Concept Curriculum in ADN Programs

[soon2brnangel]

I am a first year student in an ADN program where they are attempting to figure out this so called concept based curriculum that is supposed to stanardize community college programs across the state. My experiece so far: First semester 4 hour lecture and a 4 hour lab every week. One day of clinicals a week. Lab consisted of medication administration parenteral and nonparenteral, skills and assessment that was to be learned mostly from Youtube. I would say more than half of the class isn't confident on how to do a head-to-toe assessment, what normal ausculation of lung, heart, and bowel sounds are. Second semester 6 hours of lecture and two 6 hour clinicals a week. I feel like I am not getting what I should and in an organized way and actually contemplating reporting some things to the NCBON. Yes i understand that flexibility is a must, but I am not made like Stretch Armstrong. I am just wondering what other students are/have experienced and if it is just as chaotic as I think it is.

[CrazierThanYou]

I am curious where you go to school. Our CC is also doing the concept thing. I was told all CC's in NC are now required to change to the new program. What you describe sounds just like our nursing program...

I hate to hear you don't feel like you're getting what you need because I HATE to have that feeling!

[soon2brnangel]

I go to CVCC. They are basically trying to "fit" their old curriculum into this new one and so fa it isn't working out like they thought. We have a few really great instructors and I really enjoy clinicals. Their pass rate from 2009 really scares me, it was 78 and out of all CC programs only 5 were less than 80. How is it working where you go?

[Trilynjoy]

Soon2brnangel....okay you got me scared....lol. I just got accepted to CVCC (Catawba Valley CC) for this Fall 2010. I will admit I have done research and noticed on the NCBON the NCLEX pass rate was lower than it has been in the recent years. It's good to see that their is at least one other person on this board that attends the school I will be going to. Can you give me a heads up of what to expect?

[RNDude1]

I graduated from CVCC last May as part of the Class of 2010. Mine was the last class before they changed over to the state mandated new curriculum that relies less on lecture, and more on independent student projects. I heard plenty of complaints from the class immediately following mine that things were confusing--as one might expect. Hopefully that is all worked out before your class begins.

The important thing is the hang tough. I believe the CVCC faculty want each student to be successful. But another factor is the school has suffered some of the worse NCLEX passing rates in the state the past few years. Some of that may be due to changes in their RN program's administration early in my first semester, but the declining passing rates may force them to be more aggressive and quick to weed-out students who are falling behind than they were in prevous years.

Best of luck to you!