American River College Nursing Program

Salary approximately $66,000 2 years post graduation www.cccco.edu “salary surfer”

Annual medium in Sacramento region $101,562 for 2012 https://www.labormarketinfo.edd.ca.gov

Current Job availability ◦ Work difficult to find

• Small increase in hiring of new grads expected

• Forecasted shortfall over the next two decades

◦ Will the trend continue? • 2-5 years projected to be tight job market

• Baby boomers are aging; Average nurse age = 45

CHECK it out on the Internet, there are a lot of discussion boards http://allnurses.com/registered-nurses-diploma/would-you-become-790889.html

READ nursing articles (Advance Nurse 12/29/08) ◦ I’ve always had the passion to care for others 57.6% ◦ A nurse in my life inspired me 17.5% ◦ I wanted a job in healthcare, and nursing seemed a good fit 16.7% ◦ Nursing jobs are easy to find, and the pay is good 5% ◦ I’m wondering that, too, and plan to leave the profession 3.2%

ASK working RN’s ◦ What do you like about your work? What do you dislike?

“Being a nurse is inside every cell of our being” Mary Bylone

VP Patient Care Services The William W. Backus Hospital

Is it really for you? It’s not like on TV! ◦ Role and responsibilities

• Literally have peoples’ lives in your hand ◦ Reality of long and unusual work hours

• Mandatory overtime/Forced time off • Fast paced; Never the same day twice ◦ Variety of settings to work, but educated for all

QSEN Competencies (skill set and nursing education focus)

Goal: Prepare nurses with the knowledge, skills, and attitudes necessary to continuously deliver quality & safe patient care ◦ Patient-centered care Recognize the patient or designees the

source of control and full partner in providing compassionate and coordinated care based on respect for patient’s preferences, values, and needs

◦ Teamwork and Collaboration Function effectively within nursing and inter-professional teams, fostering open communication, mutual respect, and shared decision-making to achieve quality patient care

QSEN Competencies (continued) ◦ Evidence-Based Practice Integrate best current evidence with

clinical expertise and patient/family preferences and values for delivery of optimal health care

◦ Quality Improvement Use data to monitor the outcomes of care processes and use improvement methods to design and test changes to continuously improve the quality and safety of health care systems

◦ Safety Minimizes risk of harm to patients and providers through both system effectiveness and individual performance

◦ Informatics Use information and technology to communicate, manage knowledge, mitigate error, and support decision making

If you cannot get the habit of

observation one way or another, you

had better give up the idea of being a

nurse, for it is not your calling,

however kind and anxious you may

be.

- F. Nightingale

Financial • Books, uniforms, transportation, licensure exam • Start up cost approx. $2,200

Social • Clinical shifts – evenings and weekends

• We don’t work around the student, the student works around the program

• Role shifts in the home Emotional

• Stress, stress, stress • High level of accountability and responsibility

Academic • Each course = 10.5 units; Steep learning curve • Students provide patient care after 5 weeks in the program

A full-time commitment Time frame - minimum ◦ 4.5 hours lecture/week + 9 hours study ◦ 18 hours clinical/week + 9 hours preparation ◦ Grand total = 40.5 hours per week ◦ Doesn’t include driving time!!

Excludes additional course work for graduation: algebra, speech, history anthropology/sociology, PE

ARC’s Student Support Services Awesome, wonderful, stupendous ◦ Counseling center ◦ Health center ◦ Disabled Student Programs & Services ◦ Re-entry program ◦ Financial aid ◦ Career Center

You can lead a horse to water………….!

ARC Program Benchmarks ◦ High program retention rate

◦ Strong program persistence rate

◦ High licensure exam passing rate

◦ Solid graduate community recognition

Read the ARC Nursing Program website carefully! ◦ Detailed information

◦ Dates of “Multi-Criteria Information” sessions

Application on-line; Supporting documents turned into Admissions and Records

Must reapply each semester Read the ARC Nursing Program website carefully!

Multi-criterion application system ◦ Points are given for 8 categories ◦ Required application items

• High school graduate or equivalent (or higher) • Anatomy, Physiology, Microbiology (3.0 GPA) • Psychology, Nutrition, English (2.5 GPA) • TEAS V exam score > 62%

• Additional information on our website “Assessment Testing TEAS Information”

◦ Optional application items • Relevant Healthcare Experience • Life Experiences/Special Circumstances • Veteran/Eligible Spouse • Language Proficiency

◦ Chemistry • Prerequisite to science courses

• Not an ARC Nursing Program prerequisite

◦ Math 120 – Intermediate Algebra 5 units • Baccalaureate degree or higher O.K.

• Catalogue rights – see counseling

◦ Speech & Anthropology/Sociology • Nursing Program Co-requisites

◦ Other courses required for graduation

Not required, but highly recommended for first-time applicants. Especially recommended for applicants with coursework outside LRCCD

Call early - last minute students may not be accommodated

Be prepared! Bring to the counseling appointment: ◦ Official transcripts and descriptions for courses

completed outside LRCCD ◦ High school transcripts, GED or CHSPE scores

Numbers and Statistics ◦ Data available on our website “Nursing Program

Applicant Statistics” ◦ New criteria pool of qualified 10 times bigger than

space available ◦ Students should review to determine competitiveness

for selection. Special situations ◦ Enrollment deferments ◦ Alternates selected

Develop a savings account; talk to financial aid

Become knowledgeable about the demands of

nursing school; talk to current students

Understand how stress is handled; talk to family,

friends, mentors, etc.

Utilize college student success resources;

prepare for academic success now

Board of Registered Nursing ◦ www.rn.ca.gov

US Bureau of Labor Statistics ◦ http://www.bls.gov/ooh/Healthcare/Registered-

nurses.htm ARC Nursing Program Website ◦ www.arc.losrios.edu ◦ Quick Links (red box on left) ◦ “N” - Nursing Program