Need info on U of M Second Degree BSN

Again, beware the Ann Arbor Winter. It gets very cold for a looong time. And the out-of-state tuition, when I attended in 1989 was $8000/ semester. If you want great delis and equally great hospitals, go to New York City!

Hi everyone!! I'm currently a student at UC Santa Barbara and I would like to pursue a 2nd degree BSN at U of M. Does anyone have any info on the program? How hard is it to get in? Is it a good program? What salary should I expect upon graduation? I know Michigan nurses probably don't make as much as California nurses, but the cost of living is much lower, so it couldn't be all that bad, right? I'll just have to get used to the winters. Any and all info is appreciated. Thanks!!

http://www.nursing.umich.edu/academics/second_career/

Here is the link for the second degree program at U of M. They are currently in the process of converting it to a 12 month program instead of the 20 month program that is has been. I have heard that is quite competitive to get in to but I'm sure you can call someone at the school and get exact numbers. Out of state tuition is around $25,000 a year and rent in Ann Arbor is a little high since it is a college town. http://www.finaid.umich.edu/financial_aid_basics/cost.asp

Wayne State University also has a 2nd degree BSN program which is located in Detroit and I have heard very good things about their program. http://www.wayne.edu

As far as the weather goes, it isn't that bad. It isn't like up north where there are feet of snow on the ground all winter. Of course there are a few snowstorms a year but for the most part it is pretty manageable.

Thanks for the responses! I'm probably going to apply to UM and Wayne and see where I get accepted, then decide from there. Keep the info coming...

Thanks for the responses! I'm probably going to apply to UM and Wayne and see where I get accepted, then decide from there. Keep the info coming...

I am a pre nursing student at Wayne Co. Community College and have been thinking of transferring to a four year degree school. I have personally looked at Wayne State U, U of M, and Eastern Michigan University. You may want to check out Eastern Michigan as well. It is in Ypsilanti but borders Ann Arbor. I have found that Wayne State has an excellent program and they are also much cheaper than University of Michigan. Do not let the neighborhood scare you, it is an excellent school of nursing and has been for years. Good luck to you.

I'm finally going to be finished at U of M, the last group to do the 20 month program. The 20 month program was really intense, but the 12 month program is extremely accelerated. I think it's doable, just gotta keep your eye on the ball. So much of nursing in the 'real world' is going to be learned on the job, and at this point I am chomping at the bit.

As far as tuition, out of state is ridiculously expensive. Something to consider, however, is that some hospitals have an amazing loan forgiveness program. So, depending on where you go after graduation, that could help a bit.

As far as what the wage is hovering around right now....new RNs out of school are being offered approximately 20-22 an hour. That always changes though.

Don't fool yourself about cost of living in Ann Arbor. Housing is very expensive for quality. I live across the street from the UM hospital and for a 2 bedroom 750sq ft apartment my roommate and I pay about 1000. If you have more questions, holler!

I just graduated from the second degree program (SDO) at University of Detroit Mercy. Website is http://healthprofessions.udmercy.edu/nursing/2nddegree.php

I had applied to the U of M SDO program but was not accepted (I was #1 in my class but they had "too many applicants" that year). Just to warn you, it will cost a LOT being out of state. They tried to claim I was an out of state student since the HS I graduated from was out of state (even though I was born here and had lived here for 6 years before applying!) and I had to fight them for months...

Overall, it was a great experience, a highly respected program(one of top 25 in the country according to US News...), and U of M and WSU are pretty good too but I've heard they're trying to work out some wrinkles with the program at WSU, and WSU also is a longer program, 20 months I think? I think U of D is a bit easier to get into.

It is 12 months, 58 credits so it's pretty intense, but I managed to do it with a couple kids and a job too so I figure its not TOO hard. You have to be good at time management. One of the best things is the SDO program is filled with people who come in without having a clue what they're doing...engineers, art majors, teachers, etc. So you're not alone in learning new stuff. They tend to be "non-traditional" people, who have kids and jobs and life outside of school. You get this feeling of not being alone, even when you're not sure why you're there or "what the He!! am I getting myself into."

The tuition is steep- I think the one year cost 36K (because it's a private school) but I also had a lot of scholarships, loans, grants, etc that made it manageable.

One hint: get some medical experience before hand, if you can...around here, if you enroll in nursing school (or become an EMT- I did that in a 4 month program) you can work as an extern, or a technician, and that made the coursework so much easier, seeing things in real life and having a basis for learning. Reading something in a book is so different from remembering what you saw in your patient the day before...You get clinical experience in school but no matter where you go it won't really prepare you the way real-life experience can.

Graduates in this area earn 20-22 an hour (With shift differential I'll earn $28 an hour to start!), and depending on where you live you can find affordable housing, especially if you commute. Detroit isn't the best area, but you can find some affordable rentals in the suburbs, Farmington/Farmington Hills is nice, about 45 min from Ann Arbor (I think?) and 1/2 hr from Detroit. I had an apartment there when I got married, for 1K a month that was 2 bedroom, 2 bath, basement W/D, townhouse with front and back porches, etc. You should be able to find something 1 bedroom for about $500-700 a month easily.

There are really well-respected hospitals in this area...Beaumont is one of the top in the country, U of M hospital is so big they have their own hotel, and is cutting edge with research and new technology. You've also got Henry Ford hospital (very student friendly) and all the DMC hospitals downtown affiliated with Wayne State. They're all within about an hour of each other, so you've got a great (if not hard!) choice to make.

The weather sucks. No getting around that. It can change in a minute, which is the hardest part. My gas bill last winter to heat our tiny 3 bedroom ranch was $230 a month! Not cheap. And this winter will be even worse, considering the prices now...

Best wishes! Either way, you've chosen a great path. I can work anywhere I want, and change my specialty at the drop of a hat- I love the flexibility. And I can do what I do best, caring for people, teaching, helping.

Hey Katie-

Right now I'm looking to start my clinicals at Madonna University in Jan 2006- and finishing fall of 2008. I already have a bachelors degree from Michigan State and I was looking at UDMs SDO. I went to an informational meeting and have applied- however I'm leaning towards Madonna's program because it would be less intense. What would your(and anyone else reading this and wishing to respond) opinion be for me to do- If I went to UDM, the program wouldn't start until May 2006, so I would finish the following May 2007, and it would be an intense program with 20 credits a semester plus clinical hours. At Madonna, I would start in January 2006 and it would be 4 semesters of nursing classes, summers off...so I would finish fall of 2007. Basically, so you think it would be worth it to go to UDM with a more intense program just to finish 6mos earlier? How INTENSE was the program? I've heard you basically have NO life in that program outside of your classes. I'm just concerned, because although I tend to do well in the sciences and have always been in advanced classes- I did not study much at MSU, and as you may imagine, partied more than I should have. I am determined now to study...but I feel like I am a bit out of the swing of things studying wise;) Well....I guess I'm just wondering what others who have gone through similiar programs think about my situation, and which option would be best! THANKS!

It was not easy, I won't lie.

When we went to our orientation, they laid out a schedule for us that ended up showing that after accounting for sleep and study time + classes and clinicals, that left 18 hours a week of "free time."

I also went to MSU for my first undergrad- Class of 01! My degree was human biology- that background helped me out, along with my experience as an EMT. I know a lot of students in the program were married, with children, and with jobs. The timeline breakdown freaked us all out, I think everyone was shaking that first day.

But we stick together. Not all of the classes are so hard. One is a research class, you write papers and take quizzes. No exams. Another is a nursing management class, all the exams are online. The hardest class (our NUR 252/352/452) is the one that knocked a lot of people out. In the second semester the average on the first exam was 55% (have to have 75 to pass). I was the only one who passed, with a 78!

You will get that level of difficulty, no matter which SDO program you go to. Keep that in mind. What kept us sane was knowing it would be over that much sooner. I did have a life outside the program. After I adjusted and started managing my time pretty well, I held down 2 (part time) jobs, worked 2 days a week, as well as family life: a husband and 2 kids (well, 3 kids in that case). My family was helpful and supportive too, which was great.

I know of several people who were pregnant through the program and did fine, one even had a 40-50 hr a week job and did well (I don't know how she did THAT). I always did well on the hard, science classes and did fine in this program (3.9) so perhaps that is a good predictor of how YOU will do?

Like I said, be realistic but don't let that scare you.

I was the last class to do the aug-aug program, their current class started in may (we overlapped). They found out that graduating in august puts us at a disadvantage because others grad in May and get the jobs!

Good luck, let me know if you have any questions.

Thanks for your response!! I graduated with a Family Community Services degree(similiar to social work) with a Health directed elective. So I didn't have too many science classes at State, mostly just kinesiology, but I have since taken most of my pre-reqs(anatomy, micro, etc) and 4.0 them-but I did only take them 1-3 classes at a time...so nothing like 18-20 credits a semester!!

One more question.....Did many people drop out of the program-either due to failing out, or because they found it to be too much??

Also...about how much studying would you say you did per day??

Sorry to bombard you with so many questions!! Thanks again!!!

Out of our original 54 or so students, I'd say 43 graduated. A couple dropped for medical reasons, but we lost about 4 each semester who couldn't keep up and failed. I know a couple in particular who I have no sympathy for, had not cracked a book the whole semester and were surprised when they failed

It does take some effort. Not a total breeze.

Typically you're in class from 8-5 (with breaks) 2-3 days a week. The other days are clinicals, usually 7-3 (some are nights, like 2-10).

Studying i'd do when I could. Depended on the day, how tired I was. I focused on one day at a time (what is MOST urgent to get done for tomorrow, then for this week). Looking too far ahead will get you in trouble unless its for a paper or something. Small steps is ideal- and KEEP UP!

I would say I study about 2 hours a night. But that is an average...some nights I'd be at school from 8 am to 9 pm, in study groups, other days I said F-it and went home to sleep LOL

I will tell you that all the students who studied, and tried, and put some effort in, DID pass the program. If this kind of thing (medicine) interest you, you'll have no problem at all.

Katie