BSN Program Testimonials

I have tears to my eyes as I realize that my time at Ferris is coming to a close. I have found that Ferris offers more than academic success and career enrichment opportunities. Ferris offers a culture of support that far exceeds anything I have ever experienced in any of my prior academic endeavors. The faculty at Ferris have inspired me to be the best version of myself, never give up on my dreams, think critically, and always continue to learn. I am forever grateful for everything you have done for me, and I aspire to one day pay it forward.

August 2020 Graduate

Dear Faculty,

I wanted to share with you my experience of going through and completing the BSN program at Ferris, as a non-traditional student. When I decided to go back to school at the age of 54, it was something I really had to convince myself that I could do. I had been an LPN for almost 30 years, and felt like the time was never quite right for me to go back to school, to achieve my dream of furthering my knowledge and expertise by becoming an RN. And, if I'm being completely honest, I was a bit scared that I wasn't smart enough. Once I finally decided to overcome my fear, and enrolled in classes, a whole new world opened up!

As I began my pre-req's, it became quite apparent that I was one of the oldest students currently enrolled. It felt quite awkward at first, and I could tell that even some of my instructors felt awkward with me as well. I almost felt that there was an "expectation" that should know much of what was being taught. This feeling was completely different once I started the actual nursing curriculum courses! Right from the very first day, I was made to feel a part of the cohort, and a part of the learning environment.

That being said, the professors and clinical rotation staff always went the extra mile to assure that I received experiences that would challenge me, and strove to find me community rotations where I had not had any previous experience, to enhance my knowledge and skill base. At the same time, my professors encouraged me to share some of my experiences as an LPN with my fellow classmates, as a way to help enhance their understanding of certain situations and scenarios in a "real-life" situation. My professors were always patient and understanding with me as I struggled at times with the use of technology that I was unfamiliar with as well.

I cannot stress enough how much I enjoyed learning from the Ferris BSN professors and staff. Yes, it was stressful, challenging, and felt overwhelming at times, but I always felt supported, and truly felt that all of my professors and support staff were there whenever I needed them. I would highly recommend the Ferris School of Nursing for anyone who has the dream of pursuing a BSN or higher level of expertise! I am living proof that you CAN teach an old dog new tricks!

August 2019 BSN graduate

I just wanted to give you an update of how my job as a new nurse is going. I am working at Blodgett, and really enjoying my unit and coworkers. I am finding that the floor prides itself on teaching and teamwork. It is the right fit for me in the stage that I am in. I am working full-time nights, which has been a huge adjustment. But I am learning a lot, and have requested to be a preceptor for leadership and nursing students. Recently I was nominated for the Rookie of the Year Award. Only 5 new RNs are nominated throughout Spectrum, and I was selected! I thought it was important to thank you for your help in getting to where I am in my career. I wanted to thank you, and the rest of the staff for preparing me. Now that I am working, I see that I was more prepared than many other new nurses hired on my floor. I love being a nurse, and I wanted to thank you for setting me up for success. Sincerely,

December 2018 Graduate

March 24, 2017

Dear faculty,

I just wanted to write you a "thank you" email for being a reference and for all your work with the College of Nursing! I felt that you should hear my thoughts on the entire job-search experience and my newfound appreciation of the program.

I had three total interviews (so far) for each job I applied to. At every interview, everyone was impressed that I had my BSN and that I went to Ferris (maybe because we're up in the rural Escanaba area and the local community college only pushes out ADN's). But every hiring manager was so amazed at the clinical rotations I was placed in and all the experiences I could elaborate on. I was able to discuss my service-learning project and all the different simulations we had throughout the program. Of course, I was always very grateful and happy with the BSN program, but after my interviewing experiences and job search, I am even MORE grateful to have gone through such a wonderful program.

I was able to boast about the many clinical hours Ferris gave us (nearly 1,000 for my cohort) and how I even got to do a public health, hospice, and critical care rotation. All the organizations were so impressed by the extracurriculars and opportunities I was involved in at Ferris. I spoke a lot about our leadership class and how we learned about delegation and nurse leadership. These topics especially benefited me during my interview at the nursing home and health department because I had interview questions directly related to that.

Overall, I feel that Ferris and the pre-licensure BSN program prepared me so well for finding a job and getting me to land the one I want. I ended up getting an offer from every facility, so I was blessed and lucky enough to be able to pick which one I wanted. I ended up going with the health department and am trying to get in per diem at the local hospital (which has slow turnover and is very hard to get into!) My passion lies within geriatrics and administration, but I believe this opportunity at the health department is going to push me outside of my comfort zone and will give me a good experience with a diverse population. They told me that they were very impressed with my resume, cover letter, and experiences. Looking back, this is all thanks to you and your shaping and influence on the program. I am so thankful to have learned so much and gotten such a wonderful education at Ferris.

So thank you, for giving me a good word, answering the multiple phone calls you got in regards to me, and for shaping a wonderful BSN program! I feel so blessed!

Best,

December 2016 Graduate