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I just wanted to start a thread for the Spring 2011 applicants for the ABSN program. I don't know if this is the first time the Gtown is using the nursingCAS or not, but I wanted to hear about everyone else's experience with it.
Any word on when the acceptance (or, heaven forbid, the rejection) letters or emails will be sent?
I started the ABSN program at Georgetown in January '10. Though they may do things differently this time than when I was applying, I received my notice of acceptance by email on October 15, 2009.
Good luck to all you applicants!
Pokytrokyt
165 Posts
Each semester the whole cohort (all those who entered the SDBSN program in the same semester), seem to have at least one class all together. Some classes are lecture only, others are lecture 2 days per week and clinical (time spent working in a hospital) one day per week. In the first semester, we all had Pathophysiology (lecture only) and the classroom part of Health Assessment courses together. The clinical for Health Assessment was strictly at WHC for WHC scholars, and at other hospitals for non-WHC scholars. Since I'm non-WHC, my Health Assessment clinical was at Georgetown University Hospital. Some other mandatory classes we all take the same semester, but are split up into multiple sections.
You will also take two "electives" in the first semester. Remember those pre-reqs that you had to finish at least 9 out of 13 before starting the program? Any unfinished pre-reqs are mandatory electives during the program. For instance, in 4 years of college I only took one semester of English and tested out of the other semester. Guess what? I got to take an intro English class as one of my first electives. I also needed to take one theology class during the first semester. This means you may occasionally take a class outside the nursing school with a bunch of bored 18 year olds. :-)
In 2nd semester, your cohort will probably all take Pharmacology (lecture only) together, and the classroom part of a course called "Care of Adults with Physical Alterations" otherwise known as Med/Surg. I think all WHC folks took the Med/Surg clinical at WHC; I took mine at a hospital in Virginia. Clinicals are typically 7 or 8 hours and block out an entire day on your schedule.
If you are in the WHC program, you will take many of your clinicals at WHC itself - which makes sense since you'll be working there for 3 years after you graduate. The exceptions are clinicals in Mental Health (many hospitals to choose from) and Pediatrics (I think some/all WHC folks do that clinical at Childrens Hospital). There may be a not-at-WHC clinical for WHC scholars in their 4th semester, but I can't speak to that since I'm in 3rd semester now. And things have a way of changing from time to time.
I don't claim to be an expert on interviews. If you get offered an interview, congratulations: 2/3rds of your competition has already been eliminated. Your grades on the science pre-reqs matter a lot. Any prior experience in healthcare (even volunteering) helps, and interesting prior work history is probably what got me into the program (I used to be an IT software sales exec). And you need to write a decent, coherent, grammatical essay. Personally, I think they're looking for people who have a fire in their belly to be in nursing... because the program is pretty intense, and there's no way to replace anyone who drops out midway thru the program.
Last thing: the actual interview. Don't sweat it. If you even GET an interview, they've already decided they like you.