Advice needed about Drexel's ACE program

I have a friend who just graduated from the ACE program. She had absolutely no life. But she does feel like she learned a lot from the program. She started her new job and the hospital told her that they have high expectations and standards for ACE students and some of their best nurses were from the ACE program. I think with any accelerated nursing program, you are going to have inconsistencies, or you may have a lot of negative comments, but there are also positive comments too. It depends on who you speak with, what their personal experience was, and how they handle the stress related to the program.

nanagose, that was a great post. I've been stressing about starting the program, and wondering all kinds of things. If you're answering questions, I was curious about the clinicals and the overall setup of the courses.

Seems like first quarter, it's 6 (OMG) classes. Does that fit into the 2 days of classes, and are there no clinicals, but there are lab times, also 3 days/week?

Second and third quarters are 4 courses, with three clinicals. Are the clinicals full 8 hour days or are they shorter? How do they work? Do you get like 1 patient, or multiple (or does it vary by location/course?). Do you _have_ to get to the clinicals the night before, or can you just show up early?

Fourth quarter is 5 classes, 2 clinicals, so 4 days/week?

Are the odds of a Saturday clincial about 50/50? Would it be possible to schedule days off (I worry that I'd get stuck doing Saturday clinicals when there's a few things I was hoping to do next summer - a family reunion (first in like 20 years) and the MS city to shore ride (5th year riding), and then make them up on a different day or later in the semester?

21.5 weeks until I start the Spring 2009 semester, not that I'm counting (or stressing)!

I have a friend who just graduated from the ACE program. She had absolutely no life. But she does feel like she learned a lot from the program. She started her new job and the hospital told her that they have high expectations and standards for ACE students and some of their best nurses were from the ACE program. I think with any accelerated nursing program, you are going to have inconsistencies, or you may have a lot of negative comments, but there are also positive comments too. It depends on who you speak with, what their personal experience was, and how they handle the stress related to the program.

Where did your friend get a job? It's always encouraging to hear about ABSN students getting jobs and hospitals liking them!

I am also a ACE student, in the first quarter. Clinicals are generally 6 hours/day, from what I understand it doesn't change once we get to second, third or fourth semesters.

For the first quarter the six classes are actually divided into 4 days per week, depending on which section you are assigned, your clinical days may fall on Wednesday or Friday. Of course, that may change by spring semester. The other labs (Informatics and Assessment) are factored into those days. You will spend alternate one day a week at clinical site and at lab.

You are allowed to miss ONE clinical per course per quarter free of charge, but you will have to make it up the week after finals. If you miss two clinicals within one course, you will not only have to make it up during the week after the finals, there is a $400 per clinical fee attached (first one you miss is free).

Obviously, I am not at the point where I can answer about the 2nd to 4th quarters, but from what I understand they assign you based on their own forumla. You can schedule a day off on Saturday, but keep in mind if you miss one more Saturday clinical, you will have to pay the $400. Honestly as of right now, I wouldn't recommend missing clinical, because it is based on what you learn too. If you miss one, you may not be able to practice the skill you had just learned.

As for how clinical runs, for the first quarter, it depends on your instructor. My instructor gave us one patient per person but we get to work in partners. So my partner and I will take care of one of the patient first, and than go to the second patient's room to do their thing. As things progress you will get your own patient and do everything. From what I hear, it's certain courses where we will need to prepare the night before. In the beginning they recommend to go the night before to do it, once you get good at it...let's just say I hear people have gone in early the day of the clinical to do it too.

Take a deep breath, don't stress yourself out, you will have plenty of time for that in the program. I hope that helps, if there are any other questions, please ask. I am sure there are other current and past fellow ACE students out there willing to help.