I was looking into Rasmussen College in Fort Myers, Florida. I was wondering if there was anyone who has attended or currently attending Rasmussen at the Fort Myers campus? What were/are your thoughts on the program? Since I already have a B.S. in Exercise Science, I was looking at doing the A-BSN, Second Degree option. I have already attended a Nursing Information Session with the school and it seems like a great opportunity. Just looking to get more insight about the program from people who have gone through it.
Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.
@MJT_BSN2B Thank you! Yeah, last quarter flew by. So, I can only imagine this quarter will, as well. I am looking forward to finally going to work as an RN and getting to help those little babies! ☺️
Super excited to apply then! All the other schools I've had interest in don't even have application links available due to the virus and pushback dates and I'm just READY to start.
They are pushing back start dates at other schools!? That's unfortunate. I haven't heard if Rasmussen is doing that, but I imagine that since they were able to shift everything to 100% online, they should be able to start people as normal. The next cohort would start in July, and I would venture to guess that we would be back on campus by then. One of my instructors told me she anticipates us back on campus this quarter in early May. But we shall see what happens.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out. You can DM me or I can send you my email/phone number.
Thank you so much for your very quick response a couple weeks ago. LOL- I have not done the same with a reply right back. But I did find something I think very pertinent to all student nurses.
I was told by the Head Dean of Orlando/Ocala Dean of Nursing in an email, that Governor DeSantos passed an amendment stating FL nursing school virtual clinicals be acceptable towards graduation requirements, no matter the amount of virtual hours. If clinicals are comprised of 100% virtual, it satisfies clinical requirements for FL nursing schools.
So for those worried about online clinicals not being sufficient for graduation, it can be 100 % online/virtual instruction and will meet FL BON requirements. I thought this something that should be blasted to ALL current and applying students. Unless this is untrue in some way, but I clarified a verbal 100% with the Associate Dean of nursing. I got a confirmation by email from the Head Dean of Orlando/Ocala nursing that online clinicals are acceptable for graduation requirements. I thought this is great news to share!
I was wondering if you would post something of your overall feel for the program, now that you’re almost done. How did you find communication, professors, administrators, advisors, etc? How did you find the ATI testing overall and which ones would you say to really study for? Any recommendations, pitfalls, suggestions? Can you hold my hand? ??
Again, thank you so much for posting this blog! I’ve recommended you now to all the students in my cohort. It’s just such an awesome resource for us that aren’t getting a lot of info. It’s not that freely given and being new, a lot of issues have to be ironed out. Thank you so much for this rich resource! You’re awesome and I hope to meet you one day on my way through the NICU. ??
Thank you so much for your very quick response a couple weeks ago. LOL- I have not done the same with a reply right back. But I did find something I think very pertinent to all student nurses.
I was told by the Head Dean of Orlando/Ocala Dean of Nursing in an email, that Governor DeSantos passed an amendment stating FL nursing school virtual clinicals be acceptable towards graduation requirements, no matter the amount of virtual hours. If clinicals are comprised of 100% virtual, it satisfies clinical requirements for FL nursing schools.
So for those worried about online clinicals not being sufficient for graduation, it can be 100 % online/virtual instruction and will meet FL BON requirements. I thought this something that should be blasted to ALL current and applying students. Unless this is untrue in some way, but I clarified a verbal 100% with the Associate Dean of nursing. I got a confirmation by email from the Head Dean of Orlando/Ocala nursing that online clinicals are acceptable for graduation requirements. I thought this is great news to share!
@Kimmy00 This is definitely good news! I was worried about it at the beginning of the quarter, but after reading the Florida Nurse Practice Act, it says that up to 50% of all clinical hours can be simulation. It does not specify virtual. And it does not specify whether it be 50% each quarter/semester, or total. So, I am going to assume it is total. Thank you for posting this, though! I am sure it put a lot of minds at ease.
I was wondering if you would post something of your overall feel for the program, now that you’re almost done. How did you find communication, professors, administrators, advisors, etc? How did you find the ATI testing overall and which ones would you say to really study for? Any recommendations, pitfalls, suggestions? Can you hold my hand? ??
Again, thank you so much for posting this blog! I’ve recommended you now to all the students in my cohort. It’s just such an awesome resource for us that aren’t getting a lot of info. It’s not that freely given and being new, a lot of issues have to be ironed out. Thank you so much for this rich resource! You’re awesome and I hope to meet you one day on my way through the NICU. ??
@Kimmy00 Alright, so there is a lot to unpack here! haha
Communication: Some professors were great with communication and would respond very quickly. Some professors responded in a fair amount of time, but did not really answer my question or provide any clarity. And I had a couple of professors who almost never responded to messages. I feel like this is likely to happen no matter where you attend school, though. Unless all of your classes are in person and you see your professor all of the time. But at Rasmussen, half of our classes are online (with the exception of this quarter).
Professors: I would say most of my professors have been great. Every professor has their own style, so you have to learn and adjust to each one every quarter. For the online professors, I do not know if it was the professors I had trouble with, or the class. I was not a fan of some of the classes we had to take because they felt riddled with busy work. And most of the professors do not design the class and the assignments. They are more of the... "distributors," I guess you could say. So, it is a little unfair to hold my hatred for the class against them, ya know?
Advisor: Our advisor is pretty good about responding to emails. I haven't really reached out to her much, to be honest. Registering for courses is pretty much done for you in the nursing program. You just have to look it over and approve/agree to your schedule. Hmm... not much to say about this.
ATI: I have passed all of my ATIs on the first try. But that does not mean they are not difficult! You definitely have to study for them. The hardest ATIs for most people are Pharm and Nutrition, I think. Mental Health is a tough one, too. My study habits are not the norm, but I would be happy to share with anyone if they want to know. Just a caveat, what I do may not work for you. But I will help in any way I can!
Recommendations: Study a little bit every day, even if it is just quiz questions. I use Picmonic every... single... day. I do the daily quiz questions. You can set it to a maximum amount each day. My max is 300, but I usually do anywhere from 50-100. This will really help you to remember/retain the information. Especially if you are a visual learner.
You will likely feel overwhelmed. Especially at the beginning. Remember to take it one day at a time. ONE DAY AT A TIME. I make a schedule for the week with the assignments that are due for that week only and the due dates of each assignment (because discussion posts are due on Tuesdays and Saturdays). When I wake up each morning, I look at my assignments and make a goal of what I would like to accomplish that day. As I complete assignments, I cross them off.
If you like to study in groups, then make a group. If you do not, then you do not have to. I did not study with a group until recently, and only because I wanted the social interaction. Because my study habits are different, I tend to study better alone. But find what works for you, and run with it.
Do not be afraid to ask questions. And do not be afraid to give a wrong answer. You are there to learn. If you do not actively engage and participate, learning will be much more difficult. If the professors do not know what you do not know, they cannot help you. (Hopefully you understand that sentence haha)
If anyone has any other questions, please do not hesitate to reach out! I am here to help in any way I can. We need to break the culture and stereotype of nurses eating their young, and that starts with us. Remember, "faster alone, further together." Happy nursing!
Thank you sooo much for your quick responses and for ALL your advice! I am piecing more together as we go along and other students collaborate, plus I also found the FB Rasmussen page a little helpful. Our cohort is on its own FB page, so as we get more students, it will be more info and more support. The professors are great so far, and I feel badly for them in the scramble to put it all online. However, Rasmussen has already been ahead with online instruction. And you’re right- most professors are just the “distributors” of an already developed course. It is what it is, and I’m actually enjoying not having to travel for the convenience sake. Just get up and grab a cup of coffee, be in uniform in case you get called on and have to be on camera. I put my hair up in a clip and I’m ready. ?
The downside of virtual is of course the hands-on experience of clinicals. We don’t have any hands-on so far, but the instructor is willing to open up a clinical room for us as a class to practice. Bless her heart! She is willing to go the extra mile ?
I’ve signed up for Picmonic and I can see what you mean about it making it easier to remember with visual scenarios. I’m considering Nursing.com, but I think I’ve got too many resources to even decide on that. Right now Picmonic is offering a special of 20% off for new subscriptions, and an extra 20% off if you get 4 others to join with you within the week. Also Nursing.com is offering free courses till May15 (IV and core nursing) plus discount of $25/month, due to Covid. I think having access to ATI courses is a great tool so far, and maybe I will just utilize that with the e-textbooks. It seems to be a great resource, it even has videos! I agree with the “fluff” papers. It’s so time consuming, and the postings... I want to get the basics of nursing down! The rest is fluff, and for the Bachelor’s degree requirements, but I wish it wasn’t so much volume! It’s what I spend the majority on- writing! I don’t know how I’m going to get to the actual memorization part of nursing disease and processes! But I thank you for the reminder to just take it One Day At A Time. I will get through this, by God’s grace. I am so lucky to not have to work right now. I don’t know how I’d do it if I did have to work. Thank you to all our support network, right?
Thanks for all this posting you’ve done throughout your courses. It’s been invaluable to me, and I’m sure to others coming after. ?? Keep on being that nurse representative. ?
Also, I like how you described briefly your study habits. I too list all my assignments & due dates for the week on a small dry erase board. This way I know what I’ve got to complete that day or plan which day to do it, depending on my personal life schedule. But I think waking early and starting on it keeps my stress level down, as opposed to waiting till evening and then you might not have enough time for research on those posts to make a complete one. It’s kinda difficult to keep myself on track cause I’m at home, so am considering where I might be able to go since this Covid limits the places...
Thank you sooo much for your quick responses and for ALL your advice! I am piecing more together as we go along and other students collaborate, plus I also found the FB Rasmussen page a little helpful. Our cohort is on its own FB page, so as we get more students, it will be more info and more support. The professors are great so far, and I feel badly for them in the scramble to put it all online. However, Rasmussen has already been ahead with online instruction. And you’re right- most professors are just the “distributors” of an already developed course. It is what it is, and I’m actually enjoying not having to travel for the convenience sake. Just get up and grab a cup of coffee, be in uniform in case you get called on and have to be on camera. I put my hair up in a clip and I’m ready. ?
The downside of virtual is of course the hands-on experience of clinicals. We don’t have any hands-on so far, but the instructor is willing to open up a clinical room for us as a class to practice. Bless her heart! She is willing to go the extra mile ?
I’ve signed up for Picmonic and I can see what you mean about it making it easier to remember with visual scenarios. I’m considering Nursing.com, but I think I’ve got too many resources to even decide on that. Right now Picmonic is offering a special of 20% off for new subscriptions, and an extra 20% off if you get 4 others to join with you within the week. Also Nursing.com is offering free courses till May15 (IV and core nursing) plus discount of $25/month, due to Covid. I think having access to ATI courses is a great tool so far, and maybe I will just utilize that with the e-textbooks. It seems to be a great resource, it even has videos! I agree with the “fluff” papers. It’s so time consuming, and the postings... I want to get the basics of nursing down! The rest is fluff, and for the Bachelor’s degree requirements, but I wish it wasn’t so much volume! It’s what I spend the majority on- writing! I don’t know how I’m going to get to the actual memorization part of nursing disease and processes! But I thank you for the reminder to just take it One Day At A Time. I will get through this, by God’s grace. I am so lucky to not have to work right now. I don’t know how I’d do it if I did have to work. Thank you to all our support network, right?
Thanks for all this posting you’ve done throughout your courses. It’s been invaluable to me, and I’m sure to others coming after. ?? Keep on being that nurse representative. ?
P.S. Are you coming to Orlando for your NICU job?
@Kimmy00 Yes, I am going to Orlando for my NICU job!
I love Nursing.com, but it is a bit pricey in comparison to some of the other resources out there. I think Picmonic helps with the various diseases and processes, especially if you read the rationales. I try to read the rationales for every quiz question after I answer them. That is why I preach doing the quiz questions every day.
Some students use concept maps to help with various diseases. I never found those helpful, because they felt scattered.
I had Leadership Clinical on Monday and Integration Clinical on Wednesday. Both were very long days. The information and activities were great, but sitting in front of a computer for 8+ hours is brutal for me. One of the reasons I switched from engineering to exercise and wellness was I am not someone who does well being stuck behind a computer screen for hours on end. I need moving around and interacting with people. That being said, we acted out and reviewed various situations we may encounter in our clinical practice and we did a virtual simulation on ATI for the first time. I was not impressed with the simulation. There were some cool aspects, such as having access to the patient's chart while performing the assessment, but the actual assessment simulation felt a bit clumsy and limited. When I was going through my training for the Neonatal Resuscitation Program (NRP), I had to do a virtual simulation and that was amazing! Anyhow, it was better than nothing, I suppose.
Speaking of ATI, we finally got word about whether or not we would be taking any proctored exams this quarter, and it turns out we will. Starting next Thursday, we will be taking proctored ATIs remotely during our Capstone Lab time. Leadership will be first, and then MedSurg, and then retakes up until Week 9 when we will be taking our first ATI Comp Predictor. I am nervous about the Leadership ATI. It has the highest threshold for a Level 2 (which is passing). We are also being required to score at least a 90% on both of our practice exams before we can sit for the proctored ATI. If you have never taken any practice ATIs, they are not easy! They are meant to be the same level of difficulty as the actual exam, and scoring a 90% on the actual exam is incredibly difficult. I think the highest I have ever scored on an ATI is 86%, and I study every day. We can retake the practice exams, so I have an unlimited amount of opportunities to get the 90%, but you have to wait 48 hours in between retakes. Time is my limiting factor. It's stressful. haha
Anyhow, overall things are going well. I am hoping to pass my Leadership and MedSurg ATI on the first go. I will keep you all posted! I hope you are doing well and staying safe. Until next time, Happy Nursing!
I had not realized it had been nearly a month since my last update. So, there is a lot to unpack, but I will try to keep it short and sweet.
I have taken two exams in my Leadership lecture thus far. I scored a 96% on my first exam, and I am awaiting my results for my second. I feel I did well enough to pass, but I do not think I did as well as I did on my first exam. But we shall see...
Our ATI testing has been an interesting experience, to say the least. Before the measures taken to reduce the spread of the virus, we had planned on taking MedSurg in Week 2 and Leadership in Week 5. Once the quarter began, we had been given conflicting information about whether or not we would actually be taking any ATIs this quarter. Then we got word we would be taking our proctored ATI exams around Week 3. We were supposed to start with Leadership in Week 4/5. Well, here we are at the end of Week 7 and we just took our Leadership ATI yesterday. A bit stressful and frustrating, because we still have MedSurg to take on top of all of the projects we have due in the coming weeks. We are also being mandated to attend the ATI Live Review for 3 days, 8 am to 5 pm. I am not particularly happy about that, but I know it will help.
On a positive note, I passed my Leadership ATI! I was two questions shy of a Level 3, which is not bad considering I had turned in all of my notes and study materials two weeks prior and had not looked at it since. I am now one step closer to graduating. We will be sitting for MedSurg next week, so my focus over the weekend will be preparing for that. Although I study every day, including doing 50+ practice questions, I really want to get a Level 3. I need an 81.1%, or 73/90, to achieve this goal. I think it is definitely doable. I got a 76.7% on Practice A on the first attempt. So, a week of hardcore studying should do the trick.
I hope everyone out there is doing well, staying safe, and staying healthy! Until next time, happy nursing!
I had not realized it had been nearly a month since my last update. So, there is a lot to unpack, but I will try to keep it short and sweet.
I have taken two exams in my Leadership lecture thus far. I scored a 96% on my first exam, and I am awaiting my results for my second. I feel I did well enough to pass, but I do not think I did as well as I did on my first exam. But we shall see...
Our ATI testing has been an interesting experience, to say the least. Before the measures taken to reduce the spread of the virus, we had planned on taking MedSurg in Week 2 and Leadership in Week 5. Once the quarter began, we had been given conflicting information about whether or not we would actually be taking any ATIs this quarter. Then we got word we would be taking our proctored ATI exams around Week 3. We were supposed to start with Leadership in Week 4/5. Well, here we are at the end of Week 7 and we just took our Leadership ATI yesterday. A bit stressful and frustrating, because we still have MedSurg to take on top of all of the projects we have due in the coming weeks. We are also being mandated to attend the ATI Live Review for 3 days, 8 am to 5 pm. I am not particularly happy about that, but I know it will help.
On a positive note, I passed my Leadership ATI! I was two questions shy of a Level 3, which is not bad considering I had turned in all of my notes and study materials two weeks prior and had not looked at it since. I am now one step closer to graduating. We will be sitting for MedSurg next week, so my focus over the weekend will be preparing for that. Although I study every day, including doing 50+ practice questions, I really want to get a Level 3. I need an 81.1%, or 73/90, to achieve this goal. I think it is definitely doable. I got a 76.7% on Practice A on the first attempt. So, a week of hardcore studying should do the trick.
I hope everyone out there is doing well, staying safe, and staying healthy! Until next time, happy nursing!
I have enjoyed reading your updates on the program, you sound very happy and it’s great to see! I too go to Rasmussen Fort Myers campus but I’m in the ADN program. I graduate this December so I’m excited! I plan to move to a different city here in Florida. It sounded like applying for new grad residencies was a smooth process for you. Do you have any advice on what I should do when it comes to applying? How soon did you start? I know it may be different only having my ADN but I also have LPN experience.
NICU_Nurse_Casti, BSN, RN
321 Posts
@MJT_BSN2B Thank you! Yeah, last quarter flew by. So, I can only imagine this quarter will, as well. I am looking forward to finally going to work as an RN and getting to help those little babies! ☺️