UCONN cein 2015

heb06004 · Aug 2, 2014

I got an email yesterday asking if I still want to be considered for the August round... and of course I replied yes lol. It's been a long wait since I applied in January! Just curious - has anybody that's been accepted heard anything about financial aid?

karmstrong3 · Aug 3, 2014

I got accepted after applying in January, and have not yet heard about financial aid.

Is there anyone accepted to the program at Storrs who is moving to the area and looking for an apartment or house and a roommate?

turtlesRcool · Aug 4, 2014

Hi!
I have tons of questions lol. I have heard that class is one day per week and clinicals are the other days. How many days a week are you in clinicals and for how many hours? Did you work during the program? Which campus were you, and how were your professors? Any tips or things to watch out for during the program?
i could keep going lol

Class is one day per week. 8:30-2:30 is the core class, and then the grad class is usually 3:00-6:00. It might vary slightly (short/skip lunch to get out earlier), or double up for the summer (our Stats class went 3pm-9pm for 6 weeks, then we were done by 2:30 for the rest of the summer - though we could usually take work home and leave before 9).

Clinicals are 2 days, and average 20 hours per week. You may do them as two 10s or an 8 and a 12, depending on the site. First semester (spring) is slightly different because you will have an additional 4 hours of clinical lab per week for the first 10 weeks. So for the first semester, I think your regular clinical rotations will be 2 8 or 9-hour days with another 4-hour clinical lab day. Some clinical instructors might let you out earlier, some might keep you a little longer, depending on how flexible they are and what's going on. I've had an instructor who scheduled us longer and never let us out early, and an instructor who frequently let us go early when it was dead and we were just marking time. It's sort of the luck of the draw, and tends to even out in the long run.

Clinical assignments can be any day of the week, including weekends. While no one has had an overnight clinical this year (except for some on-call during the summer for those who did soccer camp for their pediatrics placement), we have had second shift options, with end times of 10 or 11 pm. They try to have the sites close to the campus, but sometimes it just doesn't work out that way, and you have to drive (especially for the specialty placements in the summer).

I would say about half of my classmates work. Usually 2 shifts per week seems do-able. I'm not working, but I do have children, and they take up way more time than paid employment.

I'm at Waterbury. The professors are a mixed lot. Some are fabulous. Some are...not. From what I've heard, most of the campuses have had their share of good and not-so-good teaching, so there doesn't seem to be a campus that has consistently better instructors. You have to be an independent learner to get through this program because no matter what campus you are on, you will have material you just have to teach yourself. Sometimes this is because you have on-line tutorials to do, and sometimes it's just because the professor doesn't cover everything in class (or in the case of a particular Storrs professor who sometimes makes the tests for the other campuses, too, because she likes to put material on tests from the NEXT week's reading).

I think the best tip is to be flexible and prepared for anything. You will sometimes find out your clinical assignment options the day you have to register for them. Your days/time may change after you've already registered. Often there will be one or two clinical sites everyone wants, and one clinical option no one wants - and sometimes you'll have to suck it up and take the weekend, the rehab, the hour commute. You can either grumble or you can make the best of it. Listen to a voiced-over lecture on a long ride. Look to see what's going on in your facility that you can learn from (like if you're in a rehab, observe what the OTs and PTs do). Ask to try something new. If there's a patient who needs something you haven't done, see if you can watch it or even do it. There's always the opportunity to learn, but sometimes you have to be the one to make it.

And breathe. It's an intense year. The material isn't really hard, exactly, but there's a ton of it. Make sure you take at least some time for yourself. And when you start to feel like a hamster on a wheel, remember that it's only for a year. You can do anything for a year.

waterpeace13 · Aug 4, 2014

You can attempt to get financial aid but it is very limited due to this being a second bachelors degree. No grants are avaliable and if you have gotten federal loans before there is a limit on total undergrad loan amounts I think.

waterpeace13 · Aug 4, 2014

Do you remember what vaccines and lab work you needed to have done? The list on the health form is different from the list online. And the contact person on the form hasn't responded to my emails.

rayray1221 · Aug 4, 2014

Hi everyone! I was accepted to the program at the Storrs campus! I'm super excited :). And I went ahead and made the facebook group for the Storrs people, it's called "UConn CEIN 2015 Storrs." Looking forward to meeting you all!!

turtlesRcool · Aug 6, 2014

Do you remember what vaccines and lab work you needed to have done? The list on the health form is different from the list online. And the contact person on the form hasn't responded to my emails.

Hmm. Don't remember all of them. I just brought my sheet with me to my appointment, and handed it to the doctor. I remember he did a short physical exam to make sure I am in physical condition for the program. Nothing much, but he wanted to check my strength, BP, etc.

At that visit, I had blood drawn to check for immunity, since most of my immunizations were a long time ago. I was also injected with PPD, which checks for a reaction to TB. It's a bit of a pain because it requires returning 48-72 hours later for the results to be read, so factor that in when you schedule your appointment.

As it turns out, I was not immune to Hep B, so I had to do that series; it's three shots. You must have the second dose (given one month after the first) to start clinical. The third dose is due 6 months later, and while it's not necessary to have this before clinical starts, they do keep track. I got a follow-up email from the nursing department in the spring asking for proof of the third dose in order to continue with clinical.

You will need flu vax, and I'm pretty sure I got a tetorifice booster, too. Other vaccinations will depend on your lab results.

If you've got a health form from the nursing department, I'd go with that over what the website says.

waterpeace13 · Aug 6, 2014

The health form says some clinical sites want a CBC blood test and a urine screen. Were you required to do those?

turtlesRcool · Aug 7, 2014

The health form says some clinical sites want a CBC blood test and a urine screen. Were you required to do those?

I know I didn't have a urine screen. I may have had a CBC as part of my initial work up, but don't remember. If it's not on the health form, I didn't have to get one. The only additional thing I had to do was an extra background check before my clinical at CT Valley Hospital, and it was just a form I filled out in class on the day we chose our mental health placements.

If you do need additional tests, they'll let you know after you register. Additional testing is really only for a small minority of placements. It's not something to worry about now.

karmstrong3 · Aug 7, 2014

turtlesRcool - I read somewhere that we have to get an iPad, is this true?

INN_777, BSN, RN · Aug 8, 2014

Hi! I am on the Stamford campus. I don't remember having either of the tests you mentioned, but one of our clinical groups was required to get one extra test before the psych rotation. Otherwise, only what's in the health form or what is usually done as part of your physical (which is also required).

INN_777, BSN, RN · Aug 8, 2014

No such requirement on the Stamford campus, at least this year. You absolutely need to have a laptop and bring it to class every week - we do quizes and exams online. But iPad not necessary. In fact I only remember one person in our class ever bringing one.