I wanted to start a new thread for everyone who was accepted (and because the other one was getting really long). :) If you could please share some information about yourself and any questions you have about the program, that'd be great!
For Example:
Name: Carolyn
Years at NVCC: 1
Joined the FBook Group: Yes
Track: Traditional
Career Goal: CRNA (Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist)
Planning to Transfer: Yes (Mason, BSN Program)
Classes Completed: SDV 101, BIO 141, 142, 205, CHM 111, CST 229, ITE 115, HLT 141 + AP Credit in BIO, ENG, and PSY.
About me: I know I've always wanted to work in healthcare but when I started volunteering as an EMT, I knew that I wanted to be a nurse. My senior year I applied to UVa and was not accepted and decided to go to NVCC because they have a well spoken about nursing program, and I could work to make money while I was at school. I plan to earn my RN through NVCC, then transfer to Mason and earn my BSN. I'm excited and overwhelmed but I have great confidence that our class will make it through together!
Questions:
- Is anyone else dreading buying the NUR 111 book? It's 520 dollars....
- Does anyone living near campus need a roommate/also looking to move closer to Springfield for the year? The drive for me is 70+ minutes.
- Do we need to buy our own scrubs? Any limitations on colors/prints/style? What color do our shoes have to be?
My name is Tina and I also live out in Loudoun, west of Leesburg. I would love to see if we could get some carpooling going:).
P.S. Dave, I have you beat in age. I'm 43.
Hi Tina!
I'm not sure if you've already heard from Carolyn, but I'm definitely interested in carpooling! I can't tell you how thrilled I am that there are so many people out this way! I got to meet Carolyn and Tanya in person, and they are super-nice! PM we if you want to talk!
I can't believe we are all crazy enough to try this. It is such a relief that there are people to drive with and maybe study with. I did talk to Carolyn and would love to meet you all anytime. I emailed Carolyn so just let me know what works for everyone's schedule. Can't wait to meet you all!
I see there are quite a few people setting up carpools. I also want to know if there's anyone in the DC or Bolling AFB area? I'm moving there in two weeks so I'm hoping to find a study group close by or even carpool.
Hey guys, I also just graduated the traditional nursing program through NVCC and passed the NCLEX. I start work with Inova next week. If you guys ever need any questions answered, I'm here to help!
Congratulations to all of you who were accepted to the NVCC Associate in Nursing Degree program and began the program in August of 2011. I am contemplating applying for the traditional 4-semester program and need some more information to help me make my decision. Would someone please answer any or all of the following questions?
1. How many applications were submitted and how many applicants were accepted into the traditional program? What was the overall acceptance rate? 50%?
2. How many days per week on average do you have to attend class and/or perform clinical rotations. Monday through Friday? Is it four days per week or five days per week? Is there usually one day per week when there are no classes or clinical rotations, such as Fridays?
3. What has the attrition rate been so far after the first semester? Of those who have been removed from the program, how many left because of academic failure, how many left because of clinical failure, and how many voluntarily dropped out of the program?
4. What are the demographics of the majority of those applicants who were accepted? Did most of them already have undergraduate college degrees? Did most of them have licensure and previous experience in a health care field? If so, what health care fields? What is the percentage of women and men currently in the program?
I would appreciate any feedback that you could provide. Thanks.
Hello all -- Congradulations to all who got accepted. I am applying for the Fall 2012 Traditional Nursing program. I was wondering if anyone had an suggestions for me as i begin to put together my application and complete the TEAS test. Also what was the percentage of people who got accepted?
No one has answered my February 13th post which includes the same question, so I will share with you what I have ascertained so far. I stopped by the nursing program office to check it out and to get some answers to questions that were not addressed by the FAQs published on the NVCC website. The faculty would not disclose how many applications that the traditional ADN program usually receives every year, but they did say that it has about a 50% acceptance rate. Since there are a maximum of 200 seats available in the program every year, this means that it receives about 400 applications. The traditional ADN program graduates about 150 new nurses each year, which is an average 25% attrition rate over the two years of the program. It appears that most of the attrition occurs in the first semester, so a nursing student who completes the first semester will likely graduate from the program.
FYI, I am currently taking the science prerequisites so that I will be eligible to apply to the traditional ADN program in May 2013.
I think you mistook everyone’s silence for rudeness, but the reality is, they don’t share this information with the students, nor are they obligated to. All we can do is notice when someone stops coming to class, or when a student readily shares that they are having issues passing. We can piece together information, but that doesn’t necessarily lead to the right conclusions. I will try to answer to the best of my ability though.
The acceptance rate to the program will vary depending upon how many people applied, therefore this number changes every year. It will not necessarily be indicative of how many people apply in 2013, so something to keep in mind. 50% sounds about right for my particular class.
For the first semester, I was able to get a schedule that had me going to school 3-days-a-week (and I had an ideal schedule). I had class on Mondays and Tuesdays, and clinical on Wednesday from 7-3. The clinical is only 8 weeks, and then a new one kicks in, so the clinical day/time could change half way through the semester, depending on what you get. Some people had to go to school 4-days-a-week. Honestly, it depends on the schedule you get, and the clinical portion is assigned for the first semester, so you get what you get. I am now in second semester, and go to school 3 days a week again, with lectures on Monday, lab on Tuesday, and clinical on Wed.
Attrition rates… I see how you arrived at 25%, but I’ll tell you why that number is misleading... A lot of people do drop out or fail first semester, and it’s the same if not higher second semester. The reason 25% is not accurate is because they add the LPN students to our class in the second semester, so the number they give you as “graduating RN” numbers includes the extra people added to our program later on. Does that make sense? The LPN’s are not included in that 200 number that they give you for RN program numbers. They also add in people that failed maternity or psych last year (if they have room) again skewing the numbers that graduate. From what I’m hearing for this year, we don’t have any additional space for prior year students this spring, so they may offer something in the summer for them, or they may have to reapply to the program. It really sucks. But now you know it’s higher than 25%, although I couldn’t tell you what that number is. It’s a difficult program. And although “150 graduating” is 25% of 200, bear in mind they’ve been adding LPN’s and prior year students that failed into the holes created as people drop out, and these people weren’t included in the 200 that started.
Academic vs. clinical failure vs. voluntary drop outs… Again, hard to say. Most people get a phone call or letter letting them know they are in danger of failing, and drop out before that “F” actually happens, so it’s kind of a “forced” voluntary drop out if that makes sense. I will say that the people that decide nursing is not right for them happens in the first semester, and when that happens, it doesn’t really have anything to do with academics. It just isn’t what they thought it was. Our clinical experience is pass or fail, and I haven’t heard of anyone failing because they failed clinical. The people that drop out do so because they fail the academic portion. I’m only finishing up the first year though, so second year clinical could be more intense and a different story.
No idea about the demographics. There are people with previous degrees, people that are already in the medical field, a handful right out of high school, and everyone in between. None of these seem to predict success or failure in the program. It’s a very diverse group. I would guess there to be about 15-20 males in the program. So they are there, just not in large numbers. The few I actually know have previous medical experience, generally ER.
Anyway, I hope this helps. Good luck with the nursing program!
Thank you for your thorough and well-written reply. It was very informative and I appreciate the time and effort that you put into your answer.
Would you have an idea of how many applicants were accepted having completed the NAS 161 and 162 science courses versus those applicants who were accepted having completed the Anatomy and Physiology 1 and 2 and Microbiology courses?
NOVA EMT, I can assure you that the NVCC administration does not share any information with us students. We are lucky if they teach us the material :) EVERYTHING that excitedtobehear said is absolutely true. We can only guess from our interactions with other classmates. I took 141, 142, and 205. Most of the people I compare with tell me they did NAS 161 and 162. I really think it has no bearing when it comes to being accepted at the NVCC ADN program. The 161-162 route will be useless in any other realm, with the exception of the NVCC Momentum program. If you plan to go further, through any other plan, which I do, I would recommend to save yourself the headache of repeating A&P and taking micro. I did 141 and 142 entirely online, but had to go to campus for 205. I have heard from others that there are a couple of community colleges (Ocean-something) and 4-year colleges (somewhere in Orgeon) that offer online micro courses. Search this site for online microbiology course and you'll see the info. I'd run it by NVCC before taking from another school and pray they give you acurate information at "student services." I have known some classmates that took 141 and 142 in the same semester, so potentially you could get them all done quickly. It's really up to you, but IMO, it has no impact on selection because the only requirements at this time at NVCC are 161 and 162. I think that NVCC may be one of the remaining VCCS schools that have not moved over to the 141 and 142 205 combo, considering that an ADN won't get you far in this world anymore. So in summary, I believe, take it for what it's worth, that you'd do yourself a favor to get your 141, 142, and 205, unless you want to work in a nursing home or home health setting, then you can get by (for now) with an ADN. Good luck to you! We have all been in your shoes.
No problem! As Martha said, NVCC doesn't care which sequence you take. Your likelihood of being accepted is the same. I wanted to refer you to another thread that I responded in, as I think it clears up the pros and cons of each decision. https://allnurses.com/va-nursing-programs/nvcc-to-mason-545745.html
For me personally, I did NAS 161 and 162, because I could apply more quickly to the program and it was less expensive. Also, as long as you intend to get your RN from NVCC, it doesn't matter. There are so many "RN to BSN" bridge programs out there, that once you have your RN, they aren't looking at specific classes. My suggestion would be to look at the school you intend to go to for your BSN and see what the "RN to BSN" requirements are. They are not the same as a transfer student. If they don't offer an "RN to BSN" program, then your best option is to avoid the NAS classes as they don't transfer. Only then will it matter.
excitedtobehere
46 Posts
Hi Tina!
I'm not sure if you've already heard from Carolyn, but I'm definitely interested in carpooling! I can't tell you how thrilled I am that there are so many people out this way! I got to meet Carolyn and Tanya in person, and they are super-nice! PM we if you want to talk!