nursetobe67

I just wanted to update everyone now that I have finished my 5th week of actual nursing classes. I think my overall impression of the nursing department (Dr. Kahn not included) is that they are really interested in making their program as good as it can be. The nursing teachers so far are very good and the classes are very hard. It was a huge shock going from super easy prereqs to extremely hard nursing classes. Given all that... my advice to anyone interested in this school...the nursing program is good... 9-10 weeks though so be prepared to do a LOT of studying/reading etc every single week. People keep complaining about how much work it is but honestly... it's an accelerated program so be prepared for that and I would suggest only 2 classes at a time. My other advice would be to take your prerequisites somewhere else and transfer them in. I feel like I wasted a lot of money on those prereqs because I really didn't learn anything yet I still got an A. Which is fine for the classes like Ethics etc. BUT, for A&P - I just really wish I had a tougher teacher in that class because I hardly did any work for that class and still got an A yet I hardly know anything about the subject. I think that's about it! As usual, feel free to email me if you have other questions!!

Hi - sorry for the delayed response. My email address changed, so I never got the email with your message! Anyhow, I am in my 2nd quarter now at Stratford and I am not impressed. I am actually currently looking for places where I can transfer. If you would like specific information on why I am transferring, PM me and I'll give you more details.

mystyqueone - so you are attending chamberlain right now in arlington? i am currently in a nursing program in falls church at stratford university. i am very unhappy with the education i am getting there so i am desperate to transfer somewhere. i went to visit chamberlain and i really liked how organized and informative they seemed - refreshing to see that considering what stratford is like. anyhow - i am mostly worried about the quality of education. stratford has been a huge dissapointment and i don't want to make the same mistake. anything you can tell me about the school would be great!

It's pretty expensive compared to any community college. It's about the same as any other school in the area though... I think something like $20,000... don't quote me on that though. They took most of my transfer credits I think. They haven't give me a list of what transferred so it's all speculation at this point. Let me know if you have other questions. I'm in my 4th week of classes there. Just taking medical terminology and a&p right now.

Eesh - I want to apologize to anyone reading my last message. I was under a LOT of stress and doing the add/drop thing turned out to be really easy and was no big deal. I went to the school today for their orientation and I had pretty good vibes from that. Everyone seems very nice and supportive, plus I met a few students that will also be in the nursing program. So I am still happy with my choice - I was just having a rough day with lots of other things - non Stratford related - and I let it come out with my previous post, so I am sorry. Checked on deleting it, but couldn't find that as an option. Anyhow, my first class is on Monday and I am excited :-)

Thank you all so much for your advice! It has really been a HUGE help. I think I will take your advice just_cause and wait a year to apply to a nurse candidate program. At that point, depending on what my finances are, I may even wait until I graduate. I am starting an accelerated BSN program and my first class is on Monday next week! After all this research I've done and all the advice I've read from posters, I am really looking forward to finally signing on that dotted line :-) The time and effort people put into their responses is just amazing. Thank you all again :-) :-)

Alright, so I stopped by the army recruiter's office today and spoke with someone about my options. I actually mentioned the STRAP program and he had no idea what I was talking about. Here's what he told me... I would need to do a 10 week basic training. After that, I would do a 10 week medical training where I pick a medical speciality (nursing was not an option - although there was something similar to an lpn). After all of that, I can do my nursing school - and he said it would actually take less time because some of the classes I would take at the medical training would transfer. I would be on reserve status until I was done w/ nursing school. With having a degree already in music education, I thought I would have had officer training rather than basic training. And him not knowing anything about STRAP....Do I not know what I am talking about, or is my recruiter confused and I need to clarify things/ask more questions??

Hello all, I will be starting nursing school on May 24th. I am 26 - already have a degree in music education. Back in college, I actually considered joining the marines and went through a lot of the steps in that direction, including passing the pft to become an officer. Unfortnately, at the time, I was still very confused about what I wanted and was too scared so when it came time to sign on the dotted line, I turned it down. Anyhow, 5 years later...as I was looking for part time jobs etc, a friend of mine in the navy suggested joining the military. I hadn't even thought about that since college and the more I think about it, the more I like that option. And I won't lie, the financial benefits were enticing. However, I still have nursing school to go through. Does anyone know if there are options with any branch for people like me who have yet to complete nursing school? I looked into the air force already and was told that I would have to wait until I am completely done with school. I checked into the army and it looked like maybe I could do the reserves while I finish school - haven't talked to anyone about it yet. It would be amazing if I could start something sooner just to help pay for living expenses and/or school. Furthermore, I don't mind being deployed, but I am also hoping for something where the deployment lengths are on the shorter side... more than 4 months at a time seems like a lot to me? And to top it all off - I would love if I had a way to be stationed in the north east area - PA, DC, MD, VA etc. So if you know a branch that has a lot of first time nurses stationed in the north east, let me know. I know that I can't expect to get everything I want, but it doesn't hurt to know which branch I would have a higher chance of getting some of those things. :-) And if there are absolutely no ways for me to start with a military branch until I graduate from nursing school, well I guess I'll have to wait those 2 years. Thank you all for your help and advice!!!

I am thinking it is not all that competitive to get in. Definitely didn't get that impression. I think they take about 20 new students per quarter. Also - I feel I need to vent some frustrations about the school now that I have been dealing with them in more depth. Although Dr. Khan is nice - he signed me up for the wrong class. He knows I am a teacher and cannot do morning classes for this first quarter. He told me he was signing me up for a 2pm class on Tuesday which would have worked. Instead, he signs me up for an 8am Tuesday class. And the 2pm class doesn't even exist. So I have to go and do a drop/add thing and hope that the evening class isn't full. Even then, the new class creates a conflict where I will have to miss a day of class. If I had known all of this, I would have just started in August like I originally planned. There's more though - he lost some of my paperwork - he swore I had it but I remembered him taking it and adding it to my file. The lady in financial aid said she thought he did have it but was just being lazy and didn't want to bring it down in person. The admissions office lost my transcript and I had to have my former school send another one. The financial aid office claimed they never got my fax. Normally - any one of those things - should they happen individually - ok...mistakes happen occasionally. But all these things at once...for just one person. Leads me to be slightly concerned about the school. I'm still going b/c I don't have a choice at this point. I turned down my other option and I already put in my resignation at work. From this point forward, I will be extra careful about things - double checking everything and doing as much as I can in person to avoid things getting lost or mistakes happening. There is a new nursing school in Arlington, btw - Chaimberlain I think - if you are interested in checking out other options in the area.

I went to the library and took out a GED study guide. I actually didn't study as much as I should have because I also did terrible on the science stuff. The math and english I did good on so that helped bring my score up.

Well, it's official. I will be starting the week of May 24th. :-) Got my letter in the mail on Wednesday. I'm a teacher right now and school isn't out until June 17th so I'll only be taking 2 classes in the first 10 week session. Medical Terminology and A&P. Justjenn562 - did you take your TEAS yet?

Sounds like Stratford may be perfect then for you! I had the same feeling at NVCC - they definitely weren't all that helpful. And with the average age at Stratford - I'm sure that everyone is there for one purpose only. With all the questions the students were asking in the class I observed - I could definitely tell that they weren't messing around this time with school. You'll be fine on the TEAS I'm sure - especially with just having taken some science prereqs. I did ok and I hadn't taken most science classes since HS. I only studied for about a month anyhow and only rigorous studying in the last week. Have you checked out Marymount at all? I applied there but it'll be a little over a month before I hear back. I definitely liked it there and the price is about the same. It's a 2 year accelerated 2nd degree program. Their 2nd review deadline is in April so if you're interested, it's not too late. And if you got above a 3.0 I think, in college, then you don't have to take the TEAS. You might want to check it out. :-)

That was a good idea calling local hospitals - hadn't thought of that! As for the TEAS - I did take that last year at NVCC. Got an 82.4%. Not all that great but Dr. Khan said it was fine. For studying - I recommend the study guide although I just went to the library and used a GED study guide. NVCC does seem to have a good program - but to be honest...when I went to visit the school last year, I just didn't get good vibes from it. No real reason on why - just didn't feel right. I also know someone who used to work in there and they seemed unimpressed with the school in general. So yes - NVCC is a LOT cheaper. But Stratford seemed easier to get in to. And with it being a fairly new program - I'm sure in time, it will become more well known in the area. However - to be honest - if you liked NVCC and felt like it was a good fit - I would go there simply because of the price. They have a spring start too don't they? But definitely go and see if Dr. Khan will let you sit in on a class before making up your mind either way. Also consider what you are looking for in a school. NVCC has a larger program and therefore more students. And think about age as well. I felt a bit out of place at Stratford because I'm only 26 and it seemed like everyone was much older. All that said - I do think that all the teachers seemed really nice and supportive. I could definitely sense a strong camaraderie between them. But check out a class and meet some of the teachers. OH - and another thing - Stratford does clinicals at the Virginia Hospital Center which is super convenient for me. Not sure about NVCC but might be something worth looking into. If after all that - you're still unsure - doesn't NVCC do a spring start? And anyhow - if you decide to give Startford a try - you can always change if you end up not liking it! Hope that helps - feel free to ask any other questions you might have.

This is good timing because I just went there today to sit in on a class and get an idea of the students and the teachers etc. :-) Stratford is a rather small school - it's only one building in fact. It looked like the nursing department was practically only one small hallway on the 2nd floor. Great for small class sizes and a very personalized experience. The class I sat in on was a basic nursing class and had maybe 20 people. I also noticed another class (anatomy and physiology maybe)...it had only about 5 people in it. The teachers that I met or saw passing through the hallway looked like very nice people. Dr. Khan is also very nice - he's the head of the department. The students are definitely on the older side. I'm 26 and I felt like the youngest person there by a long shot. It is also very diverse. I heard lots of different accents from the students in the class. Average age in that class - I would guess maybe 35? The school also does this delayed billing thing where they don't send you a bill until 6 months AFTER you graduate - which is awesome if you are like me and already have student loans from my first undergrad experience. I feel like it hasn't really developed a reputation like the other local schools (Marymount, George Mason, Georgetown, even NVCC - the community college). That has me a little nervous - but it definitely has it's appeal in certain areas (billing, the local area, the small/personal size etc, the 10 week quarters). I think with the program being new - it makes it a little easier to get in too. I just went there on Friday to visit the school for the first time and apply - he basically told me right there on the spot that I would be accepted. If you have any other questions about it or the area - just let me know! I'll definitely keep in touch with anything new I find out and I'll let you know how it is when I actually start attending in May. For 120,000 - yeah - that's definitely not worth it!!

I just applied there today and may be going in May. Just like you, I am looking for information on whether or not it is a good program etc. It's so much more expensive than the community college!! Let me know if you hear anything about it!!!