Wake Tech CC

I started to answer this the other day and my computer crashed!

What did you like about it/dislike?

Like: good clinicals with a wide range of options, good prep for NC-CLEX, fantastic adjunct faculty program with WakeMed, a bargain! price-wise, they have a few incredible instructors.

Dislike: waitlists, red tape, took WAY too long (they won't let you double up on classes whether you are able to or not), and they have some older instructors who are totally innapropriate and disrespectful with adult learners. At my pinning, I had a woman grab my by my lapels and say something snide immediately before I was walking out to graduate. She ruined my whole pinning for me - so my family (along with the folks who flew in from all over the US) and I left ASAP. That sucked, considering I actually was #2 in my class and there was no cause to be like that. She was upset because there were red pin stripes at the neck on my white scrubs. I have prior degrees and have never been treated so disrespectfully at any "institute of higher learning" like a couple of staff at Wake Tech.

How was clinicals and instructors?

See above! I highly recommend trying to get adjunct faculty as your clinical instructors. They are real nurses, working on the floor of your clinicals - so you get real experiences. That part was awesome.

And did you take BIO271.....

Of course - when ******* was still teaching it. I can't imagine taking it online, but I guess it is do-able. I'm not sure what you've heard - a lot of people hear it is really hard? It wasn't easy, but I know several of us got an A in the class (and I had a life, I'm not a study group kind of gal!) It's one of the most important classes, I think, along with Micro. I'd take it in whatever way you think you would learn the most. Seriously.

I think Wake Tech has a good program - if your motivation is to get your degree and get on with it.

Do they have an LPN to RN bridge?? You shouldn't have to take an entire RN program, right?

Either way, best of luck to you!!!

I'm currently in my final year at WTCC (NUR 135-grad. date Dec 2008!) and, all in all, it hasn't been that bad. You will get good instructors, and some bad, but you will make it through. As an LPN, you will be put onto a faster track than comming in with no nursing education. The program is about to change, they are intergrating the curriculum but I'm not really sure of the specifics on that yet. If you have to take BIO 271, I recommend taking it online at Lenore college instead of taking it at Wake. I've had a couple of friends who had to drop it d/t bad grades at WTCC who sailed through Lenore's online version of BIO 271. We get to go to some great clinical sites (UNC, WMC, WMCCary, Duke Health, REX, Holly Hill, etc) and a lot of the CI's are really good (there are some bad, but you'll get that anywhere). I wish you the best of luck!

I graduated from WTCC 15 years ago. Except for one very traumatic experience, I had a great learning experience there. I took my first job at Wake Med on what was then 2C med-teaching (that unit no longer exists) went to Cape Fear in Fayetteville where I started out in MICU, went on to manage the SICU and NeuroICU before coming to western NC. I was well prepared and rose up the ranks quickly, without a BSN I might add.

It ws demanding, especially the first year. There wsa A LOT of busy work, and the exams were tough, not run of the mill mx choice. I think my class began with 68 students, 30 finished. All of us passed the NCLEX 1st try.

I am glad I went through such a demanding program, it has really given me confidence to tackle other challanges over the years.

I agree the adjunct faculty were the "nicest." I am adjunct faculty now myself at a different CC, so I get it. We adjuncts don't have anything invested in departmental politics. Clinicals were at Wake, Rex and Raleigh Community. I was able to do many of mine 2nd shift. I don't recommend trying to work while in this program. I am a good student, always straight A's w/o much effort, but the sheer amount of busy work they give you (I had care plans over 50 pages long) will take more than 40 hours a week.

Good luck!