Hello everyone! I have submitted my application for TCU's Accelerated BSN program. I am getting ready to take the HESI A2 next week and my file will be 100% complete. I have been checking allnurses.com frequently to see if there are any other TCU 2012 hopefuls, but haven't come across anyone yet! Are you out there?? If so, lets start talking!! :)
A little about me...I have been working as a medical sales representative for close to 10 years. I have worked in pharma, device, disposables, biotech, services, and specialty pharmacy. Throughout the years, my love for the medical industry has only increased until one day I decided to take the plunge and start my pre-requisites. Now with them completed, I am looking into TCU (first choice), El Centro (2nd choice, only have one additional pre-req to take) and UTA (still have 6, yes, 6 pre-requisites to take and doubtful I will be able to apply by for the Fall 2012 start class, perhaps the spring 2013). I live in Lantana (outside of Flower Mound) so I will be commuting each day to the school I get accepted to (fingers crossed).
Thanks for the info Sophie2012. Has anyone else heard about the Saturday clinical schedules? I cannot be available from 6 am - 4 pm on Saturdays because I would not have anyone to watch my daughter. I was under the impression this was a Monday through Friday program. I hope it works out. I cannot wait to hear about the book taraewell. Thank you for being proactive and letting us all know as well!
Sophie - Is the program manageable while raising two school aged children and a husband that travels? Can you pick the hospital day or is it on the weekends? Everyone I talked to freaks when I tell them what it costs and they look at me like I lost my marbles. I usually hear - do you get paid more than a TCC grad then why kill yourself and take your time. This is my dream but in 8 years I will be putting one of my children through college so it would be nice to not have any loans. I also wanted to know if you chose TCU for the graduate programs in nursing. Thanks for your time and information.
My background is pharma sales and was laid off awhile ago and feel like this would be a great fit for me.
My main concern is faster better but worth the price?
I have been out of the loop for a bit but I wanted to say CONGRATS to all of this who have gotten in. Curious if anyone has gotten a rejection letter yet??
Yes, it is manageable. I have a child and husband travels as well and I find that I can manage the program. You will be paid more than a TCC graduate because they are RN's whereas you will be a RN, BSN. (Plus, most of the hospitals are moving to require their RN's to become BSN's). I chose TCU because I have worked in the FTW area hospital system and I know it will pay off to be a TCU graduate. Most of nursing administration (AVP, VP, CEOs, etc) in this area graduated from TCU and tend to hire/promote those who attended their alma mater. Plus, they are fully aware of this ABT program and have high respect for its graduates.
I don't want to scare anyone about a Saturday clinical - it is rare to have it happen, if at all. This semester is the first time that any of us have had to go in on a Saturday. And to whomever asked, you do not get to pick your clinical day because you will be assigned in a group that you will be in until you graduate, BUT if you know you will have a particular issue with a certain day of the week then let them know ASAP so they can possibly make arrangements by moving you to another clinical group. For example, we have an EMT that works on Sundays so he could not go in to pick a patient and do clinical paperwork before a Monday clinical rotation day, so he was moved to another group this semester because of his work schedule.
For those interested in the Fundamentals of Nursing book, here are the details but please make sure they are using this book again. I do not think a new edition will make a difference, so you may find it cheap on Amazon. Buy the workbook too if it's available!
Fundamentals of Nursing
Patricia Potter and Anne Griffin Perry (Potter & Perry)
To any current or previous students of the program: Where were most of you clinicals? Is your clinical location based on where you live or does it just depend on the type of clinical that you are doing at the time? thanks in advance!
It makes no difference where you live, and they do not take that into consideration normally. As a total group we have been to JPS, Harris downtown, Northeast Hosp and Baylor FTW for adult rotation. For psych rotation some of us went to Harris HEB or JPS. For maternity Harris SW or downtown Baylor and for pedi Cook Children's and Dallas Children's. It all depends on which group you are in and to which clinical instructor you are assigned and where they have privileges to teach.
Trust me when I tell you that we have people from North Dallas in our program who have never set foot in a Dallas hospital. It is doable, but you will be exhausted when you are taking classes, reading, studying, turning in homework, going to pick a patient the day before clinical and then going home to fill out pages of pre-clinical paperwork and then get up early to be at the hospital before nurse shift change and for pre-clinical conference, work your shift and then have post clinical conference, and then go home to do your post-clinical day paperwork - oh and somewhere in there sleep and study for exams :). Many have come before us and graduated and you all will be behind us, but I can assure you no one has voluntarily dropped out of the program. It is doable, but that is why we jokingly tell everyone to get their sleep now, enjoy every hobby you like now, hug your sig others now because you will be MIA for 15 months at least.
And yes, odds are you will cry when alone and/or ask yourself if you made a mistake at least a dozen times over this coming summer and fall, but as each exam passes and each clinical gets easier you will realize that you can not only survive it but succeed.
Thank you so very much for your thoughtful and quick responses Sophie2012! You and Shiner have helped me (and others I'm sure) understand this program more. The information about the book will be priceless. Thank you for being so willing to help others succeed in the ABSN program. I fortunately live in Fort Worth about 5 minutes from the TCU campus, so hopefully the majority of my clinicals will be in Fort Worth! If not, it will not be bad at all to have to drive to Dallas 2 times a week for them. I am so excited about all of it! I know there will be tears shed, but I feel like so far we have a pretty awesome group of students (from what I can tell on this site) so we will be able to help each other through those times. I cannot wait to meet everyone at the orientation...it really isn't that far away! :yelclap:
Did you list it as private/invitation only or am I just maybe doing something wrong?
Kerinky
32 Posts
Thank you, Sophie2012 for the advice! taraewell - let us know when you hear something back, I'm anxious to get the book and get cracking! :)