Utica vs Rasmussen Accelerated BSN?

jm42 · Mar 9, 2017

I can't give any info regarding Rasmussen, but Utica clinical rotations vary across the BayCare network. By the end of the program, you end up having been in several hospitals for different classes, and in some cases perhaps a different hospital for each and every class.

Trinity636 · Mar 9, 2017

Thank for that feedback. I'm heading to a "Welcome to Nursing" event this evening. I'm assuming you are a graduate or current student. Any additional info is appreciated as I ready for this career change!

jm42 · Mar 9, 2017

I recently finished the program at Utica. A lot of the work is online so it's important to be able to stay motivated to remain on top of material - it's easy to fall behind when there's no live class to attend forcing you to stay up to date. But the flexibility of completing lectures at my own pace was a large determining factor in my decision to pick that program. So it depends on what you are looking for in a program and how you learn best.

alison86786 · May 28, 2017

jm42 I'm speaking to an admissions counselor at Utica St Petes next week. I've seen some really bad reviews on the program but they seem to be from a few years ago. Would love to get a prospective from a current or recent grad on the program. I need to take all the prereqs for the program, what do you suggest?

jm42 · May 28, 2017

In my experience the people who post terrible reviews do so because they are upset about something or didn't do well. Few happy people go out of their way to counteract the negative posts. Especially if someone got kicked out or failed and is no longer in classes vs. their classmates who are still busy studying and working towards their license. Not to say this is always the case, but just the majority of my experience.

That being said, is Utica perfect? Absolutely not. Have I had my share of issues and days where I was beyond annoyed? Absolutely. But so have all my other friends who have attended other nursing programs of all levels. LPN, RN, BSN, NP.... no program is perfect and no school can make every student happy about every detail. It's physically impossible. But the overall experience is what you make it. If you go in with the right attitude and approach and understand who to reach out to for any issues which you may encounter there's no reason not to survive the program without any major issues.

The work is hard, the demands are high, and even though it's largely online it is still very time consuming. Scheduling is not very flexible due to the school needing to schedule labs and clinicals for all students across 4 semesters. But it's doable. Don't let reviews or others make you think it's not. It's just about applying yourself as needed and understanding that some things just aren't going to change. It's not a Utica thing, it's a nursing school across the board thing. And that's just the way it's going to be in the real world too.