Nipissing RPN to BScN blended program

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I just got accepted in to the Nipissing bridge online.. I was doing Athabasca but with the current job situation i decided to stay local and work ft instead of heading out west..

Is there anyone else who applied or is thinking of doing it??

Hey Trishrpn80,

Thanks for this post! I just wrote to Nippissing wondering if some of my college credits from another program will also work towards credit to the bridging program. I opted for this so that I could go right to work after completing the RPN and am happy to see that it is possible to take more than 2 courses per semester in order to get done a little quicker...another question I asked in my message to NU.

What semester are you in so far? How long have you been at it? Would you mind me asking where you are working? I'm hoping to be in KW/Cambridge or Brantford...

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I was just wondering how the program went. I am also in the Athabasca program and thinking of switching to Nipissing. How far along in the Athabasca program were you and what did you get exempt from?

thanks!

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Hello Everyone,

Glad to read all the comments. I just finished the RPN program and will start working in a hospital. I would like to hear from you guys experiences about the bridging at Nippising. Can you do it 3 years?

Thanks.

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I feel the same way as well. I am trying to figure out which program is shorter....

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Hi Trishrpn80,

Are you done with your program? I would love to chat with you to learn what it was like. I am thinking about distance education myself.

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Specializes in Community/ Home Health.

Well, this is a bit of a delayed response to this thread I guess... but...

I started Nipissing RPN-BScN bridge in Jan 2016 as a second degree student, so I have received some exemptions (good news for all your other second degree students, as I find many universities are really tight with offering exemptions!).

I have no complaints about my experience so far.

The program is 100% self directed and online, except for the clinical rotations. My experience so far is that there is minimal guidance with the content for some courses, and with others there is a fair-moderate amount. I have only completed 4 courses so far, but my experience with the profs has been great. In this program you really have to know whether or not you can handle self-directed, online learning well. When I attended PN school, much of my program was self-directed and so I became familiar with this method of learning.

The program has worked out for me well so far as I tend to do well in online-learning environments. It definitely takes time management and organization. I like the flexibility of the program. Most courses have weekly discussion posts or quizzes due once a week, then there are online tests or midterms, which are open for a set duration of usually 3-4 days. The only in-person components to the courses are final exams, which you write at a Nipissing campus or an affiliated institution- they assign final exam writing locations based on your address. You will write within 100km of where you live.

I find that it can be challenging to "know what you need to know" if that makes sense. With such a vast amount of knowledge in Med Surg books and BPGs, it can be difficult to really know what you need to know for some courses, or at what depth. The program also can be challenging in the sense of not really meeting people until you do your clinical rotations- it can be tough to get through the program without meeting "in-person" friends. There is a group work component in some of the courses which can be good in the sense of "meeting" other students, but also it can be frustrating to collaborate on group work when all of the students are RPNs and are working various days and shifts.

This fall, I start my clinical rotations, which oddly enough are on Saturdays for half of the term (so beware!).

As I mentioned, I just started the program this year but feel free to reach out to me or post here with any questions regarding the program and I can try to help!

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Specializes in Community/ Home Health.

You might be able to complete in in 3 years, that is my plan. After the first year, if you maintain a decent average, you can take more than 2 courses per term. And if you have a previous university degree, Nipissing seems fair with the transfer credits which will also reduce the number of courses you have to take there.

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Hello poko,

Thanks a lot for your response. Glad for your feedback. I will hopefully get a job soon in a hospital and I plan to apply for next year possibly. I am doing an online basic cardiac arrythmia course and I get sense of how disciplined I have to be. Thanks a lot. I would love to stay in touch. KP

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I'm gonna be starting the program in january

my question is how was your first semester ? How hard was it and did you have any clinical right away or any at all in the long distance program ?

i received a trip to take my kids out of the country in February so I want to ensure I don't screw up the schooling either lol

and also how many hours do you feel you had to put in a week ??

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tks :)

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Hi everyone!

All of this information was very helpful. I'm wanting to apply to the September 2017 start and I'm currently reviewing

the application process and admission requirements. My place of employment is in partnership with Nipissing.

Silly question, but I was wondering who you all asked to provide you with the letter of support? Is it your manager or is there someone they usually prefer?

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Specializes in Community/ Home Health.

Just ask your direct manager. That's what I did. I don't think Nipissing is too concerned with where it comes from, as long as it's from some form of superior.

i just started my second year doing this bridging program, feel free to PM me or email with any other questions :)

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