University of Rio Grande

Nursing Students LPN-RN

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Specializes in MR/DD.

I have been accepted into the online LPN to RN program at the University of Rio Grande in Ohio.

If anyone is attending or is going to please share your thoughts and tips with me.

I have no idea what to expect.

For starters what is the transition semester all about? Is the content similar to what I learned in LPN school or will I be learning new information?

I understand you have to get at least a 78% to pass the transition semester; What about the rest of the program is it 78% as well?

Are you able to have some sort of choices when it comes to clinicals?

Any info would be appreciated, Thanks! ?

Specializes in Geriatrics.

Tainted, where do you live? I also am interested in their program. I have posed several questions here on AN and have gotten no responses yet. I live in the Dayton area. I'm thinking of calling the school one day next week with my questions. Rio Grande is three hours away for me. I think their clinical locations are offered up to an hour away from the school, which would be a two hour drive for me. I did see where someone said most of their clinicals were in Chillicothe, which I think is more like 1 1/2 away for me. Do you know how many days a week their clinicals are? If it was one day a week that might be doable for me, but that's still a long drive. I was thinking about seeing if a couple of my friends from nursing school would be interested in doing the program with me. We could study together and it would be great if our clinical rotations could all be set up together (yeah, probably dreaming), coz then we could take turns driving to the sites.

Specializes in MR/DD.

I spoke to a couple of people at Rio Grande.

The clinicals are once a week for 6 hours and they also offer 12 hour clinicals every 2 weeks. A person from the nursing program told me that they are trying to get sites closer to columbus. ( I am in columbus)

I am more that willing to drive a couple of hours once a week as opposed to driving to school every day.

If you are going to apply for the next nursing class Do it soon! the deadline to be accepted is in August. The transition class begins this fall and the nursing program starts in January.

Specializes in Geriatrics.

I spent some time online today looking at their website. It says "six semester of enrollment required." Well, the online program consists of five semesters as far as I can tell... I suppose that means I'll need to take a gen ed class through them. I have the Englishes and so forth. I don't have the speech class. Wonder if they offer that online??

It says that if you have the appropriate A&P and Micro class that you don't have to take the Nursing Sciences Transition course. But I guess you can't get out of the Theory course. I was thinking of taking the A&P and Micro at Sinclair. But I'd talk to them first and see if they would accept that. If I wanted to start next year I could take the speech, A&P, Micro here locally and then transfer.

Was this your first attempt at getting in? On the website they make it sound like it's real competative and that they only allow 32 or so in each year... or were they talking about the program at the school? I've never taken an online class in my life.... have you heard if people typically struggle taking online nursing classes?

I guess there is also a 24 contact hour online orientation workshop... when do you plan on doing that?

Oh, yeah, how do they do the labs in the online program????

I saw something about a Nursing Mobility Profile I Test required for acceptance... did you take that?

Thanks !

Specializes in MR/DD.

The Transition Class is the 6th semester of enrollment.

I got in right away, it did not seem very competitive at all.

They do not do labs. Only clinicals and those are done in various facilities that you have to go to. The labs you see on the curriculum list.. are actually clinicals.

They do not offer speech online. ( I am going to take it at columbus state)

The entrance test is only for students who are starting at the beginning.. Not LPN's.

I have noticed that some of the information on their website is not up to date.

for example they used to require a written statement from your employer, this is no longer the case.

I have taken a few online classes, they are not necessarily harder, you just have to be able to learn by reading. and be very organized.

From what I understand, the transition course is just a review of information we should have already learned in LPN school. You have to pass with a 78%.

I registered for the 24 hour online workshop it is the same thing as the transition semester. ( each class is 12 hours each)

Things do seem a little confusing, I will be calling the college tomorrow, for more information.

Specializes in MR/DD.

I guess I was wrong about orientation.. the 24 hour orientation is just a class to help with navigating through the system to prepare you for online classes.

the transition semester actually begins in January.

The general education classes can be taken any time, just as long as they are completed by graduation. :)

Specializes in Geriatrics.

I called the school and tried to take notes. She was nice and answered all of my questions but, boy, did she talk fast. She said if I act fast enough that I could still get in this year!! If they got my transcripts in time... I'm excited about that, but unprepared. I had intended to start gen ed classes at Sinclair this fall, so this is all happening so fast. I was looking at taking 8 pre/co-reqs at a rate of 1 or so a quarter, and then taking their program, which is about 2 1/2 years long. I wonder what Sinclair's program will look like when they go to semesters tho. but anyway, since I have another degree besides my LPN I don't have to take the englishes or sociology. She said Sinclair's Communication class (which I had planned on taking this winter) would be accepted. And I guess I'd be better off just taking Rio's sciences transition course rather than taking sinclair's micro and A&P, coz it would be weeks longer if I took those.

I was going to ask about Pharmacology and forgot... I'm assuming that Pharm is included in the program since a class isn't in the curriculum.

She said that the Nursing Mobility Profile Test would have to be taken if I wait until next year. I guess it's something new that doesn't affect the class getting ready to start this year. I wonder if I applied and got accepted this year but chose to wait until next year to start if I'd have to take that test?

Also, how much does the program cost. I believe I found somewhere on the website where it is $119 a credit hour... have you done the math for the whole program?

so is this what you understand your schedule to be? Sem I starting in aug: the two transition courses, including the Orientation Workshop, to be completed no later than Nov. 5. A mandatory on campus orientation in Nov. Than in Jan the nursing classes start.... She told me that the Orientation workshop was considered a semester... is that actually taken after the trahsition classes??

Thanks!

do you know how long a semester is? She said the nursing part of the program would be Jan 2011 to Aug 2012. do you know how that breaks down as far as semesters go?

Make sure before you enroll at the school that you understand HESI and how hard it is to pass with a 900 benchmark...................a lot of students ( A's and B's) can not hit the benchmark. Do your homework on all that HESI entails before you make a decision on this school

Specializes in Geriatrics.

Hey Farmgirl, Are you attending Rio Grande? Classroom or online? Don't most ADN programs have an exit exam? We took the ATI in my PN program. I looked in Sinclair's catalog and didn't see anything. I may call them tomorrow and see if they require a test and which one. Is the HESI harder than the ATI? Does Rio give students more than one chance to pass it? Thanks.

Anyone interested in the online program for URG LPN to RN, would be glad to answer any questions anyone has on how it has been so far.....thanks:nurse:

I also have transition book you will need and a red polo ($15.00) for sale that you will only wear in psych clinicals like 8 times,thats like $30 some bucks in the book store, I know at orientation they give you a list of required books and recommended books,.....you better get the pharm book because there is alot of assigned reading out of it in med surg..actually you'd better get them all or you'll regret it (ebay is pretty cheap). I did not have to take 13606 but I heard it was tough....the hardest semester will probably be the 3rd med surg....omg. 14606 is psych which is not to bad...this program will keep you busy...you have no time for anything else if you work too!!!!!!!!

good luck

Specializes in Geriatrics.

Jen 159, I'd love some info!! I worked this weekend tho and am exhausted so I'll try to write tomorrow. Did you complete the program? Are you in it now? I'd possibly be interested in buying some books but I don't think we can do that here. You can email if you'd like. Is the med/surg class a whole semester?? How many months? I've heard it's extremely difficult and time consuming. Someone said that they'll assign you around 200 pages to read in a two week period and then test you on it without giving you much info about what they're going to test you on. I thought they were supposed to have study guides and power points and so forth... thanks, I'll write again possibly tomorrow.

I have lots of pointers for you its a hard program, lots of time envolved. Your right the testing material is like 200pages of assigned raeding or more and the tests dont include half of it..I dont know if your allowed to leave your number and I would be glad to call ya, I could type for an hour on the program and what to expect...haha

bye

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