Utica University at Florida
Utica University’s nursing and health sciences programs are designed for students who desire a challenging, yet flexible, curriculum that prepares them for a successful career in healthcare. We do that by offering more access to our programs, including our accredited 16-month curriculum.
With three program start dates a year, you can use your previous non-nursing college experience to get moving into a nursing degree as soon as possible. We offer the 16-month accelerated nursing program (ABSN) and the FlexTrack BSN program - individualized curriculum and faster than a traditional nursing program. Utica also offers a program in Health Sciences, designed for students who want to prepare for a future career in healthcare.
You’ll leave our nursing programs with all the makings of a practice-ready, compassionate, and confident nurse — the sort of highly-skilled, sought-after professional today’s healthcare employers want to hire. Our health sciences program prepares you to enter any number of different health and health-related professions. It’s also a strong undergraduate prelude to graduate study in physical and occupational therapy, social work, healthcare administration and more.
We understand you’re committed to your journey and we’re prepared to get you there.
INFO FOR MIRAMAR STUDENTS
Effective December 31, 2023, Utica University has consolidated its operations in Florida as part of the expansion of its St. Petersburg site. The University no longer offers lab courses in Miramar; all nursing courses in Florida are offered at the St. Petersburg location. Affected students have been provided with multiple options to continue their studies:
- Complete their degree requirements at the University’s locations in Utica, St. Petersburg, NY, or Syracuse, NY.
- Complete their lab requirements at an alternate location in the Miramar area.
There are no additional financial charges for either of these options.
About Our Campus
Our Florida campus in St. Petersburg makes it convenient to access a quality education in nursing or another highly sought after field in healthcare. The campus is equipped with state-of-the-art equipment and simulation labs specifically designed to imitate a real-life clinical setting. Our healthcare partners are conveniently located within commuting distance of the campus. Students can also access study rooms, student lounges and amenities like printing and WiFi.
Curriculum
As a Utica student, you can expect a rigorous curriculum, offered in a hybrid format, that blends online and experiential learning. There are three components to the hybrid curriculum:
- Online coursework
- On Campus Skills Labs
- Clinicals
While coursework is completed and turned in for review online through an interactive e-Learning platform,all tests are taken onsite in our exam rooms or online depending on the course.
Students will complete the in-person skills training and clinical simulations onsite. The onsite schedule will vary, depending on the course.
Clinical rotations are local hospitals and healthcare organizations provide diverse patient care experiences in advanced medical settings.
Online coursework covers essential nursing theory concepts, from clinical research to leadership. Unlike a traditional classroom environment, online learning affords a high level of scheduling flexibility in that you choose when and where to participate in class.
Keep in mind, however, online learning adheres to the same demands and requirements as an on-campus class. You are still accountable for completing assignments and taking exams within instructor guidelines, etc.
You will complete your online accelerated nursing coursework through an interactive e-Learning management system that allows you to:
- Read and listen to material as many times as you want.
- Participate in task-based simulated learning modules.
- Complete course assignments and participate in quizzes.
- Interact with other students via a discussion forum.
- Join scheduled chat sessions with your professors.
Online Learning Benefits
While online coursework offers a high level of learning flexibility, it also satisfies different types of learning styles. So, whether you are an aural or tactile learner, our e-Learning platform allows you to participate in various learning activities, all designed to help you better retain course information.
Our e-Learning platform comprises:
- Images and graphical representations of information for visual learners.
- Video content for aural learners.
- Task-based simulations and 3D graphics for tactile learners.
- Discussion forums with fellow students for social learners.
Overall, online accelerated nursing coursework lets you engage with learning material like never before. For example, you don’t just read about hypertension, you watch simulations of its effect on the body.
Online and Experiential Learning
While some college programs are 100% online, when it comes to nursing programs, it is impossible to graduate practice-ready nurses without hands-on practice—which is why our Utica ABSN, FLEX and DEMSN programs blend online and experiential learning.
As part of our hybrid education model, you will take the nursing theory concepts you learned online and apply them during hands-on nursing simulation labs at our program site and clinical rotations.
The hands-on learning component of our programs takes place at our Utica ABSN program site . You will log approximately 225 hours of lab time, learning and applying clinical skills in a controlled, risk-free environment.
During the nursing simulation labs, you will use real hospital equipment to “treat” medical manikins in a mock clinical setting. These labs comprise three main learning components:
- Students and instructors discuss and prepare for a specific clinical scenario.
- Students participate in the simulated clinical experience associated with a specific scenario.
- Students and faculty participate in a debriefing session following the simulated clinical experience.
When it comes to the different clinical scenarios you will experience during your nursing simulation labs, we urge you to ask questions to ensure you understand how to properly apply nursing theory in professional practice.
Labs Provide a Dose of Reality
We want you to feel prepared for your clinical rotations, which is why our nursing simulation labs get you as close as possible to genuine patient care situations.
Our anatomically correct medical manikins allow you to:
- Practice core skills that include checking blood pressure and treating wounds.
- Apply critical skills in trauma scenarios such as internal bleeding.
- Learn from mistakes and correct them with the help of faculty.
- Practice team collaboration via interactive patient care strategies.
Technology as Teacher
In the world of modern medicine and advanced healthcare, it is hard to believe there was a time when the requirement to be a nurse pretty much entailed your willingness to do the job (late 1800s).
Nursing education, while once considered haphazard, has come a long way, with today’s nursing students being taught vital clinical skills using real hospital equipment in simulated settings. Through advanced education technology (high-fidelity medical manikins), students can practice nursing skills in a controlled environment where patient safety is not at risk.
When choosing an accelerated nursing school, it is important to select a program with quality nursing simulation lab experiences. Research shows that nursing simulation labs are a highly effective teaching methodology that fosters the development of critical thinking, decision making, and problem-solving skills that are essential in complex patient care.
Nursing Clinicals at Local Healthcare Facilities
Clinical rotations are a critical learning component of nursing school, allowing students to apply their theoretical knowledge and clinical skills in the real world. When it comes to our nursing programs, you will get started on your nursing clinicals as early as your first semester. And, as you progress through the program so will your level of clinical practice.
At the start of your clinicals, for example, you will probably look up every medical term, patient diagnosis, and medication type. Later on, your efforts will evolve into performing in-depth research on a specific medical diagnosis and treatment.
In ABSN or the FLEX programs you will complete 588 hours of clinical practice at different, local healthcare facilities. Under the supervision of a licensed preceptor/clinical instructor, you will assist in the safe, ethical delivery of patient care in specialty areas that include:
- Adult Health
- Pediatrics
- Acute Care
- Mental Health
- Community Health
- Health Promotion
Clinicals Explained: Learning in the Real World
Building off of your simulation lab experiences, accelerated nursing clinicals provide a deeper learning and understanding of the nursing profession. Through clinicals, you are able to further develop your nursing skills by working with different patients in diverse medical settings. You also get to experience the day-to-day intricacies involved in today’s complex healthcare environments.
Clinical practice teaches you how to:
- Apply nursing theory and clinical skills in patient care,
- Exhibit caring behaviors when treating patients,
- Apply appropriate communication strategies,
- Perform safe therapeutic interventions,
- Employ ethical perspectives in patient care.
Local Healthcare Partners
Our clinical ties with several healthcare facilities in the St.Pete/Tampa area of Florida give you unprecedented access to diverse patient care experiences. While we cannot guarantee when or where your clinical rotations will occur, our students typically complete their practice hours in a variety of medical settings.
If you would like more information about clinicals or where they will occur, contactour admissions team.
Can you offer advice for someone interested in Utica’s ABSN?
Our accelerated nursing students say it’s the best.
How many ABSN program start dates are offered a year?
Our ABSN program has three start dates a year, in January, May, and August.
What are the admissions requirements for each program?
ABSN: Eligible students must have a minimum of 65 college credits in a non-nursing field with a minimum cumulative 2.8 GPA on a 4.0 scale. You may also need to complete prerequisite courses before entering our accelerated nursing program. These prerequisites encompass general and natural science coursework. Students must earn a grade of “C” or better in the general prerequisites and an overall 3.0 GPA or better in the natural science prerequisites.
FLEX: Eligible students entering as first-time college students must have at least 16 units of secondary school credit and received a diploma from an accredited secondary school. Eligible transfer students must have a minimum cumulative 3.0 GPA on a 4.0 scale. You may also need to complete prerequisite courses in the nursing program. These prerequisites encompass general and natural science coursework. Students must earn a grade of “C” or better in the general prerequisites
Health Sciences: Eligible students entering as first-time college students must have at least 16 units of secondary school credit and received a diploma from an accredited secondary school Eligible transfer students must have a minimum cumulative 2.0 GPA on a 4.0 scale.
DEMSN: Candidates must have received an undergraduate degree from an accredited university. Eligible students must have a minimum cumulative 3.0 GPA on a 4.0 scale with a 3.2 science GPA. You may also need to complete prerequisite courses before entering our DEMSN program. These prerequisites encompass general and natural science coursework.
Can I retake any of the prerequisites?
Yes, we allow one retake of any two prerequisite courses.
How can an online nursing program prepare me for the real world?
Our nursing programs are not 100% online. The programs follow an effective sequence of online coursework, hands-on learning, and real-world clinical experience that prepares students to sit for the NCLEX and graduate as sought-after nurses.
How many clinical hours must I complete?
Experiential learning is an important part of our curriculum. You can expect to complete 225 hours of skills and simulation labs at our program site and 588 hours of clinical practice in local healthcare facilities for our BS in Nursing programs and 798 hours of clinical practice in our MS in Nursing program.
How many days per week will I be at the site in-person?
As part of the program’s in-person practicum, you can expect to be at our learning site approximately 2-3 days per week.
I don’t live near the learning site in Florida, do I need to move?
Our programs require you to come to our program site on a regularly scheduled basis. Therefore, it is important to at least live within driving distance of our location.
Why is the program’s NCLEX pass rate so important?
The NCLEX is a national exam all nursing school graduates must take and pass to receive the appropriate nurse licensure that allows them to practice the profession. Our 2021 graduates’ first-time NCLEX pass rate in Florida was 93%.
Can I work during the program?
Our full-time, 16-month accelerated nursing programs follow a rigorous, fast-paced format that requires a lot of time and energy. Some of our ABSN students work during the program, but many choose not to, which is our recommendation. Your admissions representative is a good resource to help you understand your options.
The Flex program is built for those with a family, who are working or are considering a career change that might not allow you to study full time! It’s still faster than a traditional nursing program, but offers flexibility and convenience…thus the word FLEX!
How long do accelerated nursing programs take?
As few as 16 months for our accelerated nursing program. However, the time frame varies from program to program and also depends on what prerequisites you need to take.
I would like to see logins and resources for:
For a general list of frequently used logins, you can also visit our logins page.