Mudhen

Hi Brenda, I hope you had a good semester! I am just finishing pathophysiology and I have to say I really wish the course would never end! Instead of trying to memorize facts and detailed pathophysiology by itself, each week we write about case studies that are very interesting and require synthesis of knowledge from the textbook and other sources, coupled with critical thinking skills. It is a very smart way to teach pathophysiology because as you are answering the case study questions you end up reading huge portions of the textbook with a great interest in understanding it and applying it to your "patient." I love it! I feel like Agatha Christie solving a new mystery each week when I start a new case study. The professor is excellent and very responsive to student needs. We are using a web site that many students in class were unfamiliar with, and at first I had a lot of trouble creating discussion presentations using pictures, videos, audios and text. The prof was great. She helped all of us learn to use the web site and now I think everyone really enjoys making presentations using multimedia. The textbook is also fantastic - well written and very detailed. Overall, I am really enjoying the learning environment at Univ of St. Mary and am looking forward to statistics next semeseter. I'm a bit nervous about taking a math course since it's been a while, but I contacted the prof and he was super nice. He sent me the syllabus and gave me the name of the textbook so I could buy it ahead of time. He also gave me tips to help prepare for class - ie - become familiar with Excel beforehand and brush up on algebra. I haven't really had time to do much to prepare, but I did buy books on how to use Excel and on algebra and statistics so I think that even if I have questions I will have enough reference books to look at, plus he seems very amenable to students contacting him with questions. When I first contacted him I got an email reply within 5 minutes! Keep me posted on your progress and hopefully one day we will have a class together! Mudhen

Hi Brenda, Bio110 was my first biology course in my college career, so I don't have anything to compare it to. Most of the class deals with genetics. There is very little other biology. There are weekly discussion forums and since it is an "idea seminar" there are also discussions on global topics that take a lot of time. There are easy weekly homework assignments and about 50 pages of very dense reading each week. The book might look pretty, but it is very poorly written with lots of mistakes in it. The authors do not describe the subject very well, and so the book is basically like reading an encyclopedia of fact after fact after fact that you have to memorize for the exams. There is a 1 hour timed exam every other week (Weeks 2, 4, 6, and 8) and each exam covers approximately 100 pages of dense biology textbook information plus everything from the homework and the lab book. I am not very good at memorizing so I found the timed exams very anxiety producing. You'll have anywhere from 8 to 22 questions to answer in 1 hour. On one of the exams I finished with 2 seconds to spare. The professor can be very difficult to deal with and if she decides she doesn't like you, then watch out! She is a very insecure person who takes out her insecurity on students by being contrary (to put it nicely). She never let me see my last exam that she gave me a really lousy grade on, even though she promised to email it to me. I don't think she wanted me to see it because I think she down-graded it. She also down-graded a paper I wrote because she was upset that I asked her why I had gotten a couple of homework questions wrong -- I showed her in an email the direct quotes from the textbook showing that my answers were correct and she wrote me back a snotty reply. She didn't like me questioning her, and after that she had it out for me. I ended up with an A because I worked my butt off, but she never actually even gave me a percentage grade. I think she wanted to give me a B, but the grievance committee would have seen that she was way out of line. I would have flown all the way to Kansas to fight that battle if it had come to that! Mudhen

Biology for Today is a demanding course with 4 timed tests on about 100 pages of material for each exam. You write one paper and do homework and discussion forums each week. The thing that adds a lot of work is that it is an "Idea Seminar" so you have extra work to do. You have to post 2 distinct posts on four topics and respond to 2 people in each forum. That comes out to be 16 extra posts. The exams are stressful and take a lot of study time. I hate timed exams, but if they don't bother you and you have a photographic memory then you should be all set! :) Much of the material is on genetics so USM doesn't like to transfer in Bio courses from other schools. I have one more timed test to go. Wish me steady hands on the keyboard, no typos, and a sharp memory!

Hi Brenda, It's hard to compare the two classes. The writing will not be as rigorous as in 402 - you won't be held to strict APA format, although I did use it for some papers. Basically, the class consists of discussion forums, short written assignments, and journal entries that have to do with the week's readings. The book is small and the readings are light. Pay attention to the lecture notes. Some of the assignments are a bit befuddling so you'll have to get to know what the teacher wants. I still haven't figured her out! There is one bigger class paper (but nothing like the ones you wrote for 402) and a take home exam and (believe it or not) a multiple choice online exam that I know nothing about but have to take tomorrow or Thursday because of my work schedule. Overall, I would say it is much easier than 402, but you'll have to pull some rabbits out of hats, especially if you're not Catholic! I hope that helps. I think you could do your math class at the same time. Just don't take any other classes while you are in Biology for Today. It is extremely time consuming!

Hi Brenda, There is no set schedule for taking courses. The only thing you have to remember is that if you need statistics it should be taken early in your course of study so you don't end up with a bottle-neck of courses that you can't take without stats first (Nursing Research is one such class). I am taking pharmacology next semester and will be studying math on my own to prepare for statistics in Spring 1 term that begins on December 30th. I am just finishing Bio110 "Biology for Today" and THNU390 "Mission in Healthcare." I wanted to get some of the electives out of the way early, but I know other students who jumped right into the nursing courses first thing. It's really up to you. I found it helpful to create my own map of courses starting from NU402 and going on through graduation. When I could see it on paper I felt like I had a better plan. However, also remember that not all courses are offered when you want to take them. For example I wanted to take PY355 with stats in spring I, but PY355 isn't offered until spring II. I will be calling the school soon for a list of when each of the classes I need to take are offered. NU402 was a great class - the professor is excellent! Now that we are friends, I think you can PM me without any trouble.

Congratuations BeehRN! University of St. Mary is a great school and I think you'll love it there! Private message me when you get a chance so I can fill you in on all of the details before class. There are some computer programs that help immensely with APA format, and I just got a great book on APA that explains it better than the one written by APA. Those resources will help a lot! Getting ready before class begins will help a lot! Congrats again and let's stay in touch!

I am working per diem, and not only do I NOT get paid extra for being per diem, I also have to pay union dues as if I were a full-time employee. So, my wage is mediocre and the union is robbing me blind by making me pay the highest rate. Unbelievable! I wish I could find a part or full-time job, but now hospitals are advertising for per diem nurses because they can rip us off. I have been unable to find any other job and I have 30 years of experience.

Hi BeehRN, I can't remember exactly how long it took to get an answer, but once I got all of the paperwork completed it seemed like it didn't take long at all. You will have a mini Intro course just to make you familiar with their learning platform, etc. and then you'll most likely start with NU402, the class I am in now. The first couple of weeks are busy, so try to allot extra time to get used to the learning environment and the expectations. I remember feeling overloaded at one point, but it passed quickly. I think that is normal when you are learning so many new things, especially APA format for all papers which I knew nothing about, plus how to do effective research in the library. If you want to be in touch once you're admitted, please send me a private message and I can fill you in on the details if you like. Be sure to call the 24/7 Personal Support Center if you have a question. I was on a first name basis with them when I started and they are fantastic. Good luck! I am sure you'll get in and have a great experience!

I am having a very good experience at the University of St. Mary online RN to BSN program. The classes are small (about 20 students) and the course work is pertinent. They have a 24/7 help line for almost any kind of help you might need. The research librarians are very helpful as is tech support. My professor is very good and very accessible. I have her email address and her cell phone number in case I need to contact her urgently. For non-urgent matters she generally writes back within 24-48 hours. I have gotten to know her -- we are in week 7 of an 8 week course -- and I look forward to taking pathophysiology with her in the fall term II. USM has 6 start dates per year and each term is 8 weeks long. The courses are accelerated, but manageable. 2 courses per term is considered full time enrollment, but you don't have to take 2 classes. In my Nursing as a Profession course we have assignments due each Thursday and Sunday by midnight CST. Next semester I am taking Mission in Healthcare (Christian perspectives on caring, etc) and Biology for Today (a lot of info on genetics, etc). I am not Christian, and so far I have felt comfortable and not pressured in any way. I had thought about taking classes at UTA but decided from reading reviews on this site that I did not want to go there because students could not even gain access to their professors. UTA is cheaper than USM, but in this case I think you get what you pay for. USM is $1230 per 3 credit course, so not cheap but a very good education. I have even been in contact with the head of the RN-BSN program who is helping me waive a class. Everyone there has been very helpful. The woman I spoke with is ***** and she can tell you all of the details if you are interested in the program. Just call the USM online RN to BSN program (in Kansas -- apparently there are a few USM's out there) and ask for ***** *******. I am very happy with the program so far. I researched at least a dozen schools before settling on this one. Glad to be in a great program and heading toward my BSN!

Hi Georgia Peach and kz020, Thanks for the info about Univ of Wyoming. Maybe I'll cross them off my list now! kz020, thanks for the info about Indiana Wesleyan. I'll check it out.

Hi Reebok, University of St. Mary in Kansas (my mistake -- I said Nebraska before. Sorry! I am so tired from researching). Go to University of Saint Mary - Home. I hope that link works.

Hi everyone, I spoke to someone at the American Association of Colleges of Nursing today (202-463-6930). They are the certifying body that give out the CCNE accreditation to nursing schools. I am told that CCNE is superior to NLN accreditation. Anyway, the woman told me that to be CCNE accredited, a nursing program MUST have a clinical component, but the nursing programs usually bury it somewhere in the curriculum (she said usually in the community nursing class and the leadership class) and schools advertise that they require NO clinicals because nobody wants to do them (especially after being a nurse for 30 years as I have). For example, UT Arlington is CCNE accredited and the way they sneak the clinicals in is during their 10 week Prof Nursing A/B class, during which you do assignments in your work place that count as clinicals. They want you to have a 24 hour a week job (at least during those 10 weeks) and I was afraid I might not be able to go there because I only work per diem. I spoke to the recruiter and she said that would not be a problem. The assignments in that class do count as a clinical (I spoke to the CCNE people directly about UTA and they confirmed this). For those of you thinking about UTA, I have heard that there is very little support once you begin your program. Apparently there is only access to course "coaches" and not to the actual instructors. You have to be a really motivated self-learner and follow the assignment instructions to the letter I am told. I have been researching LOTS of all-online RN to BSN schools and I am really baffled about what to do next. I am leery of UTA now, but the price is right; Anna Maria College in Paxton, MA got a huge number of negative reviews (I am sorry I did not write down the web site, but it was one of those college review sites where you put in whatever college/univ you want to research.) Utica College also got bad reviews. Excelsior did okay, Chamberlain didn't have any reviews but I have heard it is a great (but prohibitively expensive) program. I am now looking into University of Saint Mary in Nebraska, a tiny school with 1,000 students. Univ of St. Mary sounds too good to be true so far. I bombed my A & P years ago, and most places are requiring me to take it again. Not USM. They do not require A&P, Chem, or Micro as prerequisites. I have just started researching this school. Tuition is steep at $430 a credit hour, but they are giving me a ball-park figure of $12,900 to finish the degree if I can do it in 10 courses (I do have a BA in a non-nursing field and a Diploma in nursing). They have 6 start dates for their 8 week courses, and you can work ahead if you know you are going on vacation (they don't require twice weekly postings like many places). Class size is 15-20 Students. The down-side is that it looks like I will have to take some specifically Catholic courses and some things that I think will be a waste of time. I think it will take me at least 18 months to finish because of those specific classes that you must take at their institution. I will find out hopefully next week just how many courses I need. Also, their CCNE accreditation expires June 30th according to the American Assoc. of colleges of Nursing (AACN) web site. I asked the St. Mary's recruiter about that and she said they passed their re-cert, but I want to hear it directly from AACN. I will call them tomorrow. One more thing -- if anyone was thinking about going online to Saint Peter's University in NJ, you might want to think again. They had a big scandal in 2011 when a bunch of their brick and mortar BSN students were not allowed to graduate because they did not pass a mandatory college nursing exam (similar to the NCLEX). I googled the college and found that news. Yeah, that would suck! Best of luck to everyone and thanks to everyone who is posting. I am now going to check Purdue Univ Calumet, Univ of Wyoming, and Univ of Miami thanks to you folks.

Hi, I am new to this site and trying to figure out where to get my BSN online. Is anyone familiar with the online RN - BSN program at Utica College? It looks like a good program and not too expensive (around $14,000 total). The class sizes are capped at 15 students. The college is small, with only 5,000 total students and has been around since 1942. It's a real brick and mortar school with CCNE and NLN accredidation. I am trying to decide between Utica college and University of Texas - Arlington. I don't want to get lost at UTA since it is such a big school and class sizes are not capped. Any advice? Thanks!