UW-Oshkosh Accelerated BSN - May 2015 Cohort

[PacificRim]

Greetings!

I've started the application process for the May 2015 cohort, with the September 15, 2014 deadline in mind. I've completed the academic prerequisites, with the exception of Biochemistry; and I'm enrolled in that for this fall semester. Luckily, I scored well enough on the TEAS V that I won't need to take an advanced composition class. I live in Milwaukee and I've been taking prerequisites at Milwaukee Area Technical College. I haven't yet started my CNA training and I hope to have that completed in October or November.

Once I decided to leave full-time employment to concentrate on prerequisites, I started doing very well and am thoroughly enjoying my classes. UW-Oshkosh uses prerequisite grades to determine GPA, so I should be competitive in that regard. My TEAS V scores were quite high, so I should be in good shape there, as well. My definitive weakness will be my lack of CNA experience. Past UW-Oshkosh ABSN threads show the lack of CNA experience trips up many applicants.

Is anyone else thinking of applying?

[aje122799]

I was curious what made the program not good for you? Are you located in Wisconsin or somewhere else? I have heard from people in Wisconsin the program is great, but from some people outside Wisconsin it wasn't as great.

Also, it is very expensive, but you are paying for time essentially I guess. It takes one year to get what you would need three years to do otherwise. But is there something that was bad about the program that made it not worth the money at all?

[idc1971a]

The program is not designed to allow you to absorb information instead it is built to push as many people through as accreditation will allow. A normal college semester is made up of 12-20 credits depending on the school and student. This means between 3 to 6 classes taken over a 4 month time frame. UW Oshkosh has you take the same 5 classes during the same period of time but as 5 individual classes. Each class is roughly 15 to 20 class days long. This does not allow for proper absorption of the information. If I am essentially going to teach myself through an online school I should be given time to study and learn the material.

It is expensive and we are not paying for time we are paying for education. Minus all of the fundamental classes we bring to the program as prior college graduates we take class for class the same courses as standard BSN students yet we pay 4 times as much per credit. There are accelerated programs which account for prior education who do not try to get 4 years of tuition out of you for a one year program.

The program also does not post its NCLEX pass rates like it does for its standard BSN program. While the one year program is a great benefit, the quality attached is not. After having attended the program I would have preferred to do more research and attend a different accelerated program.

[aje122799]

Thank you for replying and your honest opinion! I appreciate that. We have an Accelerated program near where I live and it is 14 months. A little cheaper, but not much. It just requires a lot of travel. I work at a hospital where a lot of people have done that program and have gone on to be NPs. I am enrolled currently in the May 2016 cohort at UWOSH. I guess I will see what the future brings.

[aje122799]

What would you say is the NCLEX pass rate for their Accel program?

[snwbal41786]

idc1971a, sorry to hear you haven't been happy with the program. From my research on several accelerated programs the cost at UWOSH is very competitive. We're not paying for the 12 months of courses but for the degree itself. I've noticed accelerated programs cost the same as the 4 year programs and this is why; the school wants to recoup how much their Bachelor program in total would cost. Having said that, it is generally less expensive to go the ASN route and bridge to a BSN. For me, the 12 months is more desirable time-wise since the other route would take 2-3 years generally speaking. However, my expectation is I get a quality education.

Do other students in your cohort feel similarly?

[idc1971a]

I can't speak for the others in the cohort. I consider myself a professional online student. I have attended what some would consider a degree mill and I have attended higher level private state colleges online. For comparison my Bachelors is from Trident University International, nd I have Masters from Arkansas Tech University as well as Des Moines University. Multiple community and technical colleges in between. Comparing all of those schools I would rank the quality of education from UW Oshkosh below all of the others.

[leadim76]

I am not sure where idc1971a is getting his information from, but from a recent graduate of the accel program, I 100% disagree with him or her. The NCLEX pass rate of my cohort was a 100%. And I felt very prepared. I am guessing idc1971a didn't listen during orientation or his/her phone interview about the pace of the program because they explain it to you. You have to be willing to learn a great deal on your own. Professors are available all the time for questions, and you also have an advisor that is there for any questions. The program is great. The large majority of my classmates got jobs before graduation, and everyone's GPA was above a 3.5. Also, if you do your research tuition is very comparable if not better than most accel programs. You get a laptop, scrubs, an ipod mini, and a very nice stethoscope included in your tuition, please tell me where else you can find that?

[aje122799]

Thank you for posting your experience leadim76!

[leadim76]

idc1971a, after some more thought, I am curious as to why you chose a program that specifically says on their website (before applying) "Rigorous: Courses are completed at the rate of one credit per week with few days off throughout the year. Students must meet high academic standards."

The website goes on to state: [h=3]The Accelerated Option IS NOT:[/h]

---

• Self-paced: The entire cohort progresses through the curriculum together. Students must adhere to strict due dates.
  

• Self-directed: Although the coursework requires a significant amount of independent work, courses are closely guided by the course instructor in a highly structured online class.
  

• Easy: Coursework is rigorous to best prepare competent new nurses. Students typically spend 8-12 hours on coursework each day.
  

(There that word rigorous is again)

I graduated in October of 2014 and if you can't already tell I wholeheartedly disagree with you. I also personally know a young lady in your cohort (October 2015) who is absolutely loving the program and is pleased to have finally started clinical last week. You get out of the program what you put into it. It is NOT easy, but I can tell you it is incredibly rewarding and worth it.

I would also like to add that I forgot to mention in my previous post, headphones are also included in the tuition, and a big bonus to the tuition is that it is the same for in-state and out-of-state students. There is also financial aid available as well as veterans aid.

I apologize for how I am coming off, but I am very passionate about the education I received at UWO and no I am not affiliated with the school in anyway.

[lmb93]

@leadim76 Could you give us an example of what the schedule is like? Just out of curiosity, I wonder how much time we have off for holidays and such.

[idc1971a]

I am applaud you on your dedication to your education and commend you on your completion of the program. I never had any issue with the pace of the course. More with the presentation and representation of the course. I have done my research and the tuition for a one year accelerated program at UW Oshkosh is the equivalent of paying for a three year nursing program. Since all of us entering the program have a Bachelors degree or better to begin with, end up paying for to ability to study on our own and complete a degree in one year. I agree in the long run it is probably financially the best option for some. While a 100% pass rate is great it reflects more on the quality of student then the quality of education.

I understand your feelings towards the school and again commend you on your accomplishments, I wish my experiences at UW Oshkosh had been as good as yours. However I had very poor response from professors and know that if you do the math the laptop, ipad, and stethoscope all cost you more than if you had bought them individually. In addition the ATI program provided for study is wrought with errors which many students have noticed. Should I as a student spend my time editing the errors of the information provided by the school?

I personally cannot recommend the program as a quality education. I can recommend it if you wish to complete your education quickly and teach yourself to be a nurse. Which I have no problem with as I have obtain all my education through none traditional routes, but received significantly better support from all of the other schools I graduated from versus UW Oshkosh.

Just as a final note you will notice I did not guess at your motivation, or attention to detail in evaluating the program. Nor did I question your dedication to time spent towards study and dedication to the coursework. Again congratulations on your new career and best of luck to you.

[snwbal41786]

I'm currently in the May cohort. We get 2 days off in October, about a week starting Christmas Eve and then 2 weeks in March. If your clinical preceptor works a holiday you work it. Christmas is officially the only holiday you get off. We start a class on July 4th. Sometimes you can get ahead on reading. I've been traveling throughout the program. It's a little hectic but doable if you make time for completing what you need to do.