Does anyone know of any good nursing schools in Dayton

AmyLiz · Sep 8, 2003

Hi there!

I'm going to Sinclair right now...waiting to get into the program & taking pre-req's currently. It is a great school & has around a 100% pass rate for the NCLEX. I got a bachelors degree in psychology about 10 years ago from Wright State & while I liked the school ok, I have to admit that I'm enjoying my time at Sinclair much more. The instructors are extremely helpful & many of them also teach at other universities (WSU, UD, etc). Also, you cannot beat Sinclair for value. Their tuition is the lowest in the state for folks in Montgomery County. WSU is EXTREMELY expensive.

I haven't heard anything about Retts-tech, but a friend of mine who is an MA & got it thru Rets is now at Sinclair & ended up having to take all his pre-req's over again because they didn't transfer since he went to a technical school.

I am planning on getting my BSN after I get the ADN. Capital University has a completion program located in Dayton and Wright State has a completion program too. I figure when I graduate from Sinclair, I will get a job where they will pay for all or some of my continuing education, which will be better than me having to spend an arm & a leg to get the BSN degree.

Feel free to PM me if you want to know more about Sinclair. I'll share all I know.

AmyLiz · Sep 8, 2003

Oh...forgot to mention, Kettering has a nursing school too, but they're REALLY expensive. :eek:

rileygrl11, BSN, RN · Sep 10, 2003

I, too, went to Sinclair. The program was very difficult but well worth the effort. I felt so prepared when I finished. The instructors are eager to help the students and sincerely care about them. They have an awesome NCLEX pass rate. The down side is that it takes FOREVER to start the program because of the waiting list. It took me 4 years to get my ADN because I was on the waiting list for the program 1-1/2 years. In that amount of time you could get your BSN.

WSU has an on-line BSN program but haven't talked to anyone who has taken it. Great idea if you are interested in working and then having your employer pay for the tuition.

L&D_RN_OH · Sep 11, 2003

I graduated from KCMA (Kettering). Like someone else said, it is really expensive, but it has an excellent program, a small classroom atmosphere, and great instructors. It is a difficult program but the instructors really want to help you succeed and make themselves available if you need help. Our class had a 100% pass rate on the NCLEX. I'm not sure what the average is. Last fall, they also added a BSN completion program.

Sinclair would be the most economical but I hear the waiting list can be crazy. I applied to KCMA in April and started in August of the same year. :) I think there might be a waiting list now though, probably not as long as Sinclair though. If you look at a more expensive program, one thing to xonsider is taking your pre reqs and gen eds at Sinclair. And I would be a little wary of Rets. I think it might be difficult to transfer your credits, plus it's pretty expensive too.

AmyLiz · Sep 11, 2003

Yep, Sinclair has a waiting list, but it's not too terrible. I am taking all my pre-req's while waiting, so when I get to start the nursing classes, I won't have to be taking something like humanities or english or something while I'm taking the nursing classes.

I don't know about Kettering if they've got a waiting list or not. I wouldn't have minded going there - they've got a great program too - but Sinclair was much less expensive and had evening classes, which is all I can take since I work during the day.

lashon20 · Sep 12, 2003

I thought you won't get on the waiting list until you're done with the pre reqs. I'm starting on my pr reqs now, I start monday. I need another one of those packets for the rn program that tells you what all needs to be done but I don't know where to get them. This insurance guy told me sinclair's program is the best out there. Amyliz could you tell more about their program and what all needs to be done.

L&D_RN_OH · Sep 12, 2003

Originally posted by lashon20
This insurance guy told me sinclair's program is the best out there.

Depends on who you ask. I always heard Kettering had the best program. I think the two are comparable. And I definitely heard better things about them than WSU.

My understanding, when I looked into Sinclair, in my cae, was I had to complete the CNA class and Chemistry before I could apply to the nursing program. Not sure about other pre reqs since I already had A&P, Micro, and Algebra done.

AmyLiz · Sep 12, 2003

No, you don't have to have ALL your pre-req's out of the way to apply to the nursing program at Sinclair. Your best bet is to either make an appointment or go to the walk-in hours of the allied health counsellors. They'll tell you exactly what you need to do. Bring transcripts from any schooling you've already had (college or high school) so they can see if anything transfers. You'll probably have to take a COMPASS test to see where you'd be placed for math, etc. Those are no big deal really, and can be done anytime at the testing center on computer. The only one I had to take was for math, because it had been awhile since I had a math class. Once you get the scores from those tests, go see a counsellor again and they'll tell you what classes you should sign up for.

I had to take chemistry before I could take the PAX-RN test. That was a pre-requisite for me. I'm not sure what other pre-req's would be for that. I don't think there are very many. I think they just want to make sure you'll do ok on the test. Anyway, once you take the PAX-RN test and score within the 50th percentile, you're on the waiting list. Doesn't matter how many pre-req's you've had or not had...you're on it. If you do NOT score within the 50th percentile in one or all of the 3 sections of the PAX-RN, you can either take the whole test over or you can choose to take a class to make up for your low score on whatever section you did poorly on. (math, biology, etc). After you pass that class/classes, you're on the waiting list.

While I'm on the waiting list, I'm taking all of the non-nursing classes that are required. A few of the general education-type classes transferred from when I got my bachelor's degree, so I got lucky there. Since I am going to school part-time, it works out that I will be taking 2 classes per quarter and by the time I start the nursing classes, all those non-nursing classes should be out of the way for me. :) A lot of folks I know who are nursing majors are doing the same thing.

You do need to be a CNA to start nursing classes that involve clinicals (basically the second quarter of nursing classes), but not to apply to nursing school or to be on the waiting list. According to the allied health counsellors I've talked to, you don't need to have it until the quarter before your actual nursing classes would start. I am taking the NA Training class this fall just to get it out of the way, but really, I could've waited a few more quarters if I wanted to.

The only real pre-req's you have to have before you start NUR 120 & 121, which are the first nursing courses you'd be taking, are: ALH 103 (Intro to Healthcare Delivery), ENG 111 (English composition), BIO 141 (Principles of Anatomy & Physiology I), PSY 119 (General Psychology) and COM 206 (Interpersonal Communication).

I've got most of those done or transferred. I finished A&P I this summer and will take COM 206 this winter. Then I'll be set.

If you want more info, go to Sinclair's ADN Program , or if you want to ask me or any other Sinclair students, or Sinclair graduates, you can post here & I'm sure one of us can try & answer any questions you might have. :)

Candance · Oct 17, 2004

Hello,

I'm going to Sinclair working on my prereq's to get on the waiting list. I'm taking CHEM 120 currently. Do you know of any other testing facilities to take the PAX RN test? Sinclair's schedule is December & June, but, you have to have all prereq's complete by November 1st, which I won't. I don't want to wait until June. Have you taken any Biology yet?

Hi there!
I'm going to Sinclair right now...waiting to get into the program & taking pre-req's currently. It is a great school & has around a 100% pass rate for the NCLEX. I got a bachelors degree in psychology about 10 years ago from Wright State & while I liked the school ok, I have to admit that I'm enjoying my time at Sinclair much more. The instructors are extremely helpful & many of them also teach at other universities (WSU, UD, etc). Also, you cannot beat Sinclair for value. Their tuition is the lowest in the state for folks in Montgomery County. WSU is EXTREMELY expensive.
I haven't heard anything about Retts-tech, but a friend of mine who is an MA & got it thru Rets is now at Sinclair & ended up having to take all his pre-req's over again because they didn't transfer since he went to a technical school.
I am planning on getting my BSN after I get the ADN. Capital University has a completion program located in Dayton and Wright State has a completion program too. I figure when I graduate from Sinclair, I will get a job where they will pay for all or some of my continuing education, which will be better than me having to spend an arm & a leg to get the BSN degree.
Feel free to PM me if you want to know more about Sinclair. I'll share all I know.

Imafloat, BSN, RN · Oct 18, 2004

I think the answer is going to depend on who you talk to. I am currently at WSU and I think it is a wonderful program. The instructors are intelligent and very caring. The pace seems much more manageable than that of many other schools I have been reading about in the student nurses forum. I had to decide between Sinclair and WSU and I decided on WSU. I got in the first time I applied, I liked the fact that there was no waiting list. I have friends in the program at Sinclair and they told me that they waited a year and a half on the waiting list. Sinclair has lost a few nursing instructors in the past few months. I believe they were middle level teachers. A big plus for Sinclair for me is the fact that they don't go during the summer.

AmyLiz · Oct 19, 2004

Hello,
I'm going to Sinclair working on my prereq's to get on the waiting list. I'm taking CHEM 120 currently. Do you know of any other testing facilities to take the PAX RN test? Sinclair's schedule is December & June, but, you have to have all prereq's complete by November 1st, which I won't. I don't want to wait until June. Have you taken any Biology yet?

As far as I know, Sinclair's the only place around here to take the PAX-RN. The only open testing site that I know of is in New York...which is a heck of a long way to go to take it. As much of a bummer as it is to have to wait, you'll most likely have to do that. I was in a similar situation when I started in Spring '03. I took CHM 120 and couldn't take the exam until September (It's given in the fall, spring and summer).

I didn't take biology...I went straight into the A&P series after I took Chem. I had taken bio about 10+ years ago when I went to college for my psych degree. I'm taking Microbiology now & am about done with all of the non-nursing classes. Only have pharmacology left to take...then I have to wait until they send me the letter saying I'm to start the nursing program.