Sacramento Pre-Nursing student

val0000 · Feb 27, 2006

Hi Remee - This is a GREAT support group!! I check in almost every single day. I am taking micro right now and it is hard, but at least it's interesting (if that helps you get through it any easier :)). Congratulations on starting your clinicals in August! That's great! I'm from Dublin, CA, so I'm kind of close to you!

karmyk · Feb 28, 2006

Hi, Kaiserstudent! What Sutter program are you doing? My cousin's in a nursing program in Sac.

Kaiserstudent · Feb 28, 2006

Its called the Sutter Center for Health Professions. Its funded through Sutter hospitals. We are a branch off of Sac City College's program. (our group was more of an "experiment" ) Once you were accepted, they paid for all our prereqs., which we took at our nursing facility, and we don't have a lottery system for getting into clinical, you make the grade, your in. However they lost a lot of money that way... alot of people goofed off :angryfire and failed out of the program. Now they are going back to waiting lists and GPAs, for clinical, for the next group coming. I'm SO blessed to have gotten in when I did.

Is that the one your cousin is in?

karmyk · Feb 28, 2006

Yup! She started last fall, and I believe she just started the Labor & Delivery rotation. =)

Congratulations and good luck!!! It's a very intense course (she's constantly studying), but I'm sure you've already heard it all already.

I think what I heard is that people haven't necessarily been goofing off... just that since the acceptance requirements originally weren't so tough, and that people were going into a program that was extremely intense, not realizing what they were getting into (nursing already is a tough major, and Sutter's program is an Accellerated version of it)... but I'm sure there were people goofing off, too...

If it makes you feel any better, I know a nurse who works with many of the nursing students from various programs in the area, and she said that out of all of them (from MSN to LVN), the ones coming into clinicals from the SCC nursing program are the most clinically prepared (but all programs produce great nurses). So I'm sure you'll do well! =)

Kaiserstudent · Feb 28, 2006

Your right, a lot of people just didn't know what they were getting into. I've seen a lot of people I know personally, just not be able to keep up...so I really shouldnt have said that...but on the other hand...i've seen people just not take it very seriously also, and that upsets me because I know that there are SO many other people out there that would give their left arm for the opportunity.

I heard 2nd semester is alot of fun though

Nurse Q · Feb 28, 2006

The program that you are in sounds very interesting. Do you do your clinicals as Sutter General, Memorial or Roseville? I use to work at General about 5 years ago. Sutter is a good system. I am glad to see that they are doing something like this. I agree with the other poster that SCC puts out some of the best grads. I received my LPN many many years ago from SCC. My RN I received up here in Oregon. SCC program was more intense. What other info can you give me about the program? Good Luck to you, it will be worth it.

karmyk · Feb 28, 2006

It's a fairly popular accelerated (18 month) ADN program in the area, funded and supported by Sutter. The website is here:

http://www.scc.losrios.edu/nursing/extendedcampus.html

Compared to other programs, this one is fairly inexpensive, since Sutter foots most of the bill for the students:

Sutter Health has offered a generous grant to pay for the teaching facilities and for the enrollment fees for each student. Students are still responsible for all other costs, including books, supplies, uniforms, and malpractice insurance. Start up costs for the Nursing Program are approximately $1,200, and include uniforms, malpractice insurance, and necessary equipment such as a stethoscope. Upon completion of the program, students will need to pay examination and licensure fees of approximately $400. Other costs may apply as well.

Originally, you had to finish all of the prerequesites before applying for the program, but I guess it changed... The prereqs, according to the website, are:

Minimum combined GPA of 3.0 in the following courses
Microbiology (Bio 440, formerly Bio 6)
Anatomy and Physiology (Bio 430, formerly Bio 25)
Anatomy and Physiology (Bio 431, formerly Bio 26)
[*]Minimum combined GPA of 3.0 in the following classes:
Nutrition (FCS 340, formerly FCS 10)
Human Development (FCS 324, formerly FCS 38)
General Principles (Psychology 300, formerly Psychology 1)
College Composition (English 300, formerly English 1A)

In general, it's a great program... the clinicals are all over the place, which means that some students will have to go to the Roseville hospital (my cousin is one of them.. and she lives in the South Sac area, bordering Elk Grove)... but generally worthwhile. =)