UC Accelerated BSN

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Hello all! I just wanted to see if there are any soon-to-be accelerated students out there. I'm starting the BSN/MSN program at the University of CIncinnati in January and can't wait! I was hoping to get in touch with anyone who has been/is currently/is about to be going through this program. Hope to hear back!

J

Hi Brabe,

I'm starting in January, as well. I can send you some information and try to answer some of your questions. I'm new to allnurses and haven't figured out how to send email on this site yet, so if you want to email my AllNurses account with your email address, we can go from there.

I had some of your same questions and a couple very nice people helped to answer my questions. I'll pass on what they told me to you.

BJ

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JOHIO,

Just curious, how does one stay on everyone's good side? I know it's probably a pretty complicated answer, considering the condensed nature of the program, but any advice I would very much appreciate.

Thank you.

BJ

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Specializes in ICU.
JOHIO,

Just curious, how does one stay on everyone's good side? I know it's probably a pretty complicated answer, considering the condensed nature of the program, but any advice I would very much appreciate.

Thank you.

BJ

BJ -

It all comes down to common sense & trying to remain flexible. Don't shaft your classmates by hoarding information. Always be willing to help out if you can. Understand that the profs are in charge. Don't directly challenge them in class - if you've got a serious concern, take it up with the program Director. In group work, participate & do a good job on your section of the assignment...without needing to be harassed by your fellow group members. Nobody likes a slacker.

Here are some related things that I wrote in the original UC Accelerated Pathway "Survival Guide" back in 2007-2008 (some of which was quoted above by JOHIO):

- YAHOO GROUP: join and participate in your cohort’s Yahoo email group. Yes, we know you’re brilliant, have never needed help in any of your classes, and have held a 4.0 GPA since 1907. You’ll need help in this program. Join your Yahoo group, offer help to your fellow students, and ask for help even if you’re not absolutely sure if you really need it. Sometimes it’s as simple as reminding folks what’s on the upcoming test, or passing along a helpful hint you heard from your prof. PARTICIPATE. Nursing is a team sport and now is the time to start the teamwork.

- At post-test classes, don't whine & argue with the prof to an obnoxious degree and take up class time when you disagree with a test question, as it really annoys the rest of your classmates. You need to get used to NCLEX type questions, and learn how to really read them. Yes, sometimes the “correct” answer disagrees with what you’ve learned in previous classes, or just doesn’t make sense. Yes, this is a pain, and it sucks. Get used to it. The profs don’t usually mind if you politely ask about why a certain answer was the best one, but they seem to worry a lot about being ganged up on by a mob of unhappy whiny-butt accelerated students.

- (re: Group Work) One good reason for participating with the group right from the start - it takes teamwork to get through this program. Group work also means that people will catch errors or will disagree with your answer and that is good for discussion/correction or issues to bring up with the prof. Get used to being wrong, it’s very liberating.

- Don’t irritate your clinical instructor. You might then start getting the patient with 15-20 meds (requiring you to look up each & every one of them before clinicals), C-Diff diarrhea, heavy-duty care required. Week after week after week. Did I mention to not irritate your clinical instructor?

- CLINICAL SWAPPING: Understand that when you sign up for clinicals, you may have ZERO information as to the instructor, location, or times/dates. As was said above…Yes, this sucks. Get used to it. If you end up with a lousy clinical session that doesn’t meet your needs (work schedule, clinical site location, whatever), put out an email to your Yahoo list asking to swap with a classmate. Bribes can work wonders (meals, drinks, cookies, …) when convincing people to swap. This is another good reason to maintain excellent relationships with your colleagues, since you never know when you might need a favor.

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Hi CrufflerJJ,

Hey, thank you for that response.

You're a gem.

BJ

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Hey BJ,

I am starting in January as well! It's great to see other people on this site that will be in the same cohort! Do you mind passing along the information that was shared with you about the job outlook after the program? I had the same concerns as well.

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Hi Kaa3418,

Greetings. Seems like the job market has been pretty tight, as of late. There are jobs out there, but it seems that new graduates are having a tough time. From what I gather, location is a factor, as well. The projected nursing shortage in the future is pretty large, so in the strategic long run I don't think we'll have a problem.

Also, have you received the "survival guide" for the accelerated program from anyone yet? A nice gent and former accelerated program student passed this guide to me and if you haven't received it yet, I can send it to you. Of course, I'll need your regular email. It has very useful information concerning the program. Also, if you have any other questions, we can talk about them.

Sincerely,

BJ

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Hi, All. I'm currently in the very beginning of the process--putting together my application for the UC accel. program, and it's great to see all of this info.

JRCuffler--would you mind sending me the info you passed along to JOHIO? I'm still trying to decide if switching careers and going back to school is the right decision for me, and the more info I have, the better!

Thanks in advance!

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Hey All i am currently in the Fourth and second to final quarter of the program. It is definietly fast paced but doable. Just so you are aware they say its an accelerated MSN program. However really it is a BSN with a course or two that helps towards your MSN which is different than what I had thought. Hopefully that helps!

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I'm looking into the Accelerated MSN program, and some of the prerequisite courses they're asking for (e.g., A&P 3, Nutrition and Disease) don't even seem to exist where I live (Houston). Arrr!

Do you know where I could get these prerequisites done?

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Harmon,

That does help. Thank you. What's been the attrition rate thus far in your cohort? Just curious.

How many hours per day do you study?

Sam,

I sure don't. Sorry. Contact UC's nursing department and I know they can direct you to online options for those courses. Good luck to you.

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Hi, J! I will be starting in January 2011, and I am very excited. Thanks for posting this- it has given me some great info. Good luck in completing your schooling!

P.S. Any info would be appreciated! Do you usually get one weekday and/or weekends off from classes and clinicals? I am trying to anticipate my work schedule and it if is do-able... How many days of the week are "tied up" with this program?

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