Samford

picurn112 · Nov 4, 2005

Did you get an early interview? I am not a student but applied and interviewed last year. The interview was not too bad. Questions were about what my references said and why I wanted to be a CRNA, etc. The clinicals are in different locations through out the state. Lots of traveling. I was also 9 months pg last year when I interviewed. I am trying again this year but did not get everything in for the early interview deadline.

berry · Nov 5, 2005

Yeah I got an early, first one, guess I am nervous/curious after reading about peoples experiences with different schools.

picurn112 · Nov 5, 2005

good luck. They are pretty nice there. Beautiful campus.

Phishininau · Nov 7, 2005

I got an interview too...Dec 5th. I am pretty nervous about it too since this will be the first interview that I go on. I am curious how many people they are interviewing. Any ideas?

I also have heard that the Samford interview involves a lot of clinical questions.

gatormac2112 · Nov 7, 2005

I have an interview on December 8th....good luck to all of you! I read here last year that Samfords interview had no clinical questions at all...when I set up my interview they told me that the interviewers were very nice and would not "test" you at all, that they were interested in you and what drives you. She also said that they only offered early admission to applicants with extraordinary credentials and that the rest of the early interviewees get considered later with the rest of the applicants for the remaining spots.

Samford is probably the prettiest campus I have ever been on, but the parking is a bit tight and I can see that a lengthy walk might occur here and there.

My question to current/past Samford CRNA students isn't about the interview, but about their experiences, pros and cons about classes and clinicals. Would they have chosen UAB over Samford if given the chance? If so, why?

As for the number of applicants I have no idea...probably 300-400 I would imagine. They only accept about 20 so I am not exactly holding my breath. I have also applied to UAB, but have been told not to expect an invite for an interview until Mid December at the earliest.

SproutRN · Nov 7, 2005

I am currently attending Samford and will be graduating in 5 weeks in the first CRNA class. At no time have I regretted attending Samford. I did apply to UAB a few years ago and did not have a good experience when trying to meet with them regarding preparation for school. From the minute I applied to Samford, everything just fell into place for me.

The program is top notch and the small class size is certainly a plus. The 1st and 2nd classes had 18 students and the 3rd class is the largest with 25; and there are no plans to ever have more than that. It is more personal and professors are truly interested in you and your learning. There have been many of us in the clinical setting that have been told by our preceptors that we are "very well prepared". I don't feel like I am lacking in any area. As others have already stated, the campus is beautiful which is certainly a plus.

Yes, there are parking issues on campus but they have just completed another lot this fall. I have never had a problem with parking, since I don't care if I can't park next to the nursing building. There is a parking lot across the street with shuttle access, so it's no big deal.

There are several clinical sites within a 1-2 hour driving time of Birmingham. For some that might be a negative. However, the sites are fantastic with a lot of various opportunities including regional, pediatrics, neuro, cv, etc. They continue to add various sites.

My own personal experience with interview was over 2 years ago and for the most part I was asked the usual why do you want to be a CRNA, etc. questions. I was asked a few clinicl questions related to my area of experience. I did not have trouble answering the questions. I am not sure what the plans are for this years interviews, but the folks at Samford are really nice. Even if I am biased! It's worth your time to look into!!

http://www.samford.edu/schools/nursing/dna/home.htm

Good luck to you all.

Sprout :nurse:

gatormac2112 · Nov 8, 2005

I am currently attending Samford and will be graduating in 5 weeks in the first CRNA class. At no time have I regretted attending Samford. I did apply to UAB a few years ago and did not have a good experience when trying to meet with them regarding preparation for school. From the minute I applied to Samford, everything just fell into place for me.
The program is top notch and the small class size is certainly a plus. The 1st and 2nd classes had 18 students and the 3rd class is the largest with 25; and there are no plans to ever have more than that. It is more personal and professors are truly interested in you and your learning. There have been many of us in the clinical setting that have been told by our preceptors that we are "very well prepared". I don't feel like I am lacking in any area. As others have already stated, the campus is beautiful which is certainly a plus.
Yes, there are parking issues on campus but they have just completed another lot this fall. I have never had a problem with parking, since I don't care if I can't park next to the nursing building. There is a parking lot across the street with shuttle access, so it's no big deal.
There are several clinical sites within a 1-2 hour driving time of Birmingham. For some that might be a negative. However, the sites are fantastic with a lot of various opportunities including regional, pediatrics, neuro, cv, etc. They continue to add various sites.
My own personal experience with interview was over 2 years ago and for the most part I was asked the usual why do you want to be a CRNA, etc. questions. I was asked a few clinicl questions related to my area of experience. I did not have trouble answering the questions. I am not sure what the plans are for this years interviews, but the folks at Samford are really nice. Even if I am biased! It's worth your time to look into!!
http://www.samford.edu/schools/nursing/dna/home.htm
Good luck to you all.
Sprout

Sprout,

Some questions:

How difficult were the science courses compared to your undergrad sciences? Is it a 10 point grading scale or 7? Do you get canned for making a C or do you just have to maintain a B average? How are you graded in clinicals? Did you have class every day, Monday through Friday? How do the instructors handle a student that is struggling, either in didactics or clinicals (not that I intend to)? What in your opinion is the most important clinical skill/knowledge to have to succeed in the program? Is the teaching more theory based than hands-on/practical knowledge?

I attended the UABSON and was not very happy with the experience overall. They were more interested in weeding out students that might lower the success rate on the NCLEX than helping those stragglers succeed. They had a 7 point grading scale making it near impossible to make A's. I had alot of 90, 91, 92 B's :angryfire.

I hope you don't mind answering some of these questions and in fact would love to sit in on a class or two and even a clinical site to make my own conclusions. I'm not sure how the administration would feel about that though as I haven't asked them yet and am not sure if I will.

You wouldn't happen to be doing any clinicals at Cullman Regional Medical Center would you? I live in Cullman and would love to meet you if you are.

Thanks,

gatormac2112

gatormac2112 · Nov 8, 2005

Bumpbumpbumpbumpbump

picurn112 · Nov 8, 2005

Sprout,
Some questions:
How difficult were the science courses compared to your undergrad sciences? Is it a 10 point grading scale or 7? Do you get canned for making a C or do you just have to maintain a B average? How are you graded in clinicals? Did you have class every day, Monday through Friday? How do the instructors handle a student that is struggling, either in didactics or clinicals (not that I intend to)? What in your opinion is the most important clinical skill/knowledge to have to succeed in the program? Is the teaching more theory based than hands-on/practical knowledge?

Good questions. I had the same issue with my ASN program. They had a 7 point scale...oh how I wish my 90- 92% B's were A's now.

I also heard through the grape vine that UAB is going to be sending invites out sooner than previously thought. The waiting is excruciating!! :rotfl:

SproutRN · Nov 9, 2005

I will try and answer all your questions as best I can.

As far as grades go, you must maintain a "B" average and the grading scale is 92+ = A, 82-91 = B. You must make a B or better in most of the coursework, specifically anesthesia related courses, there are a few classes you can make a C in, but I wouldn't recommend it.

My class started out with 18, and we lost a couple at various points for them not making a B in an anesthesia class. They both sat out until the class was re-taught and have now started clinical portions. I cannot remember all the details related to grades, probation, etc.

As far as clinicals go, they are pass or fail and are based on your performance in the clinic which is evaluated by your preceptors. We had a list of "milestones" that had to be completed at various stages of our clinical experience. I had no trouble in accomplishing the milestones.

During the didactic portion of our program we were in class most days of the week and spent as much time studying. If I remember correctly we had a couple of quarters with one off day per week. After 12 full months in the classroom you begin clinicals 3 days a week for the first few weeks, with the other 2 days in the classroom. Then you attend clinicals 5 days a week, with one half day for an afternoon "seminar" class. The teaching portion plays a very important part in laying a foundation for your clinical experience. Early on we spent time in the lab working with the anesthesia machine. They now have more tools to teach insertion of invasive lines, etc.

As far as strugglers go, there are not many of those in anesthesia school. But at Samford, the staff is very willing to help explain concepts and work with you. It is very important to have a great study group, without my study group, I wouldn't have made it! Each instructor brings something to the table. One may be more theory oriented, while another is more "this is what you are really going to see".

You really need to shadow a CRNA for a day to see what it is really like, as far as the clinical area. I am not at Cullman, but have had several classmates spend time there and loved it.

I hope all this helps. Feel free to ask more if you need to.

Sprout :nurse:

gatormac2112 · Nov 10, 2005

Sprout,

Thanks so much for taking the time out of your busy schedule to respond to my questions! I have noticed that Samford has Fall A and B and Spring A and B terms with just one Summer term per year. UAB on the other hand has just Fall, Spring and Summer terms. UAB has anywhere from 13-18 credit hours per term with an average of 15-16...Samford has 9-10 credit hours per term during didactics and only 5-6 credit hours during clinicals. The Fall A & B terms together add up to 18 hours, but it is broken down into smaller more manageable chunks it seems. In your experience does breaking the classes down into smaller chunks make the load more manageable?