Denver School of Nursing--BSN experience

U.S.A. Colorado

Published

Hi there,

I'm starting this thread for people interested in the Denver School of Nursing. I'm starting the BSN program in Oct 2006, and I'm going to try and post regularly to give new/prospective students an idea of what to expect.

Thanks!

--Mary West

------------------------------------------------------------------------

What I know so far:

The first quarter schedule is INTENSE. My schedule is:

Mon: 10-4

Tues: off

Weds: 9-5 (This is an ALL DAY lab.)

Thurs: 8-5:30

Fri: 9-3:30

Every day has an hour for lunch scheduled, but otherwise no breaks between classes. The classes we're taking are: Basic Pharmacology Concepts (I've been warned this class is really hard), Pathophysiology, and Foundations of Nursing/Lab. The quarter is 11 weeks long. We don't have clinicals the first quarter.

They want us to buy four books. After I get them I'll post how much they cost (I'm probably going to Big Dog textbooks like everyone else.)

Our orientation is Sept 25th from 9-1, and it is mandatory. I'll post again if I learn anything useful.

2BJenurse,

Congratulations on getting in for October! I think you are going to love it here! It is so beautiful! I moved here from Northern California - Modesto area. My husband and I are used to the small-town feel, so we decided to move to Castle Rock. Because it is a little drive into Denver, I will be taking the lightrail to DSoN. I just mailed in my application a few weeks ago. When the application closes in October, they will make their decision as to whom they will interview and this will be sent via mail 4 weeks after the closing date. It is a long time to wait, but I am not in any big hurry. As far as a job, I have not worked for almost 12 years - I have been blessed with a hubby that makes enough money for our family. I did however, proctor for an EMT school (I have been an EMT for 5 years) before I moved one night per week since receiving my certification.

So, where are you moving from? And where will you be moving to? Did you decide to take pathophysiology beforehand? I am taking it this semester at the Community College of Denver.

I hope you love it here as much as I do and would love to keep in touch with you - it would be nice to have someone ahead of me to ask questions to!

Jene'

Specializes in Pediatric GI/Pulm.

Hi jene,

we are moving from San Francisco to park hill neighborhood in denver. It seems like a nice enough neighborhood, so much more affordable than what we are paying here in the city. My parents live in Clovis, so I know exactly where Modesto is. I'd say Denver is quite the change for both of us!!

I didn't take patho, and so I guess I'm gonna have a heavy load!!! Oh well, I'm expecting it to be tough! Especially with having a toddler at home! Do you have any kids? First thing I'll be doing next week when I arrive is looking for day care, I've been a sahm, so full time day care will be an adjustment for her.

Best of luck on your application!

Jen

Jen,

Funny you mention Clovis because we almost moved there instead of here! If you are used to the big city of San Francisco, I think you will do quite well in Denver. I used to work in S.F. alot when I was younger (did a lot of movies and commercials back in the day) and although the two cities are quite different, they are similar in some ways.

I do have two kids - a 10 year old and a 6 1/2 year old. I too have been a stay-at-home mom and planned to be entering nursing school when my youngest got in first grade (he just started first grade three weeks ago). So far, everything has worked out as planned except for the fact that we moved here - a welcomed change :) I hope you are able to find good childcare here and wish I could point you in the right direction, but I have no idea where to send you. The daycares here seem so much nicer and safe than the darecares I came across in California.

If you have any questions, please let me know! I hope your move is a smooth one.

Jene'

jjhc2006,

my wife chose not to after reviewing additional info i found here and elsewhere. i will add, she does know several students at dson and they have been happy with the program. she has similar concerns regarding classes still counting, etc. can be tough with the current nursing school situation.

2BJenurse,

I hope you are enjoying your new home here in Colorado and am sure you are busy getting settled and preparing to start school next week. I am wondering if you wouldn't mind telling me what your schedule looks like for the first quarter. I have heard that they don't always keep the schedule the same, but thought it might help give me an idea so I can prepare my husband for drop off/pick up of our children.

Thanks so much Jen and good luck!

2BJenurse,

I am now in Colorado - moved here less than three months ago and am loving it! I just applied for the April 2011 track 1 BSN program. Do you go to DSoN?

Hi jjhc2006 --

I hope you are still loving Colorado. I was just wondering if you had heard back from DSN about the Aprill 2011 start date, did you get accepted? I got my call earlier this week. I had been reading the posts for awhile, and now I feel like I have a reason to jump in :) I'm SO excited! I meet with Jeff next week. Hope you got the same great news! It would be nice to have at least a familiar name in school, haha.

Anyone else get accepted for the April 2011 start? Good luck to all!

JLP-C

Hey everyone! I thought I would post to this thread because I have seen a lot of misinformation about DSN. I am currently a student at DSN and am about to complete my third quarter in the full BSN program, that means i am taking my didactic classes as well as my nursing courses. My nursing classes do not start until OCtober 2011.

I have to say a few things about our accreditation. Currently we are accredited with the career College commission. This accreditation allows us to get financial aid and transfer credits to to the university of phoenix. About two weeks ago we had a visit from the Team from the Higher Learning Commission - National Commission on Accreditation and they told us all that they recommended DSN for approval of the accreditation. This still needs to be finalized and may take up to 6 months, ( i am quoting our asst. dean) and we have our final walk through from the NLN people for our specialized accreditation. With the Team from the Higher Learning Commission - National Commission on Accreditation accreditation, we will have a regional certificate that will allow all of us to transfer our credits to any school. I also asked the asst. dean if we would be grandfathered into the accreditation if, god forbid, we weren't approved until after I graduate. She told me yes because I am attending the school while it is in candidacy status.

Also, I have noticed quite a few people putting their noses up to DSN, and i have to say, that DSN is an amazing school. the staff is amazing and really care about how well you do. They truly want you to succeed and our labs are amazing! We even opened a separate annex building with an OB lab and new computer lab. Plus the class size is manageable and allows you to get the one on one help you need.

All i can say is wonderful things about DSN. My only complaint is that it takes them until the very last minute to get out our schedules and sometimes the line to the copier is long. DSN is amazing and if you're looking for a school that will help you succeed, it is it!

KJ:heartbeat

DSON does NOT have NLNAC Candidate Status for the basic RN or BSN nursing programs that you are looking for, never have, and probably never will in the near future. If they tell you that at the office, they are totally misleading you. They've been lying to students for years, and with a high price tag to boot. They have a candidate status for an educator program (not the program you are looking for). If and when they do get that, it takes years before they MIGHT get approved. They are not in a position to get approved. You can check the NLNAC site yourself at: http://www.nlnac.org/Forms/candidacy.asp

Secondly, I recently called several reputable hospitals around Denver, such as UCH and Sky Ridge, and they, and many other hospitals will NOT hire you unless your school has either NLNAC or CCNE accreditations, even if you have 6 yrs of nursing experience. I have heard of DSON students having issues finding choice jobs, or any jobs for that matter. Some hospitals won't even hire you unless you have a BSN. Some states and hospitals are more needy for nurses, so they might hire you. The RN job market is tougher than the national average in the Denver area - unless you're ok with nursing homes in the evening/weekend shifts and/or remote or sub-par places.

And, lastly, you WILL have issues if you want to further your academic career without having gone to a properly accredited school - I already just called a few schools to confirm that...But, if you're ok with an RN and ok with not being able to apply for choice jobs, and are ok with paying top dollar for this school (i.e. CO state in pueblo costs half as much), then good luck. DSON is way overpriced for what you are getting for your money. But, I think practically everyone gets in...so, the benefit is no wait.

Hi jlp-c! It's nice to hear from a future fellow DSN student! I met with J.J. back in November and just took the entrance exam a few weeks ago. I recently received my acceptance letter and am looking forward to starting the accelerated BSN program in April. Are you doing the BSN program as well? Have you taken the entrance exam yet? Good luck to you!

Pat - I understand exactly what you are getting at. When I moved here to Colorado, I was shocked that there were even programs out there that are unaccredited. With that said, I am not one to just take someone's word on something like candidacy status - especially not from someone who works for DSN. So, I have researched it on my own and feel fairly comfortable with my decision to attend DSN. I am curious, the NLNAC site link you provided, does show DSN as being in candidacy status until Fall 2011. You say they are not in candidacy status though. Can you explain what you mean by your statement? Just curious and don't want to start something on here. It seems that many people who are either for or against attending DSN can be very mean. I LOVE healthy discussion!

I apologize Pat Lu. I see that you say that they have "candidate status for an educator program." What do you mean by this? It states that they have candidacy status for "nursing education units." Isn't this something we would want? Please educate me on your thoughts.

jjhc2006

i think nln just changed their terminology. if you look at it, it says "nursing education programs" but then it also says they are baccalaureate and associate. to be a teacher, you need to have a master's, so i'm pretty sure this is referring to the adn and bsn programs.

having said that, there are still in candidate status so there is no guarantee they will get the accreditation. so it is still a risk going there. i don't know about the hiring issues, but i know that very few graduate programs will accept a dsn degree.

Thanks for your input Izzy11. I imagine that if DSN ever does get national/regional accreditation, applicants will be flooding their offices. Only time will tell. Are there any DSN graduates out there willing to speak about their employment seeking experience? It would be interesting to hear how they are accepted by hospitals in the area.

+ Add a Comment