Anyone in PC Accelerated

LydiaLyn · Aug 13, 2008

Any information on any of the accelerated programs in the MCCDNP? I just want to know which ones people would recommend and why. I want to get out of school quicker, but not sacrifice my education. Please help as any info would be great. Thanks.:wink2:

Cursed Irishman · Aug 13, 2008

The following are my personal opinions based on my experiences w/ an accelerated program:

I took my biology pre-req's and phlebotomy course at pc and found the faculty to be very capable educators; i would not hesitate to return to pc. I'm sure their nursing faculty is just as adept.

I am currently in block 3 of an accelerated program. At first it seems daunting, they throw alot of information at you and it seems a tad bit insurmountable. Between reading, handouts, websites, and other learning aids, the tendency to feel overwhelmed lurks for the first couple weeks as you wade through and seperate the useless info from the few gems of info you need to know. You will not do well on the first couple quizzes/tests; accept this and move on, don't fret too much about it. After getting a couple tests/quizzes under you belt, the the realization that the fundamentals and basics is what they want you to know, not every iota of information, sets in and you'll do much better. Some people get this, others don't; the one's that don't will go bye bye.

You must maintain a 76% on the quizzes/exams to stay in the program. This isn't all that hard, there's even room to fail a couple as long as you don't fail miserable and can make it up on later tests. Throughout the semester, you will do projects/assignments that will not be factored into your grade until the end of the semester. Once they figure you have achieved the mythical 76%, they'll factor in the points from the other assignments and your grade will magically skyrocket. Its a nice feeling seeing a "B" turn into an "A".

The only difference between the accelerated program and the traditional ones is the time off between semesters; semester lengths are the same. It can be both good and bad: good that your roll from one block to another and have little chance of forgetting stuff (you will see stuff from block 1 in block 3, don't download info), bad because you roll from one block to another within a couple weeks. So far, I've found the 2-3 week break between blocks more than enough; in fact after the first several days I'm ready to get back to school.

As for the "hybrid format", I do not know if their program is like that, I strongly doubt it. I will venture and say that their program is at least web enhanced. If it is web enhanced, scan the powerpoints/reading before you come to class; come to class prepared w/ any questions you have. The instructor's purpose is to review any areas of difficulty, not to teach the entire lesson. Alot of class time will be spent explaining simple scientific/biological principles to people who failed to grasp the basics in any of their prereq's. Don't be that student, no one likes that student.

I'm sure classes will be similar to my schedule: m/tu didactic instruction, wed/thr clinicals, weekends off (exception: twice i've had clinicals on a saturday). The first few weeks of w/th will be spent in lab learning basic nursing care, after that the first week or two of each block will be spent in lab reviewing/learning tasks. Lab weeks usually run from 8am-4ish.

That's about all I can think of right now. If you have anymore questions, I'm sure the info is posted somewhere else on these boards. Good luck.

LydiaLyn · Aug 14, 2008

This is excellent information. Thank you!