Questions regarding Maricopa CC's Nursing program

Multicollinearity, BSN, RN · Nov 18, 2006

I was admitted under the lottery plan. I turned in a poorly photocopied slip of paper that had just a few lines on it. Name, address, and program of interest (all health related professions used the same form). Nothing for experience, job history,...anything like that.

FYI it's still a poorly photocopied slip of paper. The first time I saw the application I was a bit surprised. The advisor handed me this grainy off-center zerox application, and I was like, you've got to be kidding. The application for a program that will change my life - the application that would educate me to be in a position to save lives (or seriously harm vulnerable patients!) is this piece of paper? A few basic questions on a grainy off kilter paper?

mattsmom64 · Nov 18, 2006

Overly lax admission criteria may have something to do with a high failure rate. So may the way the nursing program is structured. With more and more students needing to work while attending school, and not enough programs which are offerred on a part time basis, students may find themselves chancing it with the traditional programs and sinking themselves when they can't handle it all.
The BIGGEST gripe I have with MCCCD is the structure of their program. Once you're waitlisted, you've little or nothing left to take for courses. So you twiddle your thumbs and forget all you've learned.
Once you get in, it's full steam ahead, rigourous workload. Now granted, I don't expect nursing school to be a breeze. Hardly. But I think they could lighten the load by offerring Nutrition, Pharm, Patho as corequisites eligible for enrollment while waitlisted or summers once you're in the program. Other CC's in Arizona offer those up in full or part as coreqs. I wonder if they see the failure rates that MCCCD does?

I was in your position last year and I totally understand your frustration. Now, after being in the program I understand why they revamped the program and rolled patho into the program. I am part of the old program and took Patho while waiting to get in. I find myself sitting in patho this semester so I can review it. I am in block 2 and the way it is set up is that we have patho, pharm and process. The patho is about the disease process, pharm is about the drugs used to treat the disease process and nursing process is how we treat the patient with the disease process. The instuctors coordinated the classes so that when we are covering neuro in patho, we are also covering it in pharm and process as well. This has worked out really well because we are getting info from 3 different perspectives. If we had taken patho and pharm beforehand we would just have to review what we already did.

I talked with my instructor from Block 1 who is now teaching the new program. She feels that this new program is really beneficial for the students. They use a standardized testing program to track how well the sudents are doing (not part of the regular grading process) and the students under the new program are testing very high which is indicative of well they will perform on NCLEX.

If I remember corretcly, Nutrition is no longer part of the program. However,if you are planning on getting your BSN you will need Nutrtion and Patho so you can take thosewhile you are waiting to get into the program. I took Algebra

and a couple of other BSN requirements while I waited. Also, Psych is no longer a prereq but a coreq so that can be taken while you are sitting out.......

Hang in there.....you'll get in before you know it... Between finishing up my prereqs and waiting to get in it's been about 3 years and now I'm almost halfway through the program. It has taken longer than I thought it would (I promised my husband it would take 2 years tops lol!) but I am glad I did it this way. I think that I am retaining more information this way. I'm also able to extern which has benn VERY helpful!

AZmom · Nov 19, 2006

I never thought there might be cross-over. Good to know.

Multicollinearity, BSN, RN · Dec 12, 2006

In a couple weeks I'll be officially accepted at Pima - to start in 2009 or 2010.

I think I'm starting to change my philosophy about community college admissions. Here I sit, in finals week, working my butt off to keep my 4.0 while taking a full class load and working. I look around at my classmates. Many of them just don't care too very much. Just take that final exam and if the grade is a 'C'...OK! Why not? They'll be on the same waitlist.

The injustice here is just stunning, especially when CardiacRN says that apprx. half are not graduating at the end of two years under these current admission standards.

I'm just a bit disillusioned right now, working so hard, and for what? A BSN program I guess. I'd rather do the ADN.

cardiacRN2006, ADN, RN · Dec 12, 2006

You'll see soon enough how your dedication to your studies will pay off. Trust me. Those students who barely squeezed a low B in A&P will also be the ones who barely make it through nursing school.

But, then there are those who barely squeeze through nursing school. They will be nurses, just like you, right? So you could apply the same disillusionment towards that as well. You could say, why struggle to earn a 4.0 in NS when some barely pass? We will all be RNs.

However, when you strive for good grades in Pre-reqs, then you will stive for good grades in NS. Then you will strive throughout your career (Critical care class, CCRN, ACLS, etc...), because you are dedicated and used to setting high standards for yourself.

So....it's all good. Don't worry...

Multicollinearity, BSN, RN · Dec 12, 2006

Thanks for the encouraging words Cardiac. I was primarily referring to getting into a program. I'll always be curious and want to master the material I'm studying. It's the admissions game - that is where my frustration is.

:banghead:

cardiacRN2006, ADN, RN · Dec 12, 2006

Well bummer. Now my post looks kinda silly!

Sorry, I had to work today, and I'm always goofy as heck when I get home.

Multicollinearity, BSN, RN · Dec 12, 2006

Your post doesn't look silly. You are correct in what you said. I was just explaining what I meant. My point was also that I think I'm changing my tune about CC's, GPA's and admission competition v. my previous posts in this thread.

amarobin · Sep 17, 2008

A quick word of advice for anyone considering the Ethel Bauer or other programs besides MCC Nursing or ASU- check the Arizona State Board of Nursing website and look at the NCLEX passing rates for those schools! Since it all really boils down to passing the NCLEX you want to make sure you get the best education before you spend all that money.