MCPHS Worcester Spring (January 2020)

[Tom92]

Hello all applicants for MCPHS Worcester Spring cohort, I wish you all the best of luck in your acceptance and future studies! I am a Fall 2018 student that is graduating this September, and decided to come on here and reach out in case someone is moving to the area from out of town. I am from out of town (NJ) and am living in a nice secure building that is about a 10-13 minute walk to campus that I will be vacating as soon as we finish on December 12-13th. I figured I'd come on here and pass along the info because I personally had a tough time finding a place to live, and was so lucky and grateful to find this spot, it was so helpful and convenient to be walking distance to school, food, clinicals, etc. I live in a 2 bedroom/ 1 bath on the second floor of a locked building. All new appliances, central AC and heat, parking lot with 2 reserved spaces, pets are allowed, and if I recall correctly about 1050-1100 Sq ft, so plenty of room for two people. I room with a fellow classmate, we split the rent and utilities and it is overall a much more cost effective, comfortable, private, and convenient option than rooming with a lot of people in off campus or on campus housing. On campus housing has you living with up to 6 people, and it is even MORE expensive than this apartment is with only 2 people! I am in no way shape or form the owner, renter, or sub-renter, I am simply passing along a useful tip in case someone is moving in from out of town like I did. My landlord said he is listing it now for viewing, so if a new incoming student wants to get the jump on this awesome place, I can definitely pass along his information and mine as well in case you want to see pictures or have any general questions about the area or school. I don't have a facebook but hope to get this info onto the cohort facebook page as well! Good luck!

- Tom

[massDNP]

Hi Tom,

I am applying to the Worcester campus. Did you like the program? Is there Anything you would change about it?

Thanks!

[Tom92]

Are you planning on going to the FNP or ABSN program? I can't really speak to the FNP program, but the ABSN program is going through A LOT of changes right now. My cohort got caught in the middle of it, so if I can be completely candid, this was a very frustrating year for me. Mostly because every semester they would make big changes to transition the curriculum over to the Boston curriculum. From what I hear, the Boston campus was really struggling with NCLEX pass rates and what-not, so they overhauled the entire curriculum, which apparently made big changes to the grades. Over here in Worcester, we always had great pass rates and low attrition rates, but they decided to shift the curriculum over to the Boston curriculum anyway. The upper class that graduated finished with the old style curriculum, the two cohorts under us got the new changes, and we are stuck in the middle getting some changes and keeping some things the old way. On top of that, professors who were teaching here for years began leaving one after the other once these changes started. I honestly wish they just kept it the old way because I had already adjusted to it after these 3 semesters, the second and third started to bring some small changes, and this last semester we have basically been completely shifted over to the Boston curriculum. It honestly feels like they kept the worst parts of both curriculum's for us. However, I was also very surprised, I expected nursing school to be much, much, much more challenging. I wouldn't say it was a breeze, but it was definitely no more difficult (to me) than some of the more challenging pre-requisite courses that I have taken. So, with an entirely new curriculum structure, and plenty of new professors, you should have a completely different experience considering just about everything has been changed or overhauled.

Some things that changed: The order of the classes they teach, we have had scantrons this whole time (new classes under us take tests on computer), some of the curriculum, we also used to front-load our 2 clinical courses and then be in class only a couple days a week while we worked long clinical days several days a week to fill our hours. They also split those two clinical classes into two halves of the semester so you can focus on one class at a time, but it was also even more fast paced. Now it's more traditional, in that you take all your classes throughout the entire semester, you're in class most days of the week, and clinical days span the entire semester as opposed to getting a bunch of info front-loaded to you and then in class only a couple days a week. Like I said, I got used to the old way, so I think that's why I prefer the old way, but there are definitely pro's and con's to both. Good luck.

If anyone has questions you can also email me.

[email protected]

[massDNP]

Hi Tom me again,

Thanks for that insightful information on the program! I am wondering about the clinical rotations aspect of the ABSN program now. On their website it says that they place you in your rotations but do we as students get any say in a specific place/hospital?

Thanks.

[Tom92]

They will send you an online survey asking your preferences, where you live, and if you have access to a car, but there are no guarantees based on your answers. I recommend putting you dont have a car if you want to stay local. All of my clinicals have been walking distance, except 1 this semester is a 30 min drive, so its very manageable. You can make requests to go to places like Boston too though.

[massDNP]

Thanks! Good idea.

[massDNP]

In your class have you seen anyone not get a preceptor? There’s word on this forum that some students don’t get one and are in a group setting.

Just now, nbFNP said:

In your class have you seen anyone not get a preceptor? There’s word on this forum that some students don’t get one and are in a group setting.

@Tom92

[Tom92]

You are absolutely correct. They say that they take several things into account including your GPA and work experience. However, I have both a very high GPA and a lot of prior medical work experience and still wasn't given one. Honestly, I feel like they pick favorites, and on top of that only offered like 20 of them to our class of 70+. Honestly, there seems to be no rhyme or reason to how they determine who gets one, so that is one of my several major frustrations/ regrets with this program. However, I also plan on going to a new grad/ residency program so I can work in a specialty right out of school instead of like a med-surg floor, so it hasn't really affected me. Plus, if you do get a preceptorship, be prepared to scramble to complete all your hours by graduation because you have to work around your preceptors work schedule and school schedule, with groups your clinical schedule is predetermined and consistent. I will be writing my thoughts about these shortcomings to the Dean of Students upon graduation, stating that even if they only had 20 preceptorships available they can still rotate them in and out for all the students during their last semester, so we all get preceptor experience and it's fair. Hopefully something good comes of it for y'all.