Nursedenver

[COLOR=#000000][/COLOR][COLOR=#000000]I haven't been on in a while but this post took me bysurprise. I'm not sure what terrible things” you're reading about DSN unlessyou're referring to posts that have been talked about here a long time ago. Nonursing school is perfect and people that don't make it are always going tocomplain (see the CU posts on this page). I have to speak up for my alum matterthough because these posts are soooo old news! Not only did I LOVE my time atDSN but as I've said before I've been told by many nurse supervisors that theyprefer DSN students at clinical and as new grad hires because they're so wellprepared. I know was! We were also emailed that DSN has been approved by theHLC regional accrediting agency to start offering online nursing mastersprograms so obviously the regional accreditors think it's a great school aswell. As far as costs goes, my sister's roommate is attending the nursingprogram at CU currently and after looking at the costs that you have to payevery semester at CU it's only about $5000 less than DSN. The only differenceis that DSN shows you all costs up front. I love my job and I love DSN!![/COLOR] [COLOR=#000000][/COLOR]

I'm a DSN graduate from several years ago, even before they got the NLNAC (now ACEN) and HLC regional accreditation. I can honestly say it was not only a great place to learn but I made some lifelong friends as we all stayed together for 21 months and helped each other through the ups and downs of going through a very intense (but fun) program. Some of the girls I work with went through some of the other programs in Colorado and I feel I was better prepared in my skills then they were (and they agree). Many of my fellow cohort graduates are now in or have already graduated from masters programs at schools around the country so the stuff you read about folks not being able to get into those types of programs is old news. I know that University has hired a lot of DSN grads and take many students into their ACP program. As far as the costs go, if you really look into it you'll see it's not much different from CU or Regis. The fact that you know all of the costs for the entire 21 months including books and everything made it much easier for my parents and I to budget and plan ahead. I've already paid off my loans because I started working right after I passed my test! I've referred about 50 people to DSN over the past few years so I guess to answer your question, YES it was worth it!

My dad always told me “You get what you pay for” and in the case of DSN he was 100% correct! If you look at my comments on this site you’ll see that I’m (like a ton of other DSN grads) very happy with the education received and the skills I was trained in from DSN. I got a job right after graduation from a connection I made during one of my clinical rotations and I LOVE IT! I feel I’m (and I’ve been told by other Nurses that work with me) better in my skills and better in my overall knowledge than some new grads from programs that have been around forever. Yes, DSN was more than worth it for me.

When I applied to DSN a few years ago they loaned me a study guide for the entrance test at my application meeting with Kelly. I came back about 3 weeks later and took the test and did ok. I didn't think it was that difficult but I did study for it. I think the July program that starts next year would graduate in April 2015 because the program is 21 months long. Don't be nervous! If your prereqs are OK you should be fine. Good luck!

I'm not sure where those Google search sites get their information so I'm not sure how valid it is. As far as the DSN information link is concerned, don't forget that DSN has around 500 students in their various nursing programs. They offer a BSN Completion program as well as an ADN Completion and LPN to ADN programs. I was reffering to the graduation rate for the program I graduated from, the BSN Completion program which I was told was around 95%. Some of the Nurses that I work with that graduated from Regis told me that there is no way they have a 99% completion rate because they had several people they started with drop out of their program. I couldn't find completion rates listed on either the CU or Regis sites. I think we've strayed way off the original topic so I'm going to let the readers do their own research. All I know is that I loved attending DSN and I know a ton of grads that feel the same way.

I don't want to get in an argument with you. But before I graduated we took HESI tests every quarter to help us prepare to pass the NCLEX. I passed the first time no problem and I think a lot of that was due to the confidence I got from taking the HESI tests. Obviously the way the pass rates are trending so high it must work. If you check DSN's retention rates , you'll find that they are higher than most of the state schools so I'm not sure why you're knocking what DSN is doing. I think if anyone has any questions about how or why DSN does something, they should just call the school. I'm really happy with the education I received and the way I was treated at DSN by the faculty and staff. It was like a big family that was cheering for you all the way.

I just called my friend that is still at DSN and she said the HESI test is part of the final quarter Capstone course along with your with the Capstone Clinical and everything else that's part of that course. Like any college course, if you don't pass the course, you won't graduate and the HESI is one part of that. I'm sure if you don't pass your final courses at CU or wherever, you won't graduate and you can't take the NCLEX until you do. That's all I'm saying.

I'm not sure where SummitAP is getting her info but DSN like all Nursing schools cannot keep a graduate from taking the NCLEX exam. Everyone that graduates from DSN takes the NECLEX exam. If you don't pass your courses and all of your tests at any school you won't graduate.

I think the way the admissions worked when I enrolled was that if you met the qualifications and passed the entrance exam you would start. I'm sure with the NLNAC accreditation they'll start getting more applications, but with four big starts a year I'm not sure if they'll have any wait list problems like some of the Colorado schools. My friend that's going to graduate next year told me that the NCLEX pass rate so far this year is 97.3%! Awesome!

Your original question was about how competitive it is to get into DSN. I know that because they start four times a year they don't have a waitlist. The next sentence is off of the DSN website when you click on Application Deadlines page and then click on the BSN Completion Option line. "Important note: This program has an admissions process where students are selected based on a number of factors including personal statement, previous health care and or volunteer experience and cumulative / science GPA (acceptance is not based solely on GPA)." I hope this info helps. I just found out one of my fellow BSN grads just got a job at University Hospital! That NLNAC accreditation is doing great things for the school and the graduates. It's so exciting!

I just was told by I friend that I mistakenly put in the post above that each quarter at DSN was 13 months long. DUUHHH it's actually 13 weeks long. So, the BSN completion program I graduated from had seven eleven week quarters or 21 months total. Sorry about that.

The program is actually 21 months long. We had 11 weeks in school with 2 weeks off in between, so each quarter is 13 months. We had a TON of lab and simulations that most of the faster programs don't require. I think those extra hours really prepared me for my first job and gave me alot of confidence in my skills starting out. On another note, my friends that are still in school at DSN told me that they heard that University Colorado Hospital hired a DSN grad for their bone marrow transplant oncology department. That NLNAC accreditation continues to open up more and more opportunities for us DSN grads. SWEET!

I know when I was at Denver School of Nursing they had a one year LPN to ADN program. I'm pretty sure they still have one, but I don't think they start it 4 times a year anymore. You should check it out. I loved DSN!!

The only bad reviews about DSN is on that bogus website. If you look at the other threads I and others have posted you'll see that DSN has a great reputation. Their NCLEX pass rates are amoung the highest in the state. My friend that's still attending DSNsays this year so far they have a 97% pass rate. I loved my time at DSN and I think it really sad that this bogus website has everyone doubting what a great school it is. If I were you, I'd check it for yourself.

You're right that DSN is a candidate for HLC accreditation (it's right on their website). I've been told by my friends that are still at DSN, that they have their initial accreditation visit set for mid May next year. If you've read any of my earlier posts on this subject you already know that DSN BSN graduates have already been accepted into masters programs at several major universities even before they recieved the NLNAC this month so I'm thinking it's all up to the school as to what applicants they will accept. I know my friend talked to admissions at Regis last week and they said that they'll start taking applicants from DSN for their programs, so I think the regional thing just depends on the graduates college background. I'm enjoying my job too much right now to even think about more school but maybe a few years down the line I might be interested. I hope this helps!