How Many Semesters is your School?

mitchsmom · May 22, 2005

Mine sounds a lot like yours, 5 semesters for regular full-timers.

Ginyer · May 22, 2005

Ours is 5 semesters counting one summer. We just started this past January so we will go ... spring 05 summer 05 fall 05 spring 06 fall 06 and graduate in December 2006. Our second summer is left open for us to do an internship.

We had a break for 5 days counting a weekend between spring and summer and will get right at 3 weeks between summer and fall.

Ginyer

nurse_ange1 · May 22, 2005

Hi All,
I'm attending a 5 Semester RN Program at a Community College. After a 1 week break, we started 3rd Semester this week, will go straight through the Summer and begin the 4th Semester in August.
I recently met a nursing student from another local C.C. that only has 4 semesters - they have the entire Summer off and don't go back until August. We sort of compared where we were in our Programs and as far we could tell, we had both had the same classes these past 2 semesters.
I'm actually glad we'll be going straight through the Summer - because even after the 1 week break, you start to lose focus and it takes a couple of days to get back into the swing of things. I can't even imagine having the entire Summer off and being expected to have retained all of that info. As one of my Instructors said - We just keep building upon your knowlege and moving "ya'll" along at a steady pace towards that goal of "RN"...
We just finished Med/Surg and most of the Summer will be spent in L&D. I believe next Semester will be a much more in depth Med/Surg and Complicated L&D (building on the basics we learn over the Summer). Just curious why there is a difference in the amount of Semesters at some schools...

I've just finished my BScN (canadian). It was 8 semesters or 4 years with the summers off. I could never have done the condensed programme that was offered when I started school... it was 6 semesters straight with 1 week off in between. The breaks are necessary to rebuild your mental stamina and to catch up with those friends and family you haven't seen in four months. In Ontario, there is no longer an associate degree for RN... as of Jan 2005 one needs to have completed a BScN in order to write the provincial exam.

Best of luck to you... you'll love school and hate all at the same time but in the end it shapes you forever.

kellyo, LPN · May 22, 2005

Hi All,
I'm attending a 5 Semester RN Program at a Community College. After a 1 week break, we started 3rd Semester this week, will go straight through the Summer and begin the 4th Semester in August.
I recently met a nursing student from another local C.C. that only has 4 semesters - they have the entire Summer off and don't go back until August. We sort of compared where we were in our Programs and as far we could tell, we had both had the same classes these past 2 semesters.
I'm actually glad we'll be going straight through the Summer - because even after the 1 week break, you start to lose focus and it takes a couple of days to get back into the swing of things. I can't even imagine having the entire Summer off and being expected to have retained all of that info. As one of my Instructors said - We just keep building upon your knowlege and moving "ya'll" along at a steady pace towards that goal of "RN"...
We just finished Med/Surg and most of the Summer will be spent in L&D. I believe next Semester will be a much more in depth Med/Surg and Complicated L&D (building on the basics we learn over the Summer). Just curious why there is a difference in the amount of Semesters at some schools...

I'm in an ADN program in NC as well. Are you Susan E?

Anyway, its also 5 semesters. We're in 3/5 right now. Labor/Delivery and women's health. Psych and chronic diseases next semester...

z's playa · May 22, 2005

2 semesters a year. 16 weeks off for the summer. What a waste !

Z

Jess-RN in 2006 · May 22, 2005

I'm in a diploma program, we go for two years. Each year is divided into trimesters, 2 16 week trimesters and then one 6 week trimester. We're in our 6 week part right now, which is our gero course. Then we are off for ten weeks for the summer, then start back in August. I dont mind it, cause I would rather get done in two years, than 3(the program used to be 3)

Cowboys_RN, BSN · May 22, 2005

Mine is 4 semesters with summer off. I'm at a community college as well. They break our semesters into two 9 week courses. We do Med/Surg once every semester, increasing in complexity as we go. We also have clinicals in Geriatrics, Maternity/Newborn, Psychiatry, and Child/Family.

lunakat · May 22, 2005

My ADN program at a local CC is 4 or 5 depnding on when you start. For me and about 30 other people who started last fall, we can take psych during the summer (thus making it a total of 5 semsters). If we don't take it in the summer, you have to take it during the fall with the med surg class so it would be 4. But this option is only available to those who started in the fall.

hikernurse · May 22, 2005

2 semesters a year. 16 weeks off for the summer. What a waste !
Z

Yep, that's us, too. If you start in January, you get two summers off before you graduate. I'd rather go straight through--or at least have some kind of (even unpaid) nursing experience during the break. But, hey, they never seem to ask for my opinion . . .

GrnHonu99, RN · May 22, 2005

5 semesters here! we have one week in the middle of our first (which is what we are in now) then we get a week at the end, then fall then xmas break, then next year...i think we get a week for spring break...its 15 months all together!! im glad though get in and get out!!! lol

twinmommy+2, ADN, BSN, MSN · May 22, 2005

Prince George's Community College had 4 (for my semester) but the new curriculum has 5 semesters. One of the 5 is only one class that has to be done before entering the program.