lunanarya

"Tubthumping" by Chumbawamba

Every program is a little different. College Algebra was the requirement for my program. While it wasn't required for admission to the program, the class had to be taken prior to graduation from the program (meaning you could take it while doing your nursing courses.)

So much this! I started my prereqs part time way back in 2013 and passed the NCLEX PN last summer at age 35 (and will graduate my RN program in May!) The time will fly;)

I'm a second year nursing student. During my first year, our few months of clinical were all in long-term care with a handful of med-surg towards the end. During the long-term care stint, our two tasks were to shadow the CNAs and complete our assessments for our school paperwork. There was very little charting, almost no time with the nurses, and I was one of the very few students in my class that hadn't previously been a CNA prior to starting nursing school. At first, I absolutely hated it. I had a hard time with transferring, toileting, and movement with patients because it was totally different than how I'd imagined it and different from how I'd learned it in the lab. So, I can relate to the disappointment after the first day (and even the first month!) I went through a lot of the same disappointment, a lot of tears, and threw a lot of books. I told my instructors about my woes...and they put me to work every shift with multiple CNAs. Some days were great, and others really sucked, but I got through it! Looking back on it now, I wouldn't trade those first few months of awfulness and let-down for anything (except maybe the wrist sprains from throwing books - nursing books are heavy:lol2:) I learned so much from the CNAs I shadowed, and I can't speak to how much that experience has helped me in clinical and work since then.

The summer before I started my PN program, I enjoyed myself. I didn't pre-study for school, I didn't try to learn anything new and nursing related, I just spent as much time as I could hanging out with my friends and family. I had a feeling that once school started, things were going to get hectic...and boy did it ever! The only other thing that really sticks out is this: when you start your program, you're going to get a ton of books, resources, and computer modules. Just about every single one is going to have sections on how to read/review/answer nursing exam questions. Don't wait to review those! Look them over before your first exam. I'd heard stories that "nursing exam questions are like nothing you'd ever seen!" and those stories were true. I did OK on my first exam, but it was full of panic because I didn't know how to approach the questions. When I did start looking over all my resources, I was kicking myself because the questions and answers on the exams made much more sense. So, use your resources. and don't be a self-kicker (too much:))

I used the ATI study manual. I'm not familiar with the other two resources, so I can't speak to their usefulness (or uselessness:whistling:) I just finished my PN year, and my school uses the ATI resources throughout the program also. What I really like about the ATI stuff is that the practice questions and practice exams are VERY close to what you'll see on the actual exams. I have horrible test anxiety, so doing all of the practice questions really helped put me at ease when the time came to take the real deal. The study manual also contains a lot of review information for the subjects that are included on the TEAS, but don't limit yourself to just the manual if you're weak in a particular area. My weakest area was math, so I used a lot of web resources to study for the math portion in addition to the ATI study manual.

I think it depends on the class size and clinical site availability in your area. My class was a little larger this year, so to ensure each student got the required number of clinical hours needed to graduate, we had morning (6AM to 3PM) and evening (1PM to 10PM) shifts at times. We didn't get to chose our schedule but if there was an issue on a particular day, we were able to switch with another student. My town is small, with a critical access hospital and a couple of nursing homes, so for some of our specialties we had to travel to larger areas.

When I started A&P II, a very dear friend of mine told me "When you do the cat, get a skinny one...the fat ones are a pain." hah! To answer the OP, it depends on the school. When I took A&P I (which was entirely an on campus class) we had a required dissection, and those that were on the fence about it were able to speak privately with the instructor. During A&P II (which I took entirely online) we had an optional dissection (a deer heart) and if we completed it, we received some extra credit points.

In the beginning I tried to read every single chapter we were given but it was a doozy:wtf: Based on my (little bit) of experience, I think it depends on the material you're learning, the book, and the instructor. Our medsurg book is amazing and I could read it daily despite it weighing 12lbs, but our health assessment book was terrible. You'll figure out pretty quickly which instructors you'll need to go more in depth with your reading for, and which you may not have to. About ATI, my program uses it quite extensively and from what I've seen, not every program does. If your program uses it, they'll have you order the books and website access when you start the program. (You can google "ATI (insert skill here)" too if you want to sorta see how their presentations are set up...like "ATI NG tube.") The books are easy to read and compact...but they don't have an index which is a bit annoying especially when you're knee-deep into a practice exam, really need to look something up, and it turns into a 20 minute affair (and I swear, I know how to read!)

It sounds like you have a great gameplan for how and when you want to complete your courses, test, and apply for your program, so I would go for it this fall. I graduate from my PN program this summer, and am taking pharm now. I wish I would've taken it prior to starting my nursing theory classes. (Pharm is a requirement for graduation from my program- not required for admission into the program.) You'll learn bits of pharm here and there through all of your theory classes, but I think you'll be ahead of the game if you do it prior to starting nursing theory classes and clinical. Good luck:)

Same here! I was always terrible at math. I had to take some remedial math before I could take college algebra (and I'm glad I did.) I didn't sail through it, but I passed, and it was also my highest score on the TEAS. For me, watching tutorials online after class helped the most, because I could see how the formulas worked multiple times and at my own pace even after lecture was over.

Too old? No way! I turned 35 in December and finish up my PN program this summer. I was surprised by the age diversity in my class (pleasantly!) Good luck:)

Just as an update (I cannot edit my above post from a few months ago,) all of the online components of the Elsevier / Evolve website and Ebooks now work on the Chromebook (highlighting, note taking, bookmarking, SimChart, etc.) The only exception is PageBurst, which still needs a PC to run.

In our program, our instructor is our go-to. They're ultimately responsible for our actions as students; we're working under their license while at a site. We're encouraged to trust and rely on the floor nurses wherever we are working, as it helps build our communication and team work skills. As far as a day-to-day...Usually our instructor will post a patient assignment at the facility on the day before a rotation. If it's a brand new facility, we get the assignment the morning of rotation, along with a brief tour on how/where/when to find everything and access the facility's records. If it's a facility we've been to before (like right now we're doing lots of long-term care,) we're responsible for going to the facility on our own time the day before, meeting the patient, gathering data, and coming up with a diagnosis and care plan. Then the morning of the rotation, we have a pre-conference with our instructor to go over our plans, then attend report with the floor nurse working with the patient. Sometimes we have to edit our plans depending on what the nurse has going on. It can be crazy. But every one I've worked with so far has been really great. Then we get to work. Our instructor is available to answer our questions, help, and supervise certain things like patient transfers. Then we meet for a post conference to discuss any issues and go home and write our voluminous reports.

Our school also separates Fundamentals into a lecture only course, and our lab/skill/clinical rotations into a Clinical Practice course. Our instructors use a traditional grading scale where anything below a 76% is failing and has to be remediated. Fundamentals: Exams 95% + Assignments/Quizzes 5% = 100% Clinical Practice: Lab skills, math, Lab work 70% + Quizzes 5% + Lab Exams 20% + ATI practice, proctored 5% =100%

Congrats to you guys:) I started my pre-reqs at HCC (Dale Mabry & Plant City) but moved last year to a new state, and a new school (I started clinical in August.) Missing the warm weather! Good luck to you guys!

I know this topic is old, but I wanted to add an update as I currently use a Chromebook. I have an Acer C720P with the touch screen feature. I absolutely LOVE it; I've had it for a little over a year. I started clinical this week. We use Elsevier (MyEvolve, resources, SimChart, Bookshelf, and Pageburst,) Davis Plus, ATI, and thePoint (LWW, or Wolters Kluwer). We did a walk-through on each website and everything worked perfectly (ebooks, videos, slides, quizzes, interactive stuff) with the exception of a couple of Elsevier's ebook features. Elsevier's online Bookshelf and Pageburst app have features where you can make highlights and notes in your ebook. Pageburst has these too, and also has a feature that will read the text aloud to you. These features don't work with chromeOS. You'll see them on your chrome web browser, but they'll be grayed out. However, if you are on a regular PC or mac while reading your books and make notes/highlights, these will sync on your chromebook the next time you use it. Edit: I've also got the Bookshelf app on my Android phone, and the highlight/notes features do work there, and also sync to the chromebook the next time it's used. I haven't found any issues with Davis or LWW so far, but if I do, I'll make an edit! Hope this helps any new (present and future) folks like myself!

Don't sell yourself short on this math thing! Trust me! I'm 34, and start clinicals next week (yay!!) It took me about 2 years to complete my pre-requisites, as I worked full time and took classes part time. And I took not 1, not 2, but FOUR math classes. When I first went back to school for pre-reqs, I had to take a placement test as I'd been out of school for some time. I did poorly on the math portion, but did very well on the English and reading bits. I got right into College English, but had to start with Pre-Algebra (the lowest level math class offered.) College Algebra is the math requirement for my program. I never thought I was good at math, but after taking all of these course (which is all history now- I'll never have to take math again- I hope!), I realize that I'm actually rather proficient at it, but just plain don't like it. If there are other subjects that you're required to take for your pre-reqs and there's one you particularly think you would excel at, try pairing those classes together if you can. It was actually a great relief to blow through my English assignments, and be able to concentrate on math homework. The Khan Academy videos are great, and one of my instructors referred to Purple Math a lot as well; that was a very handy website. Good luck:cat: Edit: To the OP, after reading the response from the first poster (which, I have to commend them - that's quite a feat, I was faced with the same option but elected to take the classes through my college), they have a great point. A lot of colleges (and you will want to check with the one you are interested in specifically to see what their policies are) will allow you to take a placement test more than once if you do poorly in an area to give you time to review and get a better score. In the end, it's entirely up to you but a great (and possibly time and money saving) option.

I agree, 100%. I took all of my pre-requisites as a part time student taking 6-7 credits per semester, and worked full time. It took me a little over two years. (It would have taken a little less time, but I had some remedial math classes I had to take also.) During my first semester I was originally going to take 3 classes, but at the last minute I had to drop one. Initially I was pretty peeved, but once school did start and I got into my routine, I realized that I wouldn't have been able to handle 3 classes plus the job. I would pace yourself this first semester as suggested by your counselor. See how you balance out work, studying, and time at the school. If you feel like at the end of your first semester that you can handle more, then do it! You gotta take it at your own pace, not at the pace you think everyone else is going at.

Congrats:D I just got mine, and have orientation next week. Stoked!! Good luck!

Each program will have slightly different requirements. I would recommended getting in touch with / researching a couple of schools that have nursing programs that you're interested in, and confirming they will take your credits and won't make you repeat any classes. I have heard that part can be tricky if you're transferring from a private to public school, and in some other scenarios. I was in a similar situation your are, but in reverse order. After I started nursing pre-reqs, I had switched to a more pre-med driven curriculum (during which time I took essentially more general ed courses,) then switched back to nursing pre-reqs. Then, I moved to another state and transferred from a community college to a state college. Both colleges have essentially the same requirements for their nursing programs, but a slightly different order in which the pre-reqs need to be completed. Here were the differences: both had the same general ed requirements (college algebra, English comp I, etc) and sciences micro + lab, A&P I&II + labs and General Psych. For ASN/RN, neither have required electives or foreign language. However, the community college required sociology but not developmental psych, whereas the state college required developmental psych but not sociology. The community college required ALL pre-reqs be done prior to applying for the program, whereas with the state college required only general education courses to be completed and blends the rest in with the nursing program. With regards to the classes I took during my change-of-majors period (and early on during the period where I was taking remedial math to work my way up to college algebra) I also took English II, public speaking, chemistry, and a literature class. While most, if not all, of those classes aren't requirements for the ASN/RN program I'm starting this fall, they can/will apply to the BSN program at my school. So, I'd say it's definitely worth looking in to. Good luck!

That's actually exactly what happened to me:laugh: I met my fiance 10 years ago playing WoW. We became great friends way back then (both in long term relationships from the start), played a lot together, shared music, and each took long breaks from the game- including when said long-term relationships ended. We actually lost touch for about 2 years, then reconnected outside of the game about 2 years ago, and it's just been a whirlwind since then. I relocated to where he and his family are and brought school with me. As far as being leery of partners who list videogames/gaming as a hobby - it's very possible to find a partner who loves gaming and considers themselves a gamer, but whose life doesn't revolve around it (I promise!) It really just depends on what else they have going on in their lives.

Congrats!! I was just accepted into my program as well! Very similar, if not exactly the same plan and goals as you (get outta my attic:lol2:) I'm super pumped, and relaxing (and playing with my phone apps) until orientation day at the end of the month. Good luck!

Mine, not counting the semester I took off to relocate, took about 2+ years. I had to take a placement test for general education classes when I first enrolled in college, and I placed right into College English, but placed really low in math. I had to start with pre-algebra and work up from there () I also worked full time, taking 2-3 (but most of the time 2) classes each semester.

I'm not a nurse (yet!) but have worked in a combined TCM/UR department for several years now as support staff that does independent reviews for other carriers for their workers' comp claims. From our angle, it's a big cost savings mechanism. Our UR nurses are basically in/out/done with each individual request for treatment, and if there is a TCM involved also, they'll frequently work together to coordinate whatever the request for treatment is for (the UR nurse will take care of the auth for the short term, then the TCM nurse will coordinate it and follow up on the patient's care for the long term.) It's pretty interesting work. They have very defined guidelines they follow. They often work with UM/UR folks at hospitals especially in cases where the patient is being d/c or moved to to a different facility for inpatient rehab, etc.