sorry, i would not recommend hu (main campus or the college of virginia beach) to my worst enemy!!! i attended hu and graduated with a 3.7 gpa and have been working as an icu nurse in another state for several years now... please, please, please access the virginia board of nursing/virginia department of health professions website: http://www.dhp.state.va.us/nursing/nursing_edprogs.htm review the current year nclex passing ratios as well as previous years. hu ratio was only 46-77.5% from 2004-2008!!! hint-hint: disregard an nclex passing ratio of 100% with only 5 or 6 students testing!!! ask yourself...what happened to the rest of the graduating class (there are usually 25-30+ students each semester) ??? why haven't they tested yet!!!??? the goal is to attend a school that has a consistent 85+% passing ratio on nclex. even better attend schools with 90-100% passing ratios. also ask yourself: *** do you want to attend the highest priced school in the area with such low nclex passing ratios!!! i don't think you do. *** how many clincial hours does hu offer each semester? what do these clinical hours consist of? let me tell you...because hu cannot keep clinical instructors on their payroll (because the instructors do not get paid on time; so they quit and never return!!!), the students end up suffering. students spend way to much time in the computer lab on clinical days because there are too many students not enough clincial instructors... is this how you want to spend your money??? hu won't admit to this but they will give students computer lab time in place of actual hospital clinical hours in order to meet the va state nursing board requirements for clinical hours... ********* let me also add...don't expect most people (professors and past students) to be completely honest about hus nursing program--because they will not. instructors/professors need their jobs! past students need references if they decide to further their education. current students don't want to be mistreated by instructors while they still attend. no one wants any "negative" marks associated with their name so they will not be completely honest when it comes to discussing their nursing program. it is not necessary for me to knock down hu's program. i will let the nclex passing ratios located on the virginia dept. of health professions website speak for themselves; but only you can make the determination as to where you spend money on a nursing program. just keep in mind. nursing is not a field that you can just venture into. if you attend a nursing program and after one or two semesters decide that the school "is not for you" you cannot transfer core nursing courses to another school. you can only transfer your prerequisites. think carefully about the school you attend and make sure it is the school you intend to remain with--for the long haul. whatever school you attend....good luck! and enjoy your new career as an rn!!
Last edit by smn2009 on Jul 30, '09
epona: please! my comment regarding hu is completely focused upon the nclex passing ratios. every student at every university needs to study their "tail off" so you are no different than me or anyone else. ...and yes...the last graduating class (may 2009) is doing better than most regarding the nclex. i know there are still a few more students that still need to take their boards...so things could change. i also know this will be the first time in many, many years that hu will be able to honestly state that their graduating class of 50+ students had a 100% nclex passing ratio. the virginia board of nursing website clearly shows this. so there is nothing that i stated that was improper or incorrect regarding hu's statistics. let me also state that hu knows they are in trouble regarding accreditation. the hu main campus was in jeopardy of losing it's accreditation!!! you obviously didn't know that. additionally, you probably aren't even aware of the fact that both campuses (main and the covb) were at one time grouped together on the virginia state board of nursing when nclex passing ratios were calculated. because of the "hidden" problems associated with the hu nursing program, the main campus and the covb were separated (given different program codes) to allow for separate nclex passing scores to be posted on the virginia state website. if you did your homework you would know that this is the 2nd or 3rd time in a year that the accrediting board has been in the school. now, you need to ask yourself why? ....hhmmm....maybe legal issues??? do you really "think" that your instructors or the dean would want you to know this?? the majority of your instructors are not even aware of these legal issues. how do i know this? i happen to personally know several of the students who are involved. again, ask yourself, why has the accrediting agency returned to hu??? once you figure out the answer to this question, you will fully understand the comments that i have been making. my initial comments were directed toward the low nclex passing ratios (for the past 4 years, 2004-2008) and making prospective students aware of this important factor when determining what school/nursing program they wish to enter. again, one semester (may 2009) of above average nclex passing ratios does not mean anything unless hu continues to improve upon its nursing program...and continues to receive above-average nclex passing ratios. whether you wish to accept this fact or not, a 77.5% average (one year it was as low as 46%) is not good in regards to nclex pass ratios. the only thing that you have now proved in your comment is that hu knows and is fully aware of the problems associated with their nursing program and have finally begun to make changes in the right direction. also, ati is not new to hu. ati software has been used for the last 3-4 years. as a recent graduate, you are not even aware of what is new...what is old...in the nursing curriculum. you did not even know that hu had a 3-year accelerated bsn program!!??!! as i stated, i graduated with an above average gpa and i received many honors, in various areas, while attending hu. i have been working at a prestigous medical facility, out-of-state, on a neurological icu floor for a few years now. i am in the process of being trained to become a charge nurse/assistant unit manager. i am also pursuing a masters degree (family nurse practitioner) as we speak. so, i "appreciate" the education i received from hu but i know it should have been better. fifteen-twenty+ years ago, hu was considered a "prestigous" school. no longer. now, hu has many hurdles ahead--before it can regain the recognition it once had. as an alumni, you have taken my comments too personally because i am merely being honest about the school and making all those interested in attending a nursing program aware of statistical information they should question before attending any nursing program. you can refer your family and friends to hu's nursing program; however, i will never do so until i see a consistent passing ratio on the virginia state board of nursing website. i can assure you that this will not happen overnight or in one semester. i think that people are looking for honest feedback regarding hu and that is what i have provided. if an individual has their mind set on attending hu, they will do so. if they are in limbo and trying to make a final decision about what school to attend for nursing, again, the goal of my comments have been to make people aware of statistical information regarding nursing programs in the state of virginia. in the process, i sited facts surrounding hu. with the information i provided, i hope that each and every person will now access the va state website to review nclex pass ratios as they make their final determination about their school of interest. good luck to all current and prospective nursing students. study hard :typing and make the best of your education wherever you happen to attend!
Last edit by smn2009 on Jul 31, '09