Ok, this forum was very helpful to me when I was applying to school. It's time for me to give back. I'm going to attempt to share with you everything that I know. Please feel free to ask any questions and I'll get back to you as soon as I can. BHSN had 500+ applications and accepts around 110 students.
I applied to BHSN in October of 2010, I received an acceptance letter a few weeks later in November. I don't remember my exact TEAS score, it was in the high 70s. My grades for my pre-reqs were A's and a few B's. I had not taken either A&P class or microbiology. I made a point in my application that I was currently enrolled in those classes and I would have them completed before the start of BHSN.
After you are accepted, you will get another letter sometime in the spring. This will tell you the date that you have to go to orientation. Orientation will be sometime in the summer. During this orientation, you will go to various stations: payment/financial aid, uniforms, scheduling, books, and admissions. At this time you will order your uniforms; white pants and a maroon top. Mostly everyone orders 2 sets of uniforms. The cost is around $135. You are to wear white closed toe no slip shoes (I'm a boy, so I don't care, the girls seems very disappointed that they couldn't wear those 'crocs' shoes with the holes in them) with your uniform. You can also wear a white shirt underneath if you please.
During orientation, you are given the opportunity to order books for the first year, or you can take the book list and order them on your own. The cost of the package is around $500. If you are hard on cash, the most important books in my opinion are the drug book and the nursing care plan book. I have not used any other of my books, I've only studied from my notes and the outlines that are available for you to print out for each lecture.
Other things that you need:
- Stethoscope: They vary greatly in price. You might as well splurge and get a good one now, you will being using it for a long time after nursing school. I have a Littmann Cardiology III.
- Penlight.
- Audio recording device (optional). If you are an audio learner, then record the lectures.
- Goggles/glasses: you will need these for certain procedures and for your OR rotation.
- As I said before: white closed toe non-slip shoes.
Nursing 101
Starts in September and runs through the end of October. You will learn all of your basic nursing skills. You will have clinical your first week :) There will be 3 tests, non cumulative. There is also a medication math test, the grade is not averaged in to your final grade. You must score an 80% on the math, you will be given another opportunity to take the test if you score below 80%.
Schedule:
Tuesday: 8:30 - 4:00 Lecture all day. You don't need to wear your uniform this day. Dress comfortably and dress in layers. The temperature in the lecture hall fluctuates alot!
You will have one lab day, either Wednesday or Thursday. You will have the same day throughout nursing 101. The lab will be either in the morning or the afternoon and are usually only a couple hours long.
If you have Wednesday lab, then you have Thursday Clinical. If you have Thursday lab, you will have Friday clinical. Your clinical group will be around 7 students and you will be assigned to one unit either at Bridgeport or at Griffin. The clinicals are short, usually ending around 1200 - 1230.
During these clinicals you will bathe and ambulate your patient and make their beds.
Nursing 102
End of October to end of December.
During this course, the schedule stays the same and you stay with the same clinical group. The clinical days start to get longer, but you get a 1/2 hour lunch. The longest clinical day ends around 2 if i remember correctly. There are 3 exams and the 3rd exam is cumulative.
You will be assigned a patient the day before clinical, you must introduce yourself to your patient and do your research the night before.
You will be assigned an extra day from 8 - 12 to go to a daycare center.
You will have 2 weeks off for the holidays and return the first week of January.
By the end of this course you will be able to give meds/injections and IV bag changes.
Nursing 104
January to middle of March (Spring break)
There will be 3 exams and a final cumulative exam.
There is another medication math test during this course.
You will be assigned a new clinical group and hospital unit. The clinical sites are at Bridgeport Hospital, Griffin, or Yale.
The schedule changes now. You will pick up another clinical day.
Tuesday: 8:30 - 4 Lecture
Wednesday: Lab (A few hours)
Thursday: Clinical 730 - 230
Friday: Clinical 730 - 230
Besides your regular clinicals, you will also have 2 days of Jewish Home, 2 days of pediatrics, 1 operating room day, 1 Visiting Nurses day, and 1 School Nurse day. Some of these rotations may be scheduled on a Monday.
By the end of Nursing 104, you will have 2 patients and be able to just about everything for them: meds, iv changes, iv piggybacks, injections, dressing changes, etc...
Well, this is as far as I can go. I am currently in 104.
Evening Program
The evening program is partial and it is only for the first year. The evening students attend the Tuesday day lecture, but they have their labs/clinicals at night (after 5pm).
Accelerated Program
The accelerated program will allow you to graduate in December instead of May of the next year. You must forfeit your summer and attend school 5 days a week starting in the summer. You do not need to decide on this track until April/May before summer.
Grading
Your final grade for each course must be a 75.
74.9 = failure 
There have been about 8 students that have disappeared from the program after Nursing 102.
There are several competencies throughout the program, they are pass/fail. You will have a second chance if you fail. Some examples are: Injections, Starting IV pump, sterile dressing, catheters, etc...
All the instructors are excellent. Some have bad reputations, but I have not seen anything bad myself. They are all very knowledgeable and are there for you. Just come to clinical prepared and everything will be fine.
I hope this has been helpful and please feel free to post any questions that you may have.
