Bellarmine University Accelerated Nursing Program May 2016

[Royv24]

Just seeing if anyone else has applied for the accelerated nursing program for May 2016? I applied late December/early January through NursingCas and just happened to hear back yesterday. I have been conditionally admitted(?) and I wanted to see if anyone else had heard the same?

[Tteresa1]

Any advise on how to study for the classes and what worked for you...

I got accepted to bellarmine. I am afraid on whether to do the program or not with the drop rate. Any advise on how to stay on top of the program and make good grades???

[FatsWaller, BSN, RN]

I am a big advocate of flash cards, I love them and they help me. Also you cannot read the books like they tell you to. It's impossible. I'll tell you a secret; I have not bought a single book this past semester, because I don't have time to read chapters 1-22 in a week. I just go off the professor's slides and notes and it's done me well. Prioritize, as in figure out what you need to focus on and what you don't, and shove what you don't aside. For example, one session I had Med Surg II, Pharmacology II, and Healthcare Research. I was struggling in Med-Surg II as the instructor was intense, and my instructors for the other two courses were a little easier going, so guess what got my full and almost undivided attention? I probably put in 80% effort in Med-Surg, 15% in Pharm, and a measly 5% in Research because who cares. It's hard to do that, but sometimes you just have to because the time to equally study for them all just isn't there.

Getting good grades is an intersesting subject. As I said in an earlier post above This program will turn 4.0 students into 2.8 students. There are a lot of people in my classes who had honors and 3.6-3.9 gpa in their undergrad and in this program scrape by with 2.9-3.1 and are perfectly happy because they are passing.” I currently have a 3.3, but and I wish it was higher, but I am happy because at least I am graduating. We definitely have a few people who are in the 3.8 range, but I don't think it's because of a difference in study strategies, I think they are just very naturally smart. One girl I know for a fact doesn't study and has a 3.9, she should become a doctor. Most people in the program though, despite coming in wanting at least 3.5's are now just burnt out and over it and just want to pass. It's a common sentiment.

I know the dropout rate seems high, but like I said many of these are due to people voluntarily dropping themselves down to the 2 year program or realizing they don't have the time or want to put this strain on their families. Yes some have failed out due to grades and competencies, but not the majority. So I would say first you need to seriously sit down and realize you will have no life for 365 days. It's worth it, I promise, and you'll have some weekends where you can go out and get a drink and have some fun but not like you used to. I don't know your situation, as in family, kids, mortgage; etc… but obviously being single young and having no responsibilities helps a lot, that said, one of my good buddies in the program commutes from Cincinnati for classes and clinical, has a wife and two kids and he will be graduating. I always think if he can do it, I have no excuse. Now as for the pace, to me it's no big deal. I came from the West Coast where we use the quarter system, so my ‘semesters' as y'all ;p like to call them were 10 weeks. In this program the semesters are 9 weeks. So to me it was not a change in pace, to those who were in standard semesters with 16 weeks, they were very surprised and it took adjusting. I personally could not imagine being stuck in a class for 16 weeks, that is wayyyy to slow, and I can barely remember things from the first week in a 9 week quarter. So get used to a midterm the second week (normal for me, apparently insane to others). Its do-able, you just need to want it, and go hard for 1 year. I always viewed it as there was no option for failure. I never thought about the 2-year, I never thought about making a class up and restarting the following year, to me those were not options as I moved solely for the program and I was going to finish in a year. Have that attitude and you will make it.

Also be warned, as with any nursing program I'm sure, there will be drama, there will be A LOT OF DRAMA. Do yourself an enormous favor and don't get involved in it, ignore it, do not talk about people, just nod your head and carry on. That will relieve you of tons of stress.

I was supposed to volunteer for the orientation but now cannot, but if you're here for it (or any of you are in above comments) feel free to contact me and I wouldn't mind meeting up and telling you how it really is. They like to sugar coat certain aspects and then scare you in the orientation.

[Tteresa1]

THANK YOU SO MUCH!

I am not the smartest by all means, but I really want to do this. I moved to Shepherdsville 2 years ago so this would be so much easier to go to Bellarmine which is 25 minutes away. I will be coming for the orientation so lets see what that is going to be like.

I really want to know how things are in the program and what I need to watch out for. Thank you for your insight. I was afraid about reading as there is so much information and less time to read.

I was actually thinking about Saunders (NCLEX Book) as they said that would help with Med Surg 1 and 2. Let me know if that is what you did.

[FatsWaller, BSN, RN]

I have the Saunders book and I dint think it's very good, the questions in it were much simpler than what out Med-Surg instructor asked so It didn't help me that much. Med-Surg Success 2nd edition was more helpful and what more people used in my class.

[galaxy86]

Dear FatsWaller, may I ask what are the books they recommend? I am looking to get them second hand to save some money. And sooner I start looking for them, the easier it will be for me to find them second hand.

Thank you