Individual Attention in Nursing Class of 80 Students

gere7404, BSN, RN · Jun 19, 2019

Not sure about that program specifically, but we were broken up into smaller groups of 8 students per instructor for clinical groups. Each clinical group did their labs and clinicals at different times, there were several "skills" days where we would "round robin" from different stations in very small groups so that everyone could practice and ask questions as needed. Clinical group instructors were responsible as your point of contact for any questions, discussions and grading for that quarter, and we switched clinical groups every quarter.

For lecture, there were some that were done in a whole class setting, some courses broke the class into two groups (ie half the cohort went to patho while the other half was in pharm and then the groups switched after lunch).

rnhopeful82, ASN, RN · Jun 19, 2019

I don't go there, but my school breaks the classes up: 1/2 choose the day lecture, 1/2 choose the evening lecture and clinical groups never have more than 8 students, we have had some with 3 and mine currently has 5. You can also peruse the how many students made it through your program and you may find that you won't have all 80 the whole way through. Mine is the smallest cohort our school has had in awhile. Good luck!

**NICU Guy, BSN, RN** · Jun 20, 2019

On 6/18/2019 at 10:03 PM, annabellarose77 said:
'm really interested in an accelerated program that is small and every student is able to get individual attention and help

On 6/18/2019 at 10:03 PM, annabellarose77 said:
I'm a little concerned about having such a large number of students how much one on one time with instructors you can get as well as extra time in the skills lab.

Is there a reason that you feel that you are going to need to have extensive one on one time with instructors and extra time in skills lab? Regardless of the class size, ABSN programs are fast paced and will require you to comprehend the content easily. If you feel that you are going to need a lot of one on one time with instructors to understand the content, maybe the ABSN program is not a good fit for you.

I was 47 when I went through my ABSN program and didn't have an issue keeping up.

Natasha A., CNA, LVN · Jun 20, 2019

Congratulations!

I attended a fast pace lvn program with 15 students and even with a small class of 15, my program was mostly self teaching. Its all concept base. Yes office hours were available, but google, youtube, facebook, this forum helped me the most. It truly boils down to are you able to find the resource that you need. ? another person posted reach out to previous classmates which is a good idea

Skills lab was available during and after class time

annabellarose77 · Jun 20, 2019

Thanks everyone for your responses. NICU guy, it's not that I feel I will need lots of extra one on one time. I just want to know that if I need additional time in the skills lab, or help from one of my instructors, it will be available. I've never been in a class with a large group of students. The largest class size I've been in was with 25 students. If I needed to stay after class to ask questions of my instructor, it was never a problem. If I sent an email to one of my instructors, I would always receive a prompt response. Being older, and being in a much larger class size does make me a little nervous so I really appreciate the other posters explaining how their classes were set up which gives me a much better idea of what to possibly expect. I am very confident in my learning capabilities, and my skills regardless of my age. I'm also accustomed to using outside learning material to cover the gaps that get glossed over. I just want to be able to learn enough to feel comfortable performing skills outside of the classroom. I'm sure that's most every student's hope.

I truly appreciate all the feedback, and NICU guy, it's encouraging to know you were 47 when you went through an ABSN program successfully.

adventure_rn, MSN, NP · Jun 20, 2019

My class was pretty huge. My cohort (ABSN) was around 70, and the traditional cohort (which ran concurrently with ours) was 150. We usually had lectures with just our cohort, but on occasion they’d pack all 220 of us into a lecture hall for classes like leadership.

I didn’t have a problem with the class size, and I was a pretty engaged student (I asked questions during lectures and would stay behind after class to chat with my instructors, I came to office hours, all of my professors knew my name). Many of my instructors made time to get coffee and discuss career goals with me, and most stills remember me now, 5 years later (I’m asking around for reference letters for grad school). I never personally felt as though the class size was a barrier. All of our labs and clinical rotations were capped at 8 students, so we had a lot of individualized attention while learning and performing skills.

I’m sure it depends on the program, but I’ve found that if you are the type of student to go the extra mile, your professors will be happy to meet you halfway. Perhaps you can seek out current students to ask about their experiences.

**NICU Guy, BSN, RN** · Jun 20, 2019

We had some classes with the traditional students. Those classes were about 80 students. The ABSN students tended to clump together (groups of 5-10) throughout the classroom. I would advise sitting in the front two rows. It makes it easier for the instructor to remember you. Instructors in the larger classes didn't have a problem of not knowing your name.

Although it may be wrong for instructors to treat some students different than others, but the instructors treated the ABSN cohort differently than the traditional students. I think there was more respect because we were in a fast paced program and this is our second degree, so we have already been trained to jump through the hoops that schools require in order to get your degree.

Jory, MSN, APRN, CNM · Jun 23, 2019

The students are going to be broken up into smaller groups. You are not going to be in a class with 80 people.

NICUismylife, ADN, BSN, RN · Jun 24, 2019

My class was around 65 students, and there was never an issue with getting additional help if needed. Like others have mentioned, your lecture classes may be full and include everyone, but your clinical groups will be much smaller. Your clinical instructor will be one of your best resources. My school had regular skills lab hours where anyone could go in practice, and there was a sign up sheet where you could schedule an appt with a skills lab instructor if you needed one-on-one help with something, I would expect most schools would have a similar set-up.

In addition to that, the lecture instructors were always available by email, after class, or would schedule appts when necessary. I'm not sure if all schools have this, but my school also had free one-on-one tutoring for those who needed it.

You will also find that a lot of small study groups form, a lot of people find study groups beneficial.