OHSU & Linfield Students/Alum - Need your input, plz

U.S.A. Oregon

Published

Hi,

I am trying to figure out what to expect and am comparing the Linfield 21 month BSN program to the OHSU BSN program (3 year). Will you please let me know:

1. What school & program you attended

2. The approx. number of hours/days a week you were at school/clinical location (I'm trying to estimate my childcare needs)

3. The approx. avg. number of hours you spend at school, clinical, & studying

4. Any additional input that would be helpful. Program pros, cons, clinical experiences, difficulty of classload, etc.

5. Did you take any Nursing elective courses? Which ones? What do you recommend?

Thank You!

Specializes in Med/Surg.
Hi,

I am trying to figure out what to expect and am comparing the Linfield 21 month BSN program to the OHSU BSN program (3 year). Will you please let me know:

1. What school & program you attended

2. The approx. number of hours/days a week you were at school/clinical location (I'm trying to estimate my childcare needs)

3. The approx. avg. number of hours you spend at school, clinical, & studying

4. Any additional input that would be helpful. Program pros, cons, clinical experiences, difficulty of classload, etc.

5. Did you take any Nursing elective courses? Which ones? What do you recommend?

Thank You!

1. Linfield ABSN: Graduate December '10

2. My schedule this semester:

Monday 9-12 and 2-730pm class

Tues 8 hrs clinical

wed 8 hrs clinical

Thurs 9-3pm class

Fri-Sunday off

3. I spend maybe another 12 hrs per week studying. This ranges from less to more depending on if I have papers or exams. Some classmates study more and others study less, it really depends on the student.

4. If you got mostly A's in your pre-reqs you will be fine in Nursing School. Seriously, it is not that hard it is just a lot of time. There are other threads talking about pros on cons of Linfield.

5. The only elective I have taken (and plan to take ) is Trauma.

Thanks, barleynhops... that really helps give me an idea regarding what to expect. What time(s) have you had clinicals? Does it vary per week or semester? (i.e. always 6am-2pm, etc.). What locations have you gone to?

What was your schedule like last semester? Did you have Fri-Sunday off then, too? How much control do you have over setting your schedule? Does Linfield have electives available on certain days to make it possible for you to fit them in with your required course schedule? I'm just trying to figure out how it all works and what to expect. Thank you so much!

Specializes in Med/Surg.

If you are in the accelerated cohort you really are not going to have too much control over the classes you take. You will pretty much be with the same 60 people for most all of your classes. Here is an example of the amount of control you may have when you register for classes:

lecture Monday and clinical Wed and Fri

or

lecture Monday and clinical tues, thurs.

The schedule does not change during a class so once you have your schedule you will know what it is for 7 weeks or even a whole semester depending on the class you are in at the time. Most of the clinicals so far have been 8 hr either 7-3pm or 3-11pm. Usually the sites are chosen for you by lottery; however, for some classes like OB you could chose to go either OB or the Peds. Linfield staff considers where you live when placing you for clinical rotation. I had my first 12 hr clinical last class which was OB. It was 7 weeks of Monday class all day, tues clinical 645am-645pm, wed off, and class thurs 10-12. fri-sun off.

Electives are set up to work for most peoples schedules so you should have no problem fitting an elective into your schedule aside from the extra work load. Oh, and there is never class or clinical on weekends (except maybe for senior practicum if you want to go in on a weekend)

Clinical rotations I have had:

Summer: fundamentals- at nursing home (everyone has nursing home)

Fall: Community Health- working at a low income apartment for adults +flu shots at the VA

Psych: homeless shelter (many classmates had acute settings)

Jan term: Med surg skills- at a nursing home (everyone has nursing home)

Spring: 7 weeks OB Salem Hospital (chose peds or OB)

Chronic Illness- 7 weeks at Legacy Emanuel

This summer: Acute- (everyone gets a hospital setting)

Fall: leadership and practicum classes I hope to have in the ER for both.

One other thing to point out, some students complain about the sites they are assigned to. It really depends on your outlook, if you make the best of it and are willing to jump in and work while you are at your site, you will get more out of that location even if it is not something you are interested in.

I hope this all makes sense. The school will set you up current student who started the year before who will be a mentor for the program and will be able to help answer questions before you start and also during your time at Linfield.

barley,

Thanks a TON for taking the time out of your busy schedule to provide me with this information... it is extremely helpful and very insightful!!!

Good luck with the remainder of your schooling... maybe I'll see you around!!! (I've been accepted to Fall and might be able to get bumped up to Summer.)

Take Care

barley,

Thanks a TON for taking the time out of your busy schedule to provide me with this information... it is extremely helpful and very insightful!!!

Good luck with the remainder of your schooling... maybe I'll see you around!!! (I've been accepted to Fall and might be able to get bumped up to Summer.)

Take Care

I also got put into Fall - which I think I will stick with so I can earn more money but just out of curiosity, how are you maybe getting into the summer? Is it advantageous to start in the summer?

I also got put into Fall - which I think I will stick with so I can earn more money but just out of curiosity, how are you maybe getting into the summer? Is it advantageous to start in the summer?

Well, I applied to Summer and Fall, since I have my B.A. degree. Summer is a little bit of a shorter program: 18 months vs. 21 months.... but there are actually 5 months between the graduation dates because of January term (which Fall students don't have to attend, so it doesn't count as part of the 21 months). The delay makes a huge difference to me because it means I have to pay childcare for 5 additional months and have loan interest accruing for longer, in addition to the tuition differences and potential lost wages.

I don't think my chances of getting into Summer will be great... they like to keep people in the cohorts they were assigned and will likely only switch if someone from Summer requests Fall term, rather than bumping me up if someone declines the spot and offering someone on the Wait List a Fall slot (which I had hoped would be the case). However, they did have a few requests occur last year, so it does occasionally happen. I have requested a change, if possible, and am on the wait list.

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