cabrini89

I'm 45 y/o but new to nursing. New, like, my 4th day on the job in the ED with so, so very much to learn. I live in Baton Rouge, less than a mile from the police shootings today. Our hospital, like the others in town, was on "lock-down" with heightened security-a stressful situation, compounded with concerns about my family's safety while I was away at work. I was extraordinarily touched by a patient this afternoon who was frustrated by the likelihood of having to postpone some work travel due to medical issues that led to the ED visit. Despite this complication and the associated discomfort, the patient noticed a sheriff deputy (wearing a heavy kevlar vest) in the hallway and asked that I get the officer's attention. The patient, uncomfortable and ill, called to the deputy and went out of the way to thank the officer for his service as well as to offer condolences for the events of the day and hope for a better tomorrow. The two were of different races, and seeing this offer of support across the racial divide brought me the glimmer of hope for a brighter tomorrow. Not really looking for comments or support, but glad to have a safe place here to share my experiences as a new nurse.

I'm just finishing up my second semester (actually, I've got two finals left). I enjoy the program, but it is very challenging. The first semester, your only nursing course is Fundamentals. It covers a lot of basic, practical information and skills. More importantly, though, it teaches you to think critically and apply your knowledge to various situations; a big goal of the course is to teach you to start thinking like a nurse. This semester, I've taken Adult Nursing I (Med-surg) and Mental Health Nursing (and Microbiology, but that's outside of the nursing program). The volume of material is significantly greater than that covered in the first semester, and keeping up with the it is time-consuming. The best advice I can give is to take the program seriously and do not procrastinate when it comes to reading and studying. Best wishes to you guys while you wait for your letters!

Sure--I had a 95.5 on the HESI, and I had an A in the one prereq that I took at BRCC (A&P I). My other prereqs were from many years ago at LSU, and I'm not 100% what the grades were. The bookstore book helped a lot with regard to the math problems (that was my best section). It helped me have an idea of what to expect on the reading and vocabulary sections, but I don't know how much it improved my score on those sections. Best wishes to you!

In the past, the deadline was march 2.

Hi-You are allowed to use a calculator for the math portion of the test. It's on the computer screen, so you don't need to bring your own. As far as study materials, I mostly studied the book from the bookstore, too. I did also buy an app by EducationApps so I could review when I was out and about. I scored fine after using these materials, and I started in the program in fall of 2014. Good luck!

Wow--Did you get pointed to a box when you asked for the Fundamental materials at the BRCC bookstore? They said it can't be returned if it's been opened, so I'm scared to open it.