Sometimes, things don’t work out as planned. Just ask American Career College alumna Cindy Wu who started her nursing career by enrolling in West Coast University’s Bachelor of Science in Nursing program, but found it wasn’t the right fit for her.
“I was like a blank page,” she said about the experience. “I was actually so lost, and I was going the wrong way.”
Although it wasn’t part of her original plan, Cindy enrolled in ACC’s Vocational Nursing program instead. It turned out to be a much better fit. Not only was she able to earn her LVN and start her nursing career, but the study habits and positive mindset she learned at ACC helped her go back to earn her BSN later in her career, a goal she had had since she volunteered at a hospital when she was 20 years old.
“The staff members were good. Especially one of the teachers. She really drilled us on the NCLEX stuff and because of her I passed my NCLEX for my LVN and my RN,” Cindy said about her experience at ACC. She also credits the friends she made along the way with helping her foster positive study habits.
“My most memorable experience at ACC is I made a friend who really pushed me and inspired me to study hard to pass the exit exam and NCLEX successfully. Each time we answer a practice question correct, we would scream and give each other high-fives. Even after bridging to WCU’s RN program, thanks to my friend, I used the same attitude to study.”
After earning her LVN, Cindy worked in home health for a few months before giving her BSN a second chance at West Coast University — a journey that proved much smoother after having completed her program at ACC.
Why did you choose to attend ACC?
ACC is a program that gives students plentiful academic resources and career opportunities upon graduation. ACC uses ATI, which is a good resource to study and succeed in the healthcare field. The test questions and video were extremely in depth and helpful to teach students to understand the concepts and theories. Best of all, even in the LVN program, the instructors would also teach some of the RN content to really prepare students to work up the ladder to become RNs.
How would you describe the ACC campus culture?
The campus culture is very diverse, and everybody is very unique, coming from different family backgrounds and having different life experiences. When you do not understand or know a certain skill or what to do, these classmates would patiently and gently explain to you how to do one skill correctly and what kind of behavior is appropriate or not. I have grown up a lot socially, behaviorally, professionally, and mentally.
Why did you choose to go back to WCU after ACC?
I knew it was a good school. I’d made my research and I didn’t want to give up my original plan, so I pushed myself to go back to West Coast University.
WCU gives you a really good resource, whether it’s for career or academics. If you really need help, they have NCLEX managers and they have PAL tutoring. They have volunteer opportunities and clubs and associations. The financial aid people, if you talk to them about your situation, they have resources for you.
What advice do you have for ACC students thinking about transitioning to WCU?
If they’re succeeding in the VN program, then apply the same attitude and even more effort in WCU. At ACC, you go to school three, four days a week and two days in clinicals. They have more time to hold your hand. At WCU, you only have class one day a week and the rest of the time it’s yourself. You really have to be on top of it.
