Is Rasmussen a Good college and transferable?

Sharon7RN · Apr 4, 2014

Hello all-

I am a 2013 ADN graduate from Rasmussen College in Green bay. In reading the previous posts, it's clear to see that those who are making negative comments about Rasmussen college are def generalizing and don't have a clue what they're talking about - very immature. You will find "bad apples" in every nursing program. You have to remember that every accredited professional nursing school had to start somewhere and had to also earn accreditation.

I loved the dedicated teachers in the nursing program and we had a variety of first class clinical sites. At one interview I had, the nurse manager told me that she was impressed by all of the clinical hours I had at a variety of sites in the area. My class started out with 12 students, ended up with 8, and all but 2 have passed NCLEX-RN the first time. I landed a job right after passing boards (Rehab nursing) and just had an interview with a local hospital for a Med/Surg position. More than half of my class all landed jobs in reputable hospitals and facilities after graduating. The program here in Green Bay has gained much notoriety.

I don't think anyone can judge the Rasmussen college Nursing program if they haven't been a student there.

SugarShellRN · Nov 27, 2014

I went to Rasmussen for my RN (in Florida). They are regionally accredited. Your degree will transfer to further your education (BSN or MSN). I had a very happy experience with them. My clinicals were ok... it depends on where you get stuck, but that goes for any school. My teachers were all awesome, and I loved it. I passed my NCLEX with the minimum questions and felt more than prepared for my exam and career.

cleobird · Dec 3, 2014

This is a horrible college. I was teaching there but never again! The online instructors have no control over the classes. You just grade assignments from lectures that someone else has written. The course I taught was poorly written, lots of embarrassing typos, bad grammar. AND the students rate YOU on how bad it is!! When I had trouble with some students who weren't turning in acceptable work, management did not support me, just kept passing the buck and I was pressured just to pass them on. They set grading standards and then don't follow them. Ridiculous. It's all about the money here. Go somewhere else.

jaluo2014 · Jan 11, 2015

Nicolet. I am entering into the 2nd semester now. Very happy!!!

jaluo2014 · Jan 11, 2015

Vida, I'm from northern wi...what school do you go to
Nicolet college

nurse_tiff88 · Jan 18, 2015

i used to think the same thing but then i realized that it is not that these sort of schools take just anyone, nor is it that they may not have been able to get into a traditional program it is simply hat they have NO HOME TRAINING. I work as a tech in a hospital (i am in Illinois) an i encounter students from both traditional pograms and private non-traditional programs and i have seen students from traditional so called "better" programs act horrible! just as you have stated above...it is not completley fair to judge the school by the behavior of the students because if a person is lazy and does not do their work they will not learn...if they are always late and unprepared then they will be late and unprepared regardless of what school they attend. it is about the person NOT just the school that makes a nurse. I know a nurse that graduated from a very reputable schools nursing program here in illinois with her bsn and is currently working on her masters degreee an she is book smart i have seen her work the girl is very book smart but when it comes to applying those skills to the floor and working on actual patients...she is as clueless as a fish swimming in pudding....so it is not simply about the school it is about the person either you have the chops to make it as a nurse, or you dont and if you dont then you quickly find them and if you dont get a grasp and get a grasp quick then you will be stuck like a stick in the mud and as clueless as a hooker in church.

yes these sorts of schools are very expensive but some people have families and they dont have time right away to go through numerous pre-reqs and the wait lists and so on and so forth so they opt for a program that allows them to get in and do nursing courses and pre reqs at the same time so that they can get done and start supporting their families, other people just want to get it done and over with and they think that theses private non-traditional programs are going to be easier and they are schocked when they are not. they think they can jsut go in a skate by on the minimum and they look stupid when they realize what they have gotten into. i compared two of my friends syllabi one was from a traditional school and one from a private non-traditional school and i was shocked to see that the non traditional schools was more packed and rigorous than the traditional school. the reason is because traditional programs rum on full 16 week semesters and non traditionals typically run on 11 or 12 weeks which means the traditional students have more time and some of the traditional programs do not go year round while the non traditional go non stop year round....

i feel that it is the person not the school. you can take a hood rat getto girl with a bad attitude and dress her up change her hair give her lines to say in a traditional nursing program for a nursing school entrance interview and if her grades make the cut then she will get in but once she is in she will still be that ghetto hood rat girl with a bad attitude she just played the part to get what she wanted.......trust me i have seen it first hand....i have seen students come to my floor and im thinking..."what school are they from??? what???they let HER in??"

btw i am a tech in a hospital...i do not work for any school or anything this is just my opinion from what i have seen.

nurse_tiff88 · Jan 18, 2015

I see that this thread is a little bit dated, but due to my experiences with Rasmussen students, I felt the need to post a comment. I can't speak for WI, because I am in Fla. First of all, the first comment is from someone who claims to be a Dean of their nursing program, yet his writing style screams salesman, not to mention, unprofessional. No capitalization or spaces where they are needed. I am a graduate nurse myself and have had to share clinical space with Rasmussen, Keiser, etc students and I am less than impressed. It's true, they will take ANYBODY! If they can help you secure the $50,000 in tuition, you're in like flynn.
The Rasmussen students in my opinion are woefully inadequate. They are very rude and behave unprofessionally also. My experience with them yesterday went like this: First of all they hogged up the computers. One girl who had on gobs of make up and big huge fake eyelashes, and a giant boufant hairdo had to be told three times to get off the computers so a NURSE could use it!! How entitled is that? This same one gave me an attitude when I asked her to let me use the computer so I could chart my shift assessments, she had the nerve to say, "Can't you use one of the WOWS to chart?" That's when my preceptor stepped in and told her that I'm on preceptorship and whatever she's doing on the computer isn't as important as what I need to do, and the nurses and preceptor students trump them. I found out later they are just out of fundamentals and beginning Adult I, so they should know better.... All day I had to tolerate glares and attitudes from them.
I think they are jealous because I'm a community college student and they can't get in there. They all remind me of nursing school rejects. Only one was nice that I met a few weeks ago, but her knowledge deficit is huge. She was on preceptorship with my preceptor at that time, and I was following them that day, well the preceptor asked her for a pts b/p trends and she got a blank look on her face, she didn't know what that meant. Then she told me that a pt's b/p was 80/113. I said, "You mean 113/80?" And she insisted it was that because the computer said so, and I explained that someone must've manually entered it, and they flip flopped the numbers. It didn't dawn on her that 80/113 is physiologically impossible!! Additionally, I took three of her pts, well two of them needed dressing changes and I offered for her to do them since she was on preceptorship and she declined, but instead asked if she could watch me. I had the feeling she's never done one before. And this is someone who was days away from graduating from an RN program!!
Yesterday they also hogged up the break room with their huge backpacks, bags and lunch coolers. What were always told about that?? We weren't allowed to bring backpacks or even a lunch, we had to spend a small fortune on the cafeteria to eat so we wouldn't take up space from the staff! Then when my preceptor and I went into the break room to eat our lunch, a whole gang of them came piling in and one of them picked up her big wheeled back pack and set it on top of the lunch table like it was no big deal! Gross! We eat on the table. Those wheels have been on the ground and hospital floors, yuck! I would have said something to her if I was staff. My preceptor said nothing, but we both looked at her. Lastly, two of these students totally screwed up a pt. They were clueless to the most minor of common sense stuff. The pt was in a wheelchair, naked except for a dirty stained gown, juices running down her body from an open infected wound, pee on the floor and her IV tubing practically ripped from her arm because it was all wound-up around her wheelchair. They were bumbling around, their instructor peeked in and did nothing to intervene. So I went in, it wasn't my pt, but I felt like I had to do something. The two jerks up and left me there without so much as a "thanks", just a dirty look from one, and left me to clean up the huge mess they made. And the one that gave me the look was also being mean to this pt. She rolled her eyes at her and spoke to her in a snappish tone.
I'm disturbed that these schools are allowed to do business and they are churning out a poor quality product. And we actually have to compete with it! They are causing a glut in the market and stinking up the nursing profession. Every encounter I've had with them during my three years of nursing school has been about the same, and it's because the "college" will literally take anybody. There is a reason nursing schools have certain accreditations. One of the manuevers that Rasmussen and other for-profit private schools like them use, is the alleged "nursing shortage". This tactic paves the way for them to earn accreditation. This fact should not be confused with the idea that they are providing a quality education, because from what I've seen they are not. There is also a reason that nursing school takes nearly three years to complete. It should.
There is an ABUNDANCE of information one must learn. Rasmussen also doesn't have prerequisites, and that is a disadvantage to the student and the public they will one day care for. Prerequisite classes provide a foundation of understanding of disease processes, the physiology of the human body, growth and development, psychology and social science. It also shows which of the applicants has the brains to be a nurse. At my community college, there are hundreds that apply to the biannual application period. Only 24 get picked each time. Not to toot my own horn, but I was one of those 24 and it means a lot. It's a hard-earned accomplishment. We are considered the cream of the crop in the intelligence department. In order to have a chance of getting selected, you really need to have a 4.0 in your prerequisite classes and a very high TEAS score.
It's my opinion that Rasmussen is actually doing a disservice to the medical community. All they care about is getting the tuition.

i used to think the same thing but then i realized that it is not that these sort of schools take just anyone, nor is it that they may not have been able to get into a traditional program it is simply hat they have NO HOME TRAINING. I work as a tech in a hospital (i am in Illinois) an i encounter students from both traditional pograms and private non-traditional programs and i have seen students from traditional so called "better" programs act horrible! just as you have stated above...it is not completley fair to judge the school by the behavior of the students because if a person is lazy and does not do their work they will not learn...if they are always late and unprepared then they will be late and unprepared regardless of what school they attend. it is about the person NOT just the school that makes a nurse. I know a nurse that graduated from a very reputable schools nursing program here in illinois with her bsn and is currently working on her masters degreee an she is book smart i have seen her work the girl is very book smart but when it comes to applying those skills to the floor and working on actual patients...she is as clueless as a fish swimming in pudding....so it is not simply about the school it is about the person either you have the chops to make it as a nurse, or you dont and if you dont then you quickly find them and if you dont get a grasp and get a grasp quick then you will be stuck like a stick in the mud and as clueless as a hooker in church.

yes these sorts of schools are very expensive but some people have families and they dont have time right away to go through numerous pre-reqs and the wait lists and so on and so forth so they opt for a program that allows them to get in and do nursing courses and pre reqs at the same time so that they can get done and start supporting their families, other people just want to get it done and over with and they think that theses private non-traditional programs are going to be easier and they are schocked when they are not. they think they can jsut go in a skate by on the minimum and they look stupid when they realize what they have gotten into. i compared two of my friends syllabi one was from a traditional school and one from a private non-traditional school and i was shocked to see that the non traditional schools was more packed and rigorous than the traditional school. the reason is because traditional programs rum on full 16 week semesters and non traditionals typically run on 11 or 12 weeks which means the traditional students have more time and some of the traditional programs do not go year round while the non traditional go non stop year round....

i feel that it is the person not the school. you can take a hood rat getto girl with a bad attitude and dress her up change her hair give her lines to say in a traditional nursing program for a nursing school entrance interview and if her grades make the cut then she will get in but once she is in she will still be that ghetto hood rat girl with a bad attitude she just played the part to get what she wanted.......trust me i have seen it first hand....i have seen students come to my floor and im thinking..."what school are they from??? what???they let HER in??"

btw i am a tech in a hospital...i do not work for any school or anything this is just my opinion from what i have seen.

baf29 · Feb 16, 2015

DO NOT RECOMMEND WAUSAU CAMPUS

I went to Rasmussen in Wausau and am transferring out and going to my local tech college because of how bad it is there. We haven't had a Dean of Nursing in 2 years and right now they have an interim DON. A teacher let slip that no one wants the position because the whole program is just a mess and students can't pass the classes let alone the NCLEX. As of September '14 their NCLEX pass rate was 50% and the interim DON seemed a little worried when she came to talk to us. Only two of my classes transfer out of 14 because they aren't comparable to what we need to know to pass (which explains why their pass rate is so low). On average, there is about anywhere from 8-18 students in each quarter, about 50-80% pass their classes and graduate and then take 50-60% of the people who actually make it to graduation, those pass the NCLEX. I have not heard anything good from the gradates ahead of me and those who can actually find a job, say they struggle because this school did not prepare them at all. The people who did pass, paid a lot out of pocket for additional study classes/programs/books etc.

Some of the teachers are nice and are actually willing to help you (only 2 that I had). The majority of the teachers are basically filling in for a class to teach and if you have questions that you still don't understand after looking in your books or online, they still can't answer your question and your screwed. Then when it comes time for the tests, they give you 10 page study guide and the study guides don't match the tests. So then the teacher ends up throwing out 30 questions out of 75-100 just to get half the class to pass (and this is for a majority of the core courses). I had one teacher who did things her way and help out the students to make sure that they understood what they had wrong and why and because of her, I will forever remember my maternal class. She was reprimanded for it and we haven't seen her since! There is also a high turnover rate with instructors and most quarters will not have the same teacher for the same class that the quarter ahead of them just took.

Also, trying to transfer, they pride themselves on being "professional" but they are far from it. No one has responded to my program adviser at the school I am trying to transfer to in three months! Also, have not responded to me. I did receive one response and it had nothing to do with the transfer papers and we both have been in contact several days a week.

Nursing school is hard enough but add on staff that is not helpful, a Dean of the campus that ignores any complaints and passes the buck to whomever and teachers throwing out that many questions (so you really aren't learning that much when you think about it), it was a huge struggle and not worth the time or outrageous pricing.

Jennabby420 · May 16, 2016

Ok, I'm going to be completely honest about this school.

i am currently a student at a Florida campus.. To start with I felt like I was running out of time and wanted to start my nursing career. I was previously doing my pre-reques at a different school, a state college. When I found out I didn't need to have my pre-reques finished to apply to Rasmussen, I went ahead and did just that. To clarify above- you do in fact need pre-reques.. They are just put into the nursing program. I passed the TEASE test my first try, so I was in! Then, I started hearing not so great things about the school.. That everyone was failing, it was impossible to pass.. All of it. So I decided against it.. For a year. Then I finally decided to give it a try. It's not IMPOSSIBLE to pass this nursing program, it is not easy and there is no help.

Here I am, in my 3rd quarter at this school, and I have realized everything I heard was true. Once they get the students into the school, they do not care if you pass or not. There are some professors that are in fact aware that the school does not set you up for success, and tries to help you as much to their abilities.. But there is only so much they can do. The school thinks that by assigning 6 assignments per week.. Per class.. Is forcing you to learn the material, but what is actually happening is the students are so busy trying to get the assignments done and MAYBE have time to sleep every now and then.. And try to have a life?? Forget about it!... That we are just typing the answers to get it done and submitted that we are not comprehending a thing.. So when it comes to those exams that you have to get a 78% average on.. Again, FORGET about it!

Long story short, other nursing programs are not like this, I PROMISE! Don't think they are all this "impossible", stressful, and will most likely fail. I am currently hoping that a different school will accept my last few pre-reques that I finished at Rasmussen can at least transfer and start over in a different nursing program. I do not like the thought of failing in my last semester and all of my money going to waste.. Not being able to transfer a single credit!- Which is what happens most of the time, students fail in the last semester.

Dont fall for it!

senge50 · May 29, 2016

I am a student of the RN to BSN program. I received my associates degree from a local community college. I had previously enrolled in Bemidji State University online RN to BSN program. I found them to be highly unorganized. They made so many last minute changes. As a busy working mother, nurse, and student, I needed more stability from my program. Rasmussen is highly organized and the professors are extremely helpful and encouraging. I am very satisfied with this program. This program is accredited.

Tima Tima · Jun 10, 2018

Hi Senge50,

I know this tread if old but if you're still on here, I would really appreciate if you could provide more info about Rasmussen Bloomington MN campuse.

I am looking to start school there in October but I need more info before I commit to such a high tuition school.

Thank you much inadvance!

Trinity33 · Jul 12, 2018

Cleobird which location were you working at?