UIC BSN for Fall 2013 applicants...

Exton18 · Apr 22, 2013

Hey everyone I just want to say congrats to all of you who made it! Also one of my friends said her friend was wait listed and got accepted a week before the program started, so there's hope. I got accepted to the Chicago campus with a 3.78 gpa and still had about 5 pre reqs left with just one science class. I had no hospital experience but had volunteered with different charities. I think what got me in was I had a baby during the middle of last semester and was back in class 4 days after giving birth. Both my micro and nutrition teachers made sure to include that in their letters of recommendation. I truly am very surprised that I got accepted, and I'm so happy! It's funny though, I got denied from my back up school NIU! My friend got denied from uic with a 3.6 gpa, but got accepted to niu's nursing program. It's funny how things work out. So here's my stats to all of you left with questions, and I hope the few of you that are wait listed get in to the nursing program! Best of luck to all of you!

blancarte.alma · Apr 22, 2013

Can someone help me figure out how to send a private message?

Currybread · Apr 23, 2013

I believe private messaging is for registered users only. It's a shame because I wanted to ask Stewie some questions without spamming this board.

Stewie, could I email you?

ENT RN · Apr 25, 2013

Someone mentioned that only 50% of the students graduate?? Is this correct?? I'm scared. I would love to find out more about the the nursing program and how the classes work. I also got accepted for fall 2013 at the urbana site.

S1swooshS2 · Apr 26, 2013

Yes, when I spoke to UIC I asked how many student graduated last year and they told me about 50, which is about 50% , this is very common for all nursing schools, Nursing programs are intense in course work and with clinical, time management is very important. UIC recommends its students not to work because of the time spent in clinical, classrooms and studying. I have a few friends in nursing programs, and it can become very stressful, with 6:30 clinicals, exams and studying. Many of my friends only go out 2-3 time a semester and sleep only 5 hours a day. As well may of them went into the program with almost straight A’s and now many times find themselves gets a few C’s, because nursing school can be overwhelming many students don’t finish. So yes it is correct that only half of the students will graduate, but if you commit the 2 years to nursing, and study really hard, then there is no reason why you cant make it.

ENT RN · Apr 26, 2013

Man... that makes me not want to go in to the program. I also get straight A's and I don't want to ruin my gpa bc I also want to get my masters.... plus its like if I never have any time for myself thar kinda sucks, its like wasting the best yrs of your life. I feel like, if I go into this program, I'll come out depressed and aged 20yrs idk what to do now :( I only have till may 1srlt to accept my admissions for the community health program that I also applied for. Fo you know if you can take summer classes for uic?

S1swooshS2 · Apr 27, 2013

You made it this far, don't discourage yourself, you can still do very well at UIC, yes you will have to be 100% committed to the program, but if you have a passion for nursing then UIC is the program to go to. From my experience all nursing programs will be intense with clinical, class' and studying. The programs are that way because after only after 2yr we will be responsible to know the knowledge of not only the nursing tasks, but in many areas we will have to know just as much as a Dr., physical therapist, psychologist, dietitian etc. Many student don't graduate, not because of their grades but because it can become very stressful. You have to have a lot of passion for nursing to make it, because nursing as a career is very stressful. I worked in a hospital for two years and it depends on what floor you work on, but out of all the professions in the hospital nurses were by far the most stress. It hurts me to say, but about only 30% of the nurses i worked with liked their job with a passion, another 30% complained but still somewhat liked their job, and 40% didnt like their job. Which is why you constantly see nurses move from floor to floor. This is due to the fact that hospital stays are becoming shorter and shorter, so nurses have to constantly admit and discharge patients, which takes a long time with head to toe assessments, while knowing all of the normalities and abnormalities of the human body , care of plans, at the same time nurses must do nursing tasks like foley catheters, tracheostomy tubes, NG tubes, stomas, IV's pass out meds etc.

As nursing students we will have to mostly do CNA stuff for the first year, which deals with a lot of the not so much fun stuff like changing adult diapers, changing foley bags, bed baths etx, and becuase a lot of the students are overwhelmed with the duties they must do in combination with to the stress, many drop out because of those two reasons and not because of their grades. Fortunately and unfortunately, nursing is like no other career and it takes someone who is very passionate about patient care, as nurses we will be treating the ill and not the healthy and with that said we will see and deal with all kinds of situations, while ultimately saving the lives of multiple patients. This is the reason UIC like to accept students with some kind of hospital experience so the students know what they are getting into. The 50% of the student that dont graduate, dont do so because many of them realize that nursing is not for them, rather it is all the duties nurses have to do, or the intense program. I like many others have a lot of passion for pathology and patient care and i am more then willing to commit the next two years and a large part of my life to nursing. At the same time each semester is only about 4 months so we still have winter break and the summer to relax. I believe UIC does summer class but after the first year.

stewie`` · May 3, 2013

Hi everyone! I'm sorry if I have not been able to get to your questions right away. I was too caught up with school work and now I'm done! YAY! :) I just finished my last quiz ever in this nursing program and my last discussion board post and I am still in disbelief! :eek: Haha!

@S1swooshS2

Hi! Thanks for the warm wishes! I needed them badly! :nailbiting: You are correct about the grading scale in the program and tests are not usually curved. Some instructors will drop a question or two but never curved. From my experience, I have not encountered an instructor who curves the test. You are also correct about the schedule during the first semester. The first semester is kind of confusing and chaotic at first but you'll get used to it. You go to clinical, skills lab, class lectures, and mastery (each week, you demonstrate how to assess a specific system [e.g. cardiovascular so you take BP, listen to heart sounds, etc.] and all systems are later integrated into the head-to-toe assessment). The instructors care for you a LOT. They really do. They are easy to approach, encouraging, and empowering. They will help you. I would always come and see my instructors for basically anything. They are so nice and just awesome. However, you will find some who are kind of strict and not so lenient but they are still helpful. Also, UIC does not offer summer classes for nursing courses. If you do not pass a course, you will be held back a year since the course may not offered in the following semester. Summertime is usually for internship/externship/jobs/volunteer work related to nursing. It is the best time to get experience in the field. I haven't done much co-curricular activities because I was working twice a week on top of studying and going to clinical. Yes, I was insane for doing such thing hahaha but the point is, it is definitely bearable. It just takes a lot of time management and giving up of social life. :bag: But hey, it's get better senior year!!!

@ariba

Hey! I got your PM. Please do not overwhelm yourself that only 50% of the class graduate. Nursing school is hard but it is bearable. Also, as @S1swooshS2, it really depends on the circumstances that come along when you are in the program. You will definitely have those days when you just want to cry but there is always hope and the nursing faculty is there to help you. I was also a straight-A student and the nursing program definitely changed my studying habits. It was a tough 2 years of nursing school but I made it through and I am graduating next week! :x3: It's a lot of intense work and studying. I got through it with lots of prayers, determination, and help from my nursing friends--this is crucial actually! Make lots of friends! Do not be discouraged. There are those who believe in your capability to become a great nurse someday that is why they have accepted you in their program. So pursue your dream and do not let fear get in your way. I know it's two years but time flies and it definitely gets better towards senior year so breathe! :)

@blancarte.alma and @Currybread

Hey there! I think you have to have a certain number of posts before you can PM someone but if it is not possible, I hope you'd still post some of your questions that aren't too personal which can also be beneficial to other nursing students. Unfortunately, it is against the site's terms and agreement to post contact information but if it is still related to the program, please post away! I will respond to the best of my knowledge. :cat:

Currybread · May 7, 2013

Congrats on finishing nursing school stewie! I wish you luck as a nursing graduate! :up: :)

I just have so many questions regarding the nursing program! :x3: I really don't want to go into the program unprepared so I would appreciate it if you could tell me what to expect. Here are some questions on my mind:

Are there things that I'm expected to know before the course starts (like medical terms and conversions)? And are there things I should review or learn that would also be helpful?

How much is the homework load generally? Do they require several chapters of reading per week? What kind of assignments and projects are there?

How frequent are the tests and checkoffs?

What is the difference between the first year and second year of the program?

Also, could you explain what to expect from the clincals? How often do you go there and how long it takes per session?

How do people get to the clincal sites? Are they close enough to walk to if I am living in the west campus dorms?

I assume that you have to write an essay after each clincal, so is there a type of format they want you to use?

S1swooshS2 · May 11, 2013

@Currybread

I have gained quite a bit of information over the last few weeks about the program , so I will try to answer your questions to the best of my knowledge.

If you want to prepare for the class' ahead of time studying medical terms will help, but i will also recommend getting the texts books needed for our up coming course ahead of time and get a head start on the first few chapters which will be covered in the beginning of the semester. For example text books for health assessment, pharmaceuticals, pathophysiology.

For the work load there will be a lot of chapters to read, and unlike our previous class which just asked for our basic understanding of most of the material. In nursing we will really need to master the information because we will be using most of the information daily as a nurse.

Our clinical sites will be all over the Chicago land and suburbs, so I believe most will not be in walking distance, expect for UIC, Rush and Cook

For what to expect from clinical, a lot of CNA stuff the first semester, vitals, adult diaper change, bedbath, and a more so observation of many of nursing stuff at first. Clinical I believe are between 4-8 hr

Essay will be in APA format because all research is done in APA format. For clinical we will be ask to write care of plans, which have their own writing format.

I hope I was able to help you to the best of my knowledge.

Currybread · May 11, 2013

I was thinking about getting the books beforehand, but I don't know which ones to get. First of all, when do we sign up for classes? At orientation in August? Or can we start choosing it on our own already? Also, are the classes already chosen for you for the first semester? If not, then which classes are recommended to take for first semester? Can you choose which teachers to take? And does each teacher require a different book? Finally, do the books change frequently (such as editions -- can we use old editions)? A complete list of the textbooks would be helpful. I prefer to order textbooks online to save money, and I would like to start reading them in the summer.

S1swooshS2 · May 14, 2013

I believe our classes for the next 2 years are already outlinedfor us, and we will be choosing the times and teachers based on open spots forour Fall classes and clinical at orientation. You can already view the classesneeded, teachers and times by logging into your UIC account under registration. I would assume that all the teachers use the same text books so I would email the teachers for more information.