the top 120, I recommend you start getting your immunizations in order now. This will save you some time. You'll need proof of a recent tuberculosis test within the last year I think (either a 2-step skin test or a QuantiFERON gold blood test), MMR, Tdap, Hep B, Varicella, and a flu shot after 9/1. Best of luck. https://quizlet.com/67477210/abbreviations-by-mariam-n113-flash-cards/

I recommend retaking any prerequisites you have less than an A in (as long as it's only your second attempt at the course). Sac State SON will calculate your prereq GPA using the highest grade. Every point helps.