CMarieCRN

The price of books can vary as I bought a lot of books used online. The first semester is 3 classes per week an 16 hours of clinical/lab, so about 30 hours per week of lecture/practicum.

Calalilly and others interested in the Regis College, Weston, MA programs, I have nothing to gain from writing this, but after my experiences with the program, there are things that I would like to share that I would have liked to hear from someone who had already done it. I am currently a graduate student at Regis College in the Accelerated Nurse Practitioner program granting a B.S./M.S. in Nursing for non-nurses with a Bachelor's Degree. I am about to start my third year in the program, beginning a pediatric preceptor experience. Some students in this program entered right after graduating college. Others have already gotten married, started families, or worked for years in a previous field. Everyone comes to the program with a different outlook and way of viewing the curriculum. One student lamented that Regis requires an 80 average in all classes in order to progress. I believe this high standard prepares us to transition smoothly into the NCLEX preparation. In fact, this past spring all 45 graduates of the Bachelor's portion of the accelerated program passed the NCLEX on the first try for a 100% pass rate, which is not something that all schools can report. I came into this accelerated program thinking I'd be able to work full time and shrugged off advice from administration that I would not. But this is a quality program, and I learned quickly and dropped my hours to 10 per week to make it more manageable. I honestly have no idea how those who are parents and spouses do it. The reality is that this is an accelerated program, where one earns a Bachelor's and a Master's degree in only 3 years. Many of us were burnt out by the time August came around at the end of our first year, but we chose this program in order to gain knowledge and skills as soon as possible in order to begin practicing. Someone asked about clinicals. Clinical experiences are generally 6-12 hours per day. Clinicals have to accommodate all students in the program, not just individuals. For this reason, students were assigned to various hospitals as fairly as possible regarding their commutes. Students who lived close to Emerson Hospital in Concord, for example, drove an hour south to Norwood because there were other students whose closest option, driving an hour or more, was Emerson. It wouldn't make sense to have the North Shore students drive 2 hours south while those in Concord head down the street. Regis does have a preceptor placement coordinator who, we're told, will provide us with two options for our third year clinical experience. But it would be impossible for the preceptor coordinator to place all 100 students for 600 hours each per year. With the current state of the industry and the economy, students need to collaborate with their schools in order to accommodate their precepting needs, too. With guidance, however, students can participate in the process of making their own contacts and finding placements that are the best fit for them based on preferences and geography. So it is true that in a given student group one will hear complaints about the placements offered and about students having to find their own placements, but you'll also hear success stories and elation over "the placement I found and how well it is working out for me." Regis isn't the first and will certainly not be the last school to have students finding their own preceptors. A friend of mine in a similar program for Physician's Assistants had to pound the pavement pretty hard to find her placements, and the process sent her from Danvers to Worcester and West Roxbury. Clinicals are actually hard to come by, even in the health care industry mecca that Boston is; there aren't very many options out there. With all the schools vying for preceptors, there are less and less MDs and NPs available, and those that are available may have limited time to take on a student. Students have a better chance at selling themselves by being proactive and contacting possible preceptors themselves rather than the coordinator making more or less abstract calls regarding a faceless or voiceless student. One student's aunt had a friend who had a friend at Children's Hospital, and now the student will be working with a preceptor in their operating room. A recommendation from a former healthcare provider or other contact is more likely to get one in the door. Bottom line: These experiences also help students when they graduate in trying to find their own employment and negotiate their way in the profession. I truly believe the faculty and administration at Regis take constructive feedback into consideration, as I have seen many things change for the better from my class to the one following. Naturally, some people like to lament. And simply complaining or, worse, attacking, will, as in any setting, be met with resistance. Perhaps fostering a good rapport with faculty will benefit the student as at any learning institution, but I highly doubt that gross discrimination toward any student would go unnoticed by the administration here. Regis actually has a policy in which, if a student receives less than an 80 on a paper, he or she may receive an anonymous reread from another faculty member. The faculty is also quick to act at any report of unfair treatment of students in the classroom or clinical setting. I hope this helps any prospective nursing students in their quest for the best school for them. Bottom line is that the Regis College program is an excellent one, and I'm pleased to be part of it. Should anyone like to contact me, I'd be happy to discuss the program further.