Sentara BSN program

U.S.A. Virginia

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Hi I was wondering if anyone is currently enrolled in Sentara bsn program and if so how is it

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Hi I was wondering if anyone is currently enrolled in Sentara bsn program and if so how is it

I am also interested in attending Sentara's BSN program in Jan 2014. It would be great to talk to a current student!! :yes:

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Specializes in Psychiatric, School Nursing.

I am currently a senior in the BSN program, which will be the college’s second BSN class (the diploma program was over 100 years old before they switched to BSN). Personally I think it’s a really good program, not that I have a lot to compare it to, though :p

As I spend more and more time on the clinical floor, I have heard directly from more than one Sentara Norfolk General staff nurse that our graduates are the best new grads in the area. Now some of this might just be expected since we are educated in Sentara facilities and so as students we become very familiar with eCare (the electronic medical record system used by Sentara) by the time we graduate. However they’ve also told me that we’re the best in terms of clinical skills and experience as new grads. Sentara makes sure that you get your experience from the ground up by requiring you get certification as a Nursing Care Partner (basically a nurse aide who can draw blood) before you are allowed to begin clinicals as a RN/BSN junior, and as things stand currently we have by far the greatest number of clinical hours of any nursing program in the region. On the floor where I have clinicals this semester, a new grad nurse from another local BSN program had to have one of our Sentara students show her how to change an adult diaper. This would never happen to a Sentara new grad, or at least I would be very very surprised :) We also have some really cool simulation labs on campus where we have the opportunity to provide care to pretty realistic robotic patients and get the chance to respond to patient changes/emergencies and receive immediate feedback without having to worry you'll screw up and hurt the patient.

In terms of lecture and teaching, a number of the theory-based classes are online or hybrid classes so you need to be a good independent learner. And as in any demanding health science program, you need to have great study skills because there is a TON of stuff to learn and more than can be taught in class. In class be prepared to cover the overarching concepts and some special notes, and learn the details on your own. (From what I’ve heard from students at other schools, this sounds pretty standard for a nursing program.) The majority of the instructors are great…not everyone loves every teacher and personally there are one or two who are clearly excellent, expert nurses but that I think have room for improvement as far as lecture teaching goes, but I feel like I’m getting a great education. Most instructors are very accessible and willing to meet to go over tests or give you some mentoring advice, and many will respond to texts or emails over the weekend. The school provides a lot of instruction on NCLEX-style questions and provides us access to an online NCLEX test training and review program. Many of the tutorials and practice exams on there will be mandatory throughout various courses and they are excellent preparation. Papers: we tend to have a few important papers due a semester. If you’re comparing Sentara to ODU, I have a family member in ODU’s program and it sounds like they do a LOT more papers than we do. You will however do your fair share of writing in online discussion board posts.

Like all nursing programs, it is demanding. The faculty recommend not working at all while a full-time nursing student, and if you have to work, not working more than 20 hours a week. I would follow those guidelines and make sure you have your financial ducks in a row to make sure you have adequate time to study, because if you can’t afford to cut back at work and you end up not being able to study enough and fail a class, you will have to sit out of the program for a year until that class comes around again. (And six months from failing the class while you are not a full-time student, you would have to start making payments on your student loans!)

Last year Sentara graduated their first BSN class and they got a 96% pass rate on the NCLEX, so I figure the college must be doing a decent job. Their diploma program also had pass rates consistently in the 90s :)

I hope this information has been helpful to you! If you have any questions, please feel free to private message me.

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I am currently a senior in the BSN program, which will be the college’s second BSN class (the diploma program was over 100 years old before they switched to BSN). Personally I think it’s a really good program, not that I have a lot to compare it to, though :p

As I spend more and more time on the clinical floor, I have heard directly from more than one Sentara Norfolk General staff nurse that our graduates are the best new grads in the area. Now some of this might just be expected since we are educated in Sentara facilities and so as students we become very familiar with eCare (the electronic medical record system used by Sentara) by the time we graduate. However they’ve also told me that we’re the best in terms of clinical skills and experience as new grads. Sentara makes sure that you get your experience from the ground up by requiring you get certification as a Nursing Care Partner (basically a nurse aide who can draw blood) before you are allowed to begin clinicals as a RN/BSN junior, and as things stand currently we have by far the greatest number of clinical hours of any nursing program in the region. On the floor where I have clinicals this semester, a new grad nurse from another local BSN program had to have one of our Sentara students show her how to change an adult diaper. This would never happen to a Sentara new grad, or at least I would be very very surprised :) We also have some really cool simulation labs on campus where we have the opportunity to provide care to pretty realistic robotic patients and get the chance to respond to patient changes/emergencies and receive immediate feedback without having to worry you'll screw up and hurt the patient.

In terms of lecture and teaching, a number of the theory-based classes are online or hybrid classes so you need to be a good independent learner. And as in any demanding health science program, you need to have great study skills because there is a TON of stuff to learn and more than can be taught in class. In class be prepared to cover the overarching concepts and some special notes, and learn the details on your own. (From what I’ve heard from students at other schools, this sounds pretty standard for a nursing program.) The majority of the instructors are great…not everyone loves every teacher and personally there are one or two who are clearly excellent, expert nurses but that I think have room for improvement as far as lecture teaching goes, but I feel like I’m getting a great education. Most instructors are very accessible and willing to meet to go over tests or give you some mentoring advice, and many will respond to texts or emails over the weekend. The school provides a lot of instruction on NCLEX-style questions and provides us access to an online NCLEX test training and review program. Many of the tutorials and practice exams on there will be mandatory throughout various courses and they are excellent preparation. Papers: we tend to have a few important papers due a semester. If you’re comparing Sentara to ODU, I have a family member in ODU’s program and it sounds like they do a LOT more papers than we do. You will however do your fair share of writing in online discussion board posts.

Like all nursing programs, it is demanding. The faculty recommend not working at all while a full-time nursing student, and if you have to work, not working more than 20 hours a week. I would follow those guidelines and make sure you have your financial ducks in a row to make sure you have adequate time to study, because if you can’t afford to cut back at work and you end up not being able to study enough and fail a class, you will have to sit out of the program for a year until that class comes around again. (And six months from failing the class while you are not a full-time student, you would have to start making payments on your student loans!)

Last year Sentara graduated their first BSN class and they got a 96% pass rate on the NCLEX, so I figure the college must be doing a decent job. Their diploma program also had pass rates consistently in the 90s :)

I hope this information has been helpful to you! If you have any questions, please feel free to private message me.

Thank you for your response. I just saw this post. I'm praying that I get accepted into the program.

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I am also praying I get in!! I wonder how competitive it will be this year? I just finished my pre-reqs but still need to take the TEAS V!

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I am also praying I get in!! I wonder how competitive it will be this year? I just finished my pre-reqs but still need to take the TEAS V!

I spoke with the program director and she advised me that as long as you have a good gpa and a good teas v test score than you should be fine.

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I really hope that is the case!! I have completed all pre-reqs (including microbiology +lab) and currently have a 3.25 gpa. I am however retaking Developmental Psychology this Spring 2013 and that should raise my gpa up to a 3.46. As far as my TEAS V, I have just begun studying for it and plan on taking it Feb. 2013! Does anyone have recommendations on the TEAS V? How specific or general is it? How much Anatomy is on it? Etc? Thanks again!!

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I think that I will start studying for the TEAS V around spring break (March). I have a busy schedule

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I've submitted my application to the BSN program. Can anyone tell me what the passing score is for Sentara BSN program TEAS V?

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I have officially turned in my Sentara BSN application with fee and official transcripts! I am currently studying for the TEAS V and have registered for the March 26th test date. I am extremely nervous and excited about this program. I just moved to Virginia Beach about 2 weeks ago and Sentara seems like the perfect option for me. I am scared because I feel as tho I have put 'all my eggs in one basket' since Sentara is the only school I applied for. I have a 3.4 gpa and expect to get 80%+ on the TEAS V. Wish me luck as we get closer to June!

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Oh I can't wait to apply. I will be applying after this semester for their BSN program.

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Hey y'all! I will be applying as well after this semester is over! I'm aware that they do look at 7 main prereqs and your teas score in order to get accepted so I calculated my gpa for those 7 main courses and I'm at a 3.7 gpa but my overall is a 3.48 which I'm hoping they can round it. I plan on actually taking my teas between late april or early may! I'm nervous and excited though I'm praying for the best!

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