accelerated nursing grads

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Specializes in ICU.

Hi,

I have one concern about accelerated nursing programs and that is my GPA after the program. Did your GPA remain the same, go down below a 3.0 or actually got higher than your undergrad GPA? I am concerned because my goals require me to do a masters program after the BSN. A nursing friend of mine says these classes will kick your butt make you want to scream and shout and adding more in a short time is even more stressful :uhoh3:. I convinced myself that I can do it but ending with a good GPA is another question.

Anybody regret not doing 2 full years instead of the 11-18 month accelerated programs? My nursing friend says 11 months(drexel) is crazy to fit all of that material in. The programs I am looking at require 13 or 15 month commitment.

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My GPA actually got higher after graduating from an accelerated program this past December. I had a 3.1 with my first undergrad degree. I graduated from nursing school with a 3.67. I think a lot of it had to do with the fact that I was much more interested in studying nursing than what I had with my prior degree. Many of my other friends in the program graduated with above a 3.5 as well. It all depends on how willing you are to study hard and do the work. My program was 16 months so not quite as accelerated as Drexel but again very fast paced and stressful. But I don't regret it at all. 16 months is a short time compared to 2 years or 4 years as would be for a normal BSN.

I'm sure that the 13 month or shorter programs are very intensive but again I'm sure they're not impossible if they are still operating with the same cirriculum. Obviously students are able to be successful throughout their time in the program if they're still in existence.

So yes, not only will you be able to complete the program, but you'll complete it with an AWESOME GPA. It's not impossible and you definitely won't regret it. :up:

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Specializes in ICU.
Hi,

I have one concern about accelerated nursing programs and that is my GPA after the program. Did your GPA remain the same, go down below a 3.0 or actually got higher than your undergrad GPA? I am concerned because my goals require me to do a masters program after the BSN. A nursing friend of mine says these classes will kick your butt make you want to scream and shout and adding more in a short time is even more stressful :uhoh3:. I convinced myself that I can do it but ending with a good GPA is another question.

Anybody regret not doing 2 full years instead of the 11-18 month accelerated programs? My nursing friend says 11 months(drexel) is crazy to fit all of that material in. The programs I am looking at require 13 or 15 month commitment.

My undergrad GPA (a less-than-stellar 2.59 in Chemical Engineering) did not predict my performance in the accel BSN program I attended. I did a program that took just over a year, and ended up with a 3.95 GPA.

Of course, I had over 20 years of growing up between my first and second degrees. My goal back in the 1980s was merely to pass my courses, which I did...barely. When I went for my accel BSN, I wanted to excel.

In our program, we took several graduate level courses (Research, Stats, Genetics) along with the accel nursing courses. Fun, fun, fun!

Going through an accel BSN program is like drinking from a firehose. There's never enough time...to study, to do papers, to do other assignments...it's all VERY short time frame. It can be less than fun to compress a whole quarter's worth of subject material (and clinicals) into a 5 week period. You end up tired...very tired.

That being said, I wouldn't change things if I had to do it all over again. It was right for me.:yeah:

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My GPA went from a 3.8 undergrad to a 3.3 for the accelerated BSN. Many of my classmates had GPA's well above a 3.5, but when I went back to school for nursing I had a husband, a child and got pregnant during the 15 month program. :uhoh3: Alot of drama... But, if you don't let yourself get distracted with life, I'm sure you could graduate with the highest honors. You'll be fine.

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Specializes in Vascular Surgery.

Mine went up: 3.35 for the first BS, 3.85 for the accelerated BSN. Then again I wasn't working 50-hours/week. 001_rolleyes.gif

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Specializes in Oncology.

I graduated from a 14 month program. I graduated with a 4.0 which is an improvement from my first degree. It was a lot of work. We went to school straight through 2 summers. I think that actually helped. I didn't get a chance to sit around during the summer and get lazy. For those months, I did nothing but study, write papers, complete projects and study some more. It is tough, but doable if you are at a place in your life where you can dedicate a lot of time to the program. I would do it all over again.

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Specializes in Medical & Cardiac ICU, Palliative.

I graduated from a 13-month accelerated program in January. My GPA for my BSN was significantly higher than my GPA for my first undergraduate degree. I think a lot of it has to do with maturity, interest in the material, and my desire to be a nurse (and finally figuring out what I wanted to do with my life!!! yay!!) I had been out of college for 5 years since receiving my first undergraduate degree, so I was initially worried about how I would do returning to a college setting. I did great, graduating summa cum laude.

If you have the ability to commit the significant time and energy that an accelerated program requires, I say do it. It will be a crazy year, but the end product is well worth it--you'll be very proud in what you accomplished in such little time. I always joked that I lived and breathed nursing for the past 13 months, and it is true. But, I feel very well prepared, the coursework built upon itself and was fresh, which I think helped me to be successful (rather than dragging the material out over 2-4 years and forgetting things) and so glad that I am done...and don't have another year or 3 left :)

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Specializes in being a Credible Source.
Hi,

I have one concern about accelerated nursing programs and that is my GPA after the program. Did your GPA remain the same, go down below a 3.0 or actually got higher than your undergrad GPA? I am concerned because my goals require me to do a masters program after the BSN. A nursing friend of mine says these classes will kick your butt make you want to scream and shout and adding more in a short time is even more stressful :uhoh3:. I convinced myself that I can do it but ending with a good GPA is another question.

Anybody regret not doing 2 full years instead of the 11-18 month accelerated programs? My nursing friend says 11 months(drexel) is crazy to fit all of that material in. The programs I am looking at require 13 or 15 month commitment.

I don't regret at all having pursued the accelerated path. I think I would've been bored by a slower pace.

My overall GPA went up in nursing school.

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Specializes in ICU.

Mine has gone up. Even though I have had to juggle a husband and two kids under 5 and my accel program, I also have had 15 more years to mature. I'm graduating in May--the pace has been crazy, with lots of nights with 3-4 hrs sleep, but the payoff is I'm graduating and getting out into the job market a whole lot faster. Worth it for me!

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Specializes in ICU.

:yeah:Thank you all. I am 25, got no kids, No drama and when I see it brewing I get it out of my life ASAP etc. I feel completely different about this major and want to do well and it is much more interesting. First time around I was a pre-dentist ended up with business marketing degree because I really told my tell I could not do those science classes and got out before I really got going. They are not bad at all I just never tried. Thank you all I am looking forward to quickly moving through school over the next few years to the Master or DNP have not decided which one. I have a lot of careers goals that are much more thought out and driven by other things than materials :)

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I'd encourage you to look at the particular curricula of the programs. Some accelerated programs will provide you with semester-long clinical experiences in a setting (several med-surg, psych, peds, OB, geriatric, community, etc). I have seen one 12-month program that provides people with three 8-week clinicals (either peds or OB, either psych or community, and one med-surg).

Another 13-month program I looked at provides students with no OB and 20 hours in peds.

Actually according to many Boards of Nursing requirements, clinical experiences is not required. But nursing is a practice-based discipline -- not one that you can learn from lecture, articles, and watching powerpoints. Assess how best you learn, and select the best option for you.

One additional thing to consider -- most new grad positions are set around an academic year calendar (assuming people graduate in May/June and start a new job in July/August). I know of several major hospitals in Virginia that had 10 spots for December grads this year and 50 for May grads. Look to see when a program ends.

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Specializes in ICU.

well my overall gpa before nursing school was a 3.45 my first semester I ended up with a 3.0 disappointed. The lowest A is a 92. I got two 90's in two classes.

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