Arizona State University Reviews of Bachelor's in Nursing

I am extremely dissatisfied in the ASU nursing program. I hope this review finds students who are interested in this program because the best advice I can give is to spend your money elsewhere. The faculty and management of the program make decisions that are convenient for themselves and do not provide a well rounded experience. For clinical we were stuck on the same floor of the same hospital for 3/4 of our shifts. Scheduling our capstone transition to practice they limited us to staying at the... Read More same hospital we have been to our entirety of the program for no reason other than being too lazy to do some paperwork for students to be able to branch out to different systems. I am currently battling with administration to switch me into a lab that has open seats because the lab they placed me in makes it nearly impossible to complete the night shift clinical I have been assigned. After participating in this program for 3 semesters I can confidently say this staff does not care for their students success. If I could do it all over again I would not have chosen ASU.

Many places, hospitals notwithstanding, are requiring more and more education to get hired. I knew acquiring my Bachelor of Science in Nursing would provide more room for growth and opportunities. I have always wanted to continue my nursing education and ASU was honestly just a convenient college for me because I got my Associates in nursing from a partner community college. It was hassle free to do the bridge RN to BSN program and didn't require a bunch of extra courses. It was all online and required... Read More mostly papers, group work and being technically savvy. I actually ended up enjoying many of my classes and how they expanded my understanding of a nurses role in many health care fields and enabled me to see the potential in my career. I love what I do and ASU offers programs that enable me to keep chasing my dreams such as through their new Pediatric DNP program! I think if any nurses are looking for a good bridge program for RN to BSN or other advanced nursing degrees ASU is a great school that has both flexible programs and lots of options for focused specialities.

Arizona State University (ASU) is where I completed my second bachelor's degree, in nursing. My first degree was in biology. Compared to The Ohio State University (OSU), where I completed my first degree, my experience at ASU was easily ten-fold better, and I'll tell you why in the following review. Navigating the college process from registering for classes, deciding on electives, figuring out aid/scholarships, and determining which materials are actually needed (versus those that are just "suggested")... Read More can be daunting. At ASU the nursing professors and academic staff were prompt with replies to questions, and always provided my cohort with all materials needed to navigate the entire program successfully. I never had that at OSU, we all just kinda few by the seat of our pants without guidance, and I wound up having to stay an extra quarter to graduate, simply due to a class availability issue that would have been prevented with adequate academic counseling. At ASU, they literally ensured that you knew exactly what classes you needed by when to graduate on time, and they would help you with every single step, no question asked. There was never any doubt that I was on the right track; I always knew who I could contact with any questions or concerns, and they always got back to me promptly. In addition to the outstanding academic support, ASU has one of the best reviewed nursing programs in the country. This is due to their amazing simulation labs that allow prospective nursing students to practice real-life nursing scenarios, with exact equipment you'll be using in the field, and with high-tech manikins that can "react" to different scenarios/ outcomes. It's safe place to make mistakes and learn from them, before you enter the hospital. Finally, I've been working over the last two years after graduating with my Bachelor's in Nursing (BSN) on neurology & trauma unit at Level One Trauma Center; I've found that my friends from school and I were more prepared and well-equipped to handle the transition into the hospital work environment. Many new graduate nurses struggle the first year, and it is by no means a cake-walk, even for those who are well-prepared. However, I found that my educational experience at ASU had me answering questions from my fellow new grads on the floor; while my superiors were impressed with the level of understanding I brought to the job as new graduate. I literally knew a lot more about nursing than they did from the get go, from cardiac medications, to IV fluid compatibility, to how to talk to doctors on the phone regarding patients. This by far was the strongest indicator that I attended the best nursing program compared to other programs in the area. It may not be the cheapest, but it is by far the best; which is why I am now planning on attending ASU for my doctoral level nursing degree.

Arizona State University's traditional upper-division nursing program is currently undergoing a massive renovation to apply a more concept-based curriculum that incorporates updated technology and educational approaches. I began the upper division program as part of the first division that began this new curriculum. My experience with the program, while it has been overall positive, has had its ups and downs as they overhaul the old system and try new techniques and juggle new ideas. Within my term,... Read More there have been some significant inconsistencies as the educators attempt to communicate more efficiently with one another and revise their expectations of each course/test. For example, while the Obstetrics rotation used to include a semester-long course with some education concerning the human lifespan, the Obstetrics portion has been shortened to five weeks so that there is an increased focus on assessing and providing culturally competent care, etc. There have been pros and cons related to this change, which is one of the more drastic changes. Another change includes the extension of the Medical-Surgical portion of the nursing curriculum, which was approximately eight weeks long in the past semesters and is now dispersed over the entire course of the semester. This has been a positive change, as it allows students to incorporate more of the learning and feel less overwhelmed. Despite the difficulties that students in my term have had with differences in instruction and testing, there have been "aha" moments when the concepts that the educators are attempting to correlate between didactic and clinical rotations has matched beautifully. Word of mouth from the educators and students in terms below mine have reported a seamless match between the concepts, expectations, and tests both in didactic and practical rotations with this new program. My reason for awarding the rigor of the curriculum as a four out of five is due to the inconsistencies that I have faced within my term concerning test grading and concepts. While my Medical-Surgical didactic did an excellent job of balancing difficult concepts with simpler concepts, some of the other courses have had a few consecutive weeks of difficult material interspersed with more weeks of relative boredom. I have reviewed these courses for them and have suggested that they use this time a little more wisely. I believe, however, that there are many other students that might disagree with me, as this semester has certainly had its challenges when it comes to content. However, I can see the light at the end of this tunnel. I believe that after our term, with the experience the educators gain from their first "go-around" with the new curriculum, the courses will reflect a very good balance between challenging and building upon past concepts. I also awarded a four out of five for the instruction in the upper-division program. While I have had wonderful educators that I highly esteem as individuals both within ASU and as health care professionals, it has not been a consistent experience to the point that I would award it five out of five stars. All of the instructors have been exceptionally kind, and professional. However, there has been several instructors who are not adept at lecturing in front of a class and the time in lecture ends up feeling a little wasted, since the information presented is read off of the powerpoint. With that being said, it in no way diminishes the many other educators who engage the students and offer various case studies and probing questions to reflect on the material for the day and how to put it into practice. Overall, I have enjoyed my semesters in the upper-division nursing program at ASU despite the upheavals of a new curriculum and some less-than-ideal educators. The nursing program is very open to feedback and the sense of community within the program is very cohesive. I have enjoyed all of my hands-on rotations at the hospitals that ASU contracts with, and this year has been a very good challenge for someone who is looking to learn in such a competitive and expanding career. After I earn my BSN, I plan on attending graduate school to earn either my Master's in Nursing or Speech and Hearing Science, so that I may be better equipped to specialize on the special needs community and how nursing can accommodate these individuals.