icuRN167

Both hospitals are great. I'm working at TMH and love it. Most people decide to take a nurse extern position at TMH after their first or second semester in school and it can definitely help you make connections on that floor if you want to work there. Best advice I can give is be prepared. I would say that I'm pretty book smart so the exams were not usually a factor in bringing my grades down (still had to study.) A lot of people struggle, though, and it was not uncommon for people to have to repeat a semester because of exam grades. Quizzes were also very important and could make or break you in the end, so always study up on material before class, even if a quiz was not announced. These instructors believe very much in that tough love approach, so they will not coddle you. They will help you but not spoon feed you at all, the pace is very fast... even in fundamentals. I totally understand why now though, and how their feedback helped me in the end. The entire community recognizes TCC nurses and it is well known that some of the best nurses come from our school. I think the reason is because the program is so hard, the people who are not really that dedicated can't stick with it. I think they have you guys doing simulation a little earlier than we did, and that was the hardest for me. It is very stressful having someone behind a glass mirror watching every mistake you make. It helps you in the end and really forces you to prepare well for the sim scenarios because of anxiety lol. You'll all do great, just stay on top of everything. You won't ever know your schedule until the first day of class but I think it works out to where you have class 3 hours monday, 3 hours tuesday then a 7 hour lab on wednesday and clinical days are thursday and fridays. GO TO OPEN LAB. A LOT. Practice skills as much as you can and get feedback from the open lab ladies (they're great.)

Thanks!! Keeping my fingers crossed for all of you! Shouldn't be too much longer :)

No problem! Yep took it a few weeks ago and passed. The school has an excellent pass rate and you will most likely not have a problem finding a job at all if you're planning on staying in town for a couple years after graduation.

Hang in there, guys! I just graduated from the program and I do remember what it felt like to wait for that email. I got my email on June 14th, which was a Friday. So hopefully maybe tomorrow you all will hear something. Anyone who gets accepted and wants a little more info on what to expect, message me or reply with your email address and I'll think of some stuff. I'm new on here so I may not be able to send any PMs yet, but I think I can still receive them?

Mine were in the 60-70% range as well and I passed with 75 questions. You guys can do it! I honestly thought sometimes the Kaplan questions were harder than the actual test questions, too.... Way more detailed and specific. My strategy in the exam was to stay as calm as possible and to make sure each answer chosen was ultimately safe for the patient. If I just flat out didn't know the answer, I took an educated guess and moved on... Agonizing over the question for ten minutes didn't help me answer it plus it made me lose momentum and confidence. Good luck!! :)