Is a 12 month BSN too fast to learn the material well?

Nursing Students General Students

Published

Wondering if a 12 month BSN is too fast to learn all the material and pass Nclex? I'm not in that much of a rush if I won't do well? What is the minimum time to do well? Thanks

Up Vote Up Vote ×

How is the program set up? Are you entering it with an LPN or 2 year RN? I don't understand how you can get a BSN in a year? How are you getting your pre-reqs done and stuff like that? I'm in a program that gets you your BSN starting with nothing in 3 years. Thats the fastest program I've seen and it goes FAST. You are basically doing chapters in a week. Like, when I was even doing pre-reqs and was in Anatomy we would do a whole body system in a week...its kind of impossible to learn anything extra, you just stick with what you have to learn..like whats on the objectives..

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I would not worry about this too much. Your goal is to get the school to sign your application to take the NCLEX. You prepare yourself for the NCLEX. Your real education will begin on the job. Nursing school is just an appetizer to get you thinking in the direction that a nurse thinks.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

To Chica17 All my pre-reqs are done as I already have a BA in a non-nursing field. This is the nursing classes and clinicals. Most programs are 20-24 months to do this, but this one is only 12. I was worried about how much work and how fast that would be to pass the Nclex exam and be prepared?

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Emergency, Med/Surg, Vascular Access.

I am also applying to an A-BSN program that lasts 12 months that starts this fall. What school are you applying to? If you're very concerned about it, you might ask the nursing advisor what the first-time pass rate is for the NCLEX. For most accelerated programs, it's pretty high.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in being a Credible Source.

Our local 2nd BSN program is 14 months and the deMSN is 18 months... both programs have high graduation rates and excellent NCLEX passing rates.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Neonatal Intensive Care.

My school does a 14 month program I believe. I'm sure it's totally do-able or they wouldn't have a 12 month program.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Emergency, Critical Care (CEN, CCRN).

As I've discussed elsewhere in this forum, I am a graduate of a 12-month ASD-BSN program, was a lab TA in school and continue to serve as lab faculty. The 12-month program is not for the faint of heart, but yes, you can do well if you're properly motivated and committed to learning the material. We have about a 20-25% overall failure rate, which is designed that way on purpose; we intentionally make our lab program and first half-semester of classes as difficult as possible to weed out the marginal candidates before they get to clinical. As a result, our graduates currently have about a 96% first-time NCLEX pass rate, and we're working to improve that further.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Psych, EMS.

Na..I did it. It's possible, I graduated magna cum laude and worked PT throughout. I would recommend it..I was prepared for NCLEX and everyone in my A-BSN passed, cannot say the same for the generic track. Believe it or not, one year is plenty of time to learn RN/BSN content..what was hard was doing all the care plans and busywork bs at an accelerated rate. I think the fast pace forces you to remain motivated, because if you fall behind you will remain behind. It also encourages teamwork, I was lucky enough to make studdy buddies turned lifelong friends. Good luck, whichever track you decide!! :up:

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Psych, EMS.
How is the program set up? Are you entering it with an LPN or 2 year RN? I don't understand how you can get a BSN in a year? How are you getting your pre-reqs done and stuff like that? I'm in a program that gets you your BSN starting with nothing in 3 years. Thats the fastest program I've seen and it goes FAST. You are basically doing chapters in a week. Like, when I was even doing pre-reqs and was in Anatomy we would do a whole body system in a week...its kind of impossible to learn anything extra, you just stick with what you have to learn..like whats on the objectives..

Hi Chica..I assume the OP is talking about a post-bac accelerated BSN program. These are 1 year programs instead of two. To qualify, you must have a bachelor's degree already (which is what makes it a post-bac) and have your nursing pre-reqs completed, although I was able to take a few of mine concurrently.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in maternal child, public/community health.

I did a 14 month program (we had a week off between semesters). Since you already have all the prereqs and are focusing completely on nursing stuff, it is doable. It is very intense - you don't dare get behind or you will have a very hard time catching up. Most people spend a lot of time studying and doing care plans, etc. Though the program I did said students should not work, many of us did because we had to and we still made it. Almost all of my classmates passed NCLEX the first time. My advice is to study to understand the information - don't just try to memorize. Not only do you need that understanding to do well on tests and the NCLEX but someday a patient's life may depend on you.

I remember a day when I was in school when I realized I was starting to apply all the theory stuff. I was in a store, saw an older person with gait problems, and unconsciously started thinking of nursing diagnoses and interventions! It was like writing a care plan in my head. I am glad to say that I no longer do the whole careplan thing but that 14 months taught me more than I ever could have imagined and changed me in many ways. Doing an accelerated program is one of the best decisions I ever made.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Add a Comment