newRN18

Yup $9 for the full day with a parking permit! I do think it is worth the price tag. Any of the accelerated programs in Boston are extremely expensive because its 1) Boston and 2) one of the biggest centers for medicine! The price tag is intimidating for sure. Like I said I do have a lot of loans from the program, but I also got thousands of dollars in grants as did my friends. I absolutely do not owe them $50,000 or whatever they estimate the program will cost! I commuted from there as well so there is living proof that it can be done! :) Taking the T is also an option because there is a T stop just a few minutes from Simmons! Good luck with whatever you decide on!

Hmm.. that's hard to say! I don't believe anyone in my cohort lived on campus so I'm not sure what room and board would even cost! I don't have an exact number for you unfortunately. I definitely had loans every semester which stinks but it is what it is. Commuting is an additional expense which isn't ideal but parking on campus was $9 which you can't really beat for the city..... I graduated in December, took the NCLEX at the beginning of February, and now mid-March I'm still looking for a job. I think nursing jobs in Boston are tight as is, which makes it even more difficult for new grads without experience. I'd say it all depends on what you're looking for though! Outside the city might be easier and you could always possibly get a job from being a CNA somewhere (not guaranteed of course--I wasn't a CNA because I was already too busy from school and studying)... I'm not too familiar with other programs in the area because I only applied to Simmons! I went to an open house there and loved it right away. So, I can't comment about other programs, but I can tell you that Simmons definitely prepares you for the real world as a nurse. There is a 5 day review course after graduation that is included in your tuition that prepares you for the NCLEX. The professors emphasize what's important and what you'll need to know. I can't say it was easy, because it most certainly wasn't--it was stressful, demanding, and takes a toll on you. However, it was worth it, and you'd be amazed at how quickly the time goes by. I think the NCLEX first-time pass rate is extremely high, as well--I think above 95%? So whatever they do works! All my friends passed with flying colors. Hope this helps!

We had classes 2x/week the first semester only! The other 3 semesters we only had classes on Tuesdays. For instance, in the spring and summer we had 3 classes instead of 4, so we went like 8-11, 11-2, 2-6 or something like that. The last semester we only had 2 classes so it was easy to fit into one day. Clinicals were usually during the week, but some people had it on Saturday. When you have your preceptorship in the fall of next year, you'll do whatever your nurse does--days, evenings, overnights, 8 hour shifts, 12 hour shifts, whatever! You make your own schedule, though, so you can do as many shifts as you want per week!

Of course! What do you mean by credentials? I'm not sure if the first semester will be the same this fall as it was for me. During my first semester, we took fundamentals and health assessment, pharmacology, med/surg I, and advanced pathophysiology. They might have changed it because those four courses are extremely content heavy and should have never been combined in one semester in the first place. However, if the schedule is the same, I believe the schedule was as follows: Monday: off Tuesday: med/surg I 800-11:00, pharmacology 2:00-6:00 Wednesday: lab at Simmons for 2 hours for the first half of the semester, then once that was completed, I had my first clinical on this day for the second half of the semester (8 hour clinical) Thursday: health assessment and fundamentals 11:00-1:50, pharmacology 2:00-6:00 (since there was no real break in between, I had to bring a lot of snacks and lunch! This was probably the hardest day to get through just because it was basically like 7 hours of class straight) Friday: off Weekends: off So although it was tough having super long class days, it was nice to only have to commute into the city 2-3 times/week rather than 5!

The classes are intense, but you'll do just fine if you listen to the professors and take notes! My cohort began in fall 2016 and during my time at Simmons, each class only met once per week for 3 or 4 hours. My first semester looked like this: Tuesday: med surg 8-11 am, pharm 2-6 pm Wednesday: lab for 2 or 3 hours (that was for the 1st 6 weeks, then we had clinical for the rest of the semester) Thursday: fundamentals 11-2 pm, then patho right after until 6 pm No HESI! Not sure what that even is to be honest haha.

Simmons takes their accelerated BSN program very seriously and they definitely prepare you for the NCLEX! Very fast paced and time consuming, but all accelerated programs are. I had clinicals at some of the top hospitals in the Boston area too! I would recommend!

Hi! So when I did the accelerated program, we never had classes 5x/week. The first semester, my schedule looked like this: Tuesday: med surg for 3 hours, pharmacology for 4 hours Wednesday: lab for 2 or 3 hours (later replaced with a clinical day in the second half of the semester) Thursday: fundamentals for 3 hours, patho for 4 hours The rest of the semesters we only had one day of classes per week. However, during these semesters you have more days of clinical. For instance, in the summer I had 3 classes on Tuesday (8-6:30.... very time consuming) and then clinical on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. Hope this helps!

I recently graduated from the accelerated 16-month BSN program at Simmons. I would recommend it!

Hey there, I recently graduated from the accelerated BSN program! It was very fast paced of course, so be prepared for that! The first semester was the toughest for me because I had no prior healthcare experience. After that, you get used to the pace and workload. It's nice to be in the same classes with your entire cohort. You'll make some really good friends who provide a great support system. My advice to you is to stay on top of things! I never really read the books, but I would look over powerpoints several times to prepare for exams. Listen to what the professors say in class because you'll see it again! Good luck!