Hi, this is my first time posting on a nursing message board.
I'll just take a second to introduce myself: I am currently a student at the University of Alberta (BScN Program), and I am so desperately miserable in this program I could just cry!
I am part way through my second year, and this semester I have chosen to drop all my clinicals and take all of my electives and support courses, while, in the meantime, I am applying to some other schools.
I have applied to both Dalhousie University and to the University of Toronto. Can anyone here tell me about either of these universities? Do they use the context based learning format (which I hate)? Has anyone had good or bad experiences at these schools? Are they organized and how is the clinical experience?
I do not know if this is the right area of the board to be posting this, but, if anyone has any information or can tell me where to look so that I can talk to more students who have attended either of these universities, I would appreciate it! Thank You!
No, I am not Renee, I'm not positive who that is, but I'm certainly not her.
Anyways, the reason why I don't like CBL is because it does not fit in well with my learning style, not because I am 'not willing to do the work'. I had a GPA of 8.4 last year, got 3 scholarships, am a member of the Golden Key International Honor Society and am on the Dean's Honor List. In addition, I have valuable work and volunteer experience out in the field and a whole gamut of excellent references. I love the profession I've chosen. Despite good marks I'm still frustrated though. Just because one person likes CBL does not guarantee that everyone will like it, it has to do with learning styles. I work very, very hard and good marks do not come easily to me and never have. And, with the unorganized way that the UofA delivers the CBL, it is even harder for me.
I am very, very confident that you will find an extremely high level of dissatisfaction with the program from years 1 to 4 at the U of A. I think you said that you were in Grant MacEwan? I've heard that they tend to be more organized - I almost wish I'd gone there for my first two years instead. If indeed you are going to be transferring over to the UofA for years 3 and 4, you will find, as I have stated, a faculty that is very disorganized and puts the concerns of the students last. If you are lucky you might get a good tutorial or clinical instructor, as there are a few. Generally, though, the program is terrible, is delivered haphazardly, and 90 % of the students (including straight A students like me) are very unhappy.
Sorry to be coming on a bit strong in my post, but there are many, many excellent, extremely intelligent and dedicated nursing students out there who are barely making it and feel like they are in hell. Sometimes life just isn't fair you know?
I'm so sorry that you're having a difficult time with CBL. It really sounds like you will make a great nurse with your determination and drive.
What areas do you think that you're having the most difficulty with? The hardest thing for me is making sure that we've covered all the content on the exams. Some of the subjects are very broad. I really find the experience helpful now that I'm into the community and organizing pt care. I can really see where CBL learning prepares you for nursing. I feel that critical thinking is really the basis for CBL and nursing. I can now get the information that I need in practice because I've learned how to find it through CBL. It is a different learning style but all of the student in my class have adapted well to it.
Well I do agree with you that CBL does initiate critical thinking skills that one really needs out in the workforce. You know where to find the information, and generally are pretty self-directed, which I think that employers really like.
I must say that my clinical experiences generally have been very poor. I only had one good experience (at Capital Care Grandview), and that was because the instructor really, really loved her job as a nurse and as a clinical instructor, and treated students with respect (and also treated patients/residents with respect). She was extremely organized, and didn't play favorites. I worked my ass off literally and I was rewarded for it, and, I loved my experience. I must say if I hadn't had that one good experience I might be in a different career right now. As stated before, I did drop out of nursing 291 because of that one mean instructor who had no respect for me, the other students, or the patients. I felt I was being penalized for being a critical thinker, trying to stay ahead of the game, coming in early, working through my breaks in the charting room, and the instructor even said she didn't like that I was so gung ho and please to stop (what is that????). She would stand by and watch students hit a patient's bone while giving an IM deltoid injection which is just bad, you know, putting patients in jeopardy. Honestly this is the truth, and I just actually received an anonymous e-mail yesterday from another student nurse asking for any stories, negative experiences, etc., and this to me represented the fact that we are tired of being treated poorly and being threatened or blamed by the faculty when we try to stand up for ourselves. I mean I did stand up for myself by going to the faculty about my instructor and got told that I needed counselling and that there was nothing wrong with the instructor.
One of my friends had a clinical instructor in 291 who, when she broke sterile technique while applying a dressing on a patient, said "jesus christ!" right in front of the patient, and stomped out of the room, and didn't even offer any guidance to the student. I mean, if that had been me (and I had many similar experiences) I would have just broke down and cried.
I really wish that I had the time to start a 'rebellion' of sorts, but, unfortunately I just can't spend the rest of my 2 years in nursing school being mad, I just have to try to accept the way things are, and look for the good in all the bad, and try to keep on going. Like I said I've applied to other schools, but, I've got to be prepared not to get in, and deal with things the way they are here.
So, in short, you might be lucky to get really good clinical instructors/tutorial instructors, and, you may be more likely to get immature ones who show favouritism and just reflect the faculty's picking any 'warm body' out there who might seem good as an instructor.
Most of the girls have had very bad experiences, but, I'm only halfway through the program (like I still have 295/294 to go yet, just taking all my electives and such right now). We'll see what happens. Generally most students feel like they're being ripped off and not listened to, and most can hardly wait to get the heck out of the program.
ldh, BSN, RN
70 Posts
No, I am not Renee, I'm not positive who that is, but I'm certainly not her.
Anyways, the reason why I don't like CBL is because it does not fit in well with my learning style, not because I am 'not willing to do the work'. I had a GPA of 8.4 last year, got 3 scholarships, am a member of the Golden Key International Honor Society and am on the Dean's Honor List. In addition, I have valuable work and volunteer experience out in the field and a whole gamut of excellent references. I love the profession I've chosen. Despite good marks I'm still frustrated though. Just because one person likes CBL does not guarantee that everyone will like it, it has to do with learning styles. I work very, very hard and good marks do not come easily to me and never have. And, with the unorganized way that the UofA delivers the CBL, it is even harder for me.
I am very, very confident that you will find an extremely high level of dissatisfaction with the program from years 1 to 4 at the U of A. I think you said that you were in Grant MacEwan? I've heard that they tend to be more organized - I almost wish I'd gone there for my first two years instead. If indeed you are going to be transferring over to the UofA for years 3 and 4, you will find, as I have stated, a faculty that is very disorganized and puts the concerns of the students last. If you are lucky you might get a good tutorial or clinical instructor, as there are a few. Generally, though, the program is terrible, is delivered haphazardly, and 90 % of the students (including straight A students like me) are very unhappy.
Sorry to be coming on a bit strong in my post, but there are many, many excellent, extremely intelligent and dedicated nursing students out there who are barely making it and feel like they are in hell. Sometimes life just isn't fair you know?