OLOL accelerated nursing program EJGH

Or if you don't have a Bachelor's, give Delgado or another institution a try. I'd have to vote thumbs down for this school. Thank goodness we only have 10 1/12 more weeks until we graduate.

...I'm sort of terrified now from some of the posts about OLOL's accelerated program being unorganized, and I am hoping to start the accelerated program at EJGH in the fall!!!

To those of you in the accelerated program now at EJGH, are the books that you all use the same as the ones used at the Baton rouge and New Orleans accelerated programs? I checked OLOL's textbook listing for the pharmacology books, but i really don't see them anywhere. If you can give me the ISBN, that would be great!

Also, what are some great and reasonably priced apartments around EJGH? I have to move!

Thanks, everyone!

I don't know anything about the nearby apartments. I know there are some because I drive by a few of them but I don't know anything about them.

Some of the books we've used are the same but not all of them. For pharmacology we used "Clinical Drug Therapy: Rationales for Nursing Practice, 9th edition" by Abrams, et al., published by Lippincott, (I also bought the accompanying workbook, which I found very helpful). However, there is no guarantee that they will use that same book for your class. I bought most of my books on Amazon.com and got better prices than through OLOL itself. It's tempting to buy used books but if you do that you will not get to use the access numbers for the publishers' websites and I've found those sites helpful for test preparation. You also may not get the CD if you buy used (that's iif the book has a CD -- not all do) and I really use the one that came with our Med-Surg book.

Quite a number of people who started the program with me have flunked out and not because they were dumb. Some have resumed it with the cohort behind them but some haven't (there's no guarantees they will let you do this). Also, they grade on a 6 point scale so 94 and above is an A, 87 and above is a B, and 80 and above is a C. You must get an 80 as your final grade to pass a class, plus you must pass the clinicals for that class, and pass the ATI test (if there is one) at level 2 or above. And sometimes the information needed to answer correctly for ATI is different from the information needed to answer the instructor's test. No one told me when I was applying or at orientation that I would have to learn it one way for class tests and learn it a different way for the ATI test, all in a very condensed time frame.

Sorry to scare you but if there's time, rethink your decision and see if it's possible to go to a different school, even if it means putting off school for a year. I heard the OLOL accelerated program was really good at one time. I don't know what happened but it clearly isn't anymore. Seriously -- try to figure out how to go to a different school. Nursing school is hard enough, particularly at an accelerated pace, without the additional problems and stressors of a badly managed program.

nola dancer, would you agree that the Tulane campus has similiar issues?

Hi, I'm new to allnurses.com. I got accepted to the OLOL program in BR for Fall 2010, but I live in Lafayette, an hour away. How did you guys pay rent for apartments?!! I'm so lost on that! And I'll be receiving no assistance from my parents. How can I afford rent with no time to work? All the posts here have been extremely helpful; thank you all. Also, is WIA based on your FaFSA EFC?? Thanks.

Hmm.. Is commuting out of the question? Some in my program did. Depending on your time mgmt skills, working may be an option. Just prepare to have no life.

WIA is based on income and the program I believe. It's to "retrain" for 2nd career. It really helps to have a support network before embarking on this program. I was fortunate to have my parents behind me financially, but I still do work and attend school. If at all possible, consider attending a school where you're not stressed out prior to starting. The stress is not going away and you need to be at the top of your game for most of the program to come out successful. Good luck.

Noladancer, why the change of heart?? You were so happy go lucky before. Just think you are almost done!!! I start Tulane in July. I just want to pass and get through it. I'm expecting the worst hell of my life. Hopefully having this mindset going in, might be beneficial. I met a guy the other night who is graduating from the EJ class in July. He didn't have to many kind things to say, but I've never known anyone to enjoy nursing school.

It's not about enjoying nursing school, it's about getting a very expensive, often inadequate education while dealing on a daily basis with an incompetently run program. There is so much to learn in so short of time, there is no room for disorganization without the student suffering and disorganization is rampant. Yes, I'm almost done and since you all are asking, I'm telling you "buyer beware." If you chose to go to this program, you can't say you weren't warned. I wish I had been. I'm still enthused about nursing and have plans for furthering my nursing education but it's safe to say OLOL College is not part of those plans. As for the Tulane program, it has the same problems because it has the same instructors and the same administrators.

I've heard more bad than good things on the program, but the main thing I hear is that people are graduating and passing NCLEX and are becoming nurses. I am doing it because it is 10 months, I can't afford to be unemployed longer than this. Any helpful hints for me, beside run? Maybe the teaching and testing habits of any of the instructors? I appreciate your honesty Noladancer. I guess i'll let everyone know how I feel next year when i'm finishing up too.

Run, study your notes (every day and you'll make A's), Read text along with the notes, and be prepared for ambiguity! Start reading Pharm now if you can. That class is rough and very fast-paced. The pace slows after Pharm but don't get too comfortable.

NCLEX books help, but if you have too many different information sources, you'll end up losing focus on what they want you to know.

The teachers rely heavily on textbooks for rationales to test question answers. Some teachers help out ; others throw you to the wolves. Try not to get involved in classroom politics with other students. It's very distracting and you end up with a big bullseye on your back. You have 10 mos on lockdown in the classroom with many different personalities. Clinicals can be a lot of fun or your wost nightmare - all depends on who you get as a teacher. Just try to stay positive ; stay humble, and study. Getting into altercations with other students and teachers is not worth the trouble and tends to be very unproductive. If you have a gripe, find a faculty member you feel you can trust and advocate (quietly!) for yourself and your fellow students. It's been my experience that the dean of the college, as well as many of the teachers, want you to be a safe and knowledgeable nurse. There are organizational issues, but the program is fairly new and they are working out the kinks. They really do try to acknowledge the concerns of the students who approach them with the right attitude - at least that has been my experience. Would I do it again? I really, really, don't know.

lol, was that run from the program or run for excercise? I actually do run, so I'm hoping that's what you meant. That is how I keep my stress levels low. Thanks for the advice Kitti. May I ask your age, kids,ect?

Run in both senses. You're gonna need all the endorphins you can get, although you may find yourself totally mentally, emotionally, and physically exhausted on days.

I'm 29 - 2 kids at home ages 7y & 18 mos. 2 step kids who occasionally come on weekends. I work throughout the program - sometimes as many as 50 hours a week during holiday weeks and many nights. I am blessed to have a great job and even better support network at home. If I can get through this, so can you. The key is time management and trying to have a positive outlook, which is a challenge.

Take advantage of your resources & if people want to help you, by all means, let them.