RN to BSN

Getting Your RN TO BSN in Memphis

[Beyond SW]

First of all we have a closed Facebook group for that, too. Geared specifically for former SW students.

Former STCC Student Now doing RN-BSN, MSN or DNP

REMEMBER YOUR HOSPITAL WILL PAY PART OF THE COST OF MOST PROGRAMS

Here are the various programs in the area.

UNIVERSITY OF MEMPHIS

Loewenberg School of Nursing RN to BSN Program

Loewenberg School Of Nursing Facebook Page 

• Online, Some non-online clinical work
• cost of one class: 1,200
• Advantages: They are talking of being able to go straight from BSN to DNP program, skipping the master's

• Entrance Criteria:  Admission to UM, GPA 2.7, Cs in prereqs
• Scholarships:  Available scholarships

PREREQS:

Transfer Equivalency Table

CHRISTIAN BROTHERS UNIVERSITY

CBU RN to BSN Program

CBU RN to BSN Program Facebook Page

Program

Semester One of Nursing Courses only 

NURS 300 Dimensions of Professional Nursing– 3 (3-0) 

NURS 302 Intro to Professional Role Development – 4 (4-0) 

NURS 304 Health Assessment for RNs– 4 (3-1) 

Credit hours = 11 Nursing 

Semester Two 

NURS 402 Professional Role Development II – 3 (3-0) 

NURS 405 Global Community Health Nursing – 6 (6-0) 

NURS 406 Community Health Nursing Clinical – 2 (0-2) 

Credit hours = 11 Nursing

Semester Three

NURS 412 Nursing Leadership – 5 (5-0) 

NURS 413 Professional Practice and Leadership Clinical – 2 (0-2) 

NURS 416 Evidence-Based Nursing – 3 (3-0) 

Credit hours = 10 Nursing

• Advantages: rolling admissions, cohort learning, 2.0 GPA
• Disadvantages: on campus classes, religion class requirement
• Time: three semesters
• Admission Criteria: 2.0 GPA

PREREQS:

ENGLISH 

ENG 111 (3) 

ENG 112 (3) 

ENG 211/or 212 (3) 

NAT/PHY SCIENCE W/LAB (4) BIOL 103, 107, 109, 111; CHEM 113, 

115; NSCI 111, 115, 118, 122, 126, 128; 

PHYS 150, 201 

SOCIAL SCIENCE/HISTORY * (6) * See GER section of the catalog 

MATH (3) ACCEPTED: MATH 162 or equivalent 

PHILOSOPHY* (3) * See GER section of the catalog 

RELIGIOUS STUDIES (6) ACCEPTED: Any RS 200/300 Course 

Math Requirement: Math 162 (Health Science Applications of Algebra and Statistics) or 

equivalent (MATH 105 or higher plus one statistics class; see GER section of 

the catalog)

BAPTIST COLLEGE OF HEALTH SCIENCES

Baptist College Of Health Sciences

Baptist School Of Nursing Facebook Page

• Online and some on-campus time
• Advantages: can test out of some courses

PREREQS:

The following General Studies courses must be completed before beginning the following core courses: BIO 201 A & P I; BIO 201 A&P II; BIO 205 Micro; ENG 101; ENG 102; ENG Literature; PSY 301 HG&D; SPE 211 Speech 

UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEE

UT BSN Program

UNION UNIVERSITY

Union University RN to BSN Program

Union School Of Nursing Facebook Page

• Online or available classes at Germantown campus
• $ 420 per credit hour

 PREREQS:

CUMBERLAND UNIVERSITY

Cumberland University

• $425 per credit hour
• 100% online
• No clinicals
• Takes 1 year
• 2.0 GPA
• No prereqs
• Financial aid

MISSISSIPPI UNIVERSITY FOR WOMEN

Their list of courses is extensive and too detailed to put here, so here is a link

Courses and Prereqs required

•  overall GPA of 2.5 with an ACT less than 21.  If your ACT is 21 or higher, you may be admitted with an overall GPA of 2.0.
• entire program is online
• There are clinical components with the courses. The main focus of our program is community, leadership, and research.
• three semesters

WESTERN GOVERNORS UNIVERSITY

WGU RN to BSN Program Handbook

• Majority online
• Financial aid available
• You pay less if you complete the degree faster:

• 2 years (or 4 terms): $13,000
• 18 months (or 3 terms): $9,750
• 12 months (or 2 terms): $6,500
• If you have received an Associate of Arts (AA) or Associate of Science (AS) degree, you will typically enter WGU with upper-division standing and clear or waive 40 competency units (CUs)—which are equivalent to credit hours. You may also clear additional degree requirements depending upon the program.

My First Week Of Nursing And Sh*t Nursing Instructors Say That Made It (Somewhat) better

Working

Beyond SW

Things I learned:

**I will spend a lot of time waiting for the time clock to say 7:08
**How to be more organized
**That I will be sweating like a pig before 8:00 a.m.
**You can never have enough alcohol wipes, gauze pads, IV flushes, pens and tape in your pocket
**Sticky notes are your friends
**What we really looked like as clinical students (lost and scared and desperately searching for a computer)
**That A good preceptor is worth her weight in gold.
**To never, ever smoke
**That I know way more than I thought I knew
**But I can ask for help if I don't know something and I can ask for help even if I have been a nurse for 10 years if I don't know something
**That SW prepared me quite well, but made me completely loopy in the process
**At 5 pm on the third day of three 12 hour shifts, you will know the true meaning of tiredness
**A sense of pride in my work and what I accomplished
**I can HANDLE more than I know
**That band-aids are hard to find
**That if I turn right one more time, I will be in the observation unit again and I don't work there.
**To have everything you need when you go into a room because you already need 4 pairs of hands
**The value of good shoes.
**That you might lose 4 lbs and gain 6 gray hairs
**To make friends with everyone.
**To not worry if you HAVE to annoy someone
**To answer the phone and check out that alarm  because someone will do it  for you in return
**EKG leads can get stuck to the gown and mess up the reading
**To triple check your meds- there are so many ways to potentially make a mistake
**The value of deliberate actions. To go slowly and not get flustered if I need to take my time
**The value of a good mentor
**I LOVE NURSING

Things they said which was actually good advice:

**Ms. L, "No patient care in the dark."
**Mr. S, "Take the darn EKG stickers off the patient before you send him to me."
**Mr. K, "Head-to-toe assessment means head-to-toe. Did you forget to check mucus membranes?"
**Mr S, (not original to him, but oh, SO helpful), "Smoke over fire, clouds over grass and chocolate is close to the heart." Do you know how many EKG leads I put on throughout the day?
**Mrs. C in OB, "Rub that fundus!"
**Mr. K, "Put a washcloth in the bottom of the emesis basin, then it won't splash"
**Mr. K, "It's 6:01, you're late!"
**Mr. S, "Put your hand behind your back and flip the safety on that needle."
**Mr S, "You have to give patient care no matter who is in the room."
**Mr. S, "Pretend that's your family member in that bed, then you will always deliver the best care you can."

What's It REALLY Like? Student to Nurse: Our Graduates Speak.

Beyond SW

Working

From B:

I work in a specialty ICU where I take care of some very critical patients after surgery. Unlike nursing school a care plan is done with just a few clicks of the mouse. I Titrate vasoactive drugs that can rapidly increase and decrease a patients blood pressure which can be a little nerve racking. I feel that my experience as a LPN and the new knowledge I obtained at SW has prepared me to improve myself constantly.

From S:

From Registered Nurse to Real Nurse. 
Did nursing school help me prepare for the real nursing world? Is nursing anything like I expected? Not a chance. Nursing school is a crash course in basic training and as long as you get out of school knowing what is "normal" then you will be able to differentiate from the abnormal.
There is a reason that nurses have a long orientation process during the transition from school to workforce. I have been out of orientation and on my own for 3 months, luckily For me on my own does not mean "by myself". I have seen some nurses try to "eat the young" and some of my friends have experienced this. I don't know if my "always assume positive intent" makes me experience the seasoned nurses differently or if I am just luckily that I have a great unit I am working on. My unit has welcomed me with open arms and my preceptor was amazing. I have heard many stories of different experiences.
I am on a specialty floor and am learning more and more everyday. There have been a few times I have left in tears and I even experienced a panic attack but I think most of the stress is self induced and I have seen seasoned nurses of 10+ years leave in tears so I know we all have bad days. 
Time management has been my biggest problem and charting takes forever. I wish I could perform more patient care and less paperwork. I had a nurse ask me "did you give good patient care?" - yes, "does your patient feel like you have taken care of their needs?"- yes "then you are doing fine". I am working on my self confidence and learning to trust my instincts. I have learned a few pointers as a new nurse- learn to cluster care, the patient doesn't want you in their room any more than you need. Try your best to make your patient feel like they are your only one while you are in their room. This builds a lot of their trust in you. And it's ok to be worried that you will do something wrong... That means you are doing it right. When you stop worrying you need to stop nursing.


From K:

I am halfway through my orientation in a pediatric critical care unit. So far I feel my SW education has provided a good foundation, but I have MUCH to learn. My first week I participated in a code, had a patient desat to the 30's (on a vent), and took care of a patient on ECMO. Nursing school didn't prepare me for these experiences, but I did the best I could at my level of training, and asked lots of questions later. There is so much to learn in this unit and the first few weeks were very overwhelming. From the diagnoses to the medical equipment, most of it was new and intimidating. I would advise nursing students to jump at every opportunity presented in clinical. There's so much to see and do, and not enough time in clinical to learn everything. Never thought I'd say that! Another area to really try to excel at is dosage and calculations. I did well in the class and understood the concepts, but in pediatrics especially, a med error can be fatal, and when you're giving a 0.12mg dose to 3kg baby you really want to be sure of yourself. This is one area that my preceptor "encouraged" me to be more confident. The first day or so I asked her to double check every medication I gave because I was so paranoid. I realized I could work out a word problem easily but to look at the pharmacy label and do the calculations (concentration, mcg/kg/min-->mcg/hr-->mg/hr) without writing anything down was more difficult for me. I learned quickly when you have a patient on 12 different drips in addition to scheduled meds and PRN's you need to be able to do fast AND accurate drug calculations. I've found that each week I improve a little more. I may understand a diagnosis better, calculate dosages faster, chart more accurately, or manage patient care more efficiently. One thing about starting so "fresh" like I did is that there's LOTS of room for improving! I try not to be too hard on myself but it's hard to remember that those seasoned nurses started at the bottom too. I'm fortunate that my employer offers a long (20wk) orientation period, a nurse residency program, and continuing education, but if my nursing school experience taught me anything it's that you have to pursue your own success. For me that's going to mean doing my own research, asking a lot of questions and taking advantage of every opportunity to learn something new.

From T:

It can be tough at times, but for the most part it is very rewarding. You get to play a huge part of so many lives outside of you family and friends. The impact you have on them, will be largely in part to your actions whether positive or negative. You must learn to treat each patient and their circumstance as individual and as if this were someone very close to you. This will assure your care and actions actions are that of a genuinely compassionate caregiver.

Never be afraid to be your patient's advocate whether involving decisions in their care or asking a family member to please leave becuase they are upsetting your patient. Remember, sometimes we are the only voice they have!

Yes at the beginning of my career is was strenuous. I felt I had made the wrong career choice. I had a very hard time adjusting. In your textbook, you learn about renal failure and treatments for renal failure, but your textbooks/ instructors can never prepare you for real life. They can not prepare prepare you for who you are as a nurse, nor can they prepare you for the nurse you will become.

Finding who you are WILL be your greatest feat. Loving and taking care of people are your defining pillars. Build from this foundation and remember this and all I've said so when you have your "rainy days in nursing" it will redirect your path where YOU needs ought to be. If you love what you do, you will never work a hard day in your life! Lastly, Nurses are of a special bread of human, we take care of EVERYONE even when no one else will! God bless!


THIS:

Is a freaking AMAZING book. Amazing.

Another Useful book:

and one more:

Your first 100 days at a new job could be daunting---unless you go in prepared. First Year Nurse places the wisdom and warnings of hundreds of experienced nurses right at your fingertips. You'll learn all about how to start off on the right foot; plan and prioritize; communicate with your colleagues; cope with challenging patients; keep your energy up (and stress down); and set a course for professional growth. 

Best of all, you'll be inspired by the compassion, insight, and enthusiasm you'll find on every page of this charming, helpful book. 

Tennessee Nurses Association Facebook Group

Midsouth Nurses Facebook Group

People who are not our graduates speak:

40 Best Nursing Blogs

Madness: Tales Of An ER Nurse

First Do No Harm

Codeblog: Tales Of A Nurse

Nursing For Guys Blog

Pinning

Beyond SW

Classmates/Teamwork

I LOVED pinning. It was such a nice, fun day. From arriving early in the morning to set up the flowers on the stage and goofing around with some of the best friends I had ever made to walking across the stage to be pinned by Ms. V.

We made it!

Practice makes perfect:

That morning we got to practice what we would do during the ceremony.

First, you get to practice when to stand up and sit down. Remember that your brain is pretty much fried by then and this becomes a Herculean task. Next, we needed to learn how to walk to our chairs. Mr. S said, "Line up in alphabetical order." I kid you not-he actually said that! Then he took pity on us and actually read what order we were supposed to be in. We couldn't even stand up or sit down correctly for goodness sake. Alphabetical order? I don't think so.

Alphabetical order

Ceremony

Our pinning was poignant because Ms. V retired and she said that she graduated with us. We planned a surprise presentation for her. We were able to thank her for thirty-plus years of dedication to her students. She was touched. We also surprised Mr.S with a presentation. He doesn't like surprises as much. Bear that in mind- you still have  an incomplete on your transcript at this point.

Don't Surprise Your Teachers

It was wonderful to be surrounded by family and friends. My mom came all the way from England. I am so glad I actually passed that final and got to go to pinning. She might have been a little miffed otherwise. I remember obsessively checking and rechecking to see if my grade was posted in PAWS-that was what would make the difference between going to pinning or not. When it finally appeared on the screen, I cried my eyes out and my mom gave me a big English hug.

my mummy and me

So what happens at pinning besides sitting down and standing up?

There are speeches. And then there a few more speeches. We had a wonderful speech by Dr. M about how we are highly trained PROFESSIONALS and about how far nursing has come. This made me proud to be a part of this profession. We are NOT angels. We are professionals. Remember that! Dr. M confused my mummy a little. She thought it was so nice that a doctor was encouraging us nurses, until I explained that he was neither an angel nor a MD, but a doctor nurse.

Our classmates gave inspirational speeches and speeches full of humor. There was inspiration and humor throughout this experience. I think it took us until pinning to see that.

From Jamieka, our inspirational speaker:

On an inspirational note we would like to thank the families of all the students because not only was this a trying time for us it was a trying time on you all as well.   Looking at our spouses, significant others, parents, children and friends you all were our TRUE inspiration, you all gave us the momentum and determination not to just give up and quit. I am always trying to encourage my classmates and boost their faith to help them make it through the program. So to the graduates as we go into this wonderful world of Nursing remember if you can make it through the program there is nothing you can’t do all you need is a little determination and lots of Faith!

And from our fearless leader, President Krystal:

Twas the Night Before Clinical

Twas the night before clinical and all through the house,

Nothing was stirring except for me and the computer mouse.

My uniform was hung over the door freshly pressed,

Thinking that my clinical instructor would send me home if I looked a mess.

The husband and kitty were asleep in the bed,

And I’m sure  having more exciting dreams in their head.

As I take my shower and put on my wrap,

I attempt to lie down for what seems more like a nap.

When from my night stand rang such an awful sound,

I smacked the alarm with a frown. 

As I approach the bathroom to attempt to become tidy,

I kept thinking to myself,  “Thank goodness it’s Friday!”

I pour my coffee and prepare to leave,

Hopeful there are many things I can achieve. 

The moon mocks me as I drive down I-40,

But I will be at the hospital for clinical shortly.  

When to my liking my clinical mates appear,

And we all walk in showing no fear.

A patient seeing little green men in the corner,

You need to check the tox screen before administering that order.

As we walked onto the unit all the same,

The constant beeping seemed more like a game.

Now ventilator, now IV pump, now foley cath,

on call light, on EKG, on rectal tube status.

From the front of the unit all the way to the back,

Now dash away, dash away, dash way to the code.

Residents and nurses across the unit they flew,

When they meet an obstacle,

A patient who is blue.

So up to the crash cart items were threw,

Drawing a rainbow, compressions, and intubation too.

And then in a sound I heard from the screen,

The slight beeping of the heart rate machine.

As the staff members departed from the room,

To their normal duties they resume.

I return to assess the patient that was assigned,

Being respectful to the unconscious mind.

Multiple lines from several locations,

appearing as something foreign,

then thinking to myself “I have learned a lot on this rotation”.

I began my assessment, from his head to his toes,

Being sure I remove his support hose.

A bundle of IV’s hang from the pump, 

I pick up the room so it doesn’t look like a dump.

I find an open computer to begin my documentation,

Sure to mention the PRN medications.

I finish the shift assessment while going through each tab,

and before moving from my seat,

I electronically sign by clicking “assessment complete”.

At the end of the day to our instructor we meet,

She congratulates us for making it through this feat.

We sat together in our last clinical enjoying treats,

Exchanging emails for references before we hit the streets.

As we walked to the garage wearing our coats of white,

The sparkle at the end of the tunnel is becoming ever so bright.

We make it to our spaces and I get in my car,

I take a moment for myself to say, “Thank goodness I got this far.”

As my anxiety builds knowing school is coming to a conclusion,

And it seems I am in a constant state of mental confusion.

Looking cover the material that was Ms V's part,

Often makes me question, “Is this nursing or abstract art?”

Mr. S came to class to teach us all the adventures of MeeMaw,

 And contently saying “Focus on the slides y’all”

Dr. M comparing angels to our profession,  

Often emphasizing the nursing education progression.

As we all stand before you dressed all in white,

Happy Pinning to all, and to all a good night!!! 

A big part of the ceremony is the pledge we say:

We say it while holding candles, all together, dressed in head to toe in our white scrubs. The last time we do anything together as a class. Look around and remember those terrified faces during orientation. Think about just what we actually achieved-it's amazing.

I  Pledge Allegiance...

We stood in line to get the actual pin and cheered as each one of us went on stage. These were the people I had spent hours of my life with for the last two years. The people who picked me up when I was down, who encouraged me, who helped me. The people who knew what it was like to go through this experience. The people I had become incredibly close to. The cheering was not loud enough to express what we felt about each other.

Mr.S handed us our pin on the way up. Everyone remarked how much he seemed to know and care about each student. Ms. V pinned us on stage. She had words of wisdom for each one of us and we felt like she really cared about us. I kind of felt like she needed a step ladder to pin some of us. Ms. L will definitely not have that problem. Mr. K handed us our candle on the way off the stage. He was another favorite teacher of ours and it was wonderful to be congratulated by him as the rest of the faculty cheered us on (or maybe they were cheering because they were finally getting rid of us? As far as I know, our composite picture is still on the wall and not shoved behind a garbage can in the conference room.)

The SNGA provided the reception for us. I was touched that they specially ordered kosher cake so my family could participate. That was sweet. And it was good cake. I have two teenage boys among my kids, I think they ate half of one cake.

Kosher cake

 And then we all went out and had a HUGE party of our own. Oh, wait, no we didn't because we had to GET UP EARLY and be at a HESI review class at 8 am for three days. Joy oh joy.

After pinning, I still didn't feel like I had totally graduated. I didn't even feel like I had totally graduated when I passed the HESI. Still didn't feel like I had totally graduated when I passed boards. I finally felt like I graduated when my license was framed and on my wall.

[And in case anyone is wondering, here are the stats. People in my class who went all the way through without repeating a class-THIRTEEN. People in the LPN-RN track who went all the way through-NINE.]

Our bulletin board which has such inspirational sayings as "Yellow" written on it.

Graduating

SW Business

Beyond SW

Studying/Testing

Exit Test

You have to take ANOTHER exit exam to get out of there, besides the HESI. It's a little, teeny bit easier. Very basic math and reading comprehension skills. This is probably not officially mandated anywhere, but I took it the semester BEFORE I graduated and not in my last semester. Then I didn't have to worry about it in AH2. I got away with that and I know someone else who did, but I am not endorsing that in any way... just saying.

Here's how to schedule it...

ETS TEST

I forgot a calculator and frantically went to the bookstore right before the exam and wasted $15. I don't think I needed the calculator. The test is only 40 minutes long, it's really, really not hard. Just make sure you sign up early, the slots fill up fast.

Graduation

You get to walk in the regular SW graduation aside from pinning. A number of my classmates did this. Hey, you earned it! Nursing students get to wear white ropes. Show your nursing pride!

You have to file an intent to graduate form. You are going to have to meet with your advisor to make sure that all your requirements have been met. Remember that faculty member giving advice to students in a previous post? It bears repeating here:

"One thing I wish students would do is get things done early. 

Just because a student waits until the last minute to get 
something done (ie. application for graduation and advising 
emails), doesn't mean it becomes an emergency for ME."

Don't wait- you don't want any nasty surprises.

Graduation Status

The excellent news is that your honors status is decided before your AH2 grade is in. Whether you are cum laude, magna or summa is dependent on your GPA up until then.

BTW, if your GPA is high enough, you will get about 25 letters asking you to join the honors society for two-year colleges. I threw them all away and didn't bother sending in the $36. Then I came to make my resume and thought, "Hey, that might have looked good on a resume..."

Phi Theta Kappa

Life After SW

Beyond SW

 

Something really strange happened to me after I graduated. After wanting out for so very long, I found myself depressed that I was finally free. Seriously? But apparently it's not all that uncommon. Hard as it was, nursing school was 'safe' and a known quantity. Everything I had  known for two years was about to change drastically. I have a friend who was a nursing school professor and she told me it is not uncommon for students to sabotage themselves in their last semester consciously or unconsciously. The thought of not being with my fellow 'hostages' with whom I had shared ups and downs and hours and hours of time for two years made me a little melancholy.

In case this happens to you, here are some articles that explain this strange phenomenon:

Psychology Today: Graduation Blues

About.com: Got The Graduation Blues?

Feel The Graduation Blues?

(Did I mention that I want to be a psych nurse?)

So, what does someone who gets the graduation blues do?  Enroll right back into nursing school, of course. Shoot me.

Here's our Facebook Group for former SW students persuing further degrees:

Former STCC Students Now Doing RN-BSN , MSN And DNP

If You are interested in an RN to BSN programs here are some available:

University Of Memphis

UT RN To BSN

Union

Christian Brothers

Baptist

Here's a list of ALL the accredited nursing school in Tennessee:

Accredited Nursing Schools

Don't Forget YOU

Beyond SW

Don't neglect your:

1) HEALTH

I am the very last person to talk about this. I have just been diagnosed with a vitamin D deficiency from never seeing the sun and not eating correctly. But it is still important to say. I used to exercise 1 hour a day. I think I managed 1 hour in the last YEAR. I did try this for a while:

It's an under desk exercise machine. It's cool. It's sitting in a closet....

2) MENTAL HEALTH

Take your meds if you need them. Get them if it gets too much. Talk to your friends. Talk to a counselor if you need one. No shame, this is tough. It's hard. it's lonely. read something that is not nursing-related. Do something fun.

3) FAMILY AND OTHER FRIENDS

I went to a gathering at a friend's house in March. There were ten people in the room I didn't know. I live in a small community and have been in Memphis for 8 years. how did all those people sneak in without me noticing? Oh, yeah, I've been a bit of a loner. And we all know the famous notes my kids left all over my house:

One of my teenage kids was in the car with me when I was listening to a Mr. S lecture through the stereo system. He was trying to talk to me (unbelievable in itself, a teen kid trying to talk to his mom). He finally looked at me and said, "Would you rather listen to HIM or ME?" I turned Mr. S off.

On the other hand.. sometimes something HAS to give. My house was NASTY. I was an OCD neat-freak before all this. I learned to shut my eyes. It didn't matter. I have slowly and steadily been cleaning places in my house that have not been cleaned for two years.

Have A Sense Of Humor

Classmates/Teamwork

Beyond SW

Seriously, y'all there is SO much to make fun of around there. You have to laugh or you'll cry, as they say. We did, however, learn very early that it's best NOT to sit next to Shawn in class if you want to not burst out laughing in the middle of a lecture. But it is possible to have SOME fun.

And here is a shameless plug for my OTHER blog:

Keep Calm and Focus On The Slides

Stuff Nursing Students Say

I Will Survive Nursing School

Nursing Student Song