UTA AP BS nursing program in Houston

Hi! I'm currently in it :) I graduate May 2016. I absolutely love it.

I had applied to UTHSC Houston twice and was accepted the third time, at the same time I was accepted by UTA. I chose UTA because the program seemed to be run better and the fact that the school called me to make sure my admission process was going okay and checked in on me. I loved that! I work for UTHSC Houston as a standardized patient and they're awesome but the idea of not having to navigate traffic and med center parking was way more appealing to me.

I do my clinicals at Methodist Willowbrook (#4 hospital in Houston and #1 hospital outside of the med center). I did my psych rotation at Harris county psych center and pediatrics at Texas Children's. I know some people in my group don't care for the school the same way I do but I went to UH and HCC for a degree and classes respectively and UTA is so awesomely organized in comparison. But to each their own I suppose :) if you have any specific questions let me know!

How many online classes do you take while doing your clinicals? How long are your clinical days? What do you think about your instructors? What type of homework do you have to do to prepare for your clinical days?

It totally depends on the semester. Some classes are 5-7 weeks, and some are 12-14 weeks. At times they will overlap. I'll do my best to answer you but if I confuse you at any point please let me know!

We do one clinical at a time. We can be in just the class and clinical only or we can be in that class and clinical at the same as another class. Right now for example I am in critical care and pediatrics while I do my critical care clinical. Clinical days can vary. Some are 10 hour days and some are longer.

Homework can be nothing or it can be an assignment based on something we did in the previous clinical day. It's not bad honestly if you can stay on top of due dates. Some things are more time consuming than others. Say "care plan" and every nurse around you will their eyes haha

So overall you think that everything is organized? I have 4 kids, a full time job, and a husband. :)

So I need to be prepared as much as possible.

They have the most wonderful lady helping to keep things organized between you and the school. They send you schedules ahead of time and answer your questions quickly. The only one downside I would say is you don't get your clinical schedule until close to the beginning of each semester because it has to work with the hospital you're with. Exams are done in person at your "home" hospital (ours are Wednesday's) and they will allow you to take exams at a testing center if approved ahead of time but the hesi must be done at the home hospital.

I needed organization and this school is by far the most organized I've seen.

Hey christinelinnet,

I start UTA's program in the spring. You mentioned that you do your clinicals at Methodist Willowbroke. Were you partnered? I ranked Methodist as my first choice clinical site. I hope I get it. What has been your experience there? During your first semester, what days were your clinicals? How long after the semester starts do clinicals start? For example, our first class day is Jan. 25th. Will we start learning skills at our site that same week? In your opinion, how realistic is it to work full time and do well in this program? Any study tips or tips in general for a new nursing student?

I was not partnered and had actually selected clear lake as my first choice. Man I'm glad they put me at Methodist! I love my clinical group and I really like the hospital.

We we started that first Saturday and Sunday of the semester in the education room where we learned basic skills and after that, Saturday's were for skills learning and Sunday's were on the hospital floors. I loved doing it that way because it let us apply it in real life immediately.

None of us work full time I don't think but it totally depends on the job and your studying habits. For example, one girl is totally killing it working nights and can study when work is slow. I work a ton of different PRN jobs and is been stressful because it makes planning my time difficult. You can try it out first semester and see how you like working full time with school. You'll have two weekday orientation days in January at UTA and any hospital orientation is weekday, just so you know.

As as for studying tips, I'm not the best to ask since I'm still learning how to study lol I did great in my first degree by just showing up to class and paying attention. This is different because you can memorize the book but it's clinical application. Stay ahead of reading chapters or watching videos and look on YouTube for help with any difficult concepts. Sometimes YouTube is better at explaining things lol also practice applying the info by answering practice nclex questions in a Saunders nclex questions book. Get the one with a cd so you have access to the question bank. Classes will sometimes have the same questions on their test as in that book!

Thanks for all the information! I'm excited and a bit nervous about starting this program.

If you want to know anything else, let me know! I'll do my best to answer it's exciting and nerve wracking at the same time!! I'm so excited I'm almost through but I will say that you definitely can have a social life if you plan accordingly. However, be prepared to lose contact with a lot of friends. It's not permanent if they're good friends though! Make time for yourself. I get pedicures regularly and that's my guaranteed "me" time.

Great advice, thank you. I might need to start looking for a new job now. I work 12 hour shifts on weekends and two 8 hours shifts during the week. I doubt they will let me go part time. I have a few coworker who are currently in nursing school and have worked there longer than me. They were not allowed to go part time, only PRN. I need insurance so I'll probably have to leave.

Is this the NCLEX book you're using? https://evolve.elsevier.com/cs/product/9781455727551

I want to buy one as soon as possible.

You'll need weekends free for at least the first two semesters I'm sure. For us, Wednesday's are our exam day and the clinicals for us at my hospital are sat/sun for foundations, assessment, and med surg. Critical care has been fri/sat. Psych I don't even remember which day lol prob sat/sun and pedi was Thursday's