Windynurse

Perfect! Thanks so much! I will be contacting them soon. Got any tips about getting through the program? Windynurse :)

That sounds awesome klone, to stay within your organization and have different options to choose from. I am still not sure what I want to do, but I do wish I had started this back to school thing years ago. Oh well, it is always better late than never. Now it is just fun imagining the possibilities. I have a few loose ends and then I think I might be ready to apply to WGU! Once you apply, do you have to start classes right away, or will they let you wait a few months? Thanks, Windynurse

You both reinforced what I was thinking and I really appreciate your feedback. I'm so impressed that you moved so quickly through the programs, featherzRN! I was actually hoping I might be able to complete my MSN in 6 months and I am feeling pretty encouraged by both of you. I am so happy to hear that there are no clinicals at WGU! It is sounding better by the minute. I agree completely that accreditation matters, but I am still a little baffled because my hospital is one that will accept degrees from Aspen University, even though they are not regionally accredited. But, like you said, I plan to stay away from there. So, are you doing something exciting now that you have your Master's degrees? I'd love to hear about your experiences. I've always wanted to get one and the time feels right. Thanks again, Windynurse

Hi. I totally agree with you...group work sounds painful and I don't think I could do it. It sounds like I could work at my own pace at WGU, which is exactly what I want. I am one of those crazies who gets momentum when I start something new, I like to work ahead, and I don't slow down until I get the whole thing finished. I am also wondering if there are any clinical hours required out in the field. That is something else I'd like to avoid, if it is possible. I am starting to hear people say they like Aspen University. I wonder if anyone has heard of it or considered it? I know it is not regionally accredited so I don't think it is a good idea. However, the way our profession is pushing higher nursing degrees, I wonder if that even matters anymore. Any thoughts on that school? Thanks again, Windynurse

Hi. I totally agree with you...group work sounds painful and I don't think I could do it. It sounds like I could work at my own pace which is exactly what I want. I am one of those crazies who gets momentum when I start something new, I like to work ahead, and I don't slow down until I get the whole thing finished. I am also wondering if there are any clinical hours required out in the field. That is something else I'd like to avoid, if it is possible. I am starting to hear people say they like Aspen University. I wonder if anyone has heard of it or considered it? I know it is not regionally accredited so I don't think it is a good idea. However, the way our profession is pushing higher nursing degrees, I wonder if that even matters anymore. Any thoughts on that school? Thanks again, Windynurse

Thank you for the positive response, klone. Congratulations to you for getting your MSN! Did you consider other programs also? If so, what was it about WGU that made you decide to go there? How many classes did you take at a time? How long did it take you to complete the program? Thanks again, Windynurse

Hi everyone. I am wondering if anyone out there has recently chosen WGU for their MSN degree. I have heard many different things about the program, especially regarding changes in the past year. How demanding is it? Are there required clinical hours? I'd like to be able to jump in and finish in a year or less. Is that possible? Any feedback would be much appreciated! Thanks, Windynurse :)

Thank you, thank you, thank you again! I've pretty much narrowed it down to engraving a Littman stethoscope with her name & RN on it. Now, I still have to decide what to add to it, since this is a joint gift. Tote, lunch box, gift card, massage, penlights, socks, cup, hemostats, etc. ??? Decisions! I'm still so appreciative of any & all advice!

So the Vera Bradley bag sounds really nice & I could fill it with goodies. Which style bag/tote would be good? Does anyone out there have the mailbag style? I think it looks pretty neat, but how is it size wise for nursing stuff? Also, the stethoscope seems to be at the top of the list. It could go in the bag/tote. Getting it engraved would be perfect! This forum is awesome! I was freaking out about choosing a cool, meaningful, useful gift & now I feel so much better. I'm loving all the input! I want to buy it all!

Now I am really getting excited about finding a gift for my niece! This is so special to me since she will be the first one in the family to become a nurse since me, and that was a long time ago! As far as the gift card part some of you suggested, what are the best places to buy uniforms/supplies online? Thanks again!

Wow! Thanks everyone! These are all great ideas! I love the idea of putting something together in a care package. As far as a stethoscope, what kind of stethoscope would you recommend? Any opinion of a adding a keepsake of some kind or is that too old fashioned? Love hearing more from you all! Windynurse :)

Hi all nurses new & old nurses (like me). My niece is graduating from nursing school and things are so different today than they were when I graduated, I am at a loss for what to get her for a graduation gift. Any ideas of what might be most appreciated/useful/practical in today's fast-paced, electronic world of nursing? I want to get her something personal and thoughtful, but maybe also something a new grad would want to use in her new practice. Any ideas would be much appreciated! Thanks! Windynurse :)

So I studied like crazy for the test and I don't think it really mattered much. It seemed like most of the answers were straight out of the book and if I could look things up in the index fast enough, I could find a lot of things. I hope this works in the next modules because the assignments are so time consuming...I think you learn a good amount doing them first. Not having fun...

Hi, just got back my first assignment. I tried to follow the sample they gave us to the letter and even added more detail and I still got marked off for missing items! Not too bad, but I guess you just have to go for "overkill" on the descriptions. Like the example they gave us, I wrote appropriate for "age and gender" but they wanted the specific age and gender to read something like appropriate for "35 year old female." Ok, got it. Too bad they didn't spell that out before the assignment was due. Week 2 looks way more in depth so I am going to be super careful to spell out every single word. I think these assignments will take forever! Does remind me a lot of Vulnerable...tons of writing detail but at least most of it seems to be in the book. Hope you did well on your assignment & good luck with the test! Almost down to 4 weeks left! Windynurse

Yay! Me too! How do you spell relief??? Congrats to you too & thanks for starting this thread...it was nice to run to when I felt like screaming. Jk, it really wasn't that bad. To any newbies, just bite the bullet & try to work ahead because I think it does help pull it all together faster. If you've gotten this far, you can do it. Just use the book for a reference to look things up, but study the notes & worksheets. It goes by faster than you can imagine! Good luck everyone!

We are in the final stretch! What a relief! Looking at the DB assignment, I think it will be a lot of basic mechanics: copying your PICO question, facts & clinical recommendations onto a power point. Same with writing our final reflections: more of the same type of overview stuff. After all we've been through, this looks like a very welcomed way to wind down. Except for that test! Last time I found the worksheet the most helpful and doing this paper made me use it a lot too. All I want to do now is be done! Thanks for the heads up, SaharaRN33, regarding Assessment. My brain is so saturated after this class, I don't know if I can learn anything heavy duty challenging again for awhile! I'm finishing up General Ed at the same time so I can handle the work, but probably not the "Research Intensity" of new material all at once again! Hats off to you...you're the one who is almost done! BSN around the corner!!!

So my Texas Gov class just opened and I am wondering if anyone has advice on the best way to study for the quizzes. I read the first chapters and the lecture notes. Then I took the first "study questions" test and found out I didn't remember it all well enough. Are the actual quizzes similar to the study questions, or more like the lecture notes, or the readings? It is a lot of info, and Politics is not exactly my thing. I'd love to hear from anyone who has advice on the best things to focus on before the tests. Thanks!

I think this is the hardest assignment I have had to do in this entire program so far! I'm one behind you, SaharaRN33...you are so lucky to be almost done! I won't start Capstone until May. I've doubled up my Nursing classes every session until now and I am so glad I am taking Research alone (except for finishing up a few General Ed classes at a Community College on the side.) I will take Holistic Assessment starting in April and then Capstone! The only good thing about this assignment is that by doing it, you have to dig so much that you end up studying and preparing for the final test next week. I have kept my worksheet handy and filled in answers as I looked up things I needed to cover in my paper. I didn't like the first test and I don't think I will like this next one much either! Good luck and hang in there...it will soon be over! I'm sure you saw the announcement about the first assignment: class average grade was 82 and they said "good work!" That tells you how difficult this class is! I thought Vulnerable was the worst nightmare until now...please tell me that Assessment is better than this one! We all need something to look forward to, right?

I went back to a junior college to get my ADN 10 years after I graduated with my bachelor's degree. For me it was the logical choice because it was inexpensive and I only needed the nursing classes plus a few prerequisites. I have always felt that I was a very "well rounded, critical thinking" nurse due to my diverse educational background. I was able to start working as a nursing assistant soon after starting nursing school and really got to test the waters to see if I liked my new chosen career. I had no problems getting a job as an RN or being able to work on special projects in the hospital. Now, I am back in school, going for my BSN without the pressure of passing the NCLEX or getting a job. My hospital helps pay for some of the tuition. I think it is a great way to go if your area hires RNs who don't have their BSNs yet. I have even seen hospitals make exceptions if new nurses are planning to get their BSNs in the near future. Don't drown in debt if you can help it. Start working sooner if you can. Getting your BSN will be a lot easier with your previous bachelor's and you will feel a lot smarter with two more degrees!

Yes, I think we are all lucky that they did away with the group work. If I were you, I would still save Research until near the end of your coursework. It is a tough one and some of the other classes help prepare you for that level of work. Best of luck to you! Windynurse

You are not butting in at all. That is what this forum is for and we all learned from reading other people's threads. At least for this session, there was NO GROUP WORK and it seems like they intend to keep it that way. It is still very time consuming and at times mind boggling, but I would say the class is reasonable if you take it seriously. I worked really, really hard the first few weeks and did some of the work ahead of schedule. That seemed to help me understand the concepts better. Now with 2 weeks to go, it about the same as most of the other classes. Good luck if you plan to take it soon! Windynurse

I thought I'd start a thread for people taking Holistic Health Assessment N3425 at UTA on 4-6-15. I heard it is quite time consuming so it would be nice to have a group for moral support. Is there anyone out there who has taken it recently who has advice to offer? How does it compare to Vulnerable Populations, which was crazy tedious? I'm a little nervous about this one! Windynurse

So, how are you all holding up, so far? We are past the half-way point! Windynurse

I'm nervous too! I feel like I am back in Nursing school (RN) learning how to do medications...triple check and triple check and triple check again!!! I think that is the key. It is not all that hard, just tricky. The more you read it, it starts to sink in. This week's discussion board looks like a bear...I'm used to doing those more or less on the fly! NOT in this class! Yeah, we are almost halfway! After this week, the worst should be over...just one more test and the paper with a visual. Can't wait. My life has been totally on hold! Anyway, good luck with studying this week. I think I will focus on the worksheets. There's just too much info. Wouldn't it be nice if we got 2 chances? I feel like we might need it!!!

I agree totally! You don't know what you did wrong so you can take it again and do even worse! Here's what I did and it helped. I figured out how many questions I missed the first time by multiplying my grade by the # of points each question was worth. Then I went hunting for the questions I was unsure of on my written critique, until I narrowed it down to the same # I got wrong. I verified the questions I was sure were DEFINITELY RIGHT, check marked them, and kept them the same. I kept digging and digging until I could find new answers for the UNSURE ONES, and then I either confirmed them or changed them until I had changed the # of questions I had gotten wrong. For example, I figured out that I missed 6 questions the first time. I kept looking until I found information that supported changing 6 questions, with quite a bit of certainty. It was surprising to see that on some of them, I had missed the right answer the first time by some little phrase that changed the entire meaning. Ugh! So I kept the rest of the questions the same, after I verified that I was pretty sure they were right. It was a lot of work, but at least it didn't feel like I was just guessing. My second try I only missed 1, so it was a big improvement. I still don't know which one it was, but at least I did better. This class is definitely a pain, but it is doable. Fortunately there are a lot of other ways to get points, so I wouldn't worry too much yet. I'm not looking forward to the tests, but I read on another thread that a lot of the material is from the notes, so I am going to study those. Hang in there! We can do this!