UMDNJ Accelerated BSN students

[red_baron]

Im going into my 4th semester, graduating this December.

First semester is hard not because of the content, but because you have to rewire the way you think. You will have massive amounts of information and it will be tough to process it all.

Now the second and third semesters is where you will have your butts handed to you. Med-Surg is tough, and in the third semester you'll have Ped's and OB both are really tough and annoying.

Good Luck , Study hard and everything else comes second.

Sam

[Groo1sem]

I would like to bump this post.

Im heading to UMDNJ and hopefully can find some study partners.. Welcome to hell. I will be your tour guide for the next 15 months =). I am getting nervous but also excited.

[edgwow]

I am a Rowan/UMDNJ rn-BSN grad. I took the same pathophysiology course as accelerated BSN. It was a pain. The tests were absolutely evil. I got a B in it and studied my but off.

About asking to test out of informatics, unless you can do a killer powerpoint presentation, know about doc in the boxes, eICU's , I would think the informatics course will give you excellent background and help you in the future for the technology that is necessary for the latter part of the program. I will also give any new folks a useful piece of advice. Everything in this program is done in APA format. There is a great website where you can purchase a program that helps guide your papaers into APA format , it called APA PERLLA , spend the 20 bucks to download it. It will be a great asset. When you are done you will be glad for this advice. You also have remote access to the library at UMDNJ, it is great, just make sure it works properly for you after the 1st few weeeks of class.

[tiriba]

I finished UMDNJ in Newark for my BSN/RN this month. The material was tough, but so was dealing with the administration. "We are a new nursing school" was their excuse for repeatedly messing up. I've been to four other colleges, and this one was the most unprofessional and disorganized. Once you start, you are stuck because your credits won't transfer, so I highly discourage anyone who thinks that UMDNJ is the school for them to reconsider. They entice people by having the fewest prerequisites and admitting new classess three times per year. Please understand that these are just marketing gimmicks to get you in the door.

The instructors- most of them, including the current dean- lack doctorates in nursing- will not discuss tests, complaining that it's harassment. Don't bother asking them to explain anything during class- they can't and get mad.

You have three semesters per year, each 15 weeks long. My class had about 75 graduates, the current 4th semester students have about 35, if I'm not mistaken, but they admitted more for the 3rd, 2nd, and 1st semesters, after saying that they are cutting back on class size.

The books can change each semester because the same instructor may not be teaching the class again. Your best bet is to hook up with a student in the semester ahead of you and buy his/her books.

There are plenty of group projects every semester because "nursing is a team effort." This basically meant that certain people got a free ride every semester because they are "too busy" or came to the school to learn nursing, not writing. Papers need to be written in APA format, so you need to learn it or be the freeloader on group projects. Fortunately, the librarians at the med school are helpful to nursing students.

Very few people failed out- they let you repeat classes. You also can't get an F if the instructor forgets to give midterm warnings.

Good luck- you will need it.

[Groo1sem]

Tiriba, could you private message me. I cant seem to private message you. Just need to ask you a couple of questions on the program.

That bad eh? Theres plenty of new programs that just opened up and have their ups and downs.

My question is what is the pass rate on that Nclex test.

[tiriba]

The official passing rate for NCLEX is 77%. We are told it has increased to about 80% for the class of January 2007. But not everybody that I had talked to had sat for the exam when the school proudly claimed that the passing rate had increased.

A school has to have 75% of its graduates taking the NCLEX pass on the first attempt to maintain certification.

[Riverhopper]

Can anyone tell me about the quality of the program? Do I need a car to attend the clinicals? How are the teachers and job prospects (salary, etc) for those who just graduated? I am due to start in September. Thanks.

PS: Tiriba's comments were helpful, can anyone else confirm or contribute. thanx.

[AtomicWoman]

I am not ready to apply to UMDNJ, but I'm thinking and planning ahead. A couple of weirdities about UMDNJ, as compared to other schools in the area:

1. All your prerequisites have to be finished before you apply. That can delay your entrance into the program.

2. Their recruiters are not nurses -- I'm not sure this is typical, but it struck me as a little weird.

3. I asked what percentage of people finished the program, and the recruiter seemed a little annoyed by the question, brushing it off with a "we're a new program" (starting to sound familiar!). I think it's an important question to ask, because it gives you a realistic idea of your chances.

I will definitely keep an eye on this program. Would love to go to school in NJ, but I have my concerns about UMDNJ at the moment.

[decartes]

I am not ready to apply to UMDNJ, but I'm thinking and planning ahead. A couple of weirdities about UMDNJ, as compared to other schools in the area:

1. All your prerequisites have to be finished before you apply. That can delay your entrance into the program.

I don't think this holds up since my friends and I have applied while finishing prerequisites. This may have changed since the competition to get into nursing programs has increased.

2. Their recruiters are not nurses -- I'm not sure this is typical, but it struck me as a little weird.

In the real world, many recruiters are not in the profession you're applying for.

3. I asked what percentage of people finished the program, and the recruiter seemed a little annoyed by the question, brushing it off with a "we're a new program" (starting to sound familiar!). I think it's an important question to ask, because it gives you a realistic idea of your chances.

Being a graduate from the largest entering class of UMDNJ Newark Accelerated BSN program, I can tell you that only 12% failed or dropped out. Acceptance into the program is highly competitive and they will not accept candidates who they feel won't succeed. Nursing schools are required to achieve a certain success rate in order to maintain accreditation.

I will definitely keep an eye on this program. Would love to go to school in NJ, but I have my concerns about UMDNJ at the moment.

No nursing school is going to be perfect. It simply comes with the territory and flexibility is something you're going to have to embrace if you want to stay a sane nurse.

Good luck to you.

[iToniai]

I have one friend who is currently in the program now and one who just graduated this past May. They both had good and bad things to say about the program, specifically they hated the disorganization and the program is very intense. However, what school does not have bad and good??? I think you will need a car for clinicals, I remember my friend having to commute very early in the morning to get to some of her clinicals during her second to last and last semester. As far as job prospect...UMDNJ does not hire graduate nurses, which I thought that was strange since they seem to be the school that's pumping out so many new graduates yearly.

[AtomicWoman]

When I talked to the recruiter last week, she told me that all prerequisites need to be finished before applying, as per their website. Now maybe in the real world they let you apply before you finish your prereqs, but that is what I was told. She told me the dropout rate was about 25%, but didn't say if that was for both schools or just Stratford.

[JerseyGuy]

I'm in the UMD Accel Program (Newark), and I was able to apply before completing all pre-reqs. Obviously however, my acceptance was "conditioned" on satisfactory completion of pre-reqs that I was currently taking in my final semester at local community college (chemistry course, that ended mid-December 2006).

No Accel Program is a "walk-in-the-park", for sure. UMD a little (ok, ALOT) disorganized, but you DO get used to it. Good luck, and let me know if you have any questions.

Newark drop out rate no where NEAR even 10%. Since we started, only lost 3-4.....2 for grades, and 2 for other reasons.