UMSON BSN Fall 2013

ql279 · Apr 18, 2013

In Baltimore, we have a lab section for both Health Assessment (Nurs 333) and Fundamentals (Nurs 304) (which we call Fundies). These take place in our simulation labs. In Health Assessment lab you work on one body system each week, learning how to perform the exam and document your findings. The point is to learn how to do a comprehensive head to toe assessment, which you will eventually demonstrate on a standardized patient (who is an actor) in the exam room simulation lab. You will also have various times where you will have to perform things like vital signs or an assessment on one body system leading up to the head to toe final so you get experience with the skills and lessen your nerves on performing these skills on real people. You will also have little homework exercises to do each week. The grades you get in this lab will be combined with your grades in Health Assessment lecture to give you one Health Assessment grade. In Fundies you basically learn all of the CNA and basic nursing skills. So you start with things like bed baths, transfers, and wound care and then move on to things like medication administration, catheters, and tracheostomy care. At the end of the semester you get your CNA license so long as you get a C or above in the Fundies course. There isn't really any homework assignments you need to turn in but you will have to do online quizzes most weeks related to the lab and then brief papers at a couple of points. Like Health Assessment you will have checkpoints where you have to perform skills. These are called validations. I don't want to overload people with information too much but in these you walk into a room, are handed a scenario which will include between 1 and 3 random skills you have learned and then you are videotaped doing these skills. Your lab teacher reviews the video and lets you know if you passed or failed. We don't get grades for these and honestly it's not a big deal if you have to revalidate other than having to spend practice time in an open lab and then the 30 or so minutes itself to do the revalidation.
For me I had both of these labs on the same day of the week with one for two hours in the morning and the other for two hours in the afternoon. The number of people in lab with you varies depending on what group you're in (it's always small like less than 10) but you will be with the same group of people for both labs for the whole semester and then likely for clinicals first semester too. These labs are the same for every student with the only difference being time and instructor(s). Some people chose to register for a group that had Health Assessment lab on Mondays after our Health Assessment lecture and then Fundies lab on Tuesdays after Fundies and Research lectures. For these people it meant longer days but one day less a week of having to come to school for scheduled class.
This week is our first week of clinicals. Once clinicals start you will not go to labs anymore. For some people clinical is on the same day they had lab, for others it's on a different day. Many people are with the same group of students and the same instructor they had for their labs. Also, clinical sites and groups are assigned to you just for first semester, but like I said you are usually at least with the same group of people, you just don't get to pick where you go.
Starting about a month into school we also had what is called communication module, which is a component of Fundies, for 4 consecutive weeks on Monday afternoons. There are several sections of this that they will divide the class up into and give you your group once school has started (these groups are around 20 students). The communication teachers are different for each section but other than that the same information is taught, we all write the same papers, and are graded on the same rubrics. This seminar is where you will learn how to communicate with patients. After the last week you will sign up for a time to do a patient interview in the exam room simulation labs on standardized patients. This is another pass/fail type of thing but I'm pretty sure most people pass because they prepare you very well. If someone did fail though you would just have to do if again but it wouldn't affect your grade at all.
That ended up being a lot of information but just in case there were other people who were interested in knowing how things worked I put it all out there!

Thanks very much for the information! Good luck to your study and everything:)

asraf · Apr 19, 2013

Hi everyone,

This is my first time posting on this site. I am applicant for traditional BSN for Baltimore i have been wait listed on April 11 but still have not received ant letter from UMSON. i am obsessed with checking my status . Congratulations to all accepted students, good luck to those on wait list and for those who are rejected keep trying until you succeed. Waiting for the good news!!!!!

ql279 · Apr 19, 2013

Hi everyone,
This is my first time posting on this site. I am applicant for traditional BSN for Baltimore i have been wait listed on April 11 but still have not received ant letter from UMSON. i am obsessed with checking my status . Congratulations to all accepted students, good luck to those on wait list and for those who are rejected keep trying until you succeed. Waiting for the good news!!!!!

Hi, asraf, I am also on the waiting list and i got the letter. Do not worry, i believe the admission office is just so busy calling students and sending the mails. You will get the letter soon!

asraf · Apr 19, 2013

Thanks ql279, i 've called admissions today and was told that we are expected to get the letters by the next week.

ql279 · Apr 19, 2013

Thanks ql279, i 've called admissions today and was told that we are expected to get the letters by the next week.

asraf, are you saying that you will get the waiting list letter or admission letter? I really want to know if we can get admitted, the waiting is killing me and i am sure you feel the same:(

asraf · Apr 19, 2013

ql279, i am wait listed and i am waiting for wait list letter to see what kind of instructions it has for me or if they want anything additional information from me. Just curious!!!I put all my eggs in one basket and for now UMSON is my one and only choice.its hard to stand this waiting game. Hope and prey that we get in. Good Luck!!!

asraf · Apr 21, 2013

i ve received my wait list letter today stating: e-mail them in case i want to keep my name in the wait list.it also states that my application will be automatically considered for review for spring 2014 if i do no get in this time.

sassybunny · Apr 22, 2013

Has anyone heard about the RN -> BSN online?

Nmirjafary · Apr 22, 2013

Are all students who haven't been told their status yet goin to be wait listed??

asraf · Apr 22, 2013

have 't you been told yet??

asraf · Apr 22, 2013

Nmirjafary, have 't you been told yet??? You can call UMSON and ask then or you can ask Grey lady.

Nmirjafary · Apr 23, 2013

No not yet I will definitely call them tomorrow to check the status of my application. It still says committee ready online and I have not received a letter or a phone call yet. Thanks for your advice asraf!