Puerto Rico school feedback?

txlvn44, LVN · Apr 29, 2011

If anyone on this post could tell me how to get in touch with the nursing board of puerto rico, I will be forever grateful! It is like pulling teeth to get someone to answer their phones! :banghead: It is ridiculous! Any help would be greatly appreciated.

msive22 · Apr 29, 2011

I would like to hear from those of you that are already in the program to see how everything is working out so far. I know you guys are really really busy, but any input would be great! Thanks! :uhoh21:

Hi TxLvn,

I am a second year student getting ready to graduate in May from la Inter's accelerated BSN Program. Going to school here can be frustrating if you are used to the efficiency you find back home w/normal day-to-day stuff, like running errands and dealing with the school during registration, financial aid, bursar etc. Most often, something that should only take you 10-15 mins to achieve, will sometimes be a 3 hour wait. Even fastfood restaurants aren't fast. The school has a tendency of having staffing issues, as well, here is a good example: when I began in 2009, we didnt have professors for the first week or two of class, and it was a trend we experienced at the beginning of each term. I remember one professor told us:"Oops I thought it was monday" for not coming in for a Tuesday night class... How does a grown adult confuse the days of the week is beyond me... Anyhow, the worst was last year, during my 2nd trimester I didn't have a lab professor until the very end of the trimester and we had to extend the length of the course to meet the requirements of the class, so basically everyone in my class was jumping through hoops craming nursing material that we were suppose to learn over the course of 12 weeks in only 5 weeks. Just like the old saying goes, "you get what you pay for" that is exactly how it is at La Inter. Some students from my program transferred to the UMet or Sacred Heart University and although their programs a little bit longer, they're more structured and organized.

Class size is anywhere from 60-70 students. The caliber of student that attends my university falls into one of these 3 categories: 2nd career students, US students that failed Nursing programs back home or young college students who wanted an easy way in and out. So, if you do not have the time to wait to get into a program in your home state, than come out here and take advantage of this program. That's exactly what I did. You def need to have patience and the ability to go with a flow, when changes occur at a moments notice. When you are in clinicals, professors are barely around, the RNs expect you to know everything, some are helpful most don't want to be bothered. So, while most students don't take their practice scenarios serious, I suggest you pay attention because when you graduate your competency is going to set you apart from your peers. Is this program challenging? absolutely not. As long as you do your reading and prepare your case studies in a timely manner, you will do just fine. Expect the professors to only answer questions when you have done your research, they almost always tell you to "look it up" or some just don't know the subject matter they are teaching.

If you are driven and self-motivated, than come out here do the 11 month ADN option, sacrifice your summer take the Kaplan review course for NCLEX, immediately after taking Pediatrics (your licensure is a textbook exam, based on critical thinking) If you wait until after the BSN all that information is almost gone and it's much harder to prepare. Once you pass your NCLEX, if you are a 2nd year student at the time, more than likely you will be exonerated from certain classes. I have classes only twice a week and it's been that way since October (when I passed NCLEX) you will literally feel like you're on a paid vacation for your 2nd year. The great thing about PR is that they will endorse your license and you can start working in specialty units while in school. This is an opportunity that is rarely open to new grads in the states.

Example: If you want a career in Anesthesia, this is huge... you can work during your 2nd year in an ICU and apply for CRNA programs right after graduating with the Bachelors. Your experience here is all dependent upon how driven you are and how much crap you are willing to take. (like i said before, some of my friends left, I didn't have that luxury as I am a Navy Nurse candidate getting paid to be in this program for predetermined amount of time)

There is always a trade-off, yes the school is cheap and not as demanding as those in the states, but if you don't stay on top of your game, you will fall behind.

*Also you have to find your own internship opportunities, the school is usually late with notifying the students of deadlines*

Classes are only given in the evenings for english speaking students. During your first year you will be in class 6 days a week, most likely. If you're not used to a rigorous school schedule, you will have to learn to adjust. The 2nd year is super easy, mostly leadership classes and 1 tough class: Health Assessment. The Professors for the most part speak english but there are a handful of professors who do not speak it well and use translators to create their exams, thats when things can get confusing b/c their questions aren't written properly and you sometimes don't know what the question is really asking... I have had super great professors and alot of crappy ones. But its no different from going to a private university in NY and having foreign pros who barely speaks the language and lectures with a heavy accent... Soo, I hope this helps. If you have any specific questions, message me.

msive22 · Apr 29, 2011

If anyone on this post could tell me how to get in touch with the nursing board of puerto rico, I will be forever grateful! It is like pulling teeth to get someone to answer their phones! It is ridiculous! Any help would be greatly appreciated.

You have to go in person. Thats the only way to get something achieved through them.

txlvn44, LVN · Apr 30, 2011

@msive22,

Thanks sooo much for the insight, congrats to you, you are almost there! I hope to do good! I am already an LVN, so hopefully this will help a little! lol. I just want to get it over with because I have researched every school in every state and it is ridiculous the hoops they put you thru just to get ino some of their programs. It is unfortunate that the school is like that.

AlaBro2010 · Apr 30, 2011

@Belle1005,
What happened with the financial aid? Is it that bad?

Yes, I got my notification about my scholarship after I left! I asked and asked about it, I had a 4.0. It broke my heart but I'm going back with a lot of saved money!

designer-mommy, BSN, RN · Apr 30, 2011

@designer-mommy,
I would like your input on financial aid. Did you have difficulty getting it?

Hey! No, not at all. I just filled out the FAFSA and that's it. The strange thing is that you don't learn much of anything about the amount of your aid until after you register for classes. In my old school in Orlando, they used to send me a letter saying "You have this amount of money in Pell Grants, etc." You will have to go in to Financial Aid if you do the loans to tell them how much you're going to accept and do the paperwork. That can be an all day process. However, that's the only complaint I have about the Financial Aid department.

I'm married, have 4 kids, and am broke as a joke, so I got a full Pell Grant. I also got the Stafford Loans, which I'll probably kick myself over later, but oh well.

msive22 · Apr 30, 2011

I agree you have to go in person to request supplemental aid or make adjustments to your loans. If you want the honors scholarship, you have to apply by June in the Honors department.

txlvn44, LVN · May 1, 2011

Thanks you guys for the info! Hey designer mommy, how is the classes going?

designer-mommy, BSN, RN · May 1, 2011

Thanks you guys for the info! Hey designer mommy, how is the classes going?

The first two trimesters are a cake walk. I took Basics in the first trimester, Fundamentals and Pharmacology in the second, and now I have Adult Care 1 and Psychosocial in this one. Psychosocial isn't too hard at all, but Adult Care 1--wow. Our first test was done on Blackboard (the online application) and it wasn't too hard. I got an 83, which I'm not proud of, but I'm just glad I passed because they make their questions TRICKY, as in NCLEX style questions that you don't read about in the book or hear about during lecture. The last test we took a few weeks ago, that's a different story. We took it in class, and 60% of the class failed. Fifty percent of the other Adult Care 1 class failed. I got a measly 74%, and I studied my butt off too. I would venture to say that I put in at least 40 hours of studying in the last 4 days before the test (after the professors gave us the review) and God only knows how many hours of reading/studying before that. It is tough...really tough. Not to toot my own horn or anything, but I consider myself a fairly intelligent person LOL I think that the Adult Care classes (1 & 2) are the hardest of the entire program. They are 6 credit hours a piece, and they are basically two classes in one, Anatomy and Physiology plus Theory.

txlvn44, LVN · May 1, 2011

@designer-mommy,

You are in the non-accelerated program right? Since I do not already have a degree, this is the program I am going to have to be in. I am hoping, since I am already an LVN, the Adult Care will be a little easy! lol. Look like you are doing good! Hang in there!

designer-mommy, BSN, RN · May 1, 2011

@designer-mommy,
You are in the non-accelerated program right? Since I do not already have a degree, this is the program I am going to have to be in. I am hoping, since I am already an LVN, the Adult Care will be a little easy! lol. Look like you are doing good! Hang in there!

Yes, I'm in the non-accelerated program. I think that being an LVN will help you out tremendously! And thanks for the encouragement :) I eventually want to get my master's, so it's kind of discouraging to me that just getting the ADN is so difficult!

txlvn44, LVN · May 1, 2011

Look like we are on the same page! I am also pursuing my masters for nurse practictioner. I am applying for the program at LaInter next August due to my husband and I wanting to save more money before we go. I am really looking forward to attending school there, although I have heard not so good things about it. You get out of it what you put in. How do you like the public schools there?