The students' work will be worth it in the end
Every semester, a select number of students become a part of the nursing program at UNLV. Level One nursing students experience their first semester in the accelerated program.
UNLV’s highly competitive nursing program has opened up its admission rate from 48 to 72 students. This change was made possible with an increase of classroom and office space and funding. This has opened up opportunities for pre-nursing students to get into the prestigious program. Denzel Reyes and Mary Bayot were two pre-nursing majors that recently applied during the summer semester of the academic school year to get into the fall 2019 cohort.
“I chose UNLV for nursing compared to other schools in Nevada because I heard good things about the program having high National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX) passing scores and graduate online programs,” said Denzel Reyes, UNLV Level One nursing student. “I was driven by competition to be one of the top students in the nursing program.”
Prior to applying for the program, students need to complete prerequisite classes. These prerequisite classes range from social sciences to anatomy and physiology courses that are given a point scale depending on the grade the student earns on their first or second attempt. After completing the classes, students will take an entrance exam, otherwise known as the Health Education System, Inc. assessment (HESI). The HESI exam consists of questions on various subjects such as reading, grammar, math, anatomy and physiology.
Students are only given two times to take the exam within a year. Once the student is satisfied with their score, it is then turned in as part of their application to the program. The student’s HESI exam score is added to the accumulated points that were calculated from the grades they received in their prerequisite classes. Due to the competitive nature of the admission process, students who score higher have a greater chance of being accepted versus a student with a lower total. Reyes said students should take their time when it comes to application. He suggests achieving the grades you want slowly rather than rushing to complete all of the core classes with average grades.
“I am definitely more busy now compared to when I was just a pre-nursing major. I believe that it’s a product of the UNLV School of Nursing’s 16 month accelerated program and it’s unavoidable,” said Mary Bayot, UNLV Level One nursing student. “I am doing work that is much more focused compared to when I was a pre-nursing student. I don’t feel as overwhelmed with the amount of work that I have to do. This feeling changes depending on the week though, because there are definitely busy weeks that feel like you’re never going to see the light.”
The program consists of four levels. Reyes and Bayot are both starting off at level one. Level one is focused on the fundamentals of nursing. The foundations of nursing skills include how to properly assess the patient from head to toe, obtaining vital signs, applying a foley catheter along with theory classes focusing on given situations with a patient and how the student would tackle it.
A majority of their learning takes place at the Clinical Simulation Center of Las Vegas (CSCLV) located on UNLV’s Shadow Lane Campus. Funding has allowed a new facility to open for the Division of Health Sciences which includes the School of Nursing. This allows more office space that will house faculty from the Rod Lee Bigelow Health Sciences (BHS) building and classrooms for nursing students aside from CSCLV.
“As a result, more classroom and office space will be freed for other departments within the Division of Health Sciences,” said Jeremy Meronuck, UNLV Division of Health Sciences academic advisor. “BHS, in addition to the facilities at the Shadow Lane Campus, are the two locations where nursing students spend the majority of their time for coursework and training.”
Other nursing students in different levels can be found here. Reyes and Bayot start off their week with patient centered care and assessments class. During the week, they have one day off. Time is taken to study for previous content learned and prepare for a skills and assessments lab the following day. The first part of lab days consist of practicing how to interview patients. Students are able to interact with the class to play the role of a patient. The second part of the day focuses on practicing practical nursing skills to a patient. Although these days can be long, Reyes and Bayot believe it will be all worth it in the end. An open lab is held the next day where students can come in and work on any skills they want to. The week closes out back at on the main UNLV campus for the patient centered care and assessments class from earlier in the week. On top of that, level one students have an online class about pharmacology with quizzes about every four weeks.
The recent change of people being admitted along with the number of times a student can apply to the program was put into play this fall semester. There has been mixed feelings of students who are questionable of the decision. Bayot saw the change as something positive.
“Students who have applied in previous semesters and did not get in before the changes are given a fresh slate so that they can begin again,” Bayot said. “It is a shame that previous cohorts did not have an opportunity like us, but I think the expansion of the number to 72 was a positive change.”
This change of expansion encourages students not only who are pre-nursing majors at UNLV but from schools across the nation to apply to this program.
“A substantial amount of funding was made available to expand the program which includes increases in instruction, equipment, and materials that ensure student success without sacrificing quality.” Meronuck said. “The BSN program at UNLV is an exceptional program, especially considering the cost of the full program.”
With how demanding the program is even at level one, the balance between school and personal lives is stressed.
“There is definitely a major increase in school work compared to being a pre-nursing major and finding time for myself is priority for me so that I do not get burnt out too easily,” Reyes said. “I would love to get more time to hang out around with my friends and spend more time with my parents, but the reality of the program is that it really eats up all of your time if you aren’t mindful on how much you spend on classes.”
This story has been published on the UNLV Scarlet & Gray Free Press.
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