American Sentinel College of Nursing/Post University - SIMpath®

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Has anyone completed any simpath courses at American Sentinel University? I am thinking about enrolling in the Simpath RN to BSN but can't find many reviews, thanks.

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I know its 5 months later but i have been in the simpath program since Dec and thought I could share my experience so far. To give you an idea of my situation, I have not been in school since 2008 and now have 2 young boys. I work PRN in home health which I'm thankful for because i couldn't imagine doing it and working full time. This school was the one i chose for several reasons, one being that all my credits transferred and i did not need to take any general education classes, only nursing. Another thing that i liked was the idea of the simulation as i am a visual learner but to be honest you don't use the "sim world" much at all, maybe once or twice each class and so far i haven't been as impressed with them as i thought i would be. There are 10 nursing classes for the ADN to BSN, each class has anywhere from 5 to 12 "components". Think of each class as a book and the components as the chapters in the book. Each chapter you need to cover and show what you learned by completing 1 assignment showing you mastered the content in that component. You can do a video, PowerPoint, or essay, etc. to show your "mastery", there are no tests or quizzes. When you are done reading all the chapters (components) in the book (class) and showing you mastered all of them, you pass and move on to the next. Each "semester" is 16 weeks long and no matter how many classes you take you pay a flat $3100.00. You must finish all the classes you start though before the 16 weeks is up or you will basically forfeit whatever class is unfinished and have to take it all over again, starting from the beginning. My goal was to be done in 8 months, 5 classes the first 16 week period and 5 the other 16 week period. I started out with 2, passed both within about 6 weeks, a week ahead of time started 2 more, and i plan on adding 1 more towards the end only if things are continuing to go as planned (my 16 week semester is up 3/22). In these 2 newer classes, each has 9 components, I have completed 5. I makes sure i complete 2 components (1 component for each class) weekly. Either way i will have passed at least 4 classes (possible 5 as the other class has only 4 components) within a 16 week period for $3100.00. If you are one that is not good at trouble shooting, determined to figure things out on your own, need a lot of guidance or direction, or a procrastinator, this program will not be for you. I wouldn't recommend taking a fulltime class load and working fulltime (even part time would be hard) unless you are that super intelligent person that always made straight As without barely trying. I myself, struggled some in school my whole life due to ADHD, and nursing school was definitely a challenge for me. I'm one of the smartest people you've ever met when it comes to common sense, but book smart, not my biggest strength. To research and write on each component takes me anywhere from 2 full days to 4 or 5 full days (like 9 am to 7pm), but again i have always struggled some with school so it could be more of a breeze for you. Also if your goal is like mine to complete all 10 within 8 months, don't count on having much of a life lol. This may be too late for you since your post was in Sept, but just in case you were still looking for answers, or someone else was, i wanted to share my experience so far. Hope it helps, best of luck ?

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Hi! I'm glad to see that someone from American Sentinel chimed in :) I start the NP program next week and never hear too much about this school and posts usually go unanswered. Good luck with your studies!

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Thanks you too. I hope to eventually start the same program. Would love to know what you think. Good luck.

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11 hours ago, Scorpiostngrn said:

Thanks you too. I hope to eventually start the same program. Would love to know what you think. Good luck.

I will definitely remember to keep you posted. I know it's frustrating when you don't get input from others about a particular school/program!

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Specializes in ED, ICU, Flight Nursing, Trauma Coordinator.

Thank you Scorpiostngrn for your opinions on the SimPath program! I am starting the program on 3/16. I chose it because I like the idea of having the freedom to prove competency in different ways, not just all papers. Also, I got a bit of a break on the tuition since my hospital is a "partner". So far, I am impressed by how easy they made the registration process. I am planning on taking 3 semesters to finish because I don't think I can get it done in 8 months without losing my mind or marriage. ? I am a bit disappointed to hear they don't use the "Sim" world very much. I was looking forward to that aspect. Thanks again for sharing your experience!

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Specializes in Med Surg, Nursing Education.
On ‎2‎/‎11‎/‎2020 at 10:23 AM, DermNP2Be said:

Hi! I'm glad to see that someone from American Sentinel chimed in :) I start the NP program next week and never hear too much about this school and posts usually go unanswered. Good luck with your studies!

I am considering American sentinel as well. How do you like the program so far? Have you heard any reviews regarding how hard they are to work with when getting clinical rotations?

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On 4/1/2020 at 7:12 AM, Residentmaid said:

I am considering American sentinel as well. How do you like the program so far? Have you heard any reviews regarding how hard they are to work with when getting clinical rotations?

Hi Residentmaid! I really like it so far. I complete my 1st class next week. You're on your own for clinicals as you are with most schools, but clinicals don't begin until about a year after you start. They give you suggestions where to look (there's even a couple of websites where you can get preceptors for a fee). And the tuition & payment plan can't be beat!

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Specializes in Dermatology.

I am looking for more insight on this program. I currently work full time as an RN (ADN). I am looking to go back to school and am looking for a RN-BSN-FNP program, all online, and for a decent price. This program seems to check all the boxes, especially now that they're nationally and regionally accredited.

How are the classes? Is it a lot of papers vs tests? How are the instructors? Which path did you take (term based or SIM path based) and why? How long did it take for you to complete the degree? Any advice for success? Any problems finding jobs after graduating?

Looking forward to your replies, thanks in advance!

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Thanks Scorpiostngm for your input about this program. I know this post is about a year now. I am starting the simpath program 2/15 and I think I still need more suggestions before I begin. I plan to get this done in two terms (5 classes per term. Can you please make suggestions on how to combine classes ( I plan to take two classes at a time). Thanks in advance!

On 2/10/2020 at 9:48 PM, Scorpiostngrn said:

I know its 5 months later but I have been in the simpath program since Dec and thought I could share my experience so far. To give you an idea of my situation, I have not been in school since 2008 and now have 2 young boys. I work PRN in home health which I'm thankful for because I couldn't imagine doing it and working full time. This school was the one I chose for several reasons, one being that all my credits transferred and I did not need to take any general education classes, only nursing. Another thing that I liked was the idea of the simulation as I am a visual learner but to be honest you don't use the "sim world" much at all, maybe once or twice each class and so far I haven't been as impressed with them as I thought I would be. There are 10 nursing classes for the ADN to BSN, each class has anywhere from 5 to 12 "components". Think of each class as a book and the components as the chapters in the book. Each chapter you need to cover and show what you learned by completing 1 assignment showing you mastered the content in that component. You can do a video, PowerPoint, or essay, etc. to show your "mastery", there are no tests or quizzes. When you are done reading all the chapters (components) in the book (class) and showing you mastered all of them, you pass and move on to the next. Each "semester" is 16 weeks long and no matter how many classes you take you pay a flat $3100.00. You must finish all the classes you start though before the 16 weeks is up or you will basically forfeit whatever class is unfinished and have to take it all over again, starting from the beginning. My goal was to be done in 8 months, 5 classes the first 16 week period and 5 the other 16 week period. I started out with 2, passed both within about 6 weeks, a week ahead of time started 2 more, and I plan on adding 1 more towards the end only if things are continuing to go as planned (my 16 week semester is up 3/22). In these 2 newer classes, each has 9 components, I have completed 5. I makes sure I complete 2 components (1 component for each class) weekly. Either way I will have passed at least 4 classes (possible 5 as the other class has only 4 components) within a 16 week period for $3100.00. If you are one that is not good at trouble shooting, determined to figure things out on your own, need a lot of guidance or direction, or a procrastinator, this program will not be for you. I wouldn't recommend taking a fulltime class load and working fulltime (even part time would be hard) unless you are that super intelligent person that always made straight As without barely trying. I myself, struggled some in school my whole life due to ADHD, and nursing school was definitely a challenge for me. I'm one of the smartest people you've ever met when it comes to common sense, but book smart, not my biggest strength. To research and write on each component takes me anywhere from 2 full days to 4 or 5 full days (like 9 am to 7pm), but again I have always struggled some with school so it could be more of a breeze for you. Also if your goal is like mine to complete all 10 within 8 months, don't count on having much of a life LOL. This may be too late for you since your post was in Sept, but just in case you were still looking for answers, or someone else was, I wanted to share my experience so far. Hope it helps, best of luck ?

 

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Specializes in Informatics; Labor & Delivery; Med-Surg.
On 1/18/2021 at 6:19 AM, kdnurse2be said:

Thanks Scorpiostngm for your input about this program. I know this post is about a year now. I am starting the simpath program 2/15 and I think I still need more suggestions before I begin. I plan to get this done in two terms (5 classes per term. Can you please make suggestions on how to combine classes ( I plan to take two classes at a time). Thanks in advance!

 

I just completed my BSN at American Sentinel in two semesters. It is extremely tough to finish 5 classes in 4 months, but it is very doable. I did one course at a time. I finished each course in about 3 weeks. Initially they loaded three classes and then I added another when I finished the other one.

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Specializes in Oncology/MedSurg.

How are you graded in the SIMPath option? Is it pass or fail? Letter grade? Thanks!

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