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Hi everyone, I am in the program and love it. The goal statement and interview are key. I would just recommend being yourself and selling yourself. My interview was 25 minutes. It all depends on who you interview with. I felt very comfortable but you definitely don't want to sound like you are unsure. They only want committed people who can handle the pressure of a tough program and profession. This program is difficult and you must be sure it's for you. Good luck to all!!

There are no sure good answers. You need to speak from your heart on why you want to be a nurse. If you do so, you will get in. if one has to think hard about why you want to be a nurse, perhaps this may not be for field for them. Also, there's nothing wrong with having a goal to be a CRNA. It's just not a smart thing to mention at the interview. Nursing should not be a stepping stone but in reality it may be. For example, I know many who want to work as a nurse for year and then go on and get their masters(to teach). Is there anything wrong with that?? Absolutely not. You may find being a nurse is just fine or maybe aspiring to be a NP or CRNA. I am not ruling anything out when I am done but just know there are sooo many opportunities. I put my two cents in because many times people over analyze the interview process. You just need to be yourself and sell yourself. If you are passionate about this, it will show. Trust me.

If you fail a course, you cannot move on to the next semester with your cohort. But the nice thing about Oakland is you do not get kicked out - they just place into a another open semester and you retake the course. But if you fail two courses you are out . Also, there are validations and you can only fail one per course(there's two courses = clinical skills and fundamentals). A few people did fail but unless you do not prepare, get super nervous or break sterile field, you will pass. I found the validations to be nerve racking but not difficult to pass. You cannot pm until you have a certain number of posts(believe it's 12-15. Good luck!! I don't think you can wrong with either program but I am biased since I am in a great one right now. Oh, I forgot = passing grade is 70 % or better on exams; fundamentals skills you need an 80 % or better on each of the validations. Clinical skills are pass / fail. If you pass, you get a 100 % in that portion.

Hi, I can't comment on U of D's program but I am in Oakland's accelerated nursing right now. If you read many of my posts, you will see how much I love the program. I am not one to sugar coat anything and I will tell you that Oakland is awesome. Is there a few minor glitches, yes. The professors I have had so far are outstanding. The clinical rotations are second to none with great hospitals. I also know that the NCLEX pass rate is well above 90 %. The one thing I have heard about UofD is they have not had good NCLEX pass rates (in the 70's) for a number of years - not sure why but to me this is indicative of the students not being prepared. Also, I can't see spending 50 K on a nursing program when Oakland is well over half the price. Oakland also does all their courses at a hospital (old St. John Riverview) and the labs are awesome. To me, that's important. I would give Oakland a 9.5 out of 10 thus far and would highly recommend this program. It's very fast but very doable. Drop me a PM if you have any other questions. I wish you best of luck in your decision.

I agree with CD. If you can get the experience before hand it will help you. I will caution you however that many of the NAs I have encountered in my clinical take short cuts and pick up bad habits. If you decide to be an NA, do it the right way. You will fail a validation if you try cutting corners and not being safe. They actually told us that it's sometimes better not to work as an NA because you don't get caught up in all of that. I will also stress learning your medical terminology and pharmacology. Lean all of the drug classes and their side effects. You will be leaps and bounds ahead of most in clinical. For me, my pharm class did not prepare me well enough for nursing school even though I got a 4.0. You must, must know your drugs!! I am catching up now but it's easier if you know them well ahead of time. Start making flash cards of the key classes and know them. In closing, this program is awesome and very doable. Don't be afraid but understand the first 7 weeks will require you to live and breathe nursing school. Then it lets up but only a little. I love it and hope you all do too.

You won't get your clinical spot until about a month into the program..they do try to place you near your home if possible. The hospitals will vary but beaumont, st. johns, st. joes, are some of the main ones you will see for med-surg rotation. good luck. You guys will love it.

For those who did not get in, I would highly, highly recommend Oakland University. I am a student now and absolutely love it. Of all the schools I applied to, I felt Oakland was the most upfront, honest, and took the most holistic approach. The clinical locations are second to none. I just send this out to you guys because I know what it feels like to be rejected.

Hi all, I am in the program now and love it. Just to give clarification: You won't start clinical until your second 7 weeks. The first 7 weeks is intense with lecture all day on Friday (9-4:30); Monday (1/2 day). Tuesday(lecture plus lab demo). The middle part of the week is all validations and lab practice. Plan on spending a lot of time at Riverview the first 7 weeks. You will have fundamentals skills and lecture, assessment skills and lecture, and nursing concepts/intro to nursing, etc. It is very doable but prepare yourself for 12-17 hour days every day. This part of the program is specifically designed to test your endurance and ability to multi-task many assignments. Again, if you put in the effort, you will be fine.

I applied last year to MSU and was rejected. I don't know what they wanted but I had a very good gpa, one year of volunteer experience at a hospital, and my CNA. With all that, I still did not get in. I do think they look at undergrad GPA and one would think the recent work is more important. But I suspect they frown on it if you are around a 3.0 undergrad even if you have close to a 4.0 in pre-reqs. But I'm soo happy they did reject me because I applied at other schools and I got into a wonderful program and I graduate in December. So don't give up and apply to a bunch of schools. MSU is not all that, trust me.

I wouldn't advise taking all three together. It can be done but you will be very, very busy. Plus, you won't learn as much. I would take Pharm and Nutrition together and take patho in the spring. Pharm is a ton of work with papers, exams, etc. Patho has a ton of reading and quizzes.

Yes, they typically will have orientation approximately 6 weeks before the start of the program. There is a very valid reason why they do this because you have a bunch of stuff to get completed during that time frame (health assessment, titers, background checks, drug screen, etc). I know people in other classes and 6 weeks is about the time frame. Hope this helps.

Hi again Kvisintine, I posted before reading your latest post. You do not need to explain to me or anyone else why you are going into nursing but I was very touched by your story. Everything you wrote in there should be in your goal statement. My father had cancer and I made a decision to move back to help care for him. So I know exactly how you feel about being called to be a nurse. I felt the same way but I didn't act on it till years later. Again, you sound like someone who will make an outstanding nurse. Let's face it, we can all say we're caring people and nursing is definitely for us - but one never knows until they actually get into clinicals, working, etc. It's not a job for everyone and even in my clinicals for Red Cross, I found a number of people who said nursing might not be for them after spending 40 + hours caring for residents. It's not for everyone and certainly not an easy job.

Hi Kvisintine, Yes, I took my NA course through Red Cross. I was very impressed with the course. I went downtown. The experience you will get is great. Just understand that you will only be certified when you pass the state exam. If you decide to work in a hospital, they typically don't care if you are certified. If you plan on working in LTC, you will need to be certified within 6 months of starting. I applaud you for your decision to be a nurse. Do not worry about your automotive background. I come from the same background. As a matter of fact, Oakland has a programs for displaced automotive workers and the encourage people to start in their nurse assistant or PCT programs. Trust me, you will likely not be asked any questions about your current career. After all, this program is second degree and pretty much everyone is going for a different direction. There's absolutely nothing wrong with changing careers. In a few cases you will find students just graduating with another degree(i.e. sociology, psychology, etc) but most will have worked for a number of years. Frankly, I don't get why these people spend all that money and not just do the traditional route. Anyhow, best of luck to you. I think you are well on your way to making a strong impression. If I can just offer a few more bits of advice. 1). Put your heart and soul in your goal statement...be honest, and show you passion. 2). Be prepared for you interview..I say this because I have heard so many say they didn't do well in the interview (this can make or break you regardless of GPA). The interview is not difficult - just be yourself and sell yourself. 3). If I were to take the NA class, I would do so through Oakland. Good luck again.

Hi Kvisintine, I won't share my exact GPA but it was above a 3.5. But I had other things which to me meant more than my grades. Your GPA is excellent and you should not have any problem in that area. A & P is a very difficult course and a B+ is a good grade so don't feel bad about that. In my opinion, and A or B in A & P means you can handle difficult courses. From what I know about Oakland, they take a very holistic approach so it's not just about your GPA. For example, someone may have a lower gpa but did awesome in their interview/goal statement, etc. and they may get in over a 4.0 student who did not. Also, it's some of the little things that can differentiate you from others. I would advise volunteering at a hospital or getting your nursing assistant training - if you don't use it, it's great experience. Oakland actually has a nurse assistant training program and if I was looking at this program, I would take it through them. I would think this would significantly strengthen ones application. Good luck!!

Wow, that's a nice raise!!