Grand Canyon University RN to BSN Reviews

Nursing Students School Programs Nursing Q/A

Howdy all, I bit the bullet and after much research, I decided on Grand Canyon! Wow, I did not expect BSN schools to be like used car salesmen--hounding me by emails and phone calls. Rather impressed on how Grand Canyon sort of left me alone, but at the same time kept in touch.

Commence my first class Sept 30th, excited, yet very nervous, as I'm not a big fan of school, LOL! I did extremely well on my Associate degree, graduated back in 2009 from Northern Virginia Community College. We shall see.

Would love to hear from past and present Grand Canyon RN to BSN students.

I like this color coding idea! I think I will do this for my capstone! Do you have to have so many of each study in capstone as well Tokmom? Yeah I feel like this class might push my family to the edge. They are all ready for me to be done! My poor kids :(

Do you want to share your topic? I'm curious on what people choose.

I was a hard copy person. I had pink stickers for the quant topics, and green for qualitative with 1-18 on them. It goal was a quick visual and numbering helped me keep them straight, lol. The hideous lit review was the worst. That sucker took me 10 hours. Everyone abandoned me except my cat. I think he kept me sane, yet annoyed me by flopping on my papers, lol.

I am starting my Capstone TODAY! How did you guys come up with a topic? I am really struggling with it and hate losing time not knowing what to write about. Worse comes to worse, I will just focus on hourly rounding, but I was just curious if any of you had a better idea.

I am starting my Capstone TODAY! How did you guys come up with a topic? I am really struggling with it and hate losing time not knowing what to write about. Worse comes to worse, I will just focus on hourly rounding, but I was just curious if any of you had a better idea.

I just went with a topic that 1) I found interesting and 2) knew would have plenty of articles As soon as I had my PICOT, I messaged the prof to make sure she "approved" then got to work. Too late now, but would recommend to others, have a picot rdy to go PRIOR to the class and have articles already found.

in the Week 2 resource area (maybe elsehwere) is an example of the week 2 Lit Review, think could use same layout for the mini Lit review thats due week 1. You may want to ask the prof on word count...as most go way over,lol In the week 5 Resource area is an example of a completed Capstone paper. Don' be afraid to ask the librarians for help in finding ur articles!!

Also to help organize all ur articles, I found Refworks (free from GCU library) very handy! Best of luck!!!

Specializes in Certified Med/Surg tele, and other stuff.
I am starting my Capstone TODAY! How did you guys come up with a topic? I am really struggling with it and hate losing time not knowing what to write about. Worse comes to worse, I will just focus on hourly rounding, but I was just curious if any of you had a better idea.

I too wrote what was interesting to me. At first I was going to do HF in the community setting, but when I took spirituality, I wrote a paper about my burn out and compassion fatigue. Ironically, that was my best paper because it was something I could relate too. Even the professor who was a hard a$$ commented it was the best he had read. I was so interested in that topic that I decided to learn more, hence my capstone.

I decided to go with pharmacological vs. non-pharmacological management of chronic pain

Hi

im starting rn to bsn at gcu any advice?

Hi

im starting rn to bsn at gcu any advice?

I should go and fix the grammatical errors..but I'm too lazy,lol

1) You found allnurses, so already ahead of the game.....search for GCU facebook pages, or start your own! I started my own and in the first few classes, I asked the prof if I could post about the group..for studying purposes! 1 can be a bit more open in a secret FB group..no cheating takes place I can assure you that..not throwing $$$$ out the window, but one can get help a bit quicker

2) Do the 2 Discussion questions (DQs) as early as possible! I didn't find them difficult to do, but was nice to get them out of the way ASAP. I always used References, which you should if it is not ur own work! Most profs required them, some did not care,lol I was not a big fan of DQs..as the majority of the time it was just--great post..u are soo right..blah blah blah...but play the game,lol

3) PERRLA!! APA PERRLA software helps students properly format papers in APA style and create citations and references - PERRLA.com a must!! Well worth the $30!! It sets your page up, does ur citations and now with the latest release it save everything up in the cloud!! so every single resource you have used, is at your fingertips! Keep in mind, you can still screw up with PERRLA..as you have to choose the correct source, but you figure that out pretty easily....and their customer support is awesome..any issues, not sure..just email them!! I do all my work, even the DQs using PERRLA, as you need to cite the work. And another reason for using PERRLA, it automatically opens up MS Word, which you do ur DQ on (then copy/paste to the forum) it spells check, so you sound intelligent, AND it saves ur work! I started off just answering right on the forum..and somehow I pushed a button, and my response was gone..so start over again! Doing it on MS word, solved that!

4) SAVE your work in multiple places. Save it on a thumb drive, up in the cloud..but in multiple places!! My computer crashed and I learned the hard way,luckily did not hurt me to much!!

5) School has many resources on APA format..Powerpoint.....Learning Resources | Grand Canyon University I have heard thinkingstorm is good. Learning Resources | Grand Canyon University Library | Grand Canyon University

6) Don't be afraid to use the Librarians for research help! There are tutorials on how to search. Posted 1 above, but there are man y others in the Library. I found emailing the librarians got better results..as they showed you step by step on how to search! I would take time and go over the many tutorials on how to conduct a search....as finding good info plays a large part in the success of the paper. Library | Grand Canyon University CINAHL is a very good data base, the last link I posted, scroll down and go over the video Also Webinar you can sign up for: http://www.gcu.edu/Student-Affairs/Library/Webinar-Sign-Up.php So 1 has plenty of resources at your finger tips.

7) 1 of the biggest frustrations of the program is group work (CLC projects) The work itself is usually not that difficult, and with a good team, can actually be much easier than do a paper on ur own! But guess what..they always seem to throw in a SLACKER!! This is the person that will cause u grief!! They won't join the color forum (ur group forum) right away...or they do not acknowledge anything right away....a real pain in the butt!! Or 1 has the other slacker where their work is sub par...they plagiarize..they consider copy/pasting right from the article good enough......or they are argumentative...and some just don't do anything. You would think, everyone is an adult, does not want to throw $$$$ out the window, they would care....think again!! These slackers are experts at being slackers and they know most in the group care..thus they can slack off and the rest will pick up the slack! So what does 1 do? You have to make up a contract agreement..fairly easy to do, if you do a google search you can find examples of them.....1 wants to make it fairly solid on what is expected of the group and what is the outcome if people do not live up to those expectations! I was fortunate, and never really had to escalate anything, but I know in 1 instance, 1 group had an issue with 1 student, and the profs response was.."well what does your contract state happens in this instance?" Well other pros will take charge and deal with that student. Keep ALL communications in the color (group) forum! Profs can view these forums (so watch what u say,lol) but they can see who is contributing and who is not! I liked to take charge..one is that I have more time than most, so I try to be a team player....and if you don't take charge, it seems nothing gets going! Seems in most cases, no 1 wants to lead, they prefer to sit back and be somewhat told what to do..or just someone to get the ball rolling!! As soon as that color forum was open..I was introducing myself..copy/pasted the assignment into the forum..and asked who wanted to do what! I found 1 had to be fairly specific in taskings to save confusion and people doing the same work as others. Another important area is the PROOF READER!! As mentioned some people plagiarize a lot, and do substandard work! And as far as I know, it is a group mark, so if its a crappy presentation, your work may be great, but if the others suck, well, your mark will suck too! I do believe some profs did mark individually, but not sure..I was fortunate my groups were pretty decent..or my profs were very fair graders! Most of the group presentations are PowerPoint presentations! GCU has an example of a Powerpoint presentation—I eventually included that in the group forum, as many people do not know how to properly use PPT! Especially putting info on the actual slides..less is better!

Make sure you give deadlines on when things are to be completed---it is all on the contract! And give oneself plenty of time to make corrections! If it has to be handed in Sunday, don't make everyone part due Saturday, as you are not leaving enough time for corrections! I tried to have everyone part completed by the Tuesday prior..knowing very well that someone would not be done by Wed or Thursday!! If you get a good group, life is good!! And pretty much every class has a group project! I usually made up the CLC agreement, and kept using it for every class with a few minor changes!

8) Look over the weeks syllabus right away and see if you have any questions! Some profs are great at answering questions right away..some, not so much! Had 1 prof state, the weekend is not the time to be asking me questions,lol. Ensure you read over the ANNOUNCEMENT section, as some profs lay out a great deal of info there..some not so much!

9) Of course look over the instructions for the paper..BUT also look at the RUBRIC!! The profs mark according to the RUBRIC…and sometimes not all the necessary requirements are in the instructions, but they are in the RUBRIC!! What I did was copy/paste the instructions onto a MS word document, as well as the Rubric!

10) Most papers have to be submitted to Turnitin” to check for plagiarism….You can submit it as many times as you wish (just do not submit it to final submission) to see what your score is..it has to be below 20%. Normally you get the results back in a matter of minutes (keep refreshing the screen) but the busier it gets..the longer it takes..so if its nearly midnight in Phoenix, there may be a lot of others using the service and it may take awhile to get the score back…..thus do not wait until the last minute!

11) My routine! 1st thing I did was do the DQs….I copied/pasted the DQ question into its own MS word (PERRLA) page. Then did the same for the paper assignment, ensuring I also copied/pasted the RUBRIC. Thus I knew right away what the weeks requirements were, and there were no suprises come Sunday! Some weeks you may have 2 projects due on Sunday! Such as a paper, 2 papers..or a paper and the group project!

12) 1 item if the prof has not mentioned in the announcement section is paper word length! Some profs don't care…write as much as you want (just don't be under)…..some profs are strict on the word length..so why not ask right off the bat—but do look in the announcement forum first! So many times people asked questions..and the prof had already laid out the requirements in the announcement section!

13) If you understand APA format, you are ahead of the game. One can buy the book, but a good resource (besides the school) is https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/ Even an example paper https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/18/

14) I had more time than most, and wrote my papers on Sundays, but if you do a bit each day, it is not so bad. I tried to do the DQS right away and usually handed them both in on Monday! Regarding the responses….some profs are strict to the 2 posts a day for 3 days of the week! So if you're going to reply to 1 student, make sure you reply to a 2nd to get credit! Other profs don't care and as long as you had at least 6 responses, you were fine! I always just made sure I posted twice! Some profs utilized the yellow ribbon, acknowledging it was a valid response, which is nice..as you know it counted..while others only did that on Sunday (or late in the week) and some never used it—so you had no clue, until you saw ur score! In those cases, I made sure I replied a bit more,lol

15) Good luck, it can be a very busy program, just do your best to stay ahead and ask questions. And take a break if you need one. Be aware there are differences on how many breaks 1 can take if you're paying out of pocket or using student loans! Bit more restrictive if you have loans!

I need advice from someone that has gone through the NRS-441V Professional Research Project. I need to know what the most difficult week or part of this class is. At the beginning of August my family and I will be moving from Hawaii to California. This process has been stressful so far getting everything arranged, and I am worried that when the moving process of packing our house and traveling will be to much with school.

I am scheduled to start this class on July 18th or I can take a 2 week break and begin on August 1st. So I will either be very short on time and resources during the first two weeks of the class or during the 3rd and 4th weeks. Which ones are the easier weeks? Are there any "easy weeks"? Please give me any and all advice that you have!!! Thank you all so much!

I need advice from someone that has gone through the NRS-441V Professional Research Project. I need to know what the most difficult week or part of this class is. At the beginning of August my family and I will be moving from Hawaii to California. This process has been stressful so far getting everything arranged, and I am worried that when the moving process of packing our house and traveling will be to much with school.

I am scheduled to start this class on July 18th or I can take a 2 week break and begin on August 1st. So I will either be very short on time and resources during the first two weeks of the class or during the 3rd and 4th weeks. Which ones are the easier weeks? Are there any "easy weeks"? Please give me any and all advice that you have!!! Thank you all so much!

The best way to help yourself is to have your PICOT ready NOW! And start gathering the 15 peer reviewed articles (8 must be research based) Dont be afraid to ask the librarians for help!!

Busiest weeks??? Guess it depends on the person. if you have a PICOT that you are really into, this can be one of the easier courses (But still a lot of work)

Week 1 I believe you have 3 things to turn in.... rapid appraisal on your 15 articles... the most consuming thing of week #1

Week 2..Short paper and then the main reviewing of the 15 articles.....See why it is important to have those 15 articles NOW!!!

Week 3 Believe only 1 paper to hand in

Week 4 2 items to hand in..but a bit more work to do as it may involve making a PowerpPoint..making handouts..Questionairres

Week 5...Tying it all together......Not quite just copy/paste as you have to make it "sound nice" as some of the stuff has been repeated.....Just prettying it up, but can still take some time.... and you have to get a peer to review the completed paper

That is how I recall it! I would say the 1st two weeks are somewhat the busiest weeks....many waste time and dont have their PICOT rdy, nor their 15 articles (that are recent, I think the magic # was 5 yrs old) Week 4 could be busy as well as you had the paper, and extra stuff..such as making a PowerPoint..handouts, whatever you wanted to do (you will see when the time comes) Mine was 39 pages (Including the ref page) Plus a PowerPoint and a handout & Questionaire. I highly recommend RefWorks (free download from Library) to help organize the articles! I had never used it prior to capstone..very handy! Many places allow you to EXPORT the info right into RefWorks

Best advice...Find your PICOT NOW (and something you enjoy).....Pick a topic that has plenty of resources.....Ask the Librarians for help (Email worked best for me)......On Week 2, it gives an example of the format to use for the appraisal, could probably use the same format for week 1's rapid appraisal.....I asked the prof right away if my PICOT was a good 1....why waste time if the Prof thinks it sucks,lol You can Google what makes a strong PICOT.....Save you work in multiple places and often!! In week 5 there is an example of a completed Capstone project and how to put it together.

It is a lot of work, but if you write on a topic you enjoy, it is actually a lot LESS painless then some of the previous papers that you had no interest in,lol Enjoy....

Flames9_RN thank you for your help!

Just editing because I posted a professors name and was now aware that this was not allowed.

Specializes in Certified Med/Surg tele, and other stuff.

Flames said it beautifully! Pick a topic you like and your articles before the class starts. I didn't take the class until April (?) and I had my topic and articles in December. I printed them out and then put colored dots on them to show Qual, Quant and general articles. I also highlighted important parts I wanted to mention. By the time April came around, I was very familiar with them.

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