Graceland - Independence, MO - anyone familiar with the BSN program?

[kjfhome]

I am considering Graceland University, which is out of Iowa but the nursing school is located in Independence. I have never really heard much about this school. If anyone has experience or has heard good or bad on them please share. Thanks

[urkuletz]

It is a good environment. It is very cozy since it is small college and only few people so you will really get to know people in depth.

OH BTW, did you know that their NCLEX PASS RATE last 2006 class is 100%... yeah.. 100%... I think that says something.:balloons:

[kjfhome]

Urkuletz - are you a student or past graduate of Graceland? If so, please share more information. Your country shows Phillipines so I was not sure if you are currently a student, graduate or just know of the program. I hard that the NCLEX pass wsa 100%, but when I looked on the state web site that shows all the pass rates it shows 90% and then I heard the accelerated option pass rate was 100% in 2006 - know anything about this? Well, if you can share anymore about the school, faculty, environment, clinical exposure, etc, etc, etc. please don't hesistate.

[nurseynightnight]

One of my coworkers went to Graceland. She is a very smart girl and has only said good things about the school!

Sorry I don't know any details just that is seemed to produce a good nurse!!

[Nurse2bducky86]

Ive heard that they are a great school but to save on time and $$$ one should get their basic Assoiciate of arts degree first or they have you take crazy classes. I was told by someone at a school who offers a nursing degree to go to Graceland instead of them.

[juliette510RN]

Not sure if this is still applicable but I am a Graceland Grad and we now have a pass rate of 100% on the NCLEX for 2006, 2007, and so far 2008 AO. I take the NCLEX on June 18th so we shall see if I can aid in the continuing trend!

[FNPME]

I also went to Graceland! It was great! Both the RN and FNP pass rates are 100%.

[mmmc2]

I'm a senior at Graceland now, and I love this school. My sister graduated from an ADN program in St. Louis last May and I've told her about our program and she's impressed with how much we leared and did in our Junior year. I think this is a great school...although expensive.

[cocoadiva09]

I am accepted into the 2009-2011 ABSN program, and was just hoping anyone who went to Graceland could give me some advice. Anything would be greatly appreciated especially because our orientation is next week!!

Thanks!

[dkf66]

I am starting the FNP online program at Graceland next month. I go to the campus for orientation in Sept. 09. How was your orientation? Any likes/dislikes about the school so far? BTW, congratulations!!

[mmmc2]

hi cocoadiva09 , congrats. on getting into graceland. i graduated in may and was very pleased with the education i received. graceland was the right choice for me.

i didn't do the accelerated option, because i wanted the summer before my senior year off, but from what i heard, those who had classes in the summer thought they were pretty easy. and they finished in january so they got a jump on the job search. a lot of new grads are having a hard time finding a job right now, but it's not impossible to find a job.

the biggest piece of advice i can give you would be to get a tech job after your junior year. i wished i had done that. primarily because you will get very good at doing ivs, catheters, 12 leads (depending on where you tech) and other basic skills that you won't do much of in nursing school. preferrably tech in an ed. you will do so much!

secondly, always offer to do things in clinicals to get the experience. the clinical instructors love that. they keep track of who is a go-getter and who is not. you will want them to write letters of reference for you when you look for a job after graduation. and if you are a go-getter, future employers will love that.

don't freak if you fail a test and get a concern form. it happens to virtually every student at one point in their education. you just will need to study more for the next one. and don't wait until the last minute to study (cram). you really need to be learning the information and not just cramming it in to spit it out on a test.

have fun and be very friendly to the nurses at your clinical sight. offer to help them. they will want you at their facility if you do that, which will help in your future job search. they will also be more willing to teach you things if you treat them with respect. remember your place. you are a student and they are helping you learn. thank them for their help.

finally, you will get through your check offs in health assessment! i think it was probably the hardest semester because we are so new and don't want to mess anything up. so just practice and try not to be nervous (i know you will be with the first few), but you can do it! and if you doubt yourself, that's normal. just push the doubt out of your mind and know that you can get through nursing school.

if you want to know anything else about the program, don't hesitate to post and i'll get back to you.

good luck!

[NCRNagain]

Hi! I recently graduated from Graceland's FNP program and I can't say anything bad about it at all. My program was outlined at the start so I knew when I was going to graduate, and they make classes user-friendly. If you follow the assignment outlines and have included all the pertinent information, you'll do fine on everything. The faculty is great, and all of my instructors were enthusiastic about teaching and BEING nurse practitioners. As for the pass rate, I'm not sure, but everyone I know passed their boards on the first try. The only downside I can think of is finding a preceptor...you have to find your own. They keep a list of preceptors that have worked with their students before. If possible, find out who that student was and contact them to see how their experience was, because you certainly don't want to spend 700+ hours WATCHING someone do PE's. If you haven't already, start working on finding preceptors as soon as possible...this can put you behind! The school does not require you to work with NP's, unlike other programs. You can work with an MD through your whole program, but I recommend working with a seasoned NP at least one clinical rotation- the perspective is SO different! Also- don't be afraid of the final project- just get the syllabus (you can download it from the website!) and figure out what you want the topic to be beforehand... this eliminates the heartache of coming up with a topic that will WORK in the first week of class. And the presentation is NOT as bad as it seems! I actually really enjoyed mine because I got to learn from my classmates.

The focus sessions are interesting and pertinent to what you need to know; unlike some orientations, I don't think they waste your time. This also gives you a chance to put a face with a name- and advantage when doing it all online, which can be rather isolating (as if going to grad school wasn't isolating enough!). If you haven't already made your reservations for hotel, and want a cheaper alternative that is CLEAN and friendly, stay at the Olive Branch Inn- it's right down the street from the school. I stayed there recently when I went out there for my final exam.

All in all, I recommend this program!