St Margaret SON Feb 2011 start?

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So who all in here is applying for St Margaret trying to get in for Feb start?

Already got application in?

Already heard back?

I only just got my application in this past week, so obviously haven't heard back?

If anyone has applied and heard back, how long did it take to hear?

Oh wow.......I started this thread. I graduated 4 weeks ago.....took boards 2 weeks ago and passed. So now an RN (about to update the name).

You are going to be in the last class going through the program as it is. All classes after you will be more like shadysides program.

I will say I loved the program. It is hard. It will kick your butt. May have times you doubt yourself or feel certain teachers hate you (they dont) But if you are not serious about it you wont make it. It is a lot of work and very fast paced. But if you do what you are supposed to do and work on getting through, you leave very well prepared to be a nurse.

I'm looking at the program for 2013.....what's changing about SMSON's program?

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If you looked at St margarets and shadyside, and how the programs are different you can understand most of what is going to change.

Pretty much they are changing shadyside, mercy and st margaret into a more unified program, working under the same curiculum. I do not know all the specifics of the program.

I do know that part of it will be allowing for a schedual that works with intigrating the non nursing coorifices concurrently with the nursing program, and a colaboration with some university to host those courses. Up until now st margarets required those to obtained on your own prior, or some courses concurrently, however as the nursing program is 5 days a week , concurrent classes could only be taken weekends, evening or online.

I also believe there are more broken down courses, like a pharm course, psych course, communications course and so on. At St margarets we had one course a term, and it was all intigrated. We had basic nursing 1, basic nursing 2, adult nursing 1, adult nursing 2 (critical care), growing family (maternaty and peds), and Professional Nursing Responsibilities (transitions course....mostly clinical with a preceptor). We had the relitive pharm, psych, communication, and so on intigrated into the course that it related to. That is the most I know of the curriculum.

Also the time frame is changing a little. We were a 19 month program. Classes started end of Feb, and end of June, and graduated in Oct and Feb. I started 2/21/11, graduated 10/26/12. june of 2012 start class will graduate feb 2014. However the program will be a little longer....it is moving toward a more traditional school start/end cycle, starting January and August, graduating Dec and May.

Also I have heard mention, that they will start this Aug 2013, that they may hold off on starting another class in until the classes working on the old curriculum are graduated. They are starting a class Feb 2013, so they will not graduate until Oct 2014. I have heard mention there will not be a Jan 2014 start just to prevent having too many classes running on different schedules. I would imagine Aug 2014 start would likely happen since the last class of old schedule would be in PNR and just about to graduate and the Aug 2013 start class would be moved on to upper level.

Thats the basics I know of the changes. I hope they work out well for the school. But I will say I loved the school and curriculum as it was. As long as the instructors stay the same, I know they will work it out to be a good program....the instructors are wonderful. They may be hard on you sometimes when you need it, but as long as you are open to learn from them, they have a lot to teach.

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If you looked at St margarets and shadyside, and how the programs are different you can understand most of what is going to change.

Pretty much they are changing shadyside, mercy and st margaret into a more unified program, working under the same curiculum. I do not know all the specifics of the program.

I do know that part of it will be allowing for a schedual that works with intigrating the non nursing coorifices concurrently with the nursing program, and a colaboration with some university to host those courses. Up until now st margarets required those to obtained on your own prior, or some courses concurrently, however as the nursing program is 5 days a week , concurrent classes could only be taken weekends, evening or online.

I also believe there are more broken down courses, like a pharm course, psych course, communications course and so on. At St margarets we had one course a term, and it was all intigrated. We had basic nursing 1, basic nursing 2, adult nursing 1, adult nursing 2 (critical care), growing family (maternaty and peds), and Professional Nursing Responsibilities (transitions course....mostly clinical with a preceptor). We had the relitive pharm, psych, communication, and so on intigrated into the course that it related to. That is the most I know of the curriculum.

Also the time frame is changing a little. We were a 19 month program. Classes started end of Feb, and end of June, and graduated in Oct and Feb. I started 2/21/11, graduated 10/26/12. june of 2012 start class will graduate feb 2014. However the program will be a little longer....it is moving toward a more traditional school start/end cycle, starting January and August, graduating Dec and May.

Also I have heard mention, that they will start this Aug 2013, that they may hold off on starting another class in until the classes working on the old curriculum are graduated. They are starting a class Feb 2013, so they will not graduate until Oct 2014. I have heard mention there will not be a Jan 2014 start just to prevent having too many classes running on different schedules. I would imagine Aug 2014 start would likely happen since the last class of old schedule would be in PNR and just about to graduate and the Aug 2013 start class would be moved on to upper level.

Thats the basics I know of the changes. I hope they work out well for the school. But I will say I loved the school and curriculum as it was. As long as the instructors stay the same, I know they will work it out to be a good program....the instructors are wonderful. They may be hard on you sometimes when you need it, but as long as you are open to learn from them, they have a lot to teach.

Thanks so much for the info! It was SO helpful. I did call SMSON today and asked about the upcoming changes. They said there will be a Feb 2013 start and instead of the June start, there will be an August 2013 start. She also said that so far the only details she has regarding the curriculum changes is that there are some courses that will have to be taken at SMSON like the Human Diversity. THEN i contacted someone at Shadyside SON and they said their program is not changing for August 2013, but that eventually all of the UPMC Schools of Nursing will be alike in that there ill not be any pre-reqs involved in the programs. So I guess I better call someone at Mercy and take the best out of 3 answer? LOL! i'm just going to continue taking my pre-reqs and see how it goes! But this is going to be interesting to see how the changes develop...

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Specializes in transplant/case management.

I go to mercy. I know they're going to be changing the program but I don't know what they're doing. I think my class is the last class to go through with the old way. I have all my pre-reqs out of the way already. If you can do them before the start of school, I would. There are a lot of people in my class struggling to balance the workload. For example- this semester we have foundations, pharm, psych and a&p1. I only have to take foundations and pharm. it makes life a lot easier. Lol.

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Oh I definitly agree to get the non nursing classes out of the way before hand if you can.....especially A&P. A&P is the most time consuming. (both 1&2).....then micro, then nutrition. The rest I personally didnt find to be too time consuming, and could be taken online through CCAC, so would be easier to manage, however, having all done and focusing on just nursing is nice.

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I just started 3 weeks ago at st. Margarets and they told us we are the last class to be on the old curriculum. The classes starting next will be on the new one that they are working on.

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Do you know what the differences are to the new curriculum? Or are they still working on that?

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Hi, I'm a student at Shadyside right now, I'm in my first semester and we are the first students to start under the new curriculum. There doesn't seem to be major changes from what I can gather. Instead of Nursing 100 and 101, they are labeled Nursing 100A and Nursing 100B. I think the classes may correlate better with each other. True clinicals do not start until next semester but in the first semester we were at the hospital 5 times for labs. They focus heavily on patient centered care, many of my teachers have stated that they are changing the program specifically to do this because clinical care seems to not really be patient centered anymore. I'm sure there will be some other changes I notice but for right now there doesn't seem to be too much confusion. Things are running smoothly and I love my program. Hope this helps!

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I just graduated from ST. Mag's. The new cirricculum from a St. Mag's SON outlook is going to be MUCH different that it currently it. They are changing it to run like Shadysides where pre-req's are included and clinical time is different.

It will NOT be as intense. ST. Margaret's is a very TOUGH program and I am sure with the new cirriculum it will still be tough! But you come out being a great nurse and a very well respected nurse.

I had a job 2 1/2 week before graduation, I graduated March 1 and just took NCLEX last Friday the 29th and foudn out today that I passed.

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Congrats tmow! How did you feel about your instructors at St. Margaret? Is it a supportive learning environment or are you kind of on your own? I'm starting this fall and I am excited and terrified all at once..

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I loved my instructors, I loved the school!

I am not sure how the new ciricculum will change that.

I am a PROUD St. Margaret SON graduate!

i am saddened that they are changing the program. The biggest thing, it will not be as intense since it's going from 19 to 22 months in length. That will be helpful to everyone but I think the clinical experience will be WAY different which is the part that saddens me.

St. Mag's grads are usually set apart from others. We have such an excellent program. It's not easy by any means and you HAVE to sacrifice A LOT. It HAS to be priority for you.

The instructors are great!! Like I said, I loved them. Some people didn't. You just have to go to school, dont' cause drama and roll with the punches.

My biggest advice for those starting the new cirriculum is to start with an open mind. You need to know that this will be new for the instructors as well, and it's probably hard for them too because they are changing what was an elite program. I am sure St. Mag's will still find a way to be set apart though, in that I have no doubt!

Blood, sweat and tears and I graduated TOP 5 in my class.

Good luck!!

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Wow that is awesome good for you!! :) I'm hoping I'll be okay, I'm a go with the flow kinda gal.

Thanks so much for the info!!! :)

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