Mercy College of NW Ohio?

sreed1966 · Oct 15, 2009

Hi, I was looking for some posts re: Mercy and found yours....Did you get into the evening schedule, and do you like it? I have all my pre-reqs. and will be applying there this winter for the day classes. Thanks for any information beforehand.

peytonsmom · Oct 15, 2009

I did get in and started this fall. So far I really like it, it is just a LOT of work and a huge time committment, or at least more of a time committment then I was counting on. I am taking Fundamentals and Pathophys this semester. I have Patho from 5:30-8:00 on Mondays, Fundies lecture on T&W from 5:30-6:50 and then clinicals 7-1:30 e/o weekend. What I wasn't counting on was all of the time I need to spend in the lab. We do go over skills in clinicals but there isn't very much actual hands on practice those days. They expect you to get that in the lab on your own time. I spend at least one night a week up there and usually 2-3 if it's the week before a checkoff.

So far I have not had any requirement that I have had to take off of work for, everything has been 5:30 or later or on a weekend.

I did my pre-reqs at Owens and I can tell you that they def have higher standards at Mercy from what I have seen. You are expected to know your material inside and out and be able to participate in discussion. You work hard for your grades. There is also a good bit of self-teaching at least in the fundies class i'm taking. We have med term and math quizzes at each clinical weekend that you pretty much have to teach yourself (they do review a bit of the math).

Mercy prides itself on having higher standards then a lot of the other area nursing programs and it defiently shows in what they require of us.

The professors I have aren't necessarily mean or hard, but they aren't going to go out of their way to make you suceed either. If you have a question or need help they will gladly do so, but don't sit back in class and not ask questions and then later tell them that you "don't get it".

Mercy has excellent staff in the skills lab to help you (and it is open night hours) with the hands on and a nursing math tutor as well as a general nursing tutor all free of charge to help you out with any questions you might have.

This isn't really important in the grand scheme of things, but our uniforms are butt ugly.

sreed1966 · Oct 15, 2009

Ugly uniforms? Oh forget it!! LOL.....thanks for the quick reply. I am going to the open house this weekend, and I have talked to a transfer councelor over the phone.Said I would take day or night classes, whichever I could get into....I guess it just sounds too good to be true. I am finishing up my chem and alg up here at Schoolcraft in 7 weeks. I already have my bio and some of the other classes like eng, etc. I'm at a 3.5 and she said I would have a good chance of getting in for Fall 2010. There is a 3 year waiting list up here.....and the cut off GPA is usually 3.8 with a lot more pre-reqs. needed...

Anyway, I'll have everything to them by mid Dec. with all my current grades..I'm keeping my fingers crossed, but it just sounds WAY too good....

Keep up the good work!!

Sarah

peytonsmom · Oct 15, 2009

If we are talking about the same councelor, She helped me w/ the transfer process and was awesome. Def took the time to do all she could for so that I could get started this semester.

Mercy is a small college and also a private college so the demand for spots isn't as big as at Owen's where tution is a lot cheaper and there are more time slots for classes. BUT Owen's just lost there NLN accrediation so I hear a lot of Owen's people are looking at transfering to Mercy because there really isn't another known ADN program around here now that UT cut theirs.

I think my pre-req GPA was 3.6 or something and I was on the wait list because I didn't get my app in until late (wasn't sure where I wanted to go) but ended up getting a spot at the last minute.

sreed1966 · Oct 16, 2009

I did speak with someone else. Do you have any idea what the cutoff GPA was? I will have everything they need right before Christmas. They said they start looking through everything early January.

I am going to try for the day classes, and just apply for loans to support myself, as my unemployment will run out late next summer/early fall. I don't know if I could work full time, and go to nursing school. I give you HUGE credit! Hopefully after we graduate we won't have to move out of town to get a job. Michigan is terrible, but I don't think Ohio is much better at this point. Where did you take your pre-reqs? Applying anywhere up here in May and Thanks for all the information. Which hospitals do the clinicals take place? I worked as a unit clerk at St. Luke's in the ER before I moved to Michigan....

peytonsmom · Oct 16, 2009

I want to think the cutoff was a 3.2 or a 3.4 but i'm not 100% certain. I know that she said that had I applied in January instead of May I wouldn't have had to be on the waitlist w/ my GPA.

Ohio isn't any better with jobs at all. Apparently we're one of the most flooded markets in the area as far as new grads since we have BG, UT, Mercy, Lourdes, Owens, & Terra all graduating nurses every 6 months. I'm interested to see how Owens losing their accredidation changes that though.

All clinicals are done in the Mercy System so St. V's, St. Ann's, and St. Charles.

I did all my pre-reqs at Owens anticipating that I would quite my FT day job when I got a spot in clinicals. Well, my husbands job prospect fell through so there was no way I could go down to PT. Luckily for me Mercy has the nights program. They tell you that you shouldn't work FT and go to school and I can TOTALLY see why they say that, but it just isn't feasible for some of us. I'm lucky that I have an awesome support system in my family and my IL's or I wouldn't be able to do it, especially since my Dh is also in school right now.

It's crazy but in 2 years and 3 months when I graduate it will all be worth it! I'm hoping the job market picks up by then.

starmickey03, MSN, RN · Nov 5, 2009

Hey! I plan on applying to Mercy sometime next week. Can you tell me something about the school...like if there is a waiting list and what the gpa is that they usually accept. I graduate in may with a BS in Health studies and I wanted to start a nursing program immediately after but dont want to do an accelerated program. I called last week and spoke with an admissions rep. I told her my gpa and she said that it was really good and that I shouldnt have a problem. I dont know if she was just trying to gas me up so i could apply or what because my GPA right now is only a 3.37 and Im sure other people at the school have gpa's much higher. Any info please?

peytonsmom · Nov 6, 2009

Are you looking at the BSN or ADN program? I'm in the ADN program (nights) and I think I had a 3.5 or something like that and got in (I can't remember exactly what classes they took from my previous school's, and only those classes counted for my GPA). I want to *think* she said that the general cutoff last year was low 3's but I can't be certain because I talked to so many different schools last year.

I know they're anticipating a bigger group of applicants for fall, especially for the ADN program, because of the whole thing w/ Owens so that might effect their cutoff GPA too.

She told me that last year was the first year that they had a waitlist for all three programs (BSN, ADN days, ADN nights) and I'm thinking from some of the things my instructors have said that they took a larger than normal ADN nights group this time around too.

The only downside is that they only start new classes in the fall where schools like BG & UT do fall and spring. So if you don't get it you have to wait another year to apply again.

starmickey03, MSN, RN · Nov 6, 2009

I had originally planned on going for the ADN then doing the RN-BSN online. But the rep told me that if Im unsure I could just mark on my application to be considered for both of the programs. And she told me that they have an accelerated program that starts in the summer, Im not sure if its new or what because it wasnt on their website. I may just do the BSN though since the Owen students will most likely be coming