Rasmussen University - Fort Myers

[NICU_Nurse_Casti]

Hello everyone!

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.

[NICU_Nurse_Casti, BSN, RN]

Alright, tomorrow I take my last two final exams for the quarter! If I get at least a 92% on my Health Assessment final and an 88% on my Critical Analysis final, I will finish out this quarter with a 4.0. I feel pretty good about my chances, but you never know. Each exam is at least 100 questions, so it will be interesting.

On an even better note, I recently took my proctored ATI Nutrition Assessment and scored a Level 3! As far as I know, there were only 6 out of 13 that got a passing score of Level 2 or higher. However, there is still one person I didn't hear from so I don't know what his score was. I am super happy I got my Level 3 because I studied hard for that one, especially because it asks a lot of questions about information not covered in the first quarter at Rasmussen.

I will update everyone more once my final grades are posted. I hope all of the other students out there are having a great quarter/semester!

[NICU_Nurse_Casti, BSN, RN]

So, my first quarter in nursing school has come to a close. Although it has not been officially entered into my account, I received 3 A's and 1 B. I was literally 1% away from straight A's in my first quarter, but starting off nursing school with a 3.75 GPA and a Level 3 on the ATI Nutrition exam isn't bad.

I am definitely looking forward to next quarter. I will taking Pharmacology, Essentials of Professional Nursing, and Pathophysiology. Both Pharm and Essentials will have a lab and clinical component, so I will most likely be much busier next quarter. I believe I also must take 2 ATI exams (Fundamentals and Pharmacology). Everyone says Pharm is very difficult, both the class itself and the ATI. I am definitely looking forward to the challenge!

My next quarter starts on April 1, so until then I will just be working and taking a trip out of state. I hope everyone else is doing well!

[Jo2RN20]

Hello,

I am applying for September or January Term. I’m just curious about tuition. How accurate is the estimated tuition that is provided on their website? I will be transferring credits from my bachelors and going straight into the nursing core classes.

I really appreciate this thread. I am in the same boat as your original post. I’m excited.

[NICU_Nurse_Casti, BSN, RN]

6 hours ago, Jo2RN20 said:

Hello,

I am applying for September or January Term. I’m just curious about tuition. How accurate is the estimated tuition that is provided on their website? I will be transferring credits from my bachelors and going straight into the nursing core classes.

I really appreciate this thread. I am in the same boat as your original post. I’m excited.

Hey Jo2RN20! I sent you a PM. Thanks for reading my thread. ?

[Jo2RN20]

Hi Casti,

Check your DM.

Thank you ?

[NICU_Nurse_Casti, BSN, RN]

Update time!

So, I am wrapping up Week 2 of Quarter 2 here at Rasmussen - Fort Myers. I am taking Essentials of Professional Nursing, Pharmacology, and Pathophysiology. Let’s just say this will be a much more intense quarter than it was last quarter.

I have lab and clinical for both Pharm and Essentials. I start my clinicals next week for both. For Essentials, it’ll be 4 8-hour shifts at a LTC facility. For Pharm, 3 4-hour shifts at a different LTC. Following the 3 weeks of Pharm clinicals, I’ll be in simulation lab for Essentials. I’ll also have to accumulate an extra 15 clinical hours for Pharm on my own through school sponsored activities (WebEx review sessions, in-person lectures, etc.). So, for the next 7 weeks, it’s going to be crazy busy.

On top of all of the school work, I also have to prepare for the Pharm and Fundamentals ATI proctored exams. Right now I am not seeing how I will have the time, but I guess I’m going to have to make it. My goal is to pass both with a Level 3 on the first tries.

Now I’m off to bed. Gotta get my rest for the long weekend ahead! Haha Hope everyone is doing well!

[NICU_Nurse_Casti, BSN, RN]

Update time!

I am halfway through Week 5 of Quarter 2, which means I am halfway through the quarter! I just finished my first round of exams for the quarter and received the following grades:

90% in Essentials of Professional Nursing

90.7% in Pharmacology

100% in Pathophysiology

Don't let that 100% full you, though. It was an extremely difficult exam and I was very fortunate it was open book/open note or I would have failed, for sure. The amount of information we were supposed to have covered (10 chapters, roughly 400 pages) was just too much in 3 weeks and on top of our other classes.

I am wrapping up my last clinical day for Pharm on Friday. This clinical was basically medication reconciliation and patient teaching at a long-term care facility. An interesting experience. Not super difficult.

I am also halfway through my clinical experience for Essentials. Tomorrow I will be performing a complete head-to-toe assessment on a resident at a different long-term care facility so I can write a narrative note and develop a care plan. I have really enjoyed this clinical experience because it is much more hands on than last quarter.

Once these clinical experiences are complete, I will be able to focus on my studying for the ATI Pharm and Fundamentals exams at the end of the quarter. I hear the ATI Pharm exam is difficult, but I want to score a Level 3 and pass it on the first try, so I don't have to retake it.

Hope everyone is doing well!

[NICU_Nurse_Casti, BSN, RN]

Update!

I am now in the middle of Quarter 2: Week 8. I had two exams last week and one yesterday. In Essentials and Pathophysiology I achieved a 96% on each Exam #2 and in Pharmacology I got a 91.17%. Those exam scores brought my grade up in Essentials to 94% (an A now!), and down to 98% in Patho and 93.9% in Pharm (ahhh! 0.1% away from an A!).

Final exams are in 3 weeks, but I have 2 proctored ATI exams in coming up. Fundamentals next week and Pharm in two weeks. Both are worth points in my overall grade and the amount of points we receive is dependent on the level we get on the exam. My goal is to score Level 3's on both, but I hear the Pharm ATI is very difficult. We shall see...

I am done with clinical this quarter, but I have two sim labs coming up over the next couple of weeks. That should be interesting as our instructor said she is going to throw a situation at us to see how we react on the last sim day. I am terrified. haha But I know that this is a great opportunity to learn and since this is only our second quarter, I am sure she is not expecting perfection.

I hope everyone is doing great and I will update you over the next couple of weeks with how the ATI's and final exams go!

[NICU_Nurse_Casti, BSN, RN]

Alright, alright, alright!

So, we are coming to the end of Week 9 of Quarter 2 of the ABSN program at Rasmussen College - Fort Myers. The next couple of weeks are going to be very busy. I just took my proctored ATI Fundamentals yesterday and scored a Level 2, which is passing for those who are unaware. I am certainly happy I passed, but I was really wanting a Level 3. Oh well, as long as I passed, right? Otherwise I would have to retake it and I don't want to have to do that.

Next is my proctored ATI Pharm, which I hear is very difficult. But I will be busting my butt over the next several days to make sure I learn the ins and outs of as many drugs as I can. I obviously won't be able to learn all of the drugs, but as long as I understand most of the classes and the main drugs of those classes I should be able to pass.

I also got my schedule for next quarter! I will be taking Adult 1: Acute Care (aka MedSurg 1), Transcultural Nursing, and Alternative and Complimentary Therapies. Both Transcultural and Alt & Comp Therapies will be offered online, while I will have both lecture and lab on one day and then clinical on another. What is most exciting about this upcoming quarter is we will be moving from a LTC facility to the hospital. We will also be increasing our clinical time from 8 hours per shift to 12 hours per shift. Longer days, but more opportunities to learn!

That is all for now. I hope you are all doing well!

[Jo2RN20]

I’m so proud of you. I’m really thinking about starting in January. I really appreciate you keeping in touch with me. You keep me motivated although I want to start right now. Lol! Congratulations on passing and I know you will rock the heck out of Pharm. I truly believe in you.

[NICU_Nurse_Casti, BSN, RN]

Just now, Jo2RN20 said:

I’m so proud of you. I’m really thinking about starting in January. I really appreciate you keeping in touch with me. You keep me motivated although I want to start right now. Lol! Congratulations on passing and I know you will rock the heck out of Pharm. I truly believe in you.

Thank you! I have been much busier this quarter than last, but I feel like I am learning so much more and I had some great experiences at clinical. I even participated in a code! I only did chest compressions, but we were able to resuscitate the client. So, that was an experience many don't get in nursing school.

I am so glad I made the decision to go into nursing. I look forward to hearing about your journey, too! Keep me updated. ?

[NICU_Nurse_Casti, BSN, RN]

Week 10! We are in our final week of lectures/labs of the quarter. Fortunately, all of my lectures and labs take place on Mondays and Tuesdays, so I am done with classes and can now focus on final exams and papers. Woo hoo!

Today was my last Pharm lecture of the quarter and we had to sit for the proctored Pharm ATI test. I had heard so many horror stories about people failing miserably on their first go. There are three sections for Pharm at my school (I believe), including mine. The other two sections had taken their ATI yesterday and I had heard of only 3 people passing. There may have been more, but not many, if at all. I don't think I have ever been so nervous about taking an exam. Fortunately, I passed! I got 83.3%, which was one correct question away from a Level 3! So close! Unfortunately, I was the only one from my section to pass (that I am aware of). But now I have a legitimate shot at maintaining straight A's this quarter. Yeah buddy! That is 3 ATIs down and 6 more to go!

Hope everyone is having a great week!