UMD SON CNL: Current / Former Students - Page 2

Hello all!

I wanted to let you know that I just checked SURFS and the spring schedule for first semester CNL students is exactly the same as the schedule this fall. I know that you guys are still playing the waiting game with admissions, but I figured that I would let you all know. My fingers are crossed for all of you! I know how hard waiting to hear back can be!

NURS 503: Health Assessment - Monday, 8:00-10:50 am
NURS 505: Intro to Professional Nursing Practice - Tuesday, 8:30 - 10:20 am
NURS 507: Context of Healthcare Delivery I - Tuesday, 1:00 am - 1:50 pm
NURS 501: Pathopharmacology - Friday, 8:30 - 11:00 am & 12:30 - 3:00 pm
NURS 622: Systems and Populations in Healthcare (16 month option only) - WEB

They have not posted the various lab groups yet, but I believe that all CNLs have lab on either Wednesday or Thursday.

Hi Sewnew!

I just got accepted into Fall 2011 CNL at Maryland! I had a few questions about what expect in the first semester...

- Are all classes held in the nursing school building off West Lombard Street?
- What is the work load like?
- Are there any recommended reading/study materials I should have?
- Which was the most difficult class in your opinion in the first semester?

Thanks so much!

Hi Meadow Brook!

First off, congratulations on your acceptance!

1. Yes, all classes are held in the main SON building on West Lombard.

2. During the first semester, you are mainly doing didactic work. This includes tests, quizzes, and papers. You will also have a significant clinical simulation portion during the first semester. This means that you will be spending a lot of "spare" time outside of class in open lab practicing your clinical skills. You also have a short four week clinical rotation in a long term care facility during the last month of the first semester.

I am not going to lie. First semester can be intense at times. You will be learning a new language and you will have to start thinking like a nurse. This alone can be a huge learning curve. However, I must say that when I finished my first semester, it was a very rewarding experience to look back at how much I had learned during those few short months.

3. Reading/study materials is a very personal preference. Some students (visual learners) like to read the textbooks in depth and others manage to do well without this reinforcement. All of the lectures are pod-casted and posted online, so some students (auditory learners) like to listen to the lectures again to reinforce the material that way instead. It's up to you.

4. Again, this is a difficult question to answer. Some people find pathopharm (NURS 501) the hardest, while others find fundies (NURS 505) to be more difficult. I will be honest and say that pathopharm is a ton of memorization (like 700 slides on one exam memorization!!!) and fundies is geared more toward nurse reasoning and logic.

Hope this helped. Feel free to PM me if you have any further questions.

During your orientation in August, there will be a panel of current CNL students. There will be a Q & A session with these CNLs that lasts about an hour and any question you may have is fair game.