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Welcome to the Pacesetter BSN Information Webinar

Webinar Agenda

• Welcome/Housekeeping• The session is now in progress, please type “I’m here” if

you can hear us. • Questions will be answered at the end of the webinar. As

you have a questions, write it in the chat area. • Admissions Process • Financial Aid and Scholarships • Academic Presentation • Q&A

About UTHealth

• University of Texas System Institution • The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston

• McGovern Medical School• School of Public Health • School of Biomedical Informatics• School of Dentistry• MD Anderson UTHealth Graduate School• Cizik School of Nursing

• Established in 1972• 12,000 alumni strong; 60% live within the Houston

area• Highest ranked graduate nursing school in the Gulf

Coast Region of Texas.

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Beyond the BSN

• Masters of Science in Nursing

• BSN to DNP - Nurse Anesthesia

• BSN to DNP – Nurse Practitioner

• Doctor of Philosophy in Nursing (PhD)

• Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)

Academic Presentation

Kristin K Ownby, PhD, RN, ACHPN, ACRN, AOCN, CNS-BCDirector, Pacesetter ProgramAssociate Professor

Program Overview

•Admission is offered three times a year

• Student complete the program in four (4) semesters/15 months.

• The last semester is spent living the life of a nurse with students doing full-time clinical rotations.

•The program is full-time, on-campus. Part-time enrollment is not available.

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Curriculum

N3511 Health Assessment 3

N3515 Adult Health Care I 3

N3515 B Adult Health Care I Clinical 2

N3517 Pathophysiology 3

N3540 Pharmacotherapeutics 3

1st Semester – 14 credits

2nd Semester – 16 credits

N3521 Gerontologic Nursing 2

N3523 Adult and Older Adult Health Care II 4

N3532 Reproductive Health Care 4

N3526 Psychiatric and Mental Health Care 4

N3526 B Psychiatric and Mental Health Care Clinical 2

3rd semester – 16 credits

N3536 Child and Adolescent Health Care 4

N4527 Professional Practice and Leadership 3

N4521 Community/Public Health Nursing 3

N4521 B Community/Public Health Nursing Clinical 3

N4528 Management of Patients in High Acuity Settings 3

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4th semester – 14 credits

Clin

ical

N3523 B Adult and Older Adult Health Care II Clinical 3

N3536 B Child and Adolescent Health Care Clinical 2

N3532 B Reproductive Health Care Clinical 2

N4528 BManagement of Patients in High Acuity Settings Clinical

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N4512 W Research Critique and Utilization 2

N4530 W Critical Synthesis Application 1

– Clinical experiences happen every day of the week including Saturday and Sunday.

– Clinical experiences happen on every shift including nights.

– Students complete preference sheets to help determine clinical site placement.

The Clinical Experience

Sample Clinical Sites Memorial Hermann System

The Methodist Hospital System

St Luke’s Episcopal Hospital

St Luke’s Community Medical Center in The Woodlands

Harris County Hospital District (Ben Taub and LBJ)

Harris County Psychiatric Center

MD Anderson

The Menninger Clinic

Texas Children’s Hospital

St. Joseph Medical Center

Woman’s Hospital of Texas

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Up Next

Admissions PresentationAdmissions and Enrollment ProcessJoAnn MendozaAdministrative Coordinator, Admissions and Recruitment

Pacesetter Admission Requirements

• Minimum Grade Point Average (GPA) of

• 3.0 in the overall nursing prerequisites (60 hours), and

• 3.0 in the required science prerequisites (A&P I & II, Microbiology, and Chemistry).

• HESI A2 Entrance Exam

Application Materials

In order for an application to be considered complete, you must:

• Complete the online application and pay the required $60.00 application fee. The fee is payable online via debit/credit card.

• Submit official HESI A2 Entrance.• Submit official transcripts from ALL

post-secondary institutions attended.

All applicants are evaluated based on the materials required for review.

Personal statements and letters of recommendation are not required/reviewed.

The Pacesetter BSN program does not interview applicants.

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Am I eligible to apply? You can apply, if by the application deadline, you have completed at least 40 of the required 60 hours of prerequisites including 8 hours in the science prerequisites:

• Human Anatomy and Physiology I or II• Microbiology, or• Chemistry

Things to know about the admissions process: • All applicants are given equal consideration if

they have the minimum 40 prerequisites or the full 60 hours.

• If you are accepted with missing prerequisites, they must be completed by the start of the program – no exceptions.

• The eight hours can be in any combination.

What is the HESI?

The HESI is an exam that helps the School of Nursing select the best students. The test assists in measuring competence in English, math, and science, but also provides information on learning and personality styles.

Register for the HESI at evolve.elsevier.comRequired HESI Sections: •Math •Reading Comprehension•Vocabulary and General Knowledge •Grammar•Anatomy and Physiology

Tests Not Required: Biology, Chemistry, Learning Styles, Physics, and Critical Thinking

HESI FAQ• First time testers need Version 1. If you

are repeating the test Version 2 is required. – If the exam has been taken for another

institution, and all components have been taken, you can request the scores to be sent to UTHealth. If you submit official scores to UTHealth, this will count as an attempt.

– If you have taken the exam previously for another institution and have NOT taken all of the required sections for UTHealth, the scores will not be accepted. Scores from multiple exams cannot be pieced together.

– You can only take the exam two times. All official scores sent to UTHealth count as an attempt.

– The most recent scores are used in the admission evaluation.

• Recommended minimum test score of 75-80% for the Math, Reading Comprehension, Vocabulary and General Knowledge, Grammar, and Anatomy and Physiology components.

• Average HESI score of an admitted student is in the mid 80’s.

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Additional HESI Information • Scores are received at the end of every month. If the application

deadline date falls within the middle of the month, the scores are delivered on the next business day.

– Example – the application deadline is January 15th. Elsevier will send us all score reports from exams taken between January 1-15 on January 16th.

• Only the HESI is accepted; TEAS nor any other entrance exam are not accepted/required.

About Prerequisites

• Online courses are generally accepted as long as they are from accredited institutions. The exceptions are lab courses that must be taken in-residence/on-campus.

• Unofficial prerequisite evaluations are not available. If a course number has changed, but the content is the same, the course will be accepted.

• Introductory courses are considered freshman or sophomore level courses(100-200 level).

• No double-dipping allows. Courses cannot be counted multiple times to satisfy the prerequisite requirements.

Prerequisites (60hrs)

Courses Hours

American Government 3

Texas Government 3

U. S. History 6

Intro to Psychology 3

Intro to Sociology 3

A state government course from another state cannot satisfy this requirement.

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Prerequisites (60hrs)

Courses HoursHuman Growth & Development (Lifespan) 3

Statistics 3

Anatomy & Physiology Lecture & Lab 8

Microbiology Lecture & Lab 4

Chemistry Lecture & Lab 4

• Human Growth & Development – animal not accepted.

• Statistics can be a math or psychology course.• If you have taken the correct number of

courses, but do not meet the credit requirement you must take additional courses to meet the requirement (i.e. if you have two A&P courses, but the credits do not equal 8)

Prerequisites (60hrs)

Courses HoursNutrition 3English Literature courses do not qualify 6

Intro to Philosophy 3

Visual & Performing Arts ARTS, DANC, MUAP, MUEN, MUSI, DRAM, or equivalent

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Electives academic courses only 5

• Electives can be any non-nursing, college-level academic course. The registrar’s office will pick the highest graded courses that can satisfy the elective requirement.

Additional Information • If you repeat prerequisite courses, the highest grade earned will be

reported.• Graduate level courses cannot be used to satisfy any of the

requirements.• CLEP/AP Credits – accepted as long as the course appear on a

college transcript excluding science courses. CLEP/AP Scores count for credit, but are not factored into your admissions GPA.

• Transfer Credits – Nursing courses taken at a community college will not be accepted for the Pacesetter BSN. Junior or senior level courses may be considered by submitting the Petition for Equivalency Credit.

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When to Apply: Admission Deadlines

Spring Deadline

Summer Deadline

Fall Deadlline

September 1 January 15 March 15

Things to know: • If you are not accepted, you can reapply and be considered

for future term without penalty. • Roughly 600-1200 applications are received each semester;

120 students are enrolled.• Personal statements, recommendation letters, and

interviews are not a part of the Pacesetter BSN admissions process.

Applicant Selection

The School of Nursing’s Baccalaureate Council makes the final selection of the applicants.

Applicants are evaluated on:

• Overall academic performance

• Performance in prerequisites and sciences courses

• HESI A2 Entrance Exam

Admitted Student Averages

Prerequisite GPA: 3.5

HESI: 75-80th percentile;

Notification Process

All notifications are sent via email and postal mail. Decisions will appear first in your ApplyUTH account.

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Tuition, Financial Aid and Scholarship

The Cost• 2020-2021 Resident Per Credit Fees is $238.00• Estimated Resident Tuition Cost is

• Pacesetter BSN: $22,336.00

UTHealth Student Scholarships• Need and merit based (race/gender blind)

• Roughly 20% of the entering class are awarded scholarships. • Apply at the same time as admission.• Scholarship process is subjective and considers

• Previous education • Personal statement • Honors/Achievements

Student Services Presentation

Kristi Rodriguez, M.Ed. Director of Recruitment and Alumni Affairs

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Academic Enrichment and Support Services

• Full-time graduation coach available for academic and psychological support

• Peer-tutoring services

Opportunities for Excellence

• Student Organizations – Student Government

Organization – University of Texas

Student Nurse Association – Diversity Student Nurses

Association– Prayer Group

• Honors Program– Provides opportunity to

participate in a research project alongside a UTHealth SON faculty member

– Applications accepted after second semester research course is taken.

• Honors Society

Veteran’s BSN

Cizik School of Nursing’s VBSN program will provide veterans with the knowledge, skills, and support needed to successfully complete a Bachelor of Science in Nursing.

This program will facilitate the transition of veterans into professional nursing by providing an opportunity for 10 veterans per semester to receive academic credit for prior military training and experience while addressing the unique needs of veterans.

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The Joan and Stanford Alexander Fellowship in Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities

• Pacesetter BSN students are invited to apply in their J2 semester for participation in a one-semester, two credit hour fellowship in their S1 semester. Five selected fellows will be awarded $2,500 each. Fellowship recipients will be able to demonstrate delivery of competent care for People with Disabilities – across the life span. The program includes:

• Ninety (90) hours of clinical and enrichment activities fulfilled as independent study.

• Fellows rotate through various primary, acute and community care sites while working with interdisciplinary professionals.

• Fellows will participate in multidisciplinary rounds and weekly conference activities.

• Fellows will present clinical case studies during debriefing conferences.

Words of Advice

• Full time, on-campus program

• Most classes are on-campus and offered during the day.

• Due to the rigor of the courses, working is not recommended.

• During each semester students take 13- 17 hours of courses.

• Students may have 2-3 tests during some weeks, papers to write and a large amount of reading to accomplish.

Words of Advice

• If possible, take your science prerequisites towards the end

• The manner in which you will need to study changes in nursing school – the nursing curriculum is not memorization or regurgitation. This curriculum requires that students use all courses to make clinical judgments both during tests and in the clinical area.

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Stay in Contact!

Cizik School of Nursing6901 Bertner, Room 220Houston, Texas 77030Phone: 713-500-2100Fax: 713-500-2107Email: soninfo@uth.tmc.edu

Apply online today at nursing.uth.edu