futurenurse17

in addition.... working during the accelerated program, forget it. I worked anywhere from 10-25 hours a week while in the traditional program and was just fine. Many of my friends even worked full time and still made it to class and clinicals and passed their exams. It is totally all about time management.

If I can give any bit of advice to anyone debating between the accelerated or traditional BSN programs at UCHSC, I would say pick the traditional program. I am currently a traditional student at UCHSC graduating in May and I cannot tell you how much less stressful this program is! It was so much nicer and less stressful to focus on one area (eg. OB, Peds, MedSurg etc.) at a time rather than on two! You only finish 5 months later than the accelerated students and it is so worth it for the mere fact that you are not crying every night of the week. Many people I knew who were in the accelerated program said it was so overwhelming studying for two big classes/exams at a time and having four days of clinicals a week! Take my advice, spend the extra five months in school, and retain and enjoy nursing school that much more!

Hey Ya'll! Don't panick about the supplies you will need. I am currently a student at UCHSC and will graduate in May of this year. For the first summer the only supplies you will need are your books for class, a med dictionary (not required but I recommend it) a stethoscope, and a pen light. All of this can be purchased at the bookstore on the main campus at 9th and Colorado. You will not need scrubs etc. until fall semester at the earliest. The school/faculty will provide you with plenty of info about how to get your scrubs etc. A bit of advice-the scrubs do fit like crap but you can always just purchase the top (has the school logo on it) from the bookstore and get better fitting pants from anywhere else. They just have to be black, end of story. So don't worry. Just make sure you have a stethoscope and are ready to learn. Any other questions, don't hesitate to ask! P.S. A calculator also comes in handy : )

Congrats to all of you for getting accepted to UCHSC! You were of the VERY few selected (usually over 600 total applicants for only 140ish spots, so congrats!) I am currently in the traditional BSN program at UCHSC and will be graduating in May. As a current student I can honestly say that there are things I really hate about this school and things that are good. I have enjoyed most of the faculty (some just aren't great public speakers/lecturers, and they are quite hard to follow)..these are the classes I usually skip and study the notes on my own. Then there are those teachers that are super fun, provide lots of personal experiences and you actually learn quite a bit. One bit of advice... this first summer will be a lot of work and really intimidating (especially your pharm and patho classes with Professor Sampson). Don't give up though (I really wanted to) it gets better and a little less overwhelming. Things I hated: lack of communication between school administrative offices (such as financial aid, clinical affairs etc.) and students. There were many a times when I needed an answer about clinicals or financial aid and could not get a reply from someone for weeks. Also didn't love the campus itself. Really old, not very attractive, in a very busy area of Denver. But lucky for you guys you will be moving to the new campus in Aurora (I am so jealous) which is absolutely beautiful. I could see it being a little more difficult to find a great place to live close to the new campus though. Kinda a sketchy part of town, may want to look outside it in Parker, or Denver itself and commute. I commuted from Thornton for the entire 2 and 1/2 years (about 30-40 minutes outside Denver-great area) and it wasn't that bad. Especially since by the end of your 1st year you are only going to class on campus one day a week. The other two days are spent in clinicals at the designated hospital you are placed. Also hard to find parking on campus. I did not pay for a parking pass (waste of money in my opinion, especially since you are only usually in class one day a week for four hours). I would just park in the residential areas around campus and walk.. not too big of a deal. Things I loved: Lots of opportunites to experience many different hospitals for clinicals. I got to view St. Joes, DH, North Suburban, Univ. of Colo (new hospital-gorgeous!), and many more. The school also really makes an effort to make sure you get the opportunity to see a wide variety of patient care. I also liked that alot of the classes by second year are offered online, so for example this last semester I have no classes on campus (yipee!) only online classes and clinicals. If I can give one more piece of advice. If you think you can balance school and a job, it is easily doable. I worked anywhere from 10-20 hours a week plus school and clinicals and I was fine. Also if you are interested look for a nurse intern position as soon as you can after your first year. I waited until know to get a nurse intern position and now I am struggling to balance all of my commitments this close to graduation. If anyone has any questions at all about UCHSC nursing program or being a nursing student in general don't hesitate to ask!