I have a few questions for anyone enrolled in the nursing program, or those who know anything about it. A few of the questions are general, so even if you can answer a one of the questions it would be greatly appreciated.

1. What do you think of the atmosphere at McMaster? Would you say thestudent population is very diverse/multicultural?
2. Do you recommend living in res for the first year?
3. I've heard McMaster uses Problem Based Learning (PBL), that it's not justtraditional lectures. Is it a major shift from high school learning, or not muchof a difference? Do you think this method of learning works well for mostpeople?
4. What's the nursing program like? Do you enjoy it? Do you get any experience first year?
5. What made you choose McMaster over any other university? Do you feel like your first year transition went well?
6. Any other advice about courses I should take? Or any general advice?

Thanks!

Sorry if this is posted in the wrong place.

Originally Posted by lisar96

I have a few questions for anyone enrolled in the nursing program, or those who know anything about it. A few of the questions are general, so even if you can answer a one of the questions it would be greatly appreciated.

1. What do you think of the atmosphere at McMaster? Would you say thestudent population is very diverse/multicultural?
2. Do you recommend living in res for the first year?
3. I've heard McMaster uses Problem Based Learning (PBL), that it's not justtraditional lectures. Is it a major shift from high school learning, or not muchof a difference? Do you think this method of learning works well for mostpeople?
4. What's the nursing program like? Do you enjoy it? Do you get any experience first year?
5. What made you choose McMaster over any other university? Do you feel like your first year transition went well?
6. Any other advice about courses I should take? Or any general advice?

Thanks!

Sorry if this is posted in the wrong place.

1. I like the atmosphere at McMaster, quite a bit. Especially the closed campus.
2. Yes, definitely if you can.
3. Lectures can be a shift from high school learning as well...I'd say PBL is closer to high school. A few of my high school teachers used to have us do PBL a lot lol. Some people really like it, others (like me) absolutely hate it.
4. Can't answer - not in nursing
5. Again, not in nursing, but in general I loved the atmosphere and campus, and yes I feel like the transition into first year went very well. For me, the worst was from first to second, but it does depend on the program.
6. Check out the "things I wish I knew" thread for general advice

Originally Posted by lisar96

I have a few questions for anyone enrolled in the nursing program, or those who know anything about it. A few of the questions are general, so even if you can answer a one of the questions it would be greatly appreciated.

1. What do you think of the atmosphere at McMaster? Would you say thestudent population is very diverse/multicultural?
2. Do you recommend living in res for the first year?
3. I've heard McMaster uses Problem Based Learning (PBL), that it's not justtraditional lectures. Is it a major shift from high school learning, or not muchof a difference? Do you think this method of learning works well for mostpeople?
4. What's the nursing program like? Do you enjoy it? Do you get any experience first year?
5. What made you choose McMaster over any other university? Do you feel like your first year transition went well?
6. Any other advice about courses I should take? Or any general advice?

Thanks!

Sorry if this is posted in the wrong place.

1. The first thing i felt when i started at mac was a sense of "security". I felt pretty safe and liked the school from the start. You will find people from different backgrounds at mac. Some have their own clubs...feel free to get involved and join a club that you like.

2. I live in Hamilton, never lived in res.

5. My main reason for choosing Mac was because i live in Hamilton. However, i did a lot of research in high school about the different universities and the programs and felt that Mac had what i want. Also, when i came to the [email protected] event i loved the campus! It was a good experience and i knew that i made the right choice.

6. Some links to check out:
http://registrar.mcmaster.ca /CALEN...nt/pg1887.html
http://www.fhs.mcmaster.ca/nursing/
http://fhs.mcmaster.ca/nursing/education_faq.html

All the best with everything

Originally Posted by lisar96

I have a few questions for anyone enrolled in the nursing program, or those who know anything about it. A few of the questions are general, so even if you can answer a one of the questions it would be greatly appreciated.

1. What do you think of the atmosphere at McMaster? Would you say thestudent population is very diverse/multicultural?
2. Do you recommend living in res for the first year?
3. I've heard McMaster uses Problem Based Learning (PBL), that it's not justtraditional lectures. Is it a major shift from high school learning, or not muchof a difference? Do you think this method of learning works well for mostpeople?
4. What's the nursing program like? Do you enjoy it? Do you get any experience first year?
5. What made you choose McMaster over any other university? Do you feel like your first year transition went well?
6. Any other advice about courses I should take? Or any general advice?

Thanks!

Sorry if this is posted in the wrong place.

1. I love the atmosphere here at McMaster, and I would say it is definitely diverse and multicultural, but more importantly, its a very inclusive community (in my experience).
2. I lived in residence in first year and I would definitely recommend it. It's a great way to meet people who are just as nervous or know just as few people as you do. I was in nursing last year and so was my roommate which was really handy, too.
3. In first year nursing you take a class called PBL, in which you do case studies of various patients and through those scenario's, you learn various skills. For example, you may have a patient who is an elderly woman who lives alone, whose children live far away, and who has very little knowledge of the resources available to her. Is she high risk for anything? What are the consequences of these risks on her health? What teachings can you do as a nurse to eliminate or prevent these risks? Finally, what can you teach her about the resources available to her? The idea behind this style of learning would be to enhance your critical thinking skills, and teach you how to approach these problems in real life (like you would if you were a nurse). In this sense, it is very different from high school but it doesn't take much getting used to. It's a small group (10 people) and it is more of a discussion than anything else. I really disliked it because I found it a waste of time (a lot of it seemed common sense to me) but that was just my opinion, and everyone says it gets a lot better after first year.
4. PBL was the only thing I disliked about the program. You take anatomy and physiology, clinical, psych and PBL both semesters. In first semester you take an elective, and in second semester you take biochem with the other nurses. You also take a course that requires you to do a set number of hours of volunteer work at an approved organization (I was at a Nursing home but you rank your top few choices and most of them are nursing-related). The only nursing experience you get is in Clinical, which takes place in a classroom or in the CSBL (Center for Simulation based learning, I think), which is set up kind of like a hospital floor, with rooms that have hospital beds, blood pressure cuffs, thermometers, etc. In here, you learn and practice the various assessments that are needed for second year, when you have a placement in the hospital. Sometimes you have standardized patients (actors that come in and pretend to be patients) and you practice your assessments/skills on them in front of the class. I loved anatomy and liked biochem a lot as well, but decided at Christmas that nursing was not for me. With that said, I did enjoy the program, I just made the decision to go in a different direction.
5. I loved the feeling on campus and yes I found the transition was fairly easy for me (besides being away from home which was more of a struggle).
6. No advice but if you have any questions about the mandatory nursing courses, feel free to message me!

Sorry this is so long but hopefully it is of some help!

Thank you everyone!
If anyone has anymore insight, please keep posting.

Originally Posted by lisar96

I have a few questions for anyone enrolled in the nursing program, or those who know anything about it. A few of the questions are general, so even if you can answer a one of the questions it would be greatly appreciated.

1. What do you think of the atmosphere at McMaster? Would you say thestudent population is very diverse/multicultural?
2. Do you recommend living in res for the first year?
3. I've heard McMaster uses Problem Based Learning (PBL), that it's not justtraditional lectures. Is it a major shift from high school learning, or not muchof a difference? Do you think this method of learning works well for mostpeople?
4. What's the nursing program like? Do you enjoy it? Do you get any experience first year?
5. What made you choose McMaster over any other university? Do you feel like your first year transition went well?
6. Any other advice about courses I should take? Or any general advice?

Thanks!

Sorry if this is posted in the wrong place.

Not a nurse, but I have classes in IAHS (amaaaaaazing place, BTW) and come in close proximity with nurses.
1) Depends on the programme. Clearly the male population is not well represented in nursing. You can see a clear difference in race/ethnicity in the different programmes as well. Won't elaborate for fear of offense...but I'm multiracial, and I know of only one other person in my programme/year who is too.
2) No, no, no! I am a big commuting fan. You can work on the bus. Trust me, the winter is a loooooooooong time to be without your family. Unless you're not particularly close...but then, home is your own. It's familiar. It's your own personal space. A dorm is rented...close proximity with so many other folks. Yes, you can make friends and learn about them...but even if you spend 8 hrs a day, 7 days a week, 8 months with them, you won't be able to form the same connection you do with your family. With your home.
3) Ha, ha...PBL. Meh, worth a try. Why not? Work on your ppl skills. Can't say I'm a fan...but it has it's pros and cons, just like everything else.
4)-
5) Anatomy labs.
BEST PLACE EVER.

6) Erm...first year anatomy is a killer. Other than that, should be fine until you start clinicals.
Joking! (slightly) Mac is an amazing experience, and if you're interested in nursing, I'd say go for it!