UW Oshkosh Online Accelerated Program - May 2011

[tkzv]

Thought I might start a post to communicate between those of us who have applied for the May 2011 Cohort. Feel free to join in and let everyone know if you have heard anything. I would imagine we will not hear much until December as we get closer to grades for the fall classes.

If you are lurking from a prior cohort, we (ok at least I) would love to hear your experiences (both good and bad) and how you might have approached things differently.

Best of luck to everyone!

Kimberly

[Sniffum35]

I just graduated from this program a week ago. :) If you have any questions, let me know.

[tkzv]

Hi Sniffum35,

Thank you for jumping in here. I have the online interview this Thursday and was wondering if you have any advice for this portion of the application? What worked well to help you manage the time? Were the questions typical interview questions like:

1. Why do you want to be a nurse?

2. What are your strengths/weaknesses?

3. How do you handle stress?

4. Tell me about a time when...

I have 4 months CNA experience in a LTC setting and was just hired as a CNA at a local hospital. Are there any questions asking you to related any experiences as a CNA?

Also, I know you guys did not have to take the TEAS test prior to application, but this is a new requirement this go round. Did you guys take TEAS IV or TEAS V when you when for your orientation weekend? And do you know what range of scores they are targeting?

And finally, have you been able to secure a position post-graduation? If so, was it at the hospital where you did your clinical rotations?

Thank you for being willing to jump in and help.

[Cari001]

I am applying for the May 11 cohort. I would love to hear from those who are applying too. I'm also interested in hearing the average TEAS V score... I know it's not known because it's new, but a range would be helpful.

[Sniffum35]

Sorry, I didn't get back to you sooner. How did the online interview go? You've probably already gotten the email for the next step.

We took the TEAS 4.0 during our orientation weekend. They don't look for certain scores, they just want to know if you require remediation in anything. I don't know the average score, but I think I remember 50% or below signifying a need for remediation. I doubt that they would exclude anyone based solely on TEAS scores. Honestly though, the test is very, very easy (think sophomore year of high school standardized testing). Don't sweat it.

Yes, I was able to find a job. I would say about 1/3 to 1/2 of my cohort has jobs already but, of the ones without jobs, a few are waiting to hear about acceptance to highly competitive nurse residency programs before really starting to apply elsewhere. Of the people who have jobs lined up, I would say about half of them are at the location of their senior synthesis rotation. Depending on where you're located, you will likely have your rotations at more than one hospital (Of my 6 rotations, I had 5 different placements). So, you have a good chance to network and try out a few places. Any other questions, let me know.

[Sniffum35]

Actually I was able to dig up my old test and on the back it had the averages and the explanations. This is for TEAS 4. Honestly though, it's really easy and I wouldn't worry about it. Unless you know that you really struggle in an area, you will be fine.

Mean - National: 72.8%

Mean - Program: 77.4%

Mean - Program:

The program mean is the average of the

adjusted individual scores of all test takers of

your program type (within a specified sample

from the ATI data pool) for this assessment

within a specified time.

Percentile Rank - National:

The national percentile rank refers to the

proportion of test takers from all types of nursing

programs (within a specified sample from the

ATI data pool) whose scores are the same as or

lower than your adjusted individual score.

[tkzv]

Hi Sniffum35,

Thank you for the reply. I did have my email interview and it went fine. The timed part is definitely the kicker. I did hear this week that I have been selected for the phone interview, but have not scheduled it as of yet.

That is great news regarding the job placement for you and your cohort. This is definitely a positive for this program.

My TEAS V score was fine. I just think we have to sweat all of the details until we get the acceptance letter.

Thank you for providing input from a prior cohort. I am hoping more applicants will join as we go through the selection process.

Kimberly

[Sniffum35]

A little primer for the phone interview.... Its focused on what you know about the program to see if you know what you are getting yourself into. They'll ask if you have the financial part squared away, how comfortable you are with technology, if you understand the time commitment it takes, etc. There weren't many of the traditional "interview questions" you would expect. In fact, the only thing like that I can remember them asking is why I wanted to be in the UW-O ACCEL program specifically. I was very prepared for a normal interview and it wasn't worth it.

[Cari001]

Yes. I had the phone interview before too and it was very program specific. Study the website very well. Kimberly, what was your TEAS score? Mine was 75. I hope that's good enough.. but yes, we will stress until we get that acceptance letter! Good luck to you!

[tkzv]

My TEAS V score was 93% (Adjusted total individual score). My email interview sounds very similar to the phone interview. I wonder if they have changed things up or if they just want to make doubly sure you know what you are getting into. I did ask Sue how many applicants there were for May 2011 and she didn't know exactly, but thought there were around 85-90. I thought that more people would have been on these boards because the October 2010 thread was very active. Do you know if many of the October 2010 applicants were going to reapply for May 2011?

I think I have most of my ducks in a row. I am finishing up the prereq this semester with chem 2, micro, and a&p (only 5 more weeks). Our biggest hurdle is the finances and finding the best sources. I understand from a graduate of the October 2008 cohort that UW-Oshkosh does work with you regarding scholarships and financial aid available.

Cari001 - Will you have another phone interview for this round? Did you talk with Sue before reapplying and did she suggest ways to strength your application? When I spoke with her last Spring she mentioned that she would meet with reapplicants to help them with their application.

Keep in touch.

Any other UW-O online accelerated nursing applicants out there? Stop lurking and join us...

Kimberly

[Sniffum35]

Hi Kimberly,

In your phone interview, stress the completion of your pre-reqs. They do consider this a factor in your candidacy.

Also, whoever told you that UW-O doesn't help with financial aid couldn't be more wrong. The financial aid office has an officer dedicated to the ACCEL program. Have you filled out a FAFSA form? If you have any questions about financial aid, I can probably help you.

Cari- A 75% on the TEAS is more than good enough. This is not really a determining factor as they used to do it during orientation. Its just to make sure they are not letting people who can't read or calculate doses into the program without remediation. The only way I could really see it weighing in on a decision is if someone did terribly on it (

[tkzv]

Sniffum35 -

Thank you for being a mentor to this thread. I apologize that you read my post incorrectly, but I agree with you and so does my 2008 cohort mentor - UW-O is awesome at financial aid help. I did not know that they had a dedicated representative. That is great to hear.