CareerChange63

Messaging is sometimes infuriating!! :)

Hey there, Recent Duquesne grad Accelerated Nursing Program. Congrats to you all on your acceptance to the Duquesne program. I have three (3) large Fundamentals scrub tops and three (3) medium Fundamentals pants available. I'm looking to sell them for $10 a piece. There are no rips and any fading is minimal. They still look great. I cannot use them due to the Duquesne embroidering. Any takers? [email protected]

....and I'd have to agree, Duquesne IS NOT a bad school. In fact, at least, in my experience, I've had a pretty GOOD experience. My instructors (almost all have a doctorate in nursing) have been friendly and approachable, and have gone BEYOND what I consider a "good" instructor. I'm thinking that the instructors you had issues with last year.....are gone. In reading my response above, my issues don't even involve the school! I dunno, maybe it's an age thing. At any rate, I hope wherever you are going is going well for you!

OK....so I'm "sort of" a 2nd Degree 2015 student.....here are my thoughts. I'm a 51 year old guy, not a young person, so take what I say with a grain of salt. I was doing ok in the program, but decided to put the brakes on when we were talking about "concept mapping" at 7:30 am in one of the classes. The program is intense. Part of the issue is that I actually LIKE to learn, I like to read. Reading 100% of the material is just not possible, and yes, folks, I read a lot (and like it). As an example, our pathophysiology reading was over 400 pages just for the first test. So I think this goes to what ALW1119 was saying--a LOT of the material presented in the lectures didn't really apply to the tests and well, you can read for the tests....just don't plan on sleeping much. Another poster noted that for 80 slots normally, 160 people accepted. This precipitated the need to split the class into 2 parts for lectures and labs. We had one professor who liked to assign additional reading/homework for the labs. Well, my last name falls within the initial letters of the alphabet.....meaning that the readings/homework for the labs had to be completed within 2 days AND failure to complete the readings/homeworks meant that you couldn't "attend" the labs. We're not talking basic reading, we are talking about 4 chapters and finishing 2 chapters of the study guide for the course. I come from a military background and being assigned this stuff two days before the lab did not sit well. That said, if your name fell toward the end of the alphabet, you had approximately a week to do all the reading/homework. I can't speak for what's been said about the program, but I can tell you this. I completed all of my prerequisites for the program with a 3.95, at local community colleges (hey, it was cheap and I learned a lot). What I learned was fine BUT what I can tell you is that Duquesne is a HEAVILY intensive computer-based/web-based program. Duquesne uses something called ATI, which is an online system for teaching procedures associated with nursing. Well, my account (those classes and blocks of ATI used for the course) was sometimes there, and sometimes not, I don't know why. Again, not normally a huge problem, but the ATI call center was closed for the weekend, further complicating the material that was supposed to be done for lab. Heh, in fact, ATI was closed until AFTER my class met. And I can tell you, my computer and tablet were both "state of the art", so it wasn't an old technology thing. Another thing, and I seriously hope it was just my 2014 class.....I found very few....and I mean VERY FEW of the students were friendly. In fact, some of them....downright hostile. I found it odd that other students were SO competitive, even though Duquesne is not a "mean" school. By "mean" school, grades are given by calculating a mean (pegged at a B-) and each standard of deviation is an increase/decrease of a grade. By contrast, Duquesne offers straight grading.....if everyone scores a 93, everyone gets an A. So, I didn't get the competition aspect. Maybe it's an age thing...but probably not. One student in clinicals was pissed that I knew how to do things, such as move patients (safely), take pulses, etc.----I was a patient care assistant prior to nursing school. Not "can you show me how to do it", but pissed that I knew something she did not. With the technology issues and the attitudes of some students in my class, I had had it. I withdrew from classes and mulled my options. After a LONG period, I decided to do it again--a nice option that Duquesne offers. If you pull out of classes, Duquesne still considers you a student. Rather than wait for the "official" start in September, 2015, I decided to space out some of the classwork prior to the official start of my program. That said, I will finish this program on my own. If I happen to meet some good people along the way, great. If not, also great. Well, there you go, I hope this rant has been helpful and hopefully shed some light on what is going on with the Duquesne program. Good luck in your decisions.

Hay sorry...didn't see you had sent me a message. There's a Facebook page set up. If you can't find it, let me know, we'll get you there!

Hey-- Ok.....took my final today in Stats. I am now officially a Duquesne student. Just wanted to say hello to all and I hope to be chatting, hanging out and even having a few beers with fellow students (assuming we have the time!). Mike. For all you guys going back and forth on tablets-- I believe the coursework (ie. readings) is delivered through iPads, so please check before you do anything. I already have all the books, etc. and it was sent to my iPad mini.

The original poster set the page up under some Pitt site. If you are not a Pitt alum you are not able to access the site. To my knowledge, nothing has been done since. I'd do it but I just don't have the time.....

FYI, the "Duquesne University School of Nursing Second Degree Students 2014-2015" Facebook page you set up is a closed group with the Pitt group......we are not able to access it.....

....never mind.....someone's set one up!

....and I'm 50...about to start Duquesne University's Accelerated BSN program.....go for it!

Hey there---- Trying to set up a Facebook page for our class. Anyone interested? Respond to this message below with your Facebook name/handle and I'll get us set up. Mike

Totally agree with you!

Short answer is no. I took both A&P 1 and 2 last year at the HaCC main campus....no dissection.

Congrats!

Amen to that!