University of the Fraser Valley Nursing School

Sugar-Phosphate · Dec 16, 2009

Not sure if you ever got your answer, but from speaking to some nurses getting the graduate, UFV is ranked quite high on the last. As for getting in, it is based on a point system and is very competitive. For the fall 2009 semester there were 176 "Complete" applicants, and only 36 actually got it.

Hope it helps

Niki

Sarah010101 · May 11, 2010

I am currently in 2nd year at UFV... in the BSN program.. i just wrote anything and everything i could think of for yoU! :)

year one... wow.. it was busy. I had to quit my job because i couldnt keep up with everything. first semester is about 2300 for tuition.. and 1400 for textbooks... however in semester 2 its only about 2300 again for tuition but like 300 for books.

Im only 19... and i dont have kids or anything.. i live at home in Mission and drive to school out in chilliwack everyday.

As for the program. first semester is very busy. Lots of papers (7 or 8 pages long each)... and then you have clinical for 3 weeks in your Residential/Intermediate care (old people home)... Its pretty cool because you have your 3 lecture courses (N101, N102, HSC 110).. and then a Lab which is where you learn alll the skills. HSC 110 is anatomy and physiology... its very hard. If you do not get accepted i would reccommend getting on the wait list ASAP.. and taking it along with HSC 112 (A&P #2)... and HSC 116 (Pharmacology)... if you can get your psych, math and english out of the way you will be in way better shape. (I had to take 6 courses this semester because i didnt have english done)..

As for B2 (semester 2.. year 1)... You go into Maternity at abby hospital... (which is for 3 weeks..) and then you go into ECU (extended care) either in mission, chilliwack, or abby. Along with each clinical experience you have to fill out CPRs (clinical progress records... which are a pain.. but you have to give examples to meet each indicator...)... and then you have one on one evaluations with your instructor each rotation.

As well.. each semester there are community visits... to different programs and such.. and then there are seminars with about a group of 10 students to talk about them.

As for first year,... it was busy.. and scary.. and its all about getting into the role of a nurse. It is very hard.. it is EXTREMELY stressfull.. and people have cried multiple times during clinical rotations. BUT... you can make it through Because i did. And i'll be starting year 2 going into pediatrics.. and medicine.

As for the rest of your questions.. school is from Mon-Fri 8:30-3:30 everyday. and if you havent taken your english you will have a night course too. Also in B2... pharmacology is in abbotsford at night as well. We have 47 ppl in our class... 15 of us have chosen to do fast track and go through summer to grad 1 year earlier. (they only accept 16 in Fasttrack at a time). When i applied i had about 200 hours of volunteer.. and about a 2.5 GPA. I wrote the essay.. had my interview.. and got a letter late May saying i wasnt accepted. So i got myself on the HSC 110 waitlist so i could get that out of my way. About a week before school started i got a phone call saying someone was not coming to the program and that they had a space for me! SO DONT GIVE UP!.

As for the course load... if you do not recieve a 60% final grade... or higher.. you are dropped from the program. Usually its HSC 110/112 that gets people. its a hard course. I was a good highschool student graduated with A's and B's... and i ALMOST failed HSC 110... i believe i got 60.5 %. yes it was hard.

just something to realize about the program... everything is very schedualed... you cant take HSC 112 during night. there is one course. and it was friday afternoons. N101 , 102, and 103.. are all scattered throughout the week in no specific order along with seminars and community visits and clinical. You get a 16 week schedual on day 1. and the dates when all of your essays and assignments are due. Exams are random... uhmm N101 there are three they are only tested on the first chunk of the stuff that you learn.. once you have had the exam you can just forget that old stuff and move onto the new stuff to learn for the next exam.

N102.. is all about partnerships. you will sign up for a group presentation on day 1. and its about history of nursing.

Your first big essay is the Caring paper. they give you a journal article on day 1.

But yeah important thing to know is there is NO flexability with courses except for english and anything else you choose to take. you follow the 16 week timetable.. and are stuck with the same 48 people from beginning to end :) And i believe only 16 move through the fast track.. (which Nancy Goad has probably talked about).

I just finished year 1 about a week ago Its different because i am in fasttrack. The 4 year program... you finish your 2 semesters and then they go off to consolidation for 4 weeks.. then they have summer. ME... I do year 1... and i had a week off... do year 2... and then i have all christmas break off (like everyone else) then have 8 weeks of consolidation. The 4 year has consolidation two times... for 4 weeks (end of year 1 end of year 2...) mine is just combined at end of year 2. :)

UHmm.. break between semesters, you will start in september.. and finish middle of november... and then you will have all that time off and go back again from jan to april. If you choose to do 3 year fasttrack... you will NOT do consolidation and then have a week off... and go straight into year 2 (which is what im doing tomorrow :)

Exams come and go.. N103 which is your lab there are 2 exams... each worth 45%. its a pass or fail course. You need over 60% in the end and you get a big COMPLETED. :) you dont get marks. which is kinda a downer since usually everyone does amazing in that course! and then the last 10% is for an assessment assignment you will complete in your intermediate care rotation. In semester two it gets a bit stickier since you have a math quiz on dosage calculations (you need 90% to pass... and you can try 3 times).. and then you have a maternity quiz (PAY ATTENTION TO THAT BORING MATERNITY STUFF... i know it sucks.. but seriously.. when you go into maternity at ARH during B2... you need to know your stuff or the nurses will just look at you like your an idiot).

i would reccommend taking HSC 110 and 112 at UFV. The teachers name is ****... she does both classes. both classes are the same just different content. if you master 110 with her you can master 112. like i said i almost failed 110.. and then this last semester in 112 i got a B+. :) so its a learning curve.

As for scrubs and stethoscopes and what not. im not sure where you live but if your around abby there is a great store called PRO One uniforms down town old abby.. on Montrose street. Personally, everyone is all about the expensive Littman steths. I got a Prestige one for about 75$ (compared to littman $125), and it came in a million different colours and i can hear just fine with it. dont waste your money on something expensive. However you do want one because the school steths suck. As well... get a pen light ($7.00),.. anddddd i have my own blood pressure cuff... so i can practice at home (yes MANUAL cuff... we arent allowed machines.).

You will have to wait for the schedual on day 1... they make changes all the time... we started later in jan so our spring break fell on the olympics... so im not sure what yours would be like. but a typical week is mon to fri 8:30-3:30... and then when you are in clinical its 7am-3... In B2 you have night shifts in maternity as well 1pm-9... and then also day ones 7-3... and in ECU is 7-3.

I think its funny im the only one who has written back :) I dont mind helping others out :) OOOOH ok uhmm one thing thats important,... for each course there is a course pack. It has all the readings,... sections... and articles you need plus the pages for the pre readings. YOU NEED TO BUY THESE. they run abour 35 $ each. its just like a booklet you put in your binder but you need them. When i started the program they gave us each a box of books.. but ***** said they werent doing that anymore... but counting my texts from first year i haveeee.... 12. only 2 are from B2. so you will buy around 10. which is about 1400 $. yeaaah expensive. You should have seen my moms face when the grand total came up.. hahaha. but its about 300 after that for following semesters.

You are also give an NSA booklet which shows you how to do APA properly. Its written by the Nursing student association.. so dont bother buying the APA Manual that the book list tells you. I sold it. I use the NSA guide. Also read through the policy book they give you on Day 1. very important. I just found out that when they say the paper is supposed to be 7 pages MAX.. you can actually write 1 page PAST that... and it will still be marked :)

i cant think of anything else. uhhhmmm do your pre readings? lol.. but read fast because there is a lot. honestly sleep is more important than reading. lol... because the amount kinda gets stupid.. so.. you have to pick and choose your battles.

nursingS · Nov 30, 2010

Wow thanks so much for the info! I am starting this Jan, really excited and completely nervous! lol

Sarah010101 · Dec 1, 2010

really,. haha cool :) I am part of the very first fast track group that goes through summer... I will be in consolidation (8 weeks of med-surg) in jan... and then in B5 (semester 5) over summer and continue on through B6 & B7 & B8... and then DONE!!! :)

The teachers are really really nice. you will have mostly *** and *****... and only do a couple days of long term care... and B2 is where you are in maternity and extended care. b3 is really where you do your injections, IVs, dressing changes, meds etc in medical and pediatrics, and then B4 (which i just finished) is 12 whole weeks of surgical (it has been my favorite rotation so far) :)

Semester one will be overwhelming for you at first... you have a caring paper, transitions paper, and stress/coping/health paper... a group presentation (which is gimmie marks), and a big dimensions project where you have to go through physiological and psychosocial dimensions of one of your residents that you care for (you will learn to absolutely hate these... and will complete one up to B4, 34 pages of filling in blanks about your patient ughhh). BUT, something magical happens when you hit 4th semester and you realise you can do all IV medications... dressings, injections etc etc... YOU aare doing what the RN does basically... its overwhelming but great :)

No worries... you will be fine!!!! Just study your butt off in anatomy and physiology as well as pathophysiology... those are the 4 worse courses ever. Yes 4, part 1, and part 2. hahaha :)

message me if you have any questions :)