olympia

Just to follow up on my last post and to echo the person above, she is absolutely correct: Alverno credits do not transfer anywhere. I did decide to leave the program since I just could not justify paying their outrageous tuition to attend a program that is so lacking in quality. I applied to a top nursing program in the area, was accepted, and given an academic scholarship only to find out that the new school would not recognize ANY of the nursing classes that were completed at Alverno. That being said, the fact that the work done in these classes goes unrecognized by leading universities just reiterates the poor quality of the program. What a huge disappointment, not to mention a big waste of time and money. If I could turn back time, I would have avoided Alverno like the plague.

I was just recently told by my theory instructor, "In order to be a nurse, you must think like a nurse...and you just do not think like a nurse." She said that I think too logically, in terms of either right or wrong. Then she went on to say that I should stay in my previous field in the financial industry where I can apply my skills (I was a quality analyst prior to entering nursing school). I have always had a passion for nursing and returned to school 2 years ago to pursue a BSN. The only health care experience I have had previously was working for a health insurance company years ago. My only clinical experience was through my first round of clinicals this semester. I really enjoyed working with the clients at the various clinical sites, and feel that nursing does give me a sense of fulfillment. I am in my third year of schooling and now have that lingering doubt, do I have what it takes to be a nurse? Will I ever be able to "think like a nurse"? And how do I go about changing my thought process? Should I bail out now and finish my degree in another field? Ugh...I am thinking about all of this when I should be studying for finals:o

My school teaches the 10 rights also, same as above. I believe this is just their first or second year teaching the ten, previously they taught 6. The ten mentioned above can also be found in Kozier and Erb's Fundamentals of Nursing 8th ed. text. Hope that helps!

Thank you for your responses. llg, you have given me a lot of great information that I have been seeking, I really appreciate your time in responding. For a little more background, I am in my first semester of my junior year, so I am scheduled to graduate in 2010--just beyond the accreditation period. It is difficult to determine exactly why the SON has a low first-pass rate. The dean has said it is due to students taking the test without preparation in order to get an idea of what it would be like, then study for it after the first attempt. They are addressing the issue by starting to require entrance and exit exams. There are other problems as well. The college has been focusing on increasing student enrollment, and now seem to be short on faculty, staff, and supplies with class numbers increasing in the SON. I spoke to one of my instructors about this since our tuition is around 10k/semester, I felt we should have the supplies/resources needed to practice. She said that she didn't know where the money is going, "but it definitely isn't to the nursing program." In contemplating your advice, and taking a step back from the busy semester to look at the reality. I am definitely going to start looking into other options!

Mon 8-5:30 Tues 10-12 Wed 8-3 Thurs 9-12 Fri 10-12 14 credit hours--total 23.5 hours/week in the classroom or clincials

My school just notified all of the nursing students that they have been placed on probation by the Wisconsin State Board of Nursing due to a low first pass rate on the NCLEX. The dean of the SON has said that this does not impact their accreditation. The school is accredited through spring of 2009 and will be under review for accreditation renewal at that time. The school has said that they would be open with the accreditation council and seek their input for improvement. My concern is how this is going to impact my education. I don't completely buy into the idea that the probation will not impact accreditation. I understand that they are two different things, but both examine the quality of the program and if the quality is not up to standards then that would have an effect on accreditation as well. I have heard that if a school loses accreditation, your work completed is not transferable to other nursing programs. Does anyone know if this is true? Even if the school passes accreditation, but fails the state board approval...what impact would this have on the students? (I asked the dean this question and she would not give a direct answer) My gut instinct is telling me to transfer out of the school now, but I will probably fall back a semester in the process. For this reason, I just want to gather as much info as possible before making a decision. Any input is grateful! Thanks!

Loans, loans, and more loans. Most of my loans were through FASFA with half being subsidized, the other half were not. In addition, I had been paying approx $3k per semester in cash for the amount that was not covered through those loans. Can't do that anymore, so this semester I took out a private loan through Wells Fargo. Most major banks have education loans. Wells had an education loan for students in the medical field for a range of majors including nursing. With this loan, repayment does not begin until 6 mos after graduation. It was an easy application process and fast approval. I personally have not had much luck at scholarships, accept for a small academic scholarship through my college. I have heard that FastWeb.com is a good site for finding scholarships. I have tried it a handful of times. It is sort of like playing the lotto though, you increase your odds the more apps you submit. Good luck!

I am currently in the nursing program at Alverno College. Alverno's School of Nursing has just notified all of the nursing students that their program has been placed on probation by the Wisconsin Board of Nursing for their graduates having a low first-pass rate on the NCLEX. The dean and director of the SON held a question and answer session to address the issues of the probation. Not many questions were answered and the SON's response to the situation is that they are going to start requiring entrance and exit exams into the nursing program. That was about it. It is very disappointing to the students since many of us had started the program under the guise that the school was known for its excellence. The college's priority at the moment seems to be getting more students enrolled, and they are succeeding. The student/faculty ratio has gone up considerably since I began at the school two years ago. The staff is underpaid (from what they have said), and the clinical nursing resource center (CNRC) is short staffed and short on supplies making it difficult to practice and validate on required nursing skills. For spending around $10k per semester, I would highly suggest looking into other schools where you might get more for your money. I am in my junior year and have already started my clinicals, it will be tough to leave but given the circumstances it is pretty tough to stay with that particular school.