Samuel Merritt ABSN intensity? Update!

[MamaMagic]

Hello! Could someone who has gone through the program recently or is currently in the program tell me about the hours? Maybe an example of what a typical week would look like? I know it’s intense and I’m trying to figure if a standard program would be better. But considering a standard program would require me to take a lot of the upper division classes for a bachelors degree that I’ve already taken, it’s hard to compare the two. My main concern is that I have two young girls (2.5 and 5) and I want to still see them! TIA!

[teddybear7]

I am not a current student but from what I have been told from students in the program it sounds like the greatest challenge is how time consuming it is. It is 40 hours a week with additional time needed for studying. It is extremely accelerated and requires full attention.

[MamaMagic]

Hello! I am going to answer my own question for other prospective students. I am in my second semester of the SMU ABSN program and now have some perspective on the ability to do it with kids. The first two terms were a lot of work- class (online since COVID) 4 days a week with exams on top of that. I studied after the kids went to bed and also on the weekends, but it was manageable- I was never up past 11 pm studying. But after the first 10 weeks, it's been surprisingly light. For this 5 week term I have one 4 hour lecture day and two clinical days, with two days off. The material for the class is about as complex as what we had for pathophysiology- which is that it's tough, but not impossible. I am able to study, spend time with the girls and I don't feel at all overwhelmed. I was really anxious about doing an accelerated program, but now I'm so glad I decided to do it. Hope that helps anyone who is on the fence!