PROSPECTIVE STUDENTS

Ask our students! Our senior BSN students are in the midst of building a website called NurseWeb, which will contain a host of links to sites that previous classes have created on many different clinical and nursing topics. This site is currently being updated and will be available shortly.

One of the best aspects of our program includes students starting clinicals the third week of class, fall semester, freshman year. Students practice clinicals in world class hospitals--the Cleveland Clinic has the #1 CVICU in the United States, and University Hospital's Rainbow Babies Center has the #1 NICU and #3 Pediatrics units in the country, according to US News & World Report's July 2003 Health Care issue. Our students graduate with double the national standard of clinical hours!

Our students also enjoy many other activities, sports, sororities, fraternities, and more on campus. Everyone receives a free RTA-Rapid pass with tuition to get around Cleveland for free. Coventry and Little Italy are within walking distance, as are the Cleveland Botanical Gardens, the Cleveland Museum of Art, and the Cleveland Museum of Natural History. All admitted nursing students also receive generous tuition scholarships. We are ranked as the best school of nursing in Ohio and one of the top schools in the country. Visit us and find out why!

Physicians and Physician Assistants (PAs) are focused on the cellular aspects of health care (i.e., the disease and its diagnosis), whereas nursing is very psycho-social, dealing with the patient's mind, body, and spirit.

A nurse practitioner (NP) is a nurse with a master's degree. NPs can open their own practice independent of a physician or hospital, prescribe medicine in all 50 states, and do minor surgery. A PA cannot prescribe medicine independently of a physician and cannot open his/her own practice. If you are unsure of what career route to choose, try to shadow both a PA and an NP.

There are a number of ways to arrange a visit with Case and the Bolton School:

• For a campus tour or overnight stay in a dorm:

Contact Judy Jones at 216-368-6569 and let her know you want to visit the Bolton School of Nursing.

• To tour the Bolton School of Nursing:

Contact Carlier Myers at 216-368-5981.

• To discuss transferring into the Bolton School of Nursing:

Contact Teona Griggs at 216-368-1983.

• For financial aid questions:

Contact Dedra Hanna, Director of Financial Aid, at 216-368-0517.

An RN is a Registered Nurse who has obtained his/her state license from a choice of several different educational paths. No matter which educational route a student takes, at the end of their schooling they will need to take the NCLEX exam, which is the national licensure exam for all RNs. The BSN program at the Bolton School of Nursing is a four-year Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree leading to becoming an RN. However, there are several options:

• RN via BSN (4-year Bachelor of Science in Nursing):

This program is offered at the Bolton School of Nursing, and it includes nursing courses as well as courses in English, math, physical education, and general education requirements (i.e. Art History, Introduction to Religions, etc.). The BSN prepares well-rounded nurses who often have higher salaries, more management opportunities in hospitals, and more upward mobility options as a nurse than do two-year programs.

• RN via AD (Associates Degree in Nursing):

This is a two-year program that consists only of science, math, and nursing classes--hence, there are none of the general education courses that are offered in the BSN program. The Bolton School does not offer an AD program.

• LPN

An LPN is a Licensed Practical Nurse, who is licensed to practice practical nursing. While specialized knowledge and skills are needed, they are different from the more advanced specialized education, knowledge, and skills of a registered nurse. The Bolton School does not offer an LPN program.

• RN via Hospital Diploma:

Students are taught to be a nurse in a hospital and are awarded a certificate. They do not have a bachelors or even an associates degree. These are two-year programs and are not very common anymore.

The National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX) is the test that all nursing students take to determine if it is safe for them to begin practice as an entry-level nurse. Students are tested on how they can use critical thinking skills to make nursing judgments.

The NCLEX is organized according to "meeting client needs." All of the questions on the exam involve integrated nursing content in areas such as surgical, pediatric, psychiatric, and obstetric nursing.