Phoenix College Vs Glendale evening/weekend

[jer11ren]

I just found out yesterday that I was accepted at Mesa Community College after only a 6 month wait , but am going to defer due to financial reasons and the fact that Mesa is a 45 minute drive each way. If I figure that into working hopefully 32 hours a week plus class, study groups, and clinical days, I think spending an hour and a half each day commuting to school might stretch a tight schedule even tighter. I really thought it would be over a year wait to get in, so I really planned on starting in the Spring 2016 semester anyway.

I know I can search and look this up, but most of the info I find is several years old, so I am not sure if the info is still correct. I know that there is also info on the school sites, but I want to know what someone that attends the school thinks of the program, not just the basic program info that is given.

Is anybody going to Phoenix College and can tell me a little about their program? I understand that it is Hybrid? I am a good self teacher, but if you have been in that school did you feel like it was a good format? I did all of my sciences online though Phoenix College and really liked them. I feel like if I did my online part before attending the lecture, I might get a little more out of the in person lecture simply because it would clarify what I have already reviewed. I also saw that they recently added new simulation lab facilities that look really amazing. How many days do you usually attend including clinical days at Phoenix College?

I am also interested in Glendale for the evening/weekend program. Is is similar to the weekend day program? I have seen a lot of posts about the weekend day program being a little easier if you work because it breaks up clinical and lectures a little bit so each can have more of the students focus. I like the idea of getting in during the evenings after work and possible having 1 weekend day to at east not have to be somewhere. I understand all my time will be taken up with studying, but it is still nice to have a day that you don't have to jump out of bed and run out the door.

My main concern, just like many people is the ability to keep working while going to school. I know I can take out loans, but I want to take as little as possible, especially after finding out how tight the job market is and how low the pay is in the Phoenix area for RN's.

Thank you in advance for any info that any current students can give me! I really appreciate the help. :)

[sundevil11]

I'm currently in block 3 Phoenix College/NAU concurrent program and it is not the "hybrid" that you think. First off, you are not in class 5 days a week. Although they say it is not mandatory, it is quite important that you attend the lecture (one day a week) since there is a proctored quiz at either the beginning or end of each lecture. Lectures will not be available online for you to watch afterward, either. The 'hybrid' portion of it was basically doing a bunch of busy work at home in a charting program which needed to be turned in prior to the lab day, as well as doing pre-class work that was required to be turned in prior to the following lecture. So you're on the right track with doing pre-class work and going to lecture to review what you've learned. Each of those assignments alone are at least 3 hours each so you have to stay on top of a strict schedule if you don't want to fall behind on your reading/studying. So, to recap, you're in lab one day a week for a few hours, in class one day a week for a few hours and in clinical one day a week for about 10 hours. Clinical does not last the entire semester. If I remember correctly, we only went one day a week for 6 weeks and then we did 4 Sim Lab days at the school for a few hours. It had to total up to 10 Clinical days and that's the way it was broken up for our group.

I did attend the Glendale weekend program and I would not suggest it. Yes, it seems awesome that you only attend class one day a week for a few hours and then attend clinical the other day, but you're having to teach yourself quite a bit which sounds great until you take a test and you have absolutely no idea what the question is asking. Nursing school is far more than just testing by rote memory, so if you think reading and regurgitating info is how you'll get through, you will be taught a self-correcting lesson pretty quickly. You need to understand concepts and honestly, the concepts aren't always black-and-white which is why lecture is pretty important. Plus, there are only 8 beds in the practice lab at Glendale whereas Phoenix has 21 or 22. There is never a shortage of beds/mannequins during lab since half of the class goes to a classroom while the other stays in lab, and then the groups switch. This allows the instructors to be able to work much closer with the students. The open lab hours with instructor varied at Phoenix, but there is always a room that has 2 mannequins and all items needed for practice and it is open at all times; there is just no instructor present to correct mistakes or ask questions so you'll have to go and find one which never seemed to be a problem.

Truth be told, I'm so much happier with the transfer to Phoenix. The students are, by far, much more friendlier and the instructors WANT you to succeed (unlike a certain weekend instructor at Glendale who prides themselves on making things extremely difficult and is, quite frankly, very rude). So, if you can get in to Phoenix, I say go for it. Just my 2 cents. Good luck to you.

[jer11ren]

Thank you for your input, Sundevil11. I am glad to hear how the program at Phoenix College is and your view of Glendale since those are both my top choices. I know it will be time consuming to try to work and go to school, but I am very lucky to have a job that is flexible. I just hate to need off for an hour or two in the middle of the day when I could hopefully go somewhere that I can go for a full day or have days that allow me to work half of a shift at work before or after classes/study time.