Csulb?

lindarn · Sep 29, 2005

Does anyone here go to CSULB? Can you tell me about their program?

I went to Cal State Long Beach about 20 years ago. I graduated in 1987. The program wa OK. I was a Diploma grad from NY when I enrolled in the nursing porgram. I moved to California in 1979. I sometimes thought the instructors were not quite with it. They would give us assignments, and did not know themselves, what was going on. Many of us felt that they favored the generice students over the RN students, which I was one of. Most of us were juggling working fulltime, and going to school parttime and it was quite the grind at times. I worled in ICU at Long Beach Memorial, and I worked 12 hour shifts. I worked three 12 hour shifts, and it make it easier to go to school that way, but it was still hard. It was hard to identify wiht students who had parent putting them through school, mom doing the laundry, dad changing the oil in the car, and the rest of us did it all by ourselves. Only to be treated like second class citizens by the faculty.

Besides that, I think that it was a typical BSN program. The curriculum was the same as other schools, like Cal State Fullerton, which, by the way, was an RN program only, with no basic students in it. A nurse who I worked with here in Spokane, went to Cal State Fullerton, and she liked it alot. I was told to go there by my nurse manager to go to Ca lStte Fullerton, but I lived in Long Beach right near Cal State Long Beach, and I couldn't justify traveling to Fullerton to go to school.

On a positive note, Cal State Long Beach, introduced me to the concept of nurses having their own businesses. They had former students come and speak to us about the businesses that they formed, and how we should consider running a business after we graduated. This was a radical concept twenty years ago. It is too bad that more schools don't offer that to the students, and put the idea in their head that their professional services are worth alot of money in the marketplace. As it stands now, most nurses are content to have thier professional services rolled in with the room rate, laundry, housekeeping and the complementary roll of toilet paper. They just don't know any better. It was a real eye opener.

Anyway, I hope that I have answered your questions, and that it helped.

Lindarn, RN, BSN, CCRN

Spokane, Washington

CSULB Class of 5/87

kurlykay · Oct 3, 2005

I graduated with my BSN from CSULB in May. I liked the program and felt I got a good clinical experience. There are currently many different nursing programs at the school. Which program are you interested in and what questions do you have?

sdlb08 · Oct 3, 2005

I graduated with my BSN from CSULB in May. I liked the program and felt I got a good clinical experience. There are currently many different nursing programs at the school. Which program are you interested in and what questions do you have?

I am looking into the generic BSN program. I am really interested in the trimester program and would like to know if it is harder than the 3 year program. I was told they were changing the admission to that program from being a lottery system to offering to the highest qualified applicants due to other students not performing well in the program.

kurlykay · Oct 4, 2005

There has never been a lottery program at CSULB. Each applicant must successfully complete the prerecs then their gpa from the nursing prerecs, score on a critical thinking test, and interview score are combined and the top 36 students get to enter each program. (36 students in the traditional program and 36 students in the accelerated). Originally the top 36 students got to choose which program they wanted to enter and the next 36 students filled in the leftover spots. I think this is still what they are doing.

I was in the traditional program as the accelerated trimester started after I was already in the program. I have heard both good and bad things about the acceleerated. The instructors were all new since it was a new program which can effect the quality of teaching you get. Most (if not all) clinicals are done at Long Beach Memorial which is both good and bad. LBM has a good reputation and the nurses are very used to having students which is good, but sometimes it's good to also see how different hospitals do things so you can make a more informed choice of hospital when you finish school and try to get a job. LBM will pay for all of your tuition and books/supplies if you make a 2 year committment to work for them after you graduate. And most of the students in the accelerated program if interested are hired by memorial after graduation in almost any area they want. As far as NCLEX success, it is not yet known if there is a difference in the NCLEX pass rates between the two programs because the first class just graduated in May from the accelerated and not everyone has taken the NCLEX yet. In my class everyone passed on their first try.

Hope this helps some. Do you have more questions?

sdlb08 · Oct 4, 2005

Wow! Thanks for all of the info. It is very helpful. Just one last question about clinicals. You mentioned they were only done at LBM. Is that for all students or just those in the accelerated program?

jorgeaflores · Oct 5, 2005

There has never been a lottery program at CSULB. Each applicant must successfully complete the prerecs then their gpa from the nursing prerecs, score on a critical thinking test, and interview score are combined and the top 36 students get to enter each program. (36 students in the traditional program and 36 students in the accelerated). Originally the top 36 students got to choose which program they wanted to enter and the next 36 students filled in the leftover spots. I think this is still what they are doing.
I was in the traditional program as the accelerated trimester started after I was already in the program. I have heard both good and bad things about the acceleerated. The instructors were all new since it was a new program which can effect the quality of teaching you get. Most (if not all) clinicals are done at Long Beach Memorial which is both good and bad. LBM has a good reputation and the nurses are very used to having students which is good, but sometimes it's good to also see how different hospitals do things so you can make a more informed choice of hospital when you finish school and try to get a job. LBM will pay for all of your tuition and books/supplies if you make a 2 year committment to work for them after you graduate. And most of the students in the accelerated program if interested are hired by memorial after graduation in almost any area they want. As far as NCLEX success, it is not yet known if there is a difference in the NCLEX pass rates between the two programs because the first class just graduated in May from the accelerated and not everyone has taken the NCLEX yet. In my class everyone passed on their first try.
Hope this helps some. Do you have more questions?

They no longer base the trimester vs. basic decision on score. Its now based off of lottery once you are ALREADY IN the program. They started this spring of 05.

So once you get accepted based off of your score, they have a lottery to see who gets in the basic and who gets in the trimester.

diane007 · Oct 7, 2005

I'm a student who is interested in becoming a Psychiatric RN and I will most likely be attending CSULB and I was wondering what would be a good major and how much school that would require. If you have any information please let me know.

I graduated with my BSN from CSULB in May. I liked the program and felt I got a good clinical experience. There are currently many different nursing programs at the school. Which program are you interested in and what questions do you have?

kurlykay · Oct 8, 2005

Wow! Thanks for all of the info. It is very helpful. Just one last question about clinicals. You mentioned they were only done at LBM. Is that for all students or just those in the accelerated program?

The accelerated program does most if not all of their clinicals at LBM. The other students do clinicals at a variety of hospitals including LBM.