Rogers State University

[whitter]

Well, I recently joined allnurses.com. I wanted to write a paragraph about Rogers State University in Claremore, OK. I am a RSU nursing student and I highly recommend it. If anyone has any questions about the program, faculty, criteria to get in, etc... send me a message or comment. There are quite a few schools in the Tulsa area, but I chose RSU for many reasons. Their passing rate is amazing... the faculty want you to make it through and help you stay encouraged... Claremore is a nice town... the campus is pretty and not in the city... tuition is very reasonable compared to other ADN programs... hospitals want RSU grads and making it through the program basically guarantees you will pass your NCLEX exam.

After acceptance into the nursing program, you begin clinicals whether all prerequisites are completed. After you are through with your first two semesters you can take the NCLEX- LPN. So, even though it is not an actual LPN program, you can become a LPN after a year of the program which is pretty neat. You don't have to though. Once you complete the second year, you can take the NCLEX-RN! They also have a RN to BSN program.

One thing I like about RSU is that at some BSN programs you take all prerequisites and then the last two years is when the nursing kicks in. Well, with RSU after 5 semesters I will be a RN, then I can finish up my BSN while working a RN's salary (which is great!).

I just made it through my first year of school! Whoo hoo :-) I will graduate with in May 2008. I can't wait to be a RN!!

[going crazy]

Wow. That's great.

I have heard that their program is really intense and very HARD to get into.

Maybe one day I'll get there.

I would love to talk more about this from someone who is actually doing it.

[mistiffy]

Hi, I have looked into RSU as well and it seems like I remember a lot of pre-reqs were required to get in, would you mind telling me what all is required and when would I be able to apply? Also what gpa do you need to have? I have completed bio for majors and am taking principles of chem and anatomy this summer and microbio and phys. in the fall. When I am done I will have 100 plus hours of college credit because I spent a couple of years as an english major (that worked out well lol) and I also have an associates from TCC in liberal arts (A degree in Basics, haha!) SO my concern is that I dont want to spend too much longer on pre reqs before I could actually get into a program, however I dont mind taking them while I am enrolled in the program, if that makes any sense. I plan on attending (hopefully) Tcc's ADN program in the spring, but would love to find a BSN program if I could! Thanx so much, sorry Im bombarding u with questions!

[whitter]

First of all, I am not sure how to reply and stuff yet! Lol.

Sorry it has taken so long to reply. I have been very BUSY! I will type up something tonight and post it for you two.

[whitter]

everything in black is straight off of the rsu website or the associate degree nursing handbook.

the red is me!

associate in applied science nursing (054)

the nursing program began in 1981 and is approved by theoklahoma board of nursing and accredited by the nationalleague for nursing accrediting commission. the degreeconsists of a 72 credit-hour program and can be completedwithin five semesters by a full-time student.the nursing program exists to provide selected students witheducational opportunities in the classroom and in clinical set-tings in northeastern oklahoma, and to prepare them to enterthe profession of nursing upon graduation. the graduate isprepared at an entry-level of nursing practice and is eligibleto take the national council licensure examination tobecome a registered nurse. admission is competitive.

first of all, i am not perfect. some small things may have changed since i enrolled march 2006, but for the most part it should be correct. if you are really interested in rsu, you would definitely want to seek help from an advisor to help you. i am glad to help you know what you need though!

to apply for rsu’s program you must take 5 prerequisite courses listed below.

you can only apply once a year in march which let’s you start in the fall. even though it makes it harder to get in, rsu is organized. there is always a “first year” nursing group and a “second year” nursing group. i like it that way.

if you are in one of the 5 classes in the spring semester (which includes march) you can still apply. they will not start reviewing applicants until after classes have ended. so, you could even do two of the classes in the fall and finish up the other three in the spring!

to be accepted the college highly recommends a’s and b’s. i have heard of a few people getting in with a c, but it is not common.

*the following i copied and pasted from www.rsu.edu*

a student must achieve a “c” or higher in each course specified on this degree plan and a minimum gpa of 2.0 to graduate with an associate of applied science.

orie 1151 the college experience…

preparation for success as a student, including study skills,interpersonal communications, information about opportunities available at rogers state university, and initial steps incareer planning. acourse emphasizing the importance ofplanning, proactive learning, how to study, building commu-nity on campus, and fostering an understanding of self. thecollege experience is designed to help students develop pat-terns and practices.

(most colleges probably transfer this course. would need to ask)

biol2215 anatomy and physiology…

an introduction to the principles of the structure and functionof the human body. abeginning course designed to emphasize the integration of all body systems. lecture three hours,lab three hours. prerequisite: biol1144 or permission ofinstructor.

(to get into the program you can take a&p together. taking it separately at rsu is okay. if at another college, would need to see if it transfers.)

nurs 1191 dosage calculation…

a study of calculation of safe medication dosages.medication administration is not included. class placement(or enrollment) determined by score on a specified mathematics assessment test. (to enroll in this class you take a super easy basic math test. it is only front and back at a middle school age level. then, you can get into dosage calculations.

this probably has to be taken at rsu. is only one credit hour. you learn how to calculate medications.

biol1144 general cellularbiology

an introduction to inorganic and organic chemistry, with anextensive survey of cell structure, cellular metabolism,enzymes, mitosis, and meiosis, mendelian genetics, andmolecular genetics. lab two hours per week.

(would need to see if class from other college transfers.)

engl1113 composition i

this course prepares students forcollege-level writing. essay organization, development, andstyle, as well as critical thinking skills will be emphasized.

i’m sure most comp1 classes would transfer. again, always check before thinking it will.

those are the five classes!

i’m trying to make this easy to understand, because it can be confusing…

let me reiterate—to apply you only have to have the above five classes. once you are accepted into the program you still have other prerequisites and nursing courses. let’s say you only have the above five classes and you have no other college classes to speak of. well, that’s okay. they lay out the program as follows…

i took this information out of the rsu student handbook 2007-2008 for the associate degree nursing program from page 21.

i moved stuff around and color coded, but this is the layout. to pass each semester and move forward in the program, you take the classes in order.

first semester in program (fall)

nurs1111 nursing concepts

nurs1117 foundations of nursing practice

[color=#3366ff]phil1213 introduction to logic

[color=#3366ff]phar2113fundamentals of pharmacology

second semester in program (spring)

nurs1228 therapeutic nursing interventions i

[color=#3366ff]biol2124 microbiology

[color=#3366ff]nutr1113 intro to nutrition

third semester in program (fall)

nurs2138 therapeutic nursing interventions ii

[color=#3366ff]psy1113 intro to psychology

[color=#3366ff]engl1213 composition ii

fourth semester in program (spring)

nurs2223 transition to nursing practice

nurs2246 nursing in a complex environment

[color=#3366ff]pols1113 american federal government

[color=#3366ff]hist2483american history to 1877 or hist2493american history since 1877

before moving to the second semester, you must have those four listed classes completed. you can not decide you are going to take logic or pharm the second semester. you must do it the way rsu lays it out.

however, if you already have logic and pharmacology done before you get in the program you can take other [color=#3366ff]prerequisite(not nursing) courses early… like you could take microbiology in the first semester if you wanted to get it out of the way and not take it the second semester.

some of my friends did all of the prerequisites (the 5 to get in and all of the others required prerequisites listed in [color=#3366ff]blue) before entering the program. i did not. i do have government and history out of the way so i won’t have to take that my fourth semester. but, i did take pharm and logic with the nursing courses my first semester, micro and nutrition, etc…

my advice is your first two semesters after high school, take the five required classes and try to get microbiology, pharmacology and inroduction to logic out of the way, too. i made a’s in all three classes while taking them with my nursing courses my first and second semesters, but if you have the time you should get them done. less to worry about. i wasn’t sure what i was going to major in so i didn’t get that insight j

make sense?

i have typed a lot and may not have answered all of the questions. if you have any, post them! i'll reply sooner than this time. lol.

[ilovezag]

I just had a question about the LPN option. If I get in would I be able to become a LPN and then continue the program to become a RN as well?

[smclendon]

If I am correct, I believe that after 2 semesters in the RN program you will be eligible to sit for the NCLEX-PN...