Duquesne University Second Degree Program - Fall 2018

Hey girl!

I'm got accepted into the second degree program at Duquesne too! I'm definitely going. I'm also finishing up my undergrad here now, so if you have any questions feel free to ask!

Hey guys :) I need some advice. So, I graduated with my bachelors with a 2.5 I was an amazing student my first two years, and then got super super depressed and my gpa dropped majorly. I have an associates degree with a 4.0 and it brought my GPA up to a 2.98 and with some classes from CCAC this fall, I made a 3.6

I applied and I am a telemetry technician, so I run EKGs, interpret strips and do a lot of med surg stuff all day. I applied to Duquesne and they want to see my ccac fall grades (they are posting end of this week and I will send them). From there I should hear back in a week or so.

My question is this--What route should I take? I was accepted into West Penn SON, its a certificate program and its 20 months. But after I gradute I can do classes online for two semesters and get a bachelors. This would be the slow and steady route.

If I were to get accepted into Duquesne, Id take the 16 month option to play it safe. What do you guys think I should do? I still have really low self esteem from my bachelors because I juggled so much at once. I keep thinking "what if it happens again that I fail?" Im not sure what route to go.

Hey Jenn22xoxo how long did it take for you to hear back? I just applied today!

Hey Jenn22xoxo how long did it take for you to hear back? I just applied today!

I think it took a little over 3 to 4 weeks, but I was like one of the first people to have my things in. Also I was working with Gina because I had a deadline approaching for putting a deposit in at another school that I had been accepted to. I also go to Duquesne now for undergrad so if you have any questions let me know.

Best of Luck to you!

Thanks for the information! Congrats on your acceptance!

Hey all,

not sure if youve poked around on here looking for info on Duq Nursing. I am in the Accelerated program now, just starting the second semester. Wanted to give you some tips, pointers, advice, etc. Im not shooting down the program but I am not pleased with what I have experienced so far. The first semester is tough, you have to find out real quick what your study habits are. Look up your professors on rate my professor, they are accurate reviews so prepare for those courses accordingly. Exams are not far the first semester. Roughly, you will have two exams, a midterm, and a final, thats it. The two exams are only 30 questions covering 8 to 12 chapters, supplemental materials, and roughly 300 powerpoint slides. It is VERY EASY to mess up on one and screw yourself out of a good grade and potentially fail the course. In all honesty, I failed more tests than I passed the first semester. Couple courses have projects in them that are hard to not get an A on, those are grade savers.

My class came into the program without being told the grading scale changed to a 78 passing score. We were not pleased that this info was not given to use prior to coming to Duq. We expressed our concerns at the second degree forum with the Dean of the Nursing School who said, "I am sick of talking about this so were not talking about it anymore." There is a lot of miscommunication in this program. Multiple times the first semester I entered lab ready to test on something, only to be tested in a different manner than what we were told or how i prepared. It was very frustrating. My class has come to the conclusion that this is the norm in this program. A lot of miscommunication, a lot of not knowing exactly what is going on, and a lot of disappointment.

Another thing is Duq participates in the HESI program. First semester, your final in fundamentals is a HESI final which takes place of an actual final your professor would give. They emphasize studying for this a lot. I put in HOURS of studying electrolytes, ABG values, anything and everything we covered in the course. The exam had two questions out of 55 that I studied for. The rest where situational questions like what do you do when a female patient is visited by her boyfriend and her ex husband arrives and a confrontation ensues....crap I didnt study for. I did not think it was a fair assessment of the material i learned. Thankfully, you have only that one HESI the first semester. Spring semester (my current semester) there are three.

We also found out the university has pending lawsuits against them for the exit HESI, which you take after your last semester. Previous students had completed are requirements for graduation, did not pass the exit HESI, and were not allowed to graduate. They told us, the HESI provides an opportunity to see how well you would perform on the NCLEX. I am extremely nervous to take the exit HESI in the summer. Supposedly, there is another lawsuit with regards to the 78 passing grade. I am not 100% about any of this but it still concerns me a lot.

If I was back at square one looking at programs knowing what I know now, I would attend another program. Do your homework on the programs your interested in, ask questions most people wont ask, find out if any teachers are on probation (some here are or were), find out if the program is on probation (it was a few years ago for low NCLEX scores), who are they accredited by (this is HUGE). At the end of the day, colleges, universities, and nursing programs are all businesses that are vying for your money, you are merely a customer in their eyes. Go somewhere for less money, you still end up with the same degree and knowing your all looking at the accelerated option, you most likely already have student debt.

I tried writing this as neutral as I could without being too negative about it all. If you have question, ask me. And dont say where you heard this from, the school of nursing likes to track these types of forums looking for negativity, accusations, etc. In my opinion, they are trying to cover their tracks for not having a good track record for their nursing programs.

Hey guys I'm going to make a Facebook group called Duquesne Second Degree Nursing Class of 2019!

Have a lot of people already been accepted?

Awesome! Let me know when you do!

Hey guys I'm going to make a Facebook group called Duquesne Second Degree Nursing Class of 2019!

Awesome! Are you going to the accepted students day next friday?

Just found out I was accepted today! Is there a facebook group already made?

it wouldn't let me create one without adding at least one person and I didn't know any of your names! If one of you PM's me your email address I should finally be able to create it.