Duke ABSN Spring 2021

FutureNP_1319 · May 21, 2020

On 5/21/2020 at 2:38 AM, Km477 said:
Thanks for the great questions! That’s also a lot to unpack so let me know if I miss anything or if you’d like more details.
Duke has really exceeded my expectations. Pretty much every professor knows us by name and they truly care about each and every student. DUSON as a whole treats students extremely well and they provide as many resources as possible to us. The environment is very friendly and collaborative. Many of us come from competitive environments but Duke fosters an environment that is completely the opposite. One thing that I was surprised by is the diversity of students. We have students from age 20 to 60. Majors from biology to history to French. We all have bachelor degrees but we have a couple of students with masters and even a PhD. There are students from all over the US. Students from Ivy Leagues and schools I have never heard of. People with kids. Veterans. People with experience as EMTs and CNAs, as well as people with no relevant experience at all. You name it... we have it.
As far as dropping out... that’s very uncommon. Duke is extremely accommodating of personal circumstances. There have been a few people in my cohort drop back into the next cohort due to personal reasons (usually medical). I only know of one person that actually left the program entirely (personal reasons). My point is that I don’t know of anyone that has quit the program due to poor performance.
I find the classes and clinicals to be manageable. If COVID doesn’t affect your cohort too much and you have a similar setup to mine, the first semester will be class and lab five days a week. You will spend a lot of time in lab learning and practicing all kinds of skills. In the second half of the first semester, you will have clinical one day per week. Second and third semester have class two days per week and clinical one day per week (occasionally twice per week). Fourth semester has class one day per week and the number of clinical days varies individually. That being said, it is pretty hard to keep a work schedule in the early semesters. There are some students that pick up PRN or weekend shifts as CNAs. Other people have part time jobs in coffee shops, stores in the mall, etc.
The classes are ordered and coordinated very well. Pathophysiology and pharmacology are spanned over 3 semesters so we really have the chance to understand everything. We take 3 credit hours of electives in the each of the last two semesters. This is a great opportunity to take a fun class like flu fighters, a speciality class like mental health (if that’s what you’re interested in), or even a graduate level class. There is a pretty impressive list of clubs to join, as well. Every student is offered a free peer tutoring service that I highly recommend, even if you have great grades. The research opportunities here are incredible.
One part of the program that I very much appreciate is the clinical instructors. I have never had a clinical instructor that was anything less than excellent. The CIs at Duke are incredibly friendly, helpful, and willing to facilitate learning. For each class that has a clinical component, students fill out an evaluation form that covers a list of objectives that must be met by the end of the course. This is a great form of self-evaluation. In addition, clinical instructors add their feedback to identify strengths and opportunities for improvement.
One thing that Duke takes a lot of pride in is the Center for Nursing Discovery (CND). This is where most of the labs and simulations will take place. If you haven’t already, I recommend looking it up on the DUSON website. The CND is truly state-of-the-art.
Another thing that draws a lot of students is the opportunity for a global immersion trip. At the end of the second semester, students have the option to complete their clinical requirements for the Community Health course in another country through a 2-week immersion trip with a small group of students and a clinical instructor. Options in the past have included the Philippines, Barbados, Tanzania, and Honduras.
This post is turning into a novel, so I’ll stop here. Please let me know what other questions you have. If anyone would like to chat personally, please PM me.

WOW!!, thanks so much for sharing! Duke seems like an amazing school. I'm particularity drawn to the fact that you said instructors care for the students and really want them to succeed. One main aspect I am looking for in a school is how the instructors are with students--are they willing to help? If you are struggling, are they easily approachable? Etc!

Random question, do you think that living near school is a must (15 minutes or shorter commute) or is a 30-40 minute commute feasible? I have family that lives about 45 from Duke (I would be staying with them to save money).

Km477 · May 26, 2020

On 5/21/2020 at 2:57 AM, FutureNP_1319 said:
WOW!, thanks so much for sharing! Duke seems like an amazing school. I'm particularity drawn to the fact that you said instructors care for the students and really want them to succeed. One main aspect I am looking for in a school is how the instructors are with students--are they willing to help? If you are struggling, are they easily approachable? Etc!
Random question, do you think that living near school is a must (15 minutes or shorter commute) or is a 30-40 minute commute feasible? I have family that lives about 45 from Duke (I would be staying with them to save money).

The instructors are more than willing to help! The professors make themselves available as often as possible and go as far as sharing their personal phone numbers with the class. They are always willing to stay after class or schedule a private meeting with students. DUSON professors are very approachable and friendly. I have never felt like they were being rude or unhelpful.

If you are struggling, the professors or faculty will often come to you before you come to them. They are very proactive when it comes to student success. There are all kinds of resources if you are struggling. Typically the professors will try to help you themselves but there is also peer tutoring, peer mentoring, counseling and psychological services, and more. The faculty at DUSON really is the best.

About commuting... I think that is personal preference. I live close enough to the school to walk and I love it. I don’t have to leave my house super early and I don’t have to pay for parking. Btw, parking at Duke is horrible. I have classmates that drive 30+ minutes to school and I don’t hear them complain. However, traffic on I-40 can be brutal. It really just depends on what time of day you’re trying to drive and in which direction. Another consideration is you have to drive 45 minutes but then its still a 25 minute walk from the parking lot to the nursing school, unless you carpool.

yoginurse2016 · May 27, 2020

On 5/19/2020 at 5:01 PM, Sun1 said:
How does the application portal indicate change in status as it progress through the review to the final decision. Does anyone know anything about this?
Thanks!

I just checked mine and it changed to "under faculty review" so I assume the next step will be the decision

redster23 · May 28, 2020

3 hours ago, yoginurse2016 said:
I just checked mine and it changed to "under faculty review" so I assume the next step will be the decision

WOW!! That's amazing! Mine still says "Ready for review" When did you turn in your application? Have you filled out your FAFSA?

yansads · May 28, 2020

4 hours ago, redster23 said:
WOW!! That's amazing! Mine still says "Ready for review" When did you turn in your application? Have you filled out your FAFSA?

Mine’s been under faculty review for about 2 weeks now and I submitted late. I just updated my FASFA yesterday to include Duke.

yoginurse2016 · May 28, 2020

11 hours ago, redster23 said:
WOW! That's amazing! Mine still says "Ready for review" When did you turn in your application? Have you filled out your FAFSA?

I applied on May 1st! LOL I filled out my FAFSA but have to finish up my CSS

Sun1 · May 28, 2020

What is the CSS please?

redster23 · May 28, 2020

15 minutes ago, yoginurse2016 said:
I applied on May 1st! LOL I filled out my FAFSA but have to finish up my CSS

Oh WOW!! I applied in April and mine has been under review!

careerchanger · May 28, 2020

16 hours ago, yoginurse2016 said:
I just checked mine and it changed to "under faculty review" so I assume the next step will be the decision

That's awesome. Mine still says "ready for review". Im so incredibly antsy haha

yansads · Jun 1, 2020

Well, I won't be attending ? I was shredding a bunch of papers and shred one of my W2s accidentally. I can get another but it'll be too late to submit my financial aid paperwork by then since the company is in another state. Ah well, I'll still be excited to see whether or not I got in. If I did I won't be accepting the spot since there's no way I can afford it without assistance.

Btw don't forget financial aid paperwork is due Friday the 5th!

redster23 · Jun 3, 2020

On 5/31/2020 at 8:59 PM, yansads said:
Well, I won't be attending ? I was shredding a bunch of papers and shred one of my W2s accidentally. I can get another but it'll be too late to submit my financial aid paperwork by then since the company is in another state. Ah well, I'll still be excited to see whether or not I got in. If I did I won't be accepting the spot since there's no way I can afford it without assistance.
Btw don't forget financial aid paperwork is due Friday the 5th!

Oh bummer! I just filled out my FAFSA! Does anyone know if the CSS profile is needed to apply for the program? Additionally, has anyone check the status of their application to see if there's been any progress? I emailed Ben last week and he told me that we should be hearing back around third week to last week of June.....

JessieS · Jun 3, 2020

14 hours ago, redster23 said:
Oh bummer! I just filled out my FAFSA! Does anyone know if the CSS profile is needed to apply for the program? Additionally, has anyone check the status of their application to see if there's been any progress? I emailed Ben last week and he told me that we should be hearing back around third week to last week of June.....

For me, it's still in 'ready for review' status.