Northeastern Hybrid Direct Entry Nursing Spring 2014

Eburgmeier · Feb 27, 2014

Does anyone know what the main number is? I am going to try to make a phone appointment with my advisor! Still can't get a hold of her!

faith2014 · Feb 28, 2014

Eburgmeier: I don't know...I only have the number to my advisor...

brielle4 · Feb 28, 2014

Eburgmeier:

I just called this number and said that I had previously spoken to (my advisor) and I wanted to set up an appointment to speak with her. 888.206.6004

Eburgmeier · Feb 28, 2014

Thank you Brielle4!

tkdemm04 · Feb 28, 2014

Hi there,

Sorry to join up late! I've been accepted to the May cohort but haven't made my mind up on attending just yet. How is everyone feeling about the info that is out there on this program in particular? I know there are mixed reviews and some issues with the organization, but is that outweighed by the Northeastern experience/ co-op opportunities? Just wondering what everyone is thinking...

brielle4 · Feb 28, 2014

Hey Tkdemm04! I guess in my mind every program is going to have some good things as well as some glitches and it's all about finding one where the positives and the things you value most outweigh the issues. A lot of the info that is out there is also from one of the first cohorts so I imagine some of the glitches may have been worked out since then. For me the Northeastern/Boston experience and the fact that it is hybrid is a great fit for me and I wouldn't pass it up over a few organizational issues, but in the end I guess it comes down to what you want the most from a program!

Boston123 · Mar 2, 2014

Hello all,

I am currently a student in my first semester of the Hybrid program. From my perspective there are both good and bad aspects to the program as it is now.

On the positive side, the hybrid format allows you to do lectures etc on your own time which gives a degree of flexibility which is nice. The Burlington staff are all pretty helpful and do what they can to assist when appropriate. Personally, I got very lucky this semester and was assigned decent professors, however this has not been the case for a bunch of my peers. Overall the format has worked okay for me and while very stressful I have been able to keep up and have managed to maintain grades mostly in the A / -A range so far (fingers crossed I did not just jinx it). Also the TA’s who run the labs in Boston are all amazing and go out of their way to be as helpful as possible.

The biggest negative to this program right now is that it is still pretty disorganized, as the administrators still seem to be in the “setting up” phase. I understand that there has been improvement from when the program first started in 2012(?) but there still is much to be desired. Personally I have found that the program has not really lived up to my “Northeastern” expectations. For the cost of this program I came in expecting much better as did many of my peers.

Getting a good professor is pretty much a roll of the dice so to speak (you really have no input on who you get). Some of my peers at the moment have online professors who offer very poor feedback when asked questions and can at times actually be pretty rude (I have seen the email exchanges). Some of the lectures are of questionable quality and in fact I have one class at the moment where the professor is not even using her own lectures. Many of the professors also do not even write their own exams/quizzes which can be very frustrating especially when you ask a question about an exam / quiz you have taken, and the professor does not even know the questions you are asking about. There have also been issues on a few tests and quizzes so far where questions were not formatted correctly so students were getting marked wrong even after submitting the correct answers.

If you do end up deciding to go with Northeastern just make sure you know what you are signing up for. A lot of current students somehow came into the program thinking they could automatically continue along the NP track of their choice once the BSN portion is done. This is NOT the case. You will only be guaranteed a spot in the MSN Admin track. There is a hybrid NP Neonatal & Psych track being developed. All other Northeastern NP programs will require you to reapply once your BSN is completed along with all of the other applicants trying to get in.

Also make sure that you know how to do medical math ie conversions / dosage calculations BEFORE the program starts. You have 3 attempts to get 100% on their math exam. They give NO instruction regarding the content of this exam and will have no problem dropping you from clinical and giving you a 0.0% for the class. You will not have the option to withdraw from clinical if you do not pass the math test with 100%. They will just fail you (this happened to a couple students this semester).

Anyway this has been way too long of a post. Hopefully some of you find it helpful.

Best of luck

Eburgmeier · Mar 2, 2014

Very helpful! Definitely makes me think about if this program is a good fit for me...

Boston123 · Mar 2, 2014

p.s. I have seen some previous posts mentioning co-op as a reason for considering this program. Be warned, the hybrid program does NOT have a co-op program in the sense that traditional Northeastern programs do. If you do get into the Psych NP track (requiring 6-8mo work experience to start) or the Neonatal NP track (requiring 2 years I think) my understanding is that while you get the required work experience you will be put on "co-op" status for a limited time so you can defer paying loans. However I have been specifically told that during this "co-op" time it is your responsibility to find a job. After you receive the BSN Northeastern will not be placing you in a traditional co-op. Once you get the BSN it is all on you to find a job and get the required work experience before returning for any NP coursework. Just something to keep in mind especially considering the new grad job market for nurses in the Boston area...

faith2014 · Mar 2, 2014

Boston123: Thank you so much for your timing warning us about the program. The program costs a lot of money and not being able to get the type of teaching we are paying for is definitely frustrating. I am currently applying to other schools and NEU Hybrid will actually be the last resource.

How how is it to find a job afterwards? Do you know?

Boston123 · Mar 2, 2014

I honestly have no idea how it is finding a job after.

I have been told a couple students in previous cohorts got job offers before graduating through various clinical placements but I believe these were probably exceptional circumstances. I like to think that the Northeastern brand name as well as actually getting the BSN will help when all is said and done but that is just speculation on my part.

brielle4 · Mar 2, 2014

Boston123: Thank you so much for your feedback! I was just wondering, would you mind explaining a little bit about a typical week in the program? Like how much time you spend doing the on-line work, how much time you spend in skills lab/clinical and how often you have to go to Burlington? Thank you for taking the time!