Many newly enrolled students want to find a way to accelerate through WGU's RN-to-BSN degree completion program coursework. The following piece is a loosely organized collection of study tips that have helped me accelerate through WGU's competency-based courses. These tactics may or may not be conducive to your personal learning style, so take my thoughts with a grain of salt and/or utilize them as you wish.
I have been enrolled in the Western Governors University online RN-to-BSN degree completion program since May 2014, and so far, I have greatly enjoyed the experience. Each passing grade on an objective assessment or performance task greatly enhances my sense of self-efficacy and causes me to realize that I can accomplish this feat. So can you!
My inspiration for this post was prompted by a private message I received not that long ago from another member who started working on the Care of the Older Adult (DPV1) course at the beginning of this month and is still working through the study plan. This member was wondering what steps I took to accelerate through the courses, so I decided to share the methods that have worked well for me.
How To Accelerate Through Your Courses
STEP 1 I absolutely DO NOT complete any of the activities in the course of study, especially for objective assessment (OA) courses. There's enough busy work on each course of study to tie a person up for a couple of months. As Sweet Brown would shout, "Ain't nobody got time for that!"
STEP 2 I search Google for relevant lecture notes and educational PowerPoints from other colleges and universities. After all, the material covered in a typical nursing research course does not vary much between WGU, the University of Arkansas School of Nursing, or the BSN program at the University of Central Florida. It's the same story for Professional Roles and Values, Community-Based Nursing, or any common nursing course. I have found virtually no variance between the material on the WGU course of study and concise lecture notes that are posted on the university websites of other schools of nursing.
STEP 3 I occasionally purchase used study guides off Ebay or Amazon. For instance, I studied for the Professional Roles and Values course (RUC1) using a $14.99 gently used study guide published by the College Network. After two weeks of studying, I took the OA and attained a score of 81, which was 16 percentage points above the minimum cut score of 65.
STEP 4 For WGU's performance assessment courses, I skip the course of study altogether and simply jump right into the TaskStream instructions. I complete the tasks according to the instructions outlined in TaskStream and the associated rubric. My assignments typically pass on the first submission. As I'm completing my essay or PowerPoint submission, my research comes strictly from various internet sources.
STEP 5 I schedule my OA test dates two weeks into the future to keep me motivated. After the date has been confirmed, I study intensely during those two weeks using study guides and lecture notes I found on other nursing school websites. I typically score in the 80s on my OAs.
I just wanted to share some acceleration tactics that have worked out for me up to this point. These techniques may or may not work for your personal learning style, so take my thoughts with a grain of salt and/or employ them as you wish. Having faith in your abilities is paramount while enrolled in this particular program.
