university of maryland RN - BSN

fashionistaRN · May 23, 2015

Good luck! One of the best nursing programs in the country.

bcandygurl · Aug 24, 2015

I do.

aimtrue · Oct 1, 2015

@bcandygurl - can you give me any info on the rn-bsn program as far as workload goes? I'm applying for Spring 2016 and plan on doing online classes if I get accepted. How rigorous are the classes? Did you go part-time or full-time? I was in HCC's ADN program. How much studying do you do compared to ADN classes?

TIA!

sassybunny · Oct 29, 2015

Classes vary in difficulty and rigor. I've completed 17 of 31 credits so far (1-2 classes per semester), all online. I have 3 nursing electives and community health remaining. I went to CCBC evening/weekends for undergrad, while working a full time 9-5 job in IT. In general, I've found this easier than earning my ADN.

Most of my classes have followed the same format: 1 module per week, which consists of several reading assignments (textbook, online articles, power points, online modules) and a discussion board assignment. The discussion board is typically one post due by mid-week and responses to 2-3 classmates by the end of the week. These aren't usually incredibly difficult, but can be very time consuming. Most require (good!) sources outside of the assigned reading, with APA formatted citations. Sometimes I spend as much time looking for sources as I do working on the posts. Again, how closely scrutinized and graded these are varies by class.

In addition to the weekly modules, there are typically somewhere between 2-5 exams. All of the tests so far have been online, open note, open book, open internet (except one class required a proctored head to toe assessment). You just can't receive help from another person. These are not usually like the exams like you took in nursing school; There is a right answer and most are definitions, facts, and such, as opposed to application of nursing concepts and judgements about which right answer is the MOST right answer.

Each class also had at least one paper (sometimes more) and a group assignment or other project or presentation.

bcandygurl · Oct 29, 2015

Hi @aimtrue...I'm sorry for the delay. I would agree with everything that sassybunny said; however, I find the RN-BSN program to be much tougher and I went to HCC. It is a whole lot of busy work to me, and I have been taken exclusively online classes too. It also may just seem harder, because I'm working as a nurse now and I had a 9-5 office job before where school work could get done if I really needed too. It is tough getting things done by midweek for the online modules depending on your work schedule. I also must say I hate group projects too as it is tough when you dealing with nurses with different schedules. I guess this is all a part of that learning to collaborate.

@sassybunny...which class did you have to do a proctored head to toe assessment? I am taking Health Informatics next semester and an elective. I have only took one so far- Health Care and Culture. If you do not like writing papers, I wouldn't advise it. There are no exams, and 3 papers. One is a group project. This class requires a lot of going out in the community to interview individuals.

Bittersweet68 · Feb 25, 2016

I am doing the RN to BSN program in 2 semesters (14 credits one semester and 17 credits the next). I live 2 hours from campus and I have taken one face to face class each semester and the others are online. The online classes have the most busy work. The assignments are not difficult but can be very time consuming. Each class requires an APA paper and the online classes require group work which can be difficult to do considering everyone has a different schedule and many work as 12 hour shift nurses. It is a very doable program. The public health class is 5 credits and has a 90 hour clinical rotation. I will say I am very glad I chose UMSON. My friends that are doing online programs through other colleges are jealous of the electives I have been able to take.

rubyagnes, BSN · Mar 7, 2016

I plan to apply to the online RN to BSN program. Just graduated from an ADN program and hoping to settle my job situation before I jump back into school

johsonmichelle · Sep 13, 2016

does anyone know how long it takes to hear back from in terms of acceptance?

hpark1278 · Sep 18, 2016

I received an official letter of acceptance in the mail 5 weeks after applying. But it depends on when you apply. They start reviewing applications for Spring on September 1st and for Fall on February 1st. If you applied before September they didn't start looking at it until after 9/1.

You can also check your application status by logging back in to the application website. It will also tell you there if you are missing anything which can delay your application. The website displayed my acceptance status after 3 weeks, but the official letter came at 5 weeks.

neenbeen93 · Sep 18, 2016

Hi @mermaid_rn! Quick question. I haven't even started my adn program, but I definitely plan on applying to umson rn-to-bsn program right after. On their website, it says rolling admissions. So basically if I meet their requirements and apply early, I have a good chance? My adn program is based on a rolling admission process too. If the semester is full, they waitlist you, but you'll have a guaranteed spot, whether a spot opens up for the semester you applied for or for the next semester. I wasn't sure if umson's rn-to-bsn program was based the same way.

hpark1278 · Sep 19, 2016

Hi neenbeen93. Yes, since it's rolling admissions, the earlier you apply, the higher your chances of getting accepted. You are allowed to apply with some prerequisites in progress too, which means you should apply in your last semester of your ADN. If you meet the requirements and are accepted, you would just have to submit a final transcript after you graduate from your ADN, and then submit your NCLEX test results before starting the BSN.

I don't know if there is a waitlist for the RN-to-BSN. When I applied, I got the feeling that much less people apply this way compared to the traditional BSN. To my knowledge, in early August there were still a few RN-to-BSN spaces open at the Baltimore campus for Fall. Meanwhile the traditional BSN had a long waitlist of people hoping to start in the Fall. Good luck on your journey to becoming a nurse.