Meet Sandra Nelson. Sandra is a BSN nursing graduate who completed her degree through Concurrent Enrollment with the Associates Degree Nursing program at Riverside College of Health Careers. She’s also a past recipient of one of ODU’s most prestigious honors, the Evon-Broderick Award, recognizing civically engaged students who exemplify the best of Monarch citizenship. She made the most of her opportunities while a student at ODU and took full advantage of the concurrent enrollment option to achieve her dream of becoming an RN.
Not surprisingly, I think the BSN is the best major on campus and, apparently, others agree. Nursing is a very popular major. But, there are limited seats in nursing programs. Pre-nursing students know that obtaining a coveted seat in a nursing program requires hard work and good grades.
Savvy students increase their odds of acceptance by applying to more than one program. If your dream is to become an RN, I encourage you to consider applying to both our prelicensure option as well as our concurrent enrollment option. Students must apply separately to the Riverside Nursing program or one of our other concurrent partners. For more information, visit our nursing website, consult with your academic advisor and contact the concurrent partner program directly.
Janice Hawkins, PhD, RN
Chief Academic Advisor, Master Advisor Certified
Old Dominion University, School of Nursing
When I first applied to Old Dominion University my plan was to major in pre-med, apply to medical school, and become a surgeon like the ones you see on Grey’s Anatomy. I could just picture myself running around the hospital, trying to steal cases from my colleagues, getting the opportunity to get the sparkle badger, and finding my person.
However, after going through some shadowing rotations at Langley Air Force Base Hospital, my whole outlook on medical school changed. I didn’t want to go anymore. I knew I wanted to be in the medical field, but becoming a physician did not seem like the gig for me. I sought a career that would challenge me, yet give me the ability to be versatile. I wanted to have conversations and interactions with my patients. I wanted to be able to ride the roller coaster of recovery back to health with them. I wanted to make an impact on people’s’ lives by just being the person I am. This is the moment I decided that nursing was the career for me. Now I just had to get into the program.
My first year I applied to the ODU pre-licensure nursing program, I didn’t get in. After this, I decided I would apply to ODU and Riverside College of Health Sciences (with the plan to complete the BSN through the Concurrent Enrollment Option if I didn’t get into ODU). I worked the following semester to boost my GPA, and get more medical experience at Langley.
In spring of 2016 I submitted both applications with a 3.24 overall GPA. I waited patiently until April and finally when I received that letter from Riverside: “We would like to congratulate you on…” I screamed. I cried. I swear I heard the angels sing. I wanted this for so bad and so long. This is where my journey as a Riverside Nursing Student begins.
Riverside is like any other educational institution. We were introduced to our instructors on day one and then jumped right into our lesson plan. Many ODU students were initially concerned that the teaching and clinical rotations would be different than the ODU program. I may be biased because this program is all I know, but I love the fact that Riverside has its own hospital. Most of the instructors have worked at our clinical site or know someone that does. It makes our clinical rotations more effective because the same instructors that are teaching your course are at your clinical site.
Taking classes both at Riverside and at ODU is quite the challenge. It takes organization and planning in order to make sure that assignments are being done on time. I try my best to get what needs to be done for Riverside ahead of time so I can then focus on my ODU work. I have to prioritize what I need to begin studying, what I need to start reading, and what I need to begin researching every single week. The Concurrent nursing classes are all 300-400 level and online, so ODU classes are a lot of work. If you don’t start on assignments early, it can be overwhelming. You just have to find your own personal balance between the two. My planner is my Bible. Take it one day at a time and always look ahead.
Riverside in general has been a good experience for me. I love my campus, instructors, and advisors. I feel like my cohort group has become my second family. My instructors have been there for me countless of times to ensure me that I could get through it when I thought otherwise. I only see the nursing program at Riverside getting better. I love this Concurrent program. It has been beneficial in my education and journey to becoming a nurse.
Sandra Nelson graduated with her RN from Riverside and her BSN from ODU in Summer 2018. She is from Virginia Beach and is the recipient of the Evon-Broderick Award.