A PANEL OF UK NURSES THAT HAVE RECENTLY COMPLETED THEIR BSN

Transcription

1 A PANEL OF UK NURSES THAT HAVE RECENTLY COMPLETED THEIR BSN Thinking About Which BSN program to Consider.Hear from a Panel of Nurses That Recently Completed Their BSN from 3 Different Programs: EKU, IWU and UK Thursday, Dec ember 11th Nursing Lunch and Learn Workshop Series Hosted by: UK Nursing Career Center UK Chandler Hospital and UK College of Nursing Thursday, December 11, 2014

2 Steps to Starting Back on your BSN Provided by: Sue H. Strup, MSEd, MSN, RN Nurse Career Consultant UKHealthcare Nursing Career Centers UK Chandler H-172 and UK GSH B-152 Step 1: Whether you are considering going back to nursing school for your employment, or for a promotion, or to accomplish a personal goal, you are on the right track by starting to gather resources and ask questions. By attending today s Nursing Lunch and Learn workshop, you will be able to hear from 3 different RN s that have recently completed their BSN. Attached in this handout is information about their backgrounds, where they went to school, why they selected their BSN program, if it was online versus traditional classroom, pre-requisite courses, clinical requirements, recommendations, how they balanced school/work/family, and much much more. They have all provide d their contact information in case you would like to ask them questions. Step 2: Obtain your Transcripts from the colleges or graduate schools that you have attended. This will help you identify your GPA and prerequisite courses needed. Also get copies of your ACT or SAT scores if you are applying to College for the 1 st time. Step 3: Meet with the Nurse Career Consultant (Sue H. Strup, MSEd, MSN, RN sue.strup@uky.edu) in the UK Nursing Career Center to discuss all the educational options, or attend one of the UK Nursing Education Fairs so you can meet different nursing schools. These are offered in the fall, and for a copy of the Nursing Schools that have attended in the past, visit the UK Nursing Career Center web page: Step 4: Select 2 4 (or more depending on how competitive each program is) different nursing programs that you would like to attend. Step 5: Go to the website of each nursing program and look for ACCREDITATION info, application deadlines, application requirements such as Personal Statement, Application, Resume, pre-requisite courses, minimum GPA, etc. Step 6: Meet or the Academic Advisor or RN to BSN Coordinator for each school listed on their website with questions that you have (that you ve created from the Education Road Map) about their program to see if it will meet your needs. Step 7: the UK Tuition people (Greg Collins or Stefan Schagane) to complete the paperwork for Tuition Assistance. If you are considering a private university/nursing school or an out-of-state school such as Indiana Wesleyan, University of Phoenix, Bellarmine, Chamberlain College, Midway College, University of Cincinnati, etc. send questions re: UK paying for this school to Greg Collins, gecoll2@ .uky.edu UK Nursing Fiscal Affairs. If you are considering a public university/nursing school such as UK, EKU, NKU, Morehead, Murray, etc. contact Stefan Schagane, UK Employee Education Program stefan.schagane@uky.edu Coordinator in UK Human Resource Benefits Office or visit Step 8: Complete the Application Requirements for each of the schools that you are interested. Deadlines are HARD and FAST so make sure you have completed ALL the requirements prior to the deadline. Step 9: In a week or so after you have completed the Application Process, each school to make sure your application is complete. Keep records of s, Academic Advisors that you ve met, etc.

3 Kimberly Filson, RN, BSN (Completed the University of Kentucky RN to BSN program, August 2014) Registered Nurse, 5 Main, UK Healthcare Good Samaritan Hospital Will transfer to UK Markey Cancer Center (MCC2), January 2015) kimberly.filson@uky.edu 1) What is your background? Previous career before nursing?? Where did you get your ADN??? Where did you work prior with your ADN? Answers: Nursing is my second career. Previously I was involved in property management and I also was a realtor, I still own and operate 5 rental properties. Most of my previous nursing jobs prior to UK include LTC nursing at Thompson Hood Veterans Center. 2) What school, where and when did you complete your BSN? How long did it take you from the time you started? Were you able to stop and take off a semester or two??? Where do you work now that you've completed your BSN? Answers: I first became an LPN in 2011, then straight in ADN bridge program at BCTC, graduating May 2013 and then straight into BSN at UK fall 2013, graduating in August I chose not to take any time off. So basically I have been in school since fall of 2009 starting with CNA classes. 3) What attracted you to your BSN program?? Answers: For me I always wanted to attend UK, and after reviewing the curriculum and requirements it seemed the best fit. 4) What percentage of the program was online versus traditional classroom?? Answer: I would say about 90% we were required to meet once a month on sat on campus for class. 5) Did you need to take any courses before you got accepted or applied? Answers: Yes statistics is required, and one must make sure they are getting an Associate of Science from a KCTCS institution rather than an Associate of Applied Science. An AS satisfies UK's General Education requirements. 6) What were the clinical requirements if any?? Answer: There is a clinical requirement for public health and 120 synthesis hours in the final semester. 7) What was the BEST part about your program? Answer: Having a degree from UK and I was finished in a year. 8) What was your LEAST FAVORITE thing about your program?? Answer: 120 synthesis hours 9) Did you use the UK Nursing Tuition Program or UK Employee Education Program (EEP) to help you pay for your BSN? Answer: I used the EEP. 10) About how much did it cost you with "out of pocket expenses" such as books, fees, etc? Answer: I did work for you UK my 1st semester, however 2nd and summer semesters total out of pocket expenses was around $ and if you stretch it out over 2 years you will hardly have any expenses, only books. 11) What is the ONE thing you would recommend other nurses that are considering going back to school??? Answer: Take one day at time, set your goals realistically and reevaluate at end of each semester. Ask yourself what worked well, what didn't. FINALLY get a dry erase board, make sure you have scheduled time for you and your family! 12) By completing your BSN, what "doors" have opened up for you?? Promotion?? More responsibility?? Pay raise?? Answer: Pay Raise currently, hoping to open a door within the perioperative department. 13) How did you go about exploring different BSN programs? What steps did you take after you figured out which program to go to? What was the application process like?

4 Answers: I looked at a few, I remember one wanting several prerequisites such as chemistry, which was a NO for me. I had been in school so long, and I was fine with taking stats during summer before beginning BSN in the fall, but whole semester of prerequisites was not going to work for me. I will not lie the application was long and tedious as you must list every single college course you have ever taken. My suggestion is to start it, save it, and go back to it, over several days. The deadline is usually around Feb.15. I think I did mine over a month, but remember I was working hard in the ADN program at the time. 14) Anything else you'd like to share? Tips? Thank you for your time, expertise and assistance!! Answers: I did apply with a friend of mine from the ADN program, she was accepted, as well as several others from my ADN program. It made life easier going through it with friends, but I did meet new people and made new friends. So not a necessity, but it was nice. We keep each other encouraged and focused. Again make sure you make time for yourself and family! Good Luck! Pearl Buehner, RN, BSN (Completed RN to BSN program from IWU, 2014) Registered Nurse Emergency Department UK Healthcare Good Samaritan Hospital pearl.buehner@uky.edu Mobile: ) What is your background? Previous career before nursing?? Where did you get your ADN??? Where did you work prior with your ADN? Answers: I completed my ADN at Eastern Kentucky University in May I started my career at Humana Hospital in Lexington, Kentucky. I started on a floor that included oncology, orthopedics, med- surg and urology. I then worked a year on pediatrics. From there, I worked on a telemetry unit. I have also worked at Toyota through an age ncy as an occupational health nurse. I began at Good Samaritan Hospital in 1996 in PACU and then to the Emergency Room in I have over 14 years in the Emergency Room at Good Samaritan which joined UKHC in I was out of school almost 20 years prior to going back for my BSN. The education process had definitely changed. 2) What school, where and when did you complete your BSN? How long did it take you from the time you started? Were you able to stop and take off a semester or two??? Where do you work now that you've completed your BSN? Answer: I completed my BSN at Indiana Wesleyan University in The program I chose was the 19 month accelerated BSN program. I completed in the 19 month timeframe. At this time, I am still in the Emergency room at Good Samaritan. 3) What attracted you to your BSN program?? Answer: I chose the IWU BSN program because of the accelerated program and the fact the accepted all of my previous college credits from Eastern Kentucky University (1993) and Georgetown College (1986). 4) What percentage of the program was online versus traditional classroom?? Answer: The entire program was 100 % online. 5) Did you need to take any prerequisite courses before you got accepted or applied? Answer: I did not have to take any prerequisites. IWU accepted the 114 hours I transferred. The acceptance of my previous classes and the fact that I didn t have to take any prerequisites was the deciding factor for my choice of IWU. 6) What were the clinical requirements if any?? Answer: No actual set clinical hours. Just what may be needed for research in the last two classes. 7) What was the BEST part about your program?

5 Answer: The obvious time and effort IWU put in to their program. They thought of everything and made each class transition seamless, once enrolled; books are shipped for each class as needed and without delay. 8) What was your LEAST FAVORITE thing about your program?? Answer: The time it took to complete all the required assignments. 9) Did you use the UK Nursing Tuition Program or UK Employee Education Program (EEP) to help you pay for your BSN? Answer: Yes. A portion was covered by UK EEP. 10) About how much did it cost you with "out of pocket expenses" such as books, fees, etc? Answer: $ 6,000 11) What is the ONE thing you would recommend other nurses that are considering going back to school??? Answer: Have a set schedule. This allows for completion of homework and assignments on time. Enroll with a coworker or two. I definitely found that it helped to have a support system. 12) By completing your BSN, what "doors" have opened up for you?? Promotion?? More responsibility?? Pay raise?? Answer: I have not received a promotion. I am looking for other areas of employment to allow for new and different experience. I did receive a raise. 13) How did you go about exploring different BSN programs? What steps did you take after you figured out which program to go to? What was the application process like? Answer: I went to the education fairs offered by UK. I wanted an online program that would accept my previous college credits. IWU application process was fairly easy. The most difficult thing was having my transcripts sent to IWU and having UK pay for my classes on time. Lindsay C. Thomas, RN, BSN (Completed RN to BSN program from EKU, May 2014) 4 West ICU UK Healthcare Good Samaritan Hospital lindsay.thomas@uky.edu 1) What is your background? Previous career before nursing?? Where did you get your ADN??? Where did you work with your ADN? Answers: I went to a liberal arts college and studied Anthropology and Sociology. After graduation I worked for AAA, first as a customer service agent, and then was promoted to the assistant manager of the downtown Lexington District Office. Ensuring excellent customer service was delivered to all AAA members calling or visiting our office was primary initiative of the company. After several years I began to think about my future with AAA and after some soul searching decided to attend nursing school. I took pre-requisites for my ADN at BCTC. I earned my ADN from EKU in December, 2011 and I began working in my current position in the ICU at Good Samaritan upon graduation. I started my BSN in August, ) What school, where and when did you complete your BSN? How long did it take you from the time you started? Were you able to stop and take off a semester or two??? Where do you work with your BSN? Answers: I completed my BSN, also from EKU in May I did the part-time 21 month program, taking between 5 and 8 credit hours per semester and 4 credit hours during one summer. I did not stop and take any time off, but I know people who did and restarted. An accelerated 1 year program is offered at EKU, as well as a slightly longer 2 year track. 3) What attracted you to your BSN program??

6 Answers: I was attracted to EKU's program because I had such a good experience there for my ADN. Convenience with paperwork and records definitely played a role in my decision, but ultimately the positive experience I had as an ADN is what kept me at EKU. 4) What percentage of the program was online versus traditional classroom?? Answers: The first year of my program on mostly on site. We met once per week and occasionally had online assignments to take the place of in class time. The second year of my program was 50% online and 50% in class. We met roughly 6 or 7 times throughout the semester and there was a significant amount of work to be done outside of the classroom, viewing PowerPoints, discussion board posts as well as clinical assignments. 5) Did you need to take any prerequisite courses before you got accepted or applied? Answers: Because I already had a bachelor s degree, the only class I lacked besides the nursing classes was Statistics. Statistics must be completed before the Nursing Research class is taken. No pre-requisites are required to enter the program, just a valid nursing license and a minimum of 2.0 in nursing classes. 6) What were the clinical requirements if any?? Answers: Two courses in the program had clinical requirements, but the clinical hours were "virtual" hours. We were given assignments related to the clinical topics requiring extensive research and thought. A good portion of the clinical work was in the form of written responses to questions posed by our clinical faculty. We had to accumulate 80 clinical hours for each of the two courses with the clinical components and keep a detailed log of the hours explaining how our time was spent. 7) What was the BEST part about your program? Answers: Spending minimal time on campus, the professors and many of the topics covered in the Professional Role Transitions and Complex Health Systems classes. For example, healthcare around the world and healthcare reform in the U.S. 8) What was your LEAST FAVORITE thing about your program?? Answers: My least favorite part of the program was keeping the detailed log of the clinical hours. It was tedious to do all of the work/research and then outline it. I felt completing the assignments thoroughly should have been enough proof that we were doing our clinical work. 9) Did you use the UK Nursing Tuition Program or UK Employee Education Program (EEP) to help you pay for your BSN? Answers: Yes! I paid for my books and course fees only. I spent < $500 out of pocket. The process of turning in the EEP form was very easy. 10) What is the ONE thing you would recommend other nurses that are considering going back to school??? Answers: Get organized first thing! If you're visual, get a paper calendar. I was able to use my phone's calendar. Because most programs are online, there are a considerable amount of discussion posts, assignments, quizzes, etc. and it can be overwhelming if you aren't organized from the beginning of each class. 11) By completing your BSN, what "doors" have opened up for you?? Promotion?? More responsibility?? Pay raise?? Answers: I'm still a pretty new nurse (3 years). Having completed my BSN in May, I did get a significant pay raise but have not had doors opened up per say. However, I have recently started precepting new graduates in the ICU, taking on the team leader role and am the chair of the Critical Care Council at GS. I feel I have more confidence in my abilities now. I can't say for certain that this is a direct result of my completion of my BSN, but it has certainly contributed and I look forward for more opportunities to grow. 12) How did you go about exploring different BSN programs? What steps did you take after you figured out which program to go to? What was the application process like?

7 Answers: I honestly didn't look at too many programs. I had a very positive experience at EKU for my ADN and they already had all of my transcripts, etc so it really was a pretty easy decision for me. Because the university already had my information, the application process was very easy. 13) Other tips, resources, useful information that you think would help someone considering going back for their BSN? Answers: If you have a degree already be sure to find out from each program you're looking at if they will accept all of your credits. You could lose valuable time (and money) if you choose a program that won't accept your credits, when another program might accept them. Also, PERRLA software for APA papers.