Notes from Purdue info session:
You will need a car by senior year
140 nursing students every fall
Breaking ground on new nursing building - will open 2027
Top 8% program in nation, #1 in Indiana
Direct Admit program
Not competition amongst students because you don’t have to get into program later
Clinicals begin sophomore year - includes simulation lab time, 810 total clinical hours in 3 years
State board requires 75 hours per clinical, Purdue does 90 hours, so you get extra experience
95% NCLEX passing rate, 99% last year, help you figure out licensing by state
Program integrates preparation for the test into the program, there is a class senior year that helps prepare you and gives you an idea of your chance of passing exam
4 Year program - you can’t graduate early, but you can take summer classes of non nursing classes to make the load easier
Abroad opportunities are available during breaks and summer - they don’t recommend during the school year. They have a Maymester that a lot of students use for study abroad, also during winter session (over winter break)
Junior year is the most challenging year, harder classes and clinical experiences
Anatomy and Chemistry are hard freshman year, more nursing heavy courses sophomore year including pathopharmacology, Med Surge junior year
Good to have CNA and shadow experiences to make you more comfortable for clinicals
Purdue does a quality improvement project senior year, either at a hospital or another program to create strategies to improve identified problem, includes a presentation
Simulation labs - there is a YouTube video
One way mirrors in simulation labs so they can observe you, other students also observe
Clinicals in IU Health, Riley Children’s Hospital, retirement communities, 2 hospitals about 20 mins away in Lafayette (Purdue is in West Lafayette), up to 60 minutes away in Indianapolis
Involvement - HSS ambassadors represent the school, mentoring program with older nursing students, nursingspecific clubs/activities, dance marathon is huge and raises money for Riley
Application process: ACT or SAT test expected, holistic review, application opens August 1st through common app, November 1st is EA app deadline - must apply by Nov 1 for nursing, self reported grades and test scores and then school can later send transcript, you can put 2 majors - put nursing as your primary and then choose and 2nd major just in case (such as public health) or any other major in Health and Human Sciences School, admissions decision on 1/15, you can be admitted, deferred, waitlisted, rejected, or offered 2nd major
1500-1600 applications to nursing every year for 140 spaces, 30-40% acceptance rate, was 25% Fall 2023, if you get alternative major you can apply to switch to nursing after 1st year (only available to Purdue students)
Most nursing grads go on to work as RNs, some return for DNP degrees
You can apply to jobs starting before graduation/licensing, but depends on the hospital
Many nurses do minors in Human Development or Psychology, also medical Spanish
Nursing program is not a pathway for medical school
They encourage you to talk about wanting to be a nurse and why, be very clear!!!
There will also be Purdue specific questions - why Purdue, why nursing(what are you bringing to the table for Purdue and nursing)