ASU Post-Baccalaureate BSN 2016 - Welcome

MissCassie · Oct 1, 2015

I'm in the post-bac program with Tarah, they expect you to be at clinical at 6:30am-6:40am that way you have time to go to your location and get report from your night nurse. Everything is 8 hours until you get to critical care which is 12 hours. Some community clinicals are 4-6 hours. You can request your top 3 locations for immersion (final rotation) and hope you get what you want. I got Mayo ICU which is what I selected as my first choice.

MissCassie · Oct 1, 2015

My TEAS score was 78 (studied for a week because I was starting a CNA class) and I had a 4.0 GPA. I got in and have earned A's for all my classes except med-surg (B) and pediatrics (B). (Currently holding an A in critical care) If you can get through med-surg you can get through anything lol. Study your asses off/READ THE BOOK!!!!!!!!!!! and buy a Saunders NCLEX book! OB was awesome, psych was....interesting...and pediatrics was my least favorite subject. But everything seems to come together during critical care!!!!

Maycation · Oct 3, 2015

Thanks so much for your response! Did mostly everyone get their top choice for immersion? If not, was it random selection? I know that when I was considering GCU, they said it was based off of grades. I would like to work in the ICU as well. I am not sure how popular it is in the post-bacc program, but I assume its pretty popular?

Also, great job in your classes! I didn't see med-surg on our list of classes for next year, but maybe it is called something else? Did you find that you had to write a lot of papers? Or was it mostly exams?

Again thanks so much for your response!

MissCassie · Oct 3, 2015

Most people got what they wanted, there was some competition for those who wanted OB immersion, so the first 8 selected out of the randomized shuffle were chosen. My professor said GCU is on the edge of losing their accreditation because of what happened this past year regarding the students having to go back to clinicals (after graduating) and completing more clinical hours (someone messed up baaaad at GCU). You will have to take two evidence based practice classes which is just paper writing, but you will get to select group members to divide up the paper (not too bad). It's mostly studying for your exams and taking weekly online quizzes, depending on the class. :)

segrace · Oct 6, 2015

Hi!!! To those of you who are current students. Did you have any free time? Are there students who are struggling to pass the courses or getting bad grades? Or are most people getting A's and B's. You have to have worked pretty hard to get into the program so I'd think the quality of students is high. I want to be able to work really hard and get A's. Not work really hard and be worried about passing. I also want to know if I would be able to keep my part-time job? Thank you. I'm glad I found this post.

Mcgrath1 · Oct 9, 2015

Hey guys! My name is Melanie and I'm currently in the program with Tarah and Cassie! If it makes anybody feel better, or relieved, I applied to the program with about a 3.8 GPA and a 92.7 Teas score so even though my Teas score was decent, my GPA wasn't a 4.0 and I got in (and wasn't on the wait list).

I figured I'd help them out by answering some of the questions that come along. To answer Segrace, I personally do have some free time, but I know some people in the program have mentioned having almost no social life whatsoever. It also depends on the individual though and how much time you need to spend studying to grasp the concepts. Usually when I feel like I have some free time I just use it to watch tv, spend time with my boyfriend or hang out with a friend for a few hours. Even though it is lame, when my bf and I go to a friend's house to watch football or something I just bring my hw there to do. It also might depend on the week. Some weeks there are just way to many assignments and a test or two and you can't afford to spend too much time away from studying and hw.

As for grades, I can't speak for everybody obviously because I don't know everyone's grades, but most people are doing relatively well. I have a few B's, which I'd say is the average for our class/program but there are definitely people in the program who have kept up straight As and will probably graduate with a 4.0! Besides psych, I have not even been close to failing anything (long story, but hopefully you'll have different instructors and you'll pass your psych class easily). I know that nobody in our program has failed out because of grades (we lost one person, but she chose to leave on her own accord), but I do know that some people may have been on the brink in some classes, mainly in the first semester. If you attend class, pay attention, ask questions and read the book to at least clarify the lectures that you don't understand than you'll be fine.

As for the part-time job, it is doable, just not enjoyable I'd say. I had a part time job in spring and in summer that I ultimately ended up quitting just because I was tired of having to go when I had hw to do. I rely on my mom for money unfortunately during this program because I didn't want to take out loans so having that extra paycheck, even if it was small, was nice, but I ultimately decided I valued the time to do HW and sleep more. However, there are some people in the program who have jobs and who have kept them all year (I don't know their GPA or anything, but they are passing and are going to graduate!) :)

Okay I think I covered everything you asked!

segrace · Oct 9, 2015

Thanks Melanie for your reply. That is very helpful.

It really stinks that you could have failed a class because of your instructor! I have totally been there. Do the post-bacc students have different instructors? I know I read on last years thread that some classes had all 48 students and some just had 8? Is it 8 students for clinicals too? Do they register you for your classes or do you get to choose the section? Sorry lots of questions! I know they may be answered soon but it's nice to be prepared. Also how do most people get to class who are living decently far from campus? And lastly, do you happen to know job stats of last year's class? I know it is too early for you guys, but it would be nice to know how easy or hard it is for post-bacc students specifically to land a job!

Thanks so much for all of your help current students!

Mcgrath1 · Oct 9, 2015

So I'm pretty sure a lot of the instructors are the same for the post baccs and traditional, but I think it really just depends on who can teach that semester and what's going on. I know our complex care instructor also taught the traditional complex care course that was (I think) last semester. All 48 of the postbacc students are in the same classes together (except for maybe 1 class was split in half with 2 different professors), but the clinical groups consist of 8 students in each group (still only postbaccs so you know eachother from lectures). So for example, we all have complex care together, but 8 of us go to John C. Lincoln NM for clinical, 8 go to St. Joes, etc.

You register for your own classes, but they tell you the course numbers and, except for clinical groups, there is only the one course you can pick. So although you are technically registering from your computer, you don't get to pick the time or place or anything. For the different clinicals I don't remember getting to pick where I went in Spring, but as the program progressed we got to choose where we wanted to go for OB, Peds, etc. You definitely have to be flexible because it isn't like in your first degree where you got to pick if you wanted morning classes or 2 classes tuesday, 1 wed etc. It is whatever the program decides. However, once you know your schedule for the semester you can mold your work schedule around it, it doesn't change every week or anything.

In the spring I lived on Dobson and Broadway so I took the lightrail to campus (I bought a semester pass). I either drove or walked to the lightrail station from my apartment than walked to class once I got off the lightrail. It was really convenient actually, but it does take longer because the lightrail obviously stops at every stop. During summer and now I carpool with other postbaccs that live near me.

I don't know exactly the stats of people who got jobs after last years program, but from what I heard from multiple professors, none of them had any issues. I heard all but 1 passed the NCLEX on the 1st try, and the 1 who didn't pass, passed on their second try. Now I don't know exactly how reliable those stats are, but I don't think there is any difficulty in finding a job after our program.

inxdisgust · Oct 12, 2015

Thanks for all this info! I don't have any new questions yet, but seriously this is probably the most helpful thread regarding the PB program on allnurses. So thanks again! We're in the home stretch of waiting to hear back from ASU at this point! We should get our check-off emails this week, and then acceptance in a few more!

lnkeeto · Oct 13, 2015

Thank you so much for the info Mcgrath1!!! It was really encouraging to hear that you have a little free time, I've been particularly worried about what my schedule would feel like next year. I don't believe I'll be keeping my job during the program, but I may try to find a volunteer position for one or two days a week, perhaps just a couple hours in the evening.

I'm getting so anxious about hearing back from ASU :unsure: . I know its coming, I just hate waiting. I also need to speak with someone about an issue with my FAFSA, but the financial aid office (and registrar office) told be I had to wait until my application was processed before they could help me. I've been checking my email at least 3 times a day...hopefully this is the week they get back to us!

cafrenn · Oct 13, 2015

I'm glad to hear I'm not the only one that's checking their email incessantly!

To the current students, do you find that the students whose first bachelors degree wasn't of a science background to be having a harder time? That's been my greatest worry. My first degree was in agricultural business. And while I have taken all the pre-reqs for this program now, I had a very steep learning curve this past January since I hadn't taken any science classes since high school.

Mcgrath1 · Oct 14, 2015

That is a good question Cafrenn, but I don't really know the answer because I don't know what everyone's grades are or GPA or anything I personally have a bachelors degree in physiology and although I do think it helps, I think I still would have done just fine without it. I think if you just work heard during the year you won't have any difficulties. There are plenty of students in our program who had degrees in non science majors and they are still passing everything! (but like I said I don't know if they are getting A's, B's, C's etc). Maybe Tarah or Cassie could chime in...I don't know what their first degrees are in.