Sentara's new BSN program

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Is anyone going to the open houses? I'm scheduled to go next week and I am eager to hear about the new requirements. I wonder how many credits we need in order to apply and what the pricing will be like?

Specializes in GI/Endoscopy, IV infusion, Surgery.
Hey everyone, I was just reading about Sentara's BSN program and had a few questions...

I'm from out of state contemplating a move to VA. I have all my classes except A&PI and II, and ENG II. Maybe a few Fine Arts classes here and there. Do you think it would be worth applying to Sentara's BSN program? Since I'm already an LPN, would I have to take the CNA test??? Thanks.

Hi.. If you are already a nurse you do not have to take the CNA class. They will take off the first 2 nursing classes since you are a LPN. It wont hurt to apply to the BSN program. I believe that they only offer new starts once a year in August. They are currently taking applications now for the Aug 2010 start. I know Sentara would like for you to have at least 3 of 4 sciences complete before you apply with the goal of having all complete by Feb 2, 2010 if you are planning to enroll in the August 2010 class. If I were you I would give them a call and talk with them or go online during regular business hours and chat with the admission person.

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Does Sentara have just an LPN to RN program without a Bachelors that is quicker? I visited TCC's nursing program today and wasn't really into it. I'm debating on going to Sentara. However, my fiance is going away to grad school next year and I really just want to get my RN out of the way and go back to school where he is to get my bachelors. If I do Sentara's BSN program i have like 7 more prereqs to take and another 2.5 years to get out of the program. If I go to TCC and suck it up I can start this may and be done in a year and a half through their LPN to RN. I'm at a loss of what to do...anyone have any information that could help me?

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Specializes in Home Health, Med/Surg.

MCI is not a diploma, it's and Associates Degree with a concentration in nursing. I just graduated from there in April

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I went today and it was really informative. I'm going to continue the route of both programs, but I won't be able to start Sentara until their Fall '12 class if I go that route. They are very strict of having all pre-req's done more quickly than the older program. They have the new pre-req's and requirements posted on their website. Bacially you have to be completely done with everything by Feb. 1 of the year you want to start the program (which now only begins in August for traditional BSN students and LPN to BSN students) and you also have to pass the CNA training & state test. So, I'm going to apply to TCC at the end of Summer '10 for Fall '11 and see what happens there but also keep going in all the classes to go to Sentara or ODU. This is what I want to do and what's one more year in the scheme of things?

For Sentara's program, you mentioned you need everything done by Feb 1 of the year you want to start. So if I'm in my last semester of prereqs, can I still apply in September for the following August for admission?

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sentara is working with odu. i am sure if you get a bsn from them it would transfer into odu's master's program. does this mean sentara will no longer offer an rn program?

i'm currently choosing which bsn program i want to pursue. i called odu this morning, and was told the credit from sentara college of health sciences will not transfer to odu. thought that might answer a few questions on sentara's bsn program.

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Wow! Very interesting and good information to know. I wonder how other colleges would look at it?? Definitely makes you think hard about what program pick.

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For credit to transfer at many colleges/universities, the originating school (where you took the class) needs to be regionally accredited. Here in Virginia, the regional accreditation agency is the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) Commission on Colleges. You can search their website at http://www.sacscoc.org/searchResults.asp to see the list of colleges and universities in a state that are accredited.

The Sentara College of Health Sciences is a new institution at the bachelor level. They have not yet graduated any students, and look not to be accredited by SACS yet.

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Specializes in Nursing Professional Development.

I'm not affiliated with Sentara ... but I know several people there. It is a reputable school (affiliated with a Magnet hospital) and I am pretty sure they are in the process of getting all the appropriate accreditations. I know they delayed their switch to BSN for a year while they focused on some of the accreditation requirements.

I would recommend checking the details with the school believing any rumors or speculations.

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LLG:

Thanks for the clarification. I have heard that Sentara is working on the accreditation process too -- and it is a long process. Sentara has administered a very good diploma program with solid objectives and strong outcomes. I am very hopeful that they will be accredited on their first submission (whenever that date is), and I wish the faculty and staff the absolute best as they are on the 'accreditation journey'.

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i'm currently choosing which bsn program i want to pursue. i called odu this morning, and was told the credit from sentara college of health sciences will not transfer to odu. thought that might answer a few questions on sentara's bsn program.

there seems to be some conflicting information coming out of odu and sentara's college of health sciences. i called odu and they told me the credits from sentara's bsn program would not transfer. today i received a call from sentara's college of health sciences and i was told my bsn from sentara would most certainly transfer.

here's how it was explained to me by sentara. according to the lady i spoke with, sentara is nationally accredited and odu is regionally accredited(most of you know this much). she informed me what will happen is, i will try to transfer credit from sentara to odu. odu will tell me that they do not accept the credits, and then it would go up for review. the lady from sentara told me that after that review odu will have to accept my bsn from sentara. she also explained to me that since sentara is nationally accredited and odu is regionally accredited, the bsn from sentara would transfer to colleges in other states, whereas the bsn from odu would not.

there seems to be some confusion between those two schools. i hope they can get on the same page and quit with the conflicting information.:confused::)

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Actually, both the people at Sentara and ODU could be right. The confusion comes from that there are several three primary types of accreditation in a nursing school, and each one signifies something different.

National Accreditation (a nursing thing). The two primary national nursing accreditation agencies are the National League of Nursing Accreditation Commission (NLNAC) and the Commission for Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE). This national nursing accreditation certifies (among other things) that the nursing curriculum meets national nursing objectives, that the nursing faculty meet national standards for teaching or research, that the program responds to community needs, that syllabi indicate course objectives, and that program objectives are met (strong HESI, NCLEX rates, etc).

State Accreditation from the Virginia Board of Nursing (again, a nursing thing). This certifies that graduates of a pre-licensure program are qualified to sit for NCLEX when they are complete with the program.

Regional Accreditation (Southern Association of Colleges, Middle States Association of Colleges, New England States Association, etc). This accreditation is done at the University or College level (not just a nursing thing). This certifies that the College/University as a whole meets certain national standards. This means that any single course from the University could potentially transfer into the same degree program of another college/university.

Sentara has been educating nurses for a number of years, and they have the national and state accreditations (the two nursing ones). The College is new to offering a bachelor’s degree though, so may not have the third type of accreditation today (Feb 26, 2010). This does not mean they will not have it soon. I am sure that the Sentara faculty and administration are working on this issue diligently with the goal to obtain regional accreditation before their first BSN student cohort graduates.

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