guest07/14/15

We start clinicals in the second semester.

As far as buying things ahead, I waited until after the first day of classes to get my books because I just wanted to make sure that we will be using the books more than once. I do not have a roller bag but many people I know do. I think that they are really good because when you get into the second semester, the books get thick. I actually would recommend getting one. When it comes to buying or renting books, you can do both. I love to rent my books because they are half the price. I do own some books like the APA manual is a must for the whole duration of the program. I bought my Med-Surg book because we will be using it for three semesters. I bought my pathophysiology book because it will be a great reference for the whole duration of the program. It all depends on you. I rent my books especially because I know if I want, I can extend my rental or purchase the book at anytime. For the uniforms, you must purchase a lab coat and the scrubs. The shoes must be white which you can find at the nursing uniform store or you can buy white sneakers (sketchers, nikes, etc.). I bought a pair of sketchers with the memory foam inside and they are perfect.

Hello Nicklancho, I think that during the first semester working part time is alright. I worked over the weekends during my first semester. Second semester, I would not recommend it at all because it is very demanding. I believe that during second semester you need to be as focused as possible because many students say that second semester is the hardest of the seven semesters. I hope that helps with the working question. If you have any other questions, please let me know.

Hello Everyone, Sorry for the late reply, well for orientation you must be dressed in business attire. You should expect to stay for the whole time and most importantly you must be on time. You will hear a lot of speeches from students, you will get to meet some of your faculty and you will also get a tour of where your classes will be located. You will get about an hour for lunch. You may play some games that will help you get to know your classmates. I do not want to give too much away. During my first semester, I had Fridays off. We had Advanced Anatomy and Physiology which will be your toughest course. Study hard for it because many people did fail that course. I had it M,T,Th 1pm-3pm. We had math for nurses which was one day a week. This course is easy as long as you do it the way that they teach you, trust me they simplify it the best way that they possibly can. This class was on W 1pm-3pm. I had Intro to Baccalaureate nursing for the first part of the semester M and W 8:45am-11:50am (I do not remember exactly the time that this class ended). We also had another course which gave us the history of nursing and that class was during the second semester in place of Intro to Baccalaureate nursing. First semester is kind of a slower step into the program, but do not take it lightly because you want to keep your GPA up. Second semester is known to be the hardest, because you have four classes where three of them require lots of reading (Intro to Foundations, Health Assessment and Pathophysiology). I believe that for the second semester, may sure that you read ahead at all times. I hope that this helps. If you have any other questions please ask me. ArinaFL

I am a current nova student. I got into the program for the fall 2014 semester. I want to wish all of you good luck. If anyone has any questions or concerns please contact me.

My nursing school is 75%. For the exams you must get a 75% average. My school goes by a point system to calculate the grades. 225 out of 300 points is what many people pray to get so that they can pass the class.

Hello Mary. I am sorry that you are feeling this way. Nursing school is difficult and at times I know that my morals were down. One way I combatted this was by focusing on positive thoughts and I kept reminding myself of why I was in nursing school. I also made a short term vision board with my three year goals. One of those goals is to graduate in December 2016. Looking at my vision board has helped me to stay focused even more.

Hello Everyone, I am a nursing student here in Florida and I have been in search for a nursing mentor. I love the nursing profession and would love to have someone with experience give me some insight into the field since there is so many routes that I can take once I graduate next year in December 2016. I also think that it would be great for those that are RN's to possibly mentor some of us students throughout our days in nursing school and into our first job. I believe that a mentor program would bring us nurses closer, provide inside tips to nursing students and be great for networking. If anyone is interested please contact me. Thank You.

I believe that you should give nursing another shot. It will not be easy but you do know what to expect. The accelerated program is tough and that is why I did not apply to one. Try another program at a slower rate where you will not fall behind as easy. Relax and breathe and do not give up on your dreams.

I just started nursing school in August and I already noticed that I am opening up to new people much faster. I am also not nervous to give presentations like I used to be.

Hey ladies, This post is geared toward the women that are student nurses. I am about to start my nursing program and I do not want to carry two bags around. So, I am still deciding between a book bag and a shoulder bag. My question is what is the must have items that I should carry around with me (example: hand sanitizer, hand lotion, etc.).

Hello Everyone, I am not too sure if there is a post about this already but I am about to enter my first semester in Nursing School, and I know school is so expensive. I thought that we could start a post about books to buy/rent or alternate options. One of my favorite places to get my books in from Amazon. I was wondering if there are other great sites that is out there for us students.

I also start nursing school on the 25th. I have my booklist and no syllabus yet. I like buying my books off Amazon because I save so much money. I just did a search on my books for the first semester on Amazon and it totals to about $200 max. That is good for a 12 credit semester. Also, look into renting your books and older editions. Many times you will be able to find the older editions online and especially between the 12th and 13th edition, the difference is so minor that you will get more out of your money on the 12th edition. I am waiting a little longer to buy my book because I hope to receive my syllabus before the semester starts that way I only get the books that I absolutely need. When it comes to the access codes, I will check the website and see if they sell them because there are a lot of students who buy used books.

Great pointers everyone. I thought that the schools gave out planners as a welcome.

I have been trying to buy some school supplies now and I just needed some advice. What really happens during orientation? Does the school provide us with some supplies like a planner, pens, etc.? What has anyone's experience with orientation been? I will be attending Nova Southeastern University in the fall but will like to know information from any school.