There is a discussion group that has seemed to lump both main campus and Cañada students together--why not start our own? Our program uses different texts (we'll have to buy them through the Cañada bookstore), costs more, and has a strong preference towards Cañada/CSM/Skyline students and Sequoia hospital volunteers...so we might know each other already!
I was absolutely ecstatic when I got my acceptance letter on 3/25. On Monday, 3/28, I went straight down to Cañada to turn in my form...only to realize they are all away on Spring break. First lesson learned...the program follows SFSU's academic calendar, not Cañada's. Following that logic, we start school on Tuesday, 8/23/11!!!!
Specializes in nurse anesthesia 6-10 yrs from now.
Hi NorCalRN2011, I was wondering what sort of preparation is available during the program for someone who wants to work in the ICU?
I'm starting the prog in Aug and would love any general advice you have for academic and clinical success for someone who's just starting out. Thanks for offering to help us newbies :)
Hello NorCalRN2011... I'm interested in the nursing program at Canada. Can you tell me if it's been difficult for recent graduates to get jobs? Would you recommend the program?
Hi niceenough,
The nursing program at SFSU/Canada is great in my opinion. It has been difficult for most new grads in the Bay Area to get jobs in the last couple of years. In fact, it is difficult to get a job as a new grad many places in the country. However, it is not impossible. It depends if you are willing to relocate if you cannot find anything in the Bay Area. I am sure that by the time you graduate, things will be a lot better. Things have already started to get a little better each year since 2008 (2008 and 2009 were some of the worst years for new grad RNs). Many of the nurses that were planning on retiring a couple years ago did not retire because of the economy. Those nurses are going to have to retire eventually. Also, many part time or on-call nurses switched over to full time a couple years. What you have to remember though is that is has been difficult for new grads in ANY field to get jobs! This does not just affect the nursing field. If you really want to be a nurse, I'd say go for it!!! There is going to be a HUGE nursing shortage so you will definitely have a job!! Good luck!
Hi NorCalRN2011, I was wondering what sort of preparation is available during the program for someone who wants to work in the ICU?
I'm starting the prog in Aug and would love any general advice you have for academic and clinical success for someone who's just starting out. Thanks for offering to help us newbies :)
The nursing program helps to prepare you to work in a variety of settings/units. We do a rotation in Med/Surg, Cardiac, Peds, Maternity, Public Health, Psych, and then we have our senior preceptorship (which is like an internship in a particular unit). During our second semester of nursing school we get to spend one day on the ICU and one day in the OR. For your preceptorship in your final semester, you can request to be in the ICU if you'd like but you won't necessarily get your first choice unit. I just completed my preceptoship on the cardiac unit:redbeathe.
To help prepare you for the ICU, I would definitely recommend knowing your drugs and pathophysiology really well! Of course you need to know that for other units, but especially in the ICU because it is constant critical thinking.
In terms of tips on how to succeed in the program...The program is hard but definitely not too hard. Trust me, it is totally do-able but you have to be dedicated. Just make sure to dedicate enough time to studying for the tests. The tests aren't super hard but if you don't give yourself enough time to review everything, it can be hard. I procrastinated a lot and still ended up with As and Bs, but if you are going to procrastinate, make sure you study REALLY hard the night before. Okay I am probably a bad example :) If you were able to get through micro, anat, phys, chem, etc, then you should be okay in the nursing program!
Lastly, make sure you study for the metrology (medication dosage calculation) tests. Know your IV calculations, conversions, and basic drug calculations. You will have to take one of these tests at the beginning of each semester. They can be scary but we all got through them and passed, as you will too. My advice would be to go through the entire book and do a bunch of practice problems until it becomes easy.
Let me know if you have any other questions! Good luck!
Specializes in nurse anesthesia 6-10 yrs from now.
Wow u r awesome! Thank you for the amazing advice. I was starting to get really scared about the difficulty level of the courses and exams--I tend to freak out early on lol. Your comments are really reassuring. You guys who have finished and are on your way to career in nursing are truly inspiring. Good luck in your interviews. We'll be crossing our fingers for you :)
One last question:do you know how the immunization screening works? I was told we can't register if we don't submit paperwork but the University says that my MMR and Hep B are completed online. Is there additional screening the program will have us do like titers and stuff? Thank you!
Sorry I've been MIA...for some reason I stopped getting email alerts for this posting.
Candice: The SFSU/Sequoia counselor emailed me specifics on titers/TB tests, etc. I'll forward it on to you.
NorCal: Would you mind telling us the titles/authors of your books from the first year? I realize they might change for our cohort...but I already have a few texts and I'm hoping they will coincide. Thank you so much for taking time out of your busy schedule to "talk" to us!!!!
Ive come across your thread and i am interested in taking the courses you took. i was wondering how much did you pay for each class?and how was the drug calculation class?I am not so good in math and I think this would really help me.
The med dosage class was cheap...I think it's 1 unit and College of San Mateo is currently $26/unit. There is a small booklet (syllabus) for the class that is about $6-7. If you take the section offered on the weekend, you won't have to pay for parking, either. If you take anything, take this class!!!! It's only two days long and I learned so much and feel so much more confident about my math skills.
The pathophysiology class at UCLA extension (online) was over $500, and the text was around $100. The class was not worth the cost...you would be better off buying an older copy of a patho book and looking at it on your own.
Pharmacology was through Barstow Community College (online). It was 3 units in 8 weeks. It was around $80 in tuition and the texts, naturally, cost more than that.
In any case, all three of these classes are cheaper than what we will be paying at SFSU--$300/unit.
Specializes in nurse anesthesia 6-10 yrs from now.
Sorry I've been MIA...for some reason I stopped getting email alerts for this posting.
Candice: The SFSU/Sequoia counselor emailed me specifics on titers/TB tests, etc. I'll forward it on to you.
NorCal: Would you mind telling us the titles/authors of your books from the first year? I realize they might change for our cohort...but I already have a few texts and I'm hoping they will coincide. Thank you so much for taking time out of your busy schedule to "talk" to us!!!!
Thanks, CharmantUn. I'm a little confused about the health screening and what needs to be done. I really don't want to miss any deadlines. Looking forward to your email :)
Sorry I've been MIA...for some reason I stopped getting email alerts for this posting.
Candice: The SFSU/Sequoia counselor emailed me specifics on titers/TB tests, etc. I'll forward it on to you.
NorCal: Would you mind telling us the titles/authors of your books from the first year? I realize they might change for our cohort...but I already have a few texts and I'm hoping they will coincide. Thank you so much for taking time out of your busy schedule to "talk" to us!!!!
Most of the books for your first 2 semesters:
-Pharmacology for Nursing Care by Richard Lehne, 7th edition
-Physical Examination and Health Assessment by Jarvis, 5th edition
-Nursing Care Plans by Gulanick/Myers, 6th edition
-Nursing Interventions and Clinical Skills by Elkin/Perry/Potter, 4th edition
Candicen83
35 Posts
Hi NorCalRN2011, I was wondering what sort of preparation is available during the program for someone who wants to work in the ICU?
I'm starting the prog in Aug and would love any general advice you have for academic and clinical success for someone who's just starting out. Thanks for offering to help us newbies :)