Starting School August 29th

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Just signed up with Ultimate Medical Academy of Tampa ....... starting my classes to become a Patient Care Technician on the 29th. Has anyone else used this as a stepping stone to becoming a RN? My thoughts are to do this and get my foot in the hospital door ..... and that way be able to get tuition reimburstment for when I start my pre reqs as well as when I begin nursing school. Any thoughts or advice?

Sincerely,

Lisa Champagne

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good luck.

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Thanks a bunch ..... stepping stones ..... but getting there

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I'm also curious about this school. They called me a few times b/c I signed up for one of those nursing school etc.. ads online. I told them that if I did not get accepted into any RN or LPN programs for January 2010. I'd consider them, the rep asked why I wanted to take a longer route & I could be working as a Nurse Tech and earning right away. That was a little pushy in my opinion, so I backed off.

Anyone have stories to share?

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I was just wondering if you succeded in your classes at UMC? I am interested in going for my CNA and they seem to have the most reliable program. How did they treat you? How was financial aid?

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For some reason I didn't get the notification about your reply to my post. As with any school you have to do all the necessary paperwork but I haven't had any issues with UMA. They were able to connect me with everything for financial aid and anytime I have asked for information it is promptly replied to by the correct department. My CNA teacher is great. He is very knowledgeable and quick to help my class succeed. The school has a facebook page if you wanted to connect with other students or ask any question. ( http://www.facebook.com/?ref=home#!/ultimatemedical?ref=ts )

The school has done well by me. My CNA course ends May 30th then it is off to externship. I have gotten a lot out of this educational experience and soon enough it will all be put to good use.

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I am so excited to start! I really feel like this is the beginning of a whole new experience for me! How big are your class sizes? From what I understand, most hospitals train for PCT when you work for them as a CNA, so a lot of nurses have told me to just focus on the CNA for now, and the rest will all fall into place. Have you done any clinicals yet? How are they? Thank you so much for the information!

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If you take the CNA course alone then you end up having to pay for the class out of pocket but if you do the PCT course financial aid covers it. Plus the starting salary for PCT is considerably higher than a CNA. Because at UMA as a PCT you are able to be certified as a Medical Assistant, Phlebotomist, EKG tech, CNA, and PCT. :nurse:

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Wow, ok that makes the only decision I needed to make clear....I will go for my PCT and do it on the weekends. I think I saw you say in another discussion that it is 9 months when you do it n the weekends? What hours are your classes? I am going to see the school on Tuesday and I'm so excited!

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Woul you know how much more is this class compared to the CNA class?

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