UCHSC Traditional, Spring 2009

U.S.A. Colorado

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Hey everyone,

I was wondering if anyone will be starting at UCHSC for Spring 2009?

Registration starts the first week of December. I do not know about log-in/email info though - I would imagine we get that in November.

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Specializes in CCRN-CSC.

Hey there - you can take the DM straight to campus from Boulder (stops in Louisville, Brooomfield, Westminster), but it only runs 4 times in the morning and 4 times in the late afternoon/evening. It takes about an hour, give or take 15 minutes. Maybe by the time you start we'll have bus passes, too! Right now we can just buy discounted ticketbooks on campus for $2.90 each way.

Most clinicals are in the Denver metro area. I was able to do Med-Surg I at St. Anthony North in south Westminster and will hopefully do Mental Health at Centennial Peaks in Louisville. Once you get to your Public Health and Senior Integrated Practicum, there is an opportunity to do those as "rural" placements. Boulder apparently qualifies for this - their definition of rural for clinical purposes is outside of Denver Metro. Otherwise, most of the clinicals are pretty far down, which is a little rough when you're coming from Boulder County (or Evergreen, or Golden, or Fort Collins, or Greeley, as some of my classmates do.)

I also hope you get Sampson for Pharm and Patho. He's one of the most talented professors I've ever had (also my 2nd degree). Good luck!

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I just started this summer, and I don't think anyone in my class lives in the area near campus. (Of course there are over 100 of us, so I haven't exactly done an extensive survey) There are some new apartments behind campus that are supposed to be expensive. I also see flyers in the cafeteria for rental houses available just west of campus. However, the area is still kind of run down and there isn't much there in the way of shops and amenities.

A lot of people live in denver and either drive or take the bus. I live about 4 blocks from the old 9th ave. campus and so I walk over there and take the free shuttle that runs between the campuses. This is very convenient, I just hope they don't stop running it before I graduate. If it's not running I walk over to colfax and catch the 15.

I thought about living near the campus but I'm now looking more into places in Denver, possibly Wash Park or Cherry Creek. I hope the shuttle will still be running when I start in January since I won't have a car. Thanks for the info! :D Btw, how is the work load? Do you think it's possible to juggle both school and part-time work?

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I thought about living near the campus but I'm now looking more into places in Denver, possibly Wash Park or Cherry Creek. I hope the shuttle will still be running when I start in January since I won't have a car. Thanks for the info! :D Btw, how is the work load? Do you think it's possible to juggle both school and part-time work?

Wash Park is really nice, but if you don't have a car living there is probably not a good idea because it would be an hour bus commute. Cherry Creek would be better but is probably still be a 2 bus commute unless you biked to 9th ave. to catch the shuttle or carpooled to campus with someone. If you are going to rely on public transportation I think your best bet is to live within walking distance of the 20 or 15 bus routes, which have stops in the center of campus. You can look the schedules and maps up on www.rtd-denver.com/. The shuttle is nice, but it doesn't run all the time. (for example if you have afternoon labs they get out after the last shuttle, and we have had class on saturdays when it doesn't run at all).

I live in Congress Park, as do 4 or 5 of my classmates, and I think the location is working out well for me. The bus or shuttle takes 20 minutes to get to campus and I get to study on the way. We just got the info for the medsurg I lottery and 4 out of 11 of the clinical sites are within walking or biking distance or a very short bus ride away for me. And of course if I got UCH I would have the same bus ride to campus. I like the neighborhood too. I can walk to bars and restaurants on colfax and coffee shops on 12th, and I can bike to the cherry creek shopping district in about 10 minutes.

The work load is high but not insane. (I'm in the accelerated track so that may change in january when we have double clinicals) You guys may have a little bit more work initially because I think you take more classes the first semester than the summer start people. Lots of people have jobs, especially if they work in a hospital and do 1 or 2 8 or 12 hour shifts a week.

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Specializes in Future: Forensic/Legal Nurse Consulting.

Hi all,

I am looking at applying to UCHSC for a second degree BSN -- I'm hoping to start Jan 2010. Is there a wait list for this program??

Thanks,

Kim

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Officially they say there is not wait list, and there is not in the same sense as the community college wait lists. However I do know that some people get wait listed when they send out acceptance/rejection letters. If not enough people commit they begin accepting those on the wait list.

From what I hear most people on that wait list end up getting in. The downside is you can find out just a few days before the program start. In at last one case being wait-listed worked out better - A friend from my pre-requs was waitlisted and ended up getting the call late May and started June whereas I was accepted outright but don't start until January.

Hope that helps :)

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Officially they say there is not wait list, and there is not in the same sense as the community college wait lists. However I do know that some people get wait listed when they send out acceptance/rejection letters. If not enough people commit they begin accepting those on the wait list.

From what I hear most people on that wait list end up getting in. The downside is you can find out just a few days before the program start. In at last one case being wait-listed worked out better - A friend from my pre-requs was waitlisted and ended up getting the call late May and started June whereas I was accepted outright but don't start until January.

Hope that helps :)

Yeah, they have a waitlist but it's just like a regular old college admissions waitlist, so it's only good for that round of admissions. Sometimes you do get lucky being waitlisted. I was admitted off the waitlist for the accelerated program AND I was offered my choice of start date, but I know people who applied for the accelerated program and were admitted outright to the traditional program. If you are pulled from the waitlist you get whatever slot they have open, which could be exactly what you want :) I think they admitted a couple people the week before classes started. It might have even been after orientation.

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Did anyone else get geekishly excited upon receiving the email today? I am SO ready. This is such a long wait!

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I am SOO excited!!! I can't wait to get my ID and scrubs!!

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Specializes in Transplant.
I am a senior (!) and I don't believe you can change when you take pharm. The plans are pretty much set in stone. I know this is a certainty for accelerated students, and I'm pretty sure that is how it is for traditional, as well, unless you have some extenuating circumstances. Whatever happens, I highly, HIGH recommend you get Sampson for at least pharm, if not both pharm and patho. He is fantastic. Hands down one of the best lecturers I have ever had (and this is my second degree.)

Best of luck to you all!

I started in Jan, 2008 and the course schedules were indeed set. Traditional and accelerated students both started off with the same first semester of Pharm (all semester), Patho (all semester), Health Assessment (1st half), and Fundamentals (2nd half). Accelerated students had one additional online class for the entire semester.

The first semester is very well-designed, as the rest of the coursework builds on it for the rest of the program. Dr. Sampson is an incredible instructor: interesting, expert, direct, and engaging. I had him for Patho (though I believe he teaches Pharm as well) and would recommend paying particular attention in this class as everything stems from understanding disease processes and how the affect the body and respond to meds and treatments.

PM if you have any questions.

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Specializes in Transplant.

"... your best bet is to live within walking distance of the 20 or 15 bus routes, which have stops in the center of campus."

I live in Congress Park and the campus is 7 miles away. The 15 and the 20 both run directly to campus from the Congress Park area. There are a lot of rentals in the area that are pretty reasonable; try to stay a few blocks away from Colfax Ave. There is a student vote coming up to add a ~$50 fee per semester for unlimited RTD riding. Otherwise, the bus is $1.50 each way (discounted books of passes can be bought on campus for $1.35 /ride)

"...The shuttle is nice, but it doesn't run all the time."

Shuttle service between 9th and Colorado (the old campus) and the new campus ends on 10/31/08.

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How was the schedule? did you have to go every day or twice per week? Any clinicals the first semester?

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