SherBear808

Good luck on your new job Ally1991! :) If you can, post back on your experience of orientation and the first few weeks. I think home health is the wave of the future. It is definitely less expensive to have the patient recuperate at home versus the hospital. I'm so excited for you!! Did you apply to PSA directly on their website or did you find an advertisement through career builder or indeed?

Sure..My TEAS score = 350 (89%); pre-req GPA = 3.89. UNF is definitely competitive BUT don't let that stop you from applying. What normally happens is you submit your application then the waiting game begins. You will either get an invitation to the interview, or not. Now, if you have a non-competitive GPA, I advise you to take the TEAS as many times as possible until you get at least 85% or higher...the higher the better. I took the TEAS 3 times to up my chances of getting an interview. If you get an interview invitation, be sure you practice. The interview is where it will make or break you. UNF offers a workshop for individuals who have been invited to the interview, definitely try to make it! They will give you great pointers on what to do and expect. Do you have an existing Bachelors degree? If so, you can apply for the accelerated track...which is 13 months. If not, the regular (traditional) track is for you and it takes 2 years to complete. UNF - Brooks: School of Nursing - undergraduate_programs UNF - Brooks: School of Nursing - important_dates

Hi Illuminati, I hope your move went well. As for programs near Jacksonville.... 1. University of North Florida offers an accelerated track or regular (traditional) track towards obtaining a BSN. The accelerated track is for someone who already has a Bachelor's degree non-nursing related. This is the track I graduated from. It takes 13 months to complete. The regular track is the traditional route. It's for students who do not have a previous degree and it takes 2 years to complete. You will receive a BSN at the end of both tracks. I highly recommend UNF!! The professors are great and the program will definitely give you the content you need to pass the boards (NCLEX). It's the cheapest route for a BSN compared to for-profit schools or private schools. With that being said, I will warn you that it is highly competitive to get in BUT don't give up. Be sure you score very well on the TEAS and do great in the interview; yes, there's an interview along with filling out an application. There are a few allnurses threads talking about it...look it up :) 2. Jacksonville University is another alternative. It's a private university and is expensive. I don't know too much about their program but I have heard that their program is also good. I don't know how long the program is but they do offer a BSN degree. 3. Florida State College Jacksonville (FSC) is the community college alternative. I believe their program is 2 years long but it's an ADN program. Most students planning to go to FSCJ also plan to take a RN-BSN bridge program after. I hear that they do have a good program. Those are the top three around Jacksonville. Another alternative but VERY EXPENSIVE is to check out Chamberlain College of Nursing. I did check this place out and it was pricey. They were quoting me $65,000 for their BSN program (and that is not taking their pre-reqs since I already had them). If you didn't have your pre-reqs, the program would then sky rocket to $90,000. I highly recommend the top three choice listed above before Chamberlain. I hear that their program is good but a little bit un-organized. Good luck with your choices and if you want more info about the UNF nursing process, don't hesitate to reply.

I looked into Chamberlain School of Nursing in Jacksonville, FL. I met with a counselor to discuss the classes and cost it would be to obtain a BSN. The best case scenario was that I could skip the first year because I already had all the pre-reqs done. With that being said, it would still cost me roughly $65,000 for a BSN (this was about 1 1/2 years ago). If I were to start off as a new student with no pre-reqs, it would be about $90,000 for the BSN program. I almost fell off my chair when he quoted me the price. I decided not to pursue Chamberlain and enrolled at University of North Florida. This was best decision I ever made!! Besides being less expensive (around $15K for the accelerated BSN program), it was a great program. I graduated from UNF in October with my BSN and passed the NCLEX. My advice is to look into the University near your area first. Another possibility is go to a community college and obtain a Associates RN degree then apply to a RN-BSN bridge program. I would leave the for-profit schools such as Chamberlain, Keiser, etc. as your last resort. I'm sure Chamberlain is a good school with an awesome sim lab, BUT it is super expensive! Good Luck!!

Hi ally1991, I was wondering if you decided to take the PSA job? if so, how is it going? I am a recent new grad and passed my NCLEX this week. I'm looking for a job and have applied to the Health First nurse residency program.

Hey there, here's a copy of what I posted a few minutes before on another forum: I passed the NCLEX first try with 75 questions in an hour and a half. I took the test Monday and got my results this morning I had about 20-25 SATAs, 1 drag and drop, no EKGs, a few pharm, no computations, 1 delegation and a lot of prioritization and education. I agree with CSTtoRN...UWORLD was awesome!! The NCLEX wasn't as difficult as I thought it would be. I owe it all to UWORLD! For those of you who never heard of UWORLD: It's a test bank of approximately 2000 high rated questions with lots of SATAs. IMO....UWORLD questions were more difficult than the NCLEX itself. I Also used the NCLEX Mastery APP, Lippincott's NCLEX-RN Alternate-format questions (this book had great questions but the rationales were okay) and LaCharity's Prioritization, Delegation and Assignment book (GET this book! You need to know PDAs for the NCLEX; there's no way around it) and I focused on the chapter questions and did a few case studies for a challenge . Using UWORLD has helped me with the SATAs; to the point that I was looking forward to them on the NCLEX. Search for UWORLD on allnurses for more information. Good luck to all!! I did the whole UWORLD test bank and my overall test average was 62%. I also went back and did a few of the incorrect ones. I wrote down the rationales of the content I had no idea about. With that being said, I did read and study EVERY SINGLE rationale (but I did't write all of them down, just the ones I couldn't retain very easily). As for my testing experience: The test looked almost exactly the way UWORLD looks. This calmed my anxiety and I felt like I was taking another UWORLD test. I can't stress enough how much I loved UWORLD. You are definitely on the right track. Good luck!!

I passed the NCLEX first try with 75 questions in an hour and a half. I took the test Monday and got my results this morning :) I had about 20-25 SATAs, 1 drag and drop, no EKGs, a few pharm, no computations, 1 delegation and a lot of prioritization and education. I agree with CSTtoRN...UWORLD was awesome!! The NCLEX wasn't as difficult as I thought it would be. I owe it all to UWORLD! For those of you who never heard of UWORLD: It's a test bank of approximately 2000 high rated questions with lots of SATAs. IMO....UWORLD questions were more difficult than the NCLEX itself. I Also used the NCLEX Mastery APP, Lippincott's NCLEX-RN Alternate-format questions (this book had great questions but the rationales were okay) and LaCharity's Prioritization, Delegation and Assignment book (GET this book! You need to know PDAs for the NCLEX; there's no way around it) and I focused on the chapter questions and did a few case studies for a challenge . Using UWORLD has helped me with the SATAs; to the point that I was looking forward to them on the NCLEX. Search for UWORLD on allnurses for more information. Good luck to all!!

Hi Suz113, I'm in my 3rd semester of the APL program. All I can say is be VERY flexible with your schedule. For my first semester, I had class Tuesday, Thursday and Friday; BUT I had additional orientation classes called "Take Flight" scheduled on the days we didn't have any classes. My clinical didn't start until half way through the semester and it was on Wednesdays from 6:30am until 5:30pm (depending on your clinical instructor). The first semester is extremely busy and be sure to have a nice calendar and write everything that is due as you will have tests/quizzes every week. Also, we have mandatory community hours we need to complete every semester. I did a lot of my volunteer hours during weekends. Every semester's schedule is different. If you're flexible with the changes and "roll with the punches" then you'll be less stressed. Hope this helps :)

Hi ebauburn97! I'm currently a UNF nursing student in the Accelerated program. My stats were - prereq GPA 3.86/TEAS - 355. As for retaking classes, it depends. What is your pre-req GPA? Also, what classes would you be retaking? I took my pre-reqs at UNF. If we didn't pass A&P I with a B or better, than we couldn't move on to A&P II without retaking A&P I. If you're weak in A&P, I highly recommend you retake those classes or do a refresh on the information. The nursing program will assume that you have a good understanding of the organ systems. With that being said, don't be discouraged to apply. The interview is a big part of the decision process. If your GPA/TEAS score is mediocre, be sure to do very well in the interview. I hope this helps and best of luck :)

Kirbiea: It took me two attempts to get in. The program is tough but definitely worth it! I'm currently a 2nd semester APLer and will be graduating in October. Definitely re-apply in the fall but be ready if they do call you off the waiting list. I knew one person who got called the day before Take Flight (orientation).

I'm currently a UNF nursing student in the APL program. Definitely don't give up hope! GPA counts for 15% of the overall score. The TEAS counts for 35% and the remainder 50%, is the interview. You don't need to have a 3.7 GPA or higher to apply. Just be sure to at least have the minimum GPA, score well on the TEAS and rock the interview.

Congratulations and welcome to the UNF nursing family :)

Good luck everyone! I was in your shoes last summer and I remember how nerve-racking it was. Try to relax and get a good night's sleep. Be sure to make eye contact, smile and show them that you are happy and excited to be there.

voxy989, I know it's tough to keep a positive outlook on things but you still do have a shot. It's not the end of the world if you don't get into UNF this fall. If you want to be a nurse bad enough, you'll make it happen. You got an interview slot and that is a HUGE accomplishment considering how competitive UNF is. The TEAS score is worth 35% of your overall score; that's a big chunk. If UNF is your only choice, look into how you can improve overall to be more competitive for next summer. Definitely retake the TEAS as many times as you can to get your score up. DON'T GIVE UP!!

Voxy989: I had a friend who was waitlisted during the summer and they called her about two weeks after the interview. Don't give up hope! Just be ready if they do call. If that call doesn't come, definitely reapply. I know how you feel. I was in your position this past summer. Actually, I got denied. I reapplied for Fall (I retook my TEAS and bumped my points up by 20) and got offered an accelerated spot. Good luck.