Any St Kates nursing student want to give me the heads up on what to expect.

dinah77, ADN · Mar 9, 2008

Happy to give you the low down on St Kates- got my BA from St Paul 2006, In ADN program in Minneapolis right now...can you specify which program and what campus you will be at so I can give specific tips?

Jeannai · Mar 10, 2008

Im doing the two yr extended day program so im starting this fall but the actual nursing fall 09 at the mpls campus. Thanks for helping!!

dinah77, ADN · Mar 10, 2008

hmmmm..

The A&P class book is really expensive, ($180 or so)

but you can use it for both semesters.

Class sizes are small (10-20 average) except for A&P or other generals which can have up to 40.

I would recommend taking A&P right away and follow with Micorbiology to get them out of the way...I start my nursing courses this fall, so I can't speak much to them yet, but is there anything else I can specfically answer for you ?

Heatherst78 · Mar 11, 2008

I'm in the second semester nursing program at the Minneapolis campus. You'll have to take A&P1, A&P2 and micro. Paul is the best for both A&P, Kim Vu is the best for Micro. Got on her good side! If you have Paul and he has a cold, tell him to stop sucking on quarters. Andrani is the professor that is hard to understand. And she test really in depth. Get out of her classes.

Now the issue of parking. THIS IS HUGE! Either get the parking pass through the St. Paul campus and shuttle to the Minneapolis or pay for the parking ramp, which is $3.25 a day. One hour sucks because you have to go out and move constantly and it's hardly likely that you are going to get free parking along the park, unless you want to walk 6 blocks in the cold. I have seen a few fights, (a couple fist) over free parking.

If you have to take psychology take Betty Biernatt she is wonderful, and Robin Lukes for SSCS classes.

Nursing classes are hard core. Buy ALL the books, they will help with all the papers. (Typically 2-3 a semester). The Book Modeling and Role Modeling is nice because is sums everything up. If you can, read it front to back. Embrace all that they have to offer, they really want you to do well.

Well, hopefully this info helps. If you need more let me know. GOOD LUCK!!!!You'll love it

Heather:typing

dinah77, ADN · Mar 11, 2008

ditto on Betty for Psych. Also, parking is a nightmare. Depending on where you live, I recommend busing to campus on city buses. So many people I've spoken to on campus seem intimated or scared by taking city buses. Or they think that living in the burbs automatically rules that option out. Not so. I always ask people, why not drive into the city and park close to a busline that only takes 15 minutes or so to get to campus? Metro transit has a great website where you can type in your address, type in where you need to be and by what time and ut will tell you exactly which buses to take, what times, wher eto catch them etc. Here's the site:http://www.metrotransit.org/ If you wanna see how it works, just got the tab on the top that says "Plan your trip"

Jeannai · Aug 7, 2009

hmmmm...I don't know if you need A& P but if you do make sure you have either Paul Buttenhoff or Damon Klaphake for lecture. I have heard terrible things about the third proff who does A&P lecture ( hard to understand, 1/2 the class failing her tests, etc.)
When registering, it usually doesn't list the proff, so if you end up with someone other then Damon or Paul, Switch if you can!
The A&P class book is really expensive, ($180 or so)
but you can use it for both semesters.
Class sizes are small (10-20 average) except for A&P or other generals which can have up to 40.
I would recommend taking A&P right away and follow with Micorbiology to get them out of the way...I start my nursing courses this fall, so I can't speak much to them yet, but is there anything else I can specfically answer for you ?

Hi its Jeannai over a year later!! I just got reunited with the site and I really wish I had of stayed around long enough to hear your feed back. I went down the wrong path and took Indrani For A&PII and didnt pass I had to take it over this summer and passed with Paul im so upset that I didnt know about her it was horrible. Im starting The nursing program In sept any advice on that???

dinah77, ADN · Aug 7, 2009

Im starting The nursing program In sept any advice on that???

Yes! Buy the books, do all the readings, skipping what is easy to you- in 1000 and 1200, the readings are deceptively easy, but by 2100 you will need to them all, I think, to survive, so make a habit of it now.

Also, buy an NCLEX book, now! By a "comprehensive" one, which will list summaries on diseases and is SO helpful when you hit 2100- I recommend Mosby's or Saunders- you should be able to find them for pretty cheap on amazon- just make sure it says "comprehensive" on it-

Why by a book so early? Let me tell you a secret- all of your test questions in the nursing program are asked NCLEX style- some of them are copied straight from the NCLEX books! Also, taking NCLEX and NCLEX style tests are different from regular tests- part of the trick to them is learning how to take them- in 1000 and 1200, you will only be able to practice with pretty basic questions on general patient care and communication, but do it anyhow! I failed my first test in 2100, bought an NCLEX book and haven't failed one since- wish soemone had told me back in 1000 about this

Also, if you don't feel really confident on Erik Erkison, Piaget and Maslow from psych, review them NOW- didn't have them adequatley memorized, and I seem to recall several test questions on their stages in 1000 and 1200- naile dme almost every time, till I took the time to re-memorize them at the end of 1000

Finally, if you can bring yourself to start school work early, I recommend buying the book "Modeling and RoleModeling" early, and start looking it over especially the part on "APAM" ( you'll see what it is) its' not terribly difficult, but it is presented quickly in 1000, and it is a huge cornerstone/concept on tests in 1000 and 1200- so do yourself some favors and start trying to undertstand it early

Cari001 · Aug 18, 2010

Question to those who completed/in the St. Kate's 2 yr program......

I have completed A&P, Micro, etc at Bethel. Will I have to repeat these courses once I'm in the program? Or will I just take the nursing courses and any others that I haven't completed?

Also, is the 2 yr program a full-time commmittment?

Thanks much! Cari

dinah77, ADN · Aug 18, 2010

Cari

You shouldn't have to repeat the courses, but it may take longer to get in the program

For those who have not completed the above, they are automatically given a spot in the program once they finish pre-reqs at St Kates

It just depends on how many spots are open that semester

2 yr program is very much a full time commitment, I wouldn't recommend trying to work a lot.

Cari001 · Aug 18, 2010

Thanks Dinah. I'm going to attend an information session next month so hopefully that'll help. I only have a 3.3 gpa but the advisor made it seem like I have good chances. I also have a B.A degree. I don't need to work during the program... but since I have pre-reqs etc. completed, I may only be nursing classes for a little over a year? Does that sound right? Thanks again for your response. :)

dinah77, ADN · Aug 18, 2010

Thanks Dinah. I'm going to attend an information session next month so hopefully that'll help. I only have a 3.3 gpa but the advisor made it seem like I have good chances. I also have a B.A degree. I don't need to work during the program... but since I have pre-reqs etc. completed, I may only be nursing classes for a little over a year? Does that sound right? Thanks again for your response. :)

DO NOT worry about your GPA- St Kate's has a an open enrollment policy- what does this mean?

It means on a day ( usually in October) they have application day- you stand in line and if you have a spot in line before the cutoff ( around 90 I think )with all of your completed paperwork, app, and transcripts in hand you have a spot in the program

Once in there, it's up to the student to keep their grades up and not get kicked out- th eprogram is HARD- my cohort started out with 90 people, and of those 90, only 50 or so made it straight through without failing and having to re-take classes

If you fail a course ( and failing is anything below a 78% average of your test scores) you can retake it, but your name goes on a waiting list to retake the class- this is bad bad bad, because you could potentially be on the list for a year just to pick up where you left off- suddenly a two year program turns into a three or four year program

You can fail classes two times total (two total, not two times for each course) before you are permanently kicked out

so in short, make sure to pass all of your classes the first time around,

To my knowledge this is the way they do it still, but you will know more once you go to the session.

Your nursing classes will take two years , four semesters- unfortunately there is no way to speed this up due to constraints of faculty availability and clinical site availability- each class is only available once a semester, and the semester is split into two classes, each lasting seven weeks

There are 8 nursing classes- does this make sense?

You can start in Day, which only starts every September, or night, which only starts every January

So, say you are starting the program in Winter semester- this is what your schedule looks like

2011

February- mid march= Nursing 1000

End march- mid may= Nursing

September- mid october= Nursing 2100

End October- mid December= Nursing 2200

2012

February- mid march= Nursing 2400

End march- mid may= Nursing 2450

The last semester is two, semester long courses that you take concurrently

September-December= Nursing 2800 & 2810

Feel free to ask more questions, I enjoy mentoring people in regards to St Kate's program!