marie813

I need to start working ASAP and HCA's StaRN residency program seems to be my only option right now. I am still waiting to hear back from 2 other hospitals that I would much rather work for. I understand that I will need to sign a contract with HCA and commit to 2 years with them, but if I were to resign during the 12 week residency will I still need to pay the $10k? During this 12 weeks, I am not considered an HCA employee, I would be considered a non-exempt, temporary HealthTrust (3rd party) employee. The only reason why I would quit is if one of my preferred hospitals gave me an offer. I know, I know I should consult a lawyer regarding contracts, but I don't really have the funds to do that. Just wondering if anyone has ever done this or knew someone who was able to do this.

Hi! I don't remember the exact requirement for the teas. It was definitely above 70%, but you can ask an admissions counselor for the exact score needed. To avoid getting sued or kicked out, I'll simply say I wouldn't recommend the Tampa campus. :)

Hello, Has anyone worked as a student nurse? Is the job role pretty much he same as a CNA/PCT or is there a nurse shadowing component to the role? Also, were you paid the same as a CNA/PCT? Thank you,

Hello, I am starting my second month of nursing classes next week and I'm very curious to know how much is retained from school. The amount of content in pharmacology alone is astounding. In your current position, what would you say is the percentage you learned in school vs on the job? Thank you

I'm so jealous of your organized schedule We haven't been given a schedule yet. We were told Tuesday or Thursday for clinicals, but it hasn't been assigned yet. At least we know where our clinical site is, so I guess that's a plus. This really lowers my enthusiasm about school, but I'm trying to stay positive.

Can't really say. I have only had class 3 times so far and each time was for less than 2 hours :/ School was closed on Thursday and Friday due to the hurricane. Have you started classes yet?

I was able to get everything in the bundle and the 1st semester's textbooks for a total of roughly $550 through Amazon and B&N. Someone in my cohort told me that they bought all of their books at the bookstore and ended up paying nearly $1200

I was able to get a list from the bookstore today for the Tampa campus. There is a bundle they are selling, which I don't plan on getting due to the fact that I would rather buy everything thru amazon for much cheaper. The bundle doesn't include semester 2, 3, and 4's textbooks, but it does include supplies you will need throughout the entire program. They didn't have the bundle to purchase yet, but someone told me it ballparks around $700-800 (yikes) Bundle: -clinical handbook for kozier & erbs fundamentals of nursing 9th ed -kozier & erbs fundamentals of nursing 10th ed -laboratory and diagnostics tests w/ nursing implications 9th ed -pearson nurse's drug guide 2017 1st ed -pearson nursing giagnosis handbook 10th ed -student workbook and resource guide for kozier & erbs fundamentals of nursing 10th ed -tabers cyclopedic medical dictionary 22nd ed -valuepack curriculum card fr keiser university 1st ed 1st semester course books: -health assessment in nursing 5th ed -rnotes; nurses clinical pocket guide 4th ed -pkg pharmacology for nurses: a pathophysiologic approach 1st ed (that may be wrong/typo) -lippincott's photo atlas of medication administration 5th ed -dosage calculations 9th ed Hope that helps! I plan on asking my instructors after my first day to see what books we actually need, since I'm paying for everything out of pocket and don't want to buy unnecessary stuff.

Oh yeah, definitely not the same. I was just wondering if releasing the schedule after classes was a normal thing or not and sounds like it's definitely not normal. Good luck with your classes!

Nursing orientation. I have been emailing my counselor for months about it now and about my daily class schedule so I can prepare and get my work schedule figured out. I was told I won't know my schedule until after I start classes, but I can ask around during orientation and see if my schedule is available yet. I'm afraid the rest of my program will be like this (unorganized and last minute). Did you get your schedule yet?

Yes, I start august 29th. Wow you already had your orientation? I feel like ours is SUPER late. We start school in 2 weeks and our orientation is tomorrow....

Hello, What campus will you be attending? I am attending the Tampa campus and I haven't even been given a schedule yet! I called my counselor and apparently we won't get our schedules until after our first day. I'm assuming we'll be given our required books list during orientation.

I'm a new nursing student starting in 3 weeks as well, so please forgive my ignorance. What is the difference between a CNA and PCT?

Thank you for your response! Hopefully I am that student that can manage both school and work. I definitely plan to work as much and as long as I can before I go to that extreme, I just wanted to see if it's a good option/idea. Those who have been telling me how hard school was for them were older individuals who hadn't been to school in years. In my case, after high school I continued school part-time for about 5 years and earned my AA. I'm familiar with school so hopefully I will be able to handle it better than others.

I am in need of some advice. I start nursing school in less than a month and I am extremely nervous about it. I have done some research about nursing school and I know it will be highly intense. So intense, I'm not sure if I will be able to work during school. I am planning to work 20 hours a week at my call center job just on the weekends, but I am thinking about not working at all and just cashing out my 401k when I leave my job (taking a full distribution) which will equal to around 10k after the 20% penalty. I understand there will be other tax penalties involved, but this is my only source of income once I'm no longer employed during nursing school. My nursing program will already put me 40k in debt, so I don't want to take out any additional loans if I don't need to. It took me about 3 years to build my 401k where it is since my current job matched up to 5%. Im only 25, so I feel like I have plenty time to rebuild it. Would cashing out my 401k be worth it? I have asked others, but they aren't aware how intense nursing school is and how much effort is involved.

Hello, Since I will be starting nursing school soon, I have been looking into working at a hospital as a monitor tech. This just requires a high school diploma, CPR certification, and Telemetry training. I have my CPR/AED, but not Telemetry training. I have searched online for Telemetry training and I see results for all different types of EKG courses (12 hour, 30 hour), but these websites don't seem credible. I assume an EKG course is what I would need to do, but I'm not sure where to sign up. Can someone refer me to a credible company? Also, can this be done online? or does the course have to be in-person? I am in Tampa, FL and I don't mind driving 50 miles one way.

I see you posted a link to SCF, so I assume you are in the Sarasota area. The Keiser campus in Sarasota is actually offering a 16-month BSN program for people who already have a non-nursing degree ( Nursing, BSN (Accelerated) - Keiser University ) I am doing the ADN program in Tampa and I WISH I could go to the Sarasota campus to do their BSN program. If that interests you, then I would advise doing some research to see if the program is accredited and talk to the advisor.

I do agree with your advice; however, Keiser is no longer for-profit ( | Miami Herald )They are actually a well respected school and currently ACEN accredited at 10 campuses ( Search ACEN Accredited Nursing Programs ) Their tuition costs are quite outrageous, but if a community college is not an option, then an expensive school just might be in your future. I have done some research and I have decided to attend Keiser myself in Tampa (starting next month, yay!). Of course I would have preferred to go to a public college to save money, but I am in the same boat as you too (earned C's in classes years ago). I have come to terms that I will be in debt for a few years, but I am young and have no children so I think I will be ok. :) Good Luck

Anyone?

Sorry to be nosey, but which campus were you accepted at?

I have just been accepted in the nursing program at Keiser University in Tampa and I'm super excited to start! It's a 16 month ADN program that starts in August. I'd like to connect with other students accepted in the program and even current/past students at Keiser Tampa. What was your experience like? Did you work during school? How did you deal with the massive debt? How was the faculty? Where were your clinicals? I have spoken to the faculty and everyone seems helpful and were able to answer my questions above, but I'd like to hear from the students prospective. Thank you!

Hello, I am currently taking an lpn course and I plan to continue with pursuing my ADN and eventually my BSN. Once I become an LPN, I would like to work for an employer who offers tuition reimbursement so i wont be in debt due to my ADN and BSN. Anyone know of any employers that I should apply to as an LPN? (Tampa Bay, 30 mile radius) Also, getting into a community college is out of the question because my GPA isnt the greatest. Community colleges won't allow me to retake the classes I got a C in from back when I was a teenager. If I could go to a community college then I would be happy to pay out of pocket, but schools like Keiser and Everest are my only options.

Hi! (a year later, lol) I image you have already decided which school you will be attending? I have decided to go the Brewster over Erwin next year, mainly because of the location and the course timeframe. Where did you end up going and how do you like it there? I hear mostly good things about both

I had my mind set on going to school to become an LPN, but I am beginning to think that I should just go ahead and attend a for profit school. Going the LPN route may be the smartest thing to do, but I really want to become an RN as soon as possible. I see that Everest University in Brandon is an accredited school, but I cant seem to find any reviews for their nursing program. Did anyone go to Everest or know of someone who went to Everest? Did they like it? would they recommend it? how much did you pay?

Hello, I plan to start an LPN program in the Tampa Bay area, which also incorporates your CNA license. Once I obtain my cna license, I plan to go to work as a CNA to gain experience before I become an LPN. Would being a CNA for over 6 months qualify me at least as experienced? What would be my starting salary as an new LPN with CNA experience? Thank you,