Columbia SON MDE 2019

laenfermera8_ · Mar 6, 2019

Does anyone know if there is a dress code (ie business casual) for Visiting Day on Friday?

The_Salty_Cat · Mar 6, 2019

12 hours ago, OpiePl said:
I’m curious, where did you find this pass rate? Last time I emailed the school in regards to this figure I was told 92%. The information on the website doesn’t seem to have been updated for the year of 2018.

The pass rate last year was NOT 92%. My classmates were told by their advisors that it was a low ~80% - why the school is hammering this year's cohort with NCLEX testings.

135pipe · Mar 6, 2019

On 3/5/2019 at 4:31 PM, thaifood122 said:
Thanks for reminding me of this and pointing out the NCLEX pass rate! That’s kind of abysmal compared to other programs I’ve applied to.
I have heard a LOT of complaints from multiple current students which has also turned me off. Meanwhile, the people Ive spoken to at UT Austin are all wonderfully warm and encouraging and it’s a hell of a lot cheaper.
Sigh. Decisions this big are never easy but I hope everyone makes the choice that leaves them feeling happiest!

I am a recent grad from UT and GO THEREEE. Beautiful city with an amazing program. it is very intense and rigorous, but you would definitely get through it and you will learn so much. I highly recommend going to Ut Austin hook them horns.

FNP2B1210, MSN · Mar 7, 2019

15 hours ago, The_Salty_Cat said:
The pass rate last year was NOT 92%. My classmates were told by their advisors that it was a low ~80% - why the school is hammering this year's cohort with NCLEX testings.

? This is news to me. Thanks for pointing that out. I actually emailed them again for the official figure and haven’t received a response.

The_Salty_Cat · Mar 7, 2019

6 hours ago, OpiePl said:
? This is news to me. Thanks for pointing that out. I actually emailed them again for the official figure and haven’t received a response.

They probably won't know because the official scores aren't on the web yet. But it is definitely not that high. There are some community colleges with nursing programs that have higher pass rates...

fnptobe123 · Mar 7, 2019

On 3/6/2019 at 6:28 AM, OpiePl said:
I’m curious, where did you find this pass rate? Last time I emailed the school in regards to this figure I was told 92%. The information on the website doesn’t seem to have been updated for the year of 2018.

Hey! The NCLEX pass rate for 2017 was 92%. For 2018 it was 88.5% (this is on their site). I know it should be higher; I just want to point out a few things. First, Columbia has roughly 200 students who take the NCLEX, meaning roughly 178 passed and 22 students failed. Many other schools have far fewer students and that just means less sample size and higher likelihood of 60 students passing than 200 passing; unfortunately with so many students, it's likely the pass rate will be a bit lower. Second, this program is an MSN, and when you take the NCLEX, you will be far more prepared than you need to be; you will realize that as a second degree student, who has had a previous education, maybe work experience, or a different career, you will think and overthink everything - the NCLEX tests diploma prepared, associate's prepared, bachelor's prepared, and master's prepared nurses; the questions need to be tailored to the bones of nursing and when you realize you know above and beyond what you need to know in physical assessment for instance, you'll realize why you overthink NCLEX style questions. The NCLEX is also a test that may not really indicate one's ability to be a nurse and may not necessarily reflect if a school has prepared students to be good nurses. It's a standardized test made to somehow assess your competency on less than ideal nursing processes you'd take in the real world (it's very much textbook nursing). I'm not saying this to tell you come to Columbia, but I think some perspective really helps.

abcdenrse · Mar 7, 2019

If you fail on the NCLEX, it doesn’t matter how well-prepared you are as a nurse, or whether you have a MSN or a BSN or you overthink. You not be able to work as a nurse until you pass NCLEX. Period.

As a school, there’s no excuse why your NCLEX rate is lower than others, whether it’s due to you over-enroll incompetent applicants (one would wonder why) or your own disorganized management unable meeting the demand of your crowds of study body.

PMHNPCatracho90, DNP, NP · Mar 8, 2019

To note. Literature exists that shows that using first-time pass rates for the NCLEX as the sole program quality criterion is not the best way to gauge a program's standing or worth (articles attached, you make your own conclusions). What happened to graduation rate, attrition rate, how graduates give back to their communities, employment attainment, personal satisfaction, and clinical site review? I understand the frustration of some of you because of the excessive cost of the university. It is extremely expensive and truthfully evidences the serious issues we have in the United States for providing high quality education at the ivy league level, or at the higher education level PERIOD. But this isn't solely a Columbia problem, this is a US problem. A problem of systemic corporate greed and overinflation. In terms of statistical analysis, cohort size is a big factor, the larger the sample, the easier it is to have lower first time test taking data. But what about everything else?

I value opposing opinions, and different voices in relation to the experience at Columbia. For those that are prospective students and have been accepted to a number of programs: I think you should gauge pros and cons, soul search, see why Columbia is a good fit for you (you specifically) and then make a decision. For those that have gone, well you know the ins and outs, we get it some of you may be frustrated, I think one should just be mindful of the potential consequences messages may have on future students' lives.

Good luck y'all. Wherever you end up, may you find what you need and become the nurse/NP you have always wanted to be. That is solely up to you and your efforts. The school won't take the NCLEX for you, the school won't take the NP boards for you. It's all on you and your individual efforts. If for you an NCLEX first time passing rate of less than 100% is unacceptable, then keep it moving.

Ciao.

Article 1.pdf

Article 2.pdf

Article 3.pdf

thaifood122 · Mar 8, 2019

1 hour ago, abcdenrse said:
If you fail on the NCLEX, it doesn’t matter how well-prepared you are as a nurse, or whether you have a MSN or a BSN or you overthink. You not be able to work as a nurse until you pass NCLEX. Period.
As a school, there’s no excuse why your NCLEX rate is lower than others, whether it’s due to you over-enroll incompetent applicants (one would wonder why) or your own disorganized management unable meeting the demand of your crowds of study body.

I agree with this. This is a professional school. The entire point of the 6 figure MDE is to prepare you to sit for the NCLEX, which proves that you can safely begin to practice as an RN. If 15-20% of students are routinely failing this exam, that is the programs fault. It did not adequately prepare them or adequately choose applicats who would succeed in a shortened program. It’s not because these students are so much smarter they “overthink” compared to ASN graduates. They are unprepared and can not safely practice. And that’s a pretty big deal.

The_Salty_Cat · Mar 8, 2019

19 hours ago, fnptobe123 said:
Hey! The NCLEX pass rate for 2017 was 92%. For 2018 it was 88.5% (this is on their site). I know it should be higher; I just want to point out a few things. First, Columbia has roughly 200 students who take the NCLEX, meaning roughly 178 passed and 22 students failed. Many other schools have far fewer students and that just means less sample size and higher likelihood of 60 students passing than 200 passing; unfortunately with so many students, it's likely the pass rate will be a bit lower. Second, this program is an MSN, and when you take the NCLEX, you will be far more prepared than you need to be; you will realize that as a second degree student, who has had a previous education, maybe work experience, or a different career, you will think and overthink everything - the NCLEX tests diploma prepared, associate's prepared, bachelor's prepared, and master's prepared nurses; the questions need to be tailored to the bones of nursing and when you realize you know above and beyond what you need to know in physical assessment for instance, you'll realize why you overthink NCLEX style questions. The NCLEX is also a test that may not really indicate one's ability to be a nurse and may not necessarily reflect if a school has prepared students to be good nurses. It's a standardized test made to somehow assess your competency on less than ideal nursing processes you'd take in the real world (it's very much textbook nursing). I'm not saying this to tell you come to Columbia, but I think some perspective really helps.

It can be difficult to understand the program unless you start, but the main problem is time. I have overheard classmates complain that most of our time is spent turning in numerous, meaningless assignments. This program was set up to push students through the DNP seamlessly. The second summer/last semester has nothing to do with being credentialed as an RN. The classes you're taking is for the NP level, so you get an early start. But that's also an extra 28k.

Time management is key here. I know some students don't study enough, some don't have enough time, some aren't good with standardized testings, some cannot afford purchasing UWorld. There are many reasons why the pass rate is low. Columbia forced us to purchase Kaplan for $500 and it doesn't help, other then completing some Kaplan assignments are part of your grade. By the last semester, most of us will be studying for the NCLEX, job searching, looking to move, and all this is stressful. If you are coming here, then you need to devote 100% of your time to this program.

abcdenrse · Mar 8, 2019

6 minutes ago, The_Salty_Cat said:
It can be difficult to understand the program unless you start, but the main problem is time. I have overheard classmates complain that most of our time is spent turning in numerous, meaningless assignments. This program was set up to push students through the DNP seamlessly. The second summer/last semester has nothing to do with being credentialed as an RN. The classes you're taking is for the NP level, so you get an early start. But that's also an extra 28k.
Time management is key here. I know some students don't study enough, some don't have enough time, some aren't good with standardized testings, some cannot afford purchasing UWorld. There are many reasons why the pass rate is low. Columbia forced us to purchase Kaplan for $500 and it doesn't help, other then completing some Kaplan assignments are part of your grade. By the last semester, most of us will be studying for the NCLEX, job searching, looking to move, and all this is stressful. If you are coming here, then you need to devote 100% of your time to this program.

Thank you for the insight and details. I appreciate your input.

FNP2B1210, MSN · Mar 9, 2019

On 3/7/2019 at 6:27 PM, fnptobe123 said:
Hey! The NCLEX pass rate for 2017 was 92%. For 2018 it was 88.5% (this is on their site). I know it should be higher; I just want to point out a few things. First, Columbia has roughly 200 students who take the NCLEX, meaning roughly 178 passed and 22 students failed. Many other schools have far fewer students and that just means less sample size and higher likelihood of 60 students passing than 200 passing; unfortunately with so many students, it's likely the pass rate will be a bit lower. Second, this program is an MSN, and when you take the NCLEX, you will be far more prepared than you need to be; you will realize that as a second degree student, who has had a previous education, maybe work experience, or a different career, you will think and overthink everything - the NCLEX tests diploma prepared, associate's prepared, bachelor's prepared, and master's prepared nurses; the questions need to be tailored to the bones of nursing and when you realize you know above and beyond what you need to know in physical assessment for instance, you'll realize why you overthink NCLEX style questions. The NCLEX is also a test that may not really indicate one's ability to be a nurse and may not necessarily reflect if a school has prepared students to be good nurses. It's a standardized test made to somehow assess your competency on less than ideal nursing processes you'd take in the real world (it's very much textbook nursing). I'm not saying this to tell you come to Columbia, but I think some perspective really helps.

Thanks! You make some great points. I have seen that community colleges very often have high nclex pass rates. But like you said, while their programs prepare them strictly for the NCLEX, cuson’s has many additional courses required to complete a master’s degree. Also, with many students beginning a DNP immediately after the MDE I’m assuming this means they have to take the test while enrolled in school. My understanding is that most new grads will take some time off to focus on studying. Because we are transitioning right into doctoral study we forfeit the luxury of having that dedicated time and must juggle it with classes.

I don’t think the score is necessarily indicative of the quality of the program but I do believe some changes need to be made to circumvent these issues.