*Last updated 090419
I would like to share commonly asked questions about Immersion for students in the Chamberlain University FNP Program.
It’s 2 nights and 3 days program over the weekend from Friday to Sunday (some cohorts may go from Thursday to Saturday) on the 7th weekend of NR509. Sometimes on a different weekend if the weekend overlaps with holidays. Check with your student advisor!
Here is the Fact Sheet for the Immersion. The Fact Sheet is the same as what I am about to present here. I just wrote with my personal touch to it. =]
Items you will need for the Immersion. (Immersion Student Equipment)
- Print out of NR 509 Immersion Grading Rubric (for your practice)
- Print out of ECG Immersion Station Student Handouts updated 3.1.19
- Print out of Skin Rash Station Worksheet and Handout (make sure that the page with 8 skin pictures are in color)
- Pocket Snellen chart ($3.00)
- Taylor Hammer ($4.00)
- Stethoscope ($4.95 to infinity) but you can take disposable one from your hospital.
- Otoscope ($15 to infinity) this is totally up to you what you want to buy. (No, you don’t need ophthalmoscope. You can use otoscope light to test pupil constriction – CN2!!!)
- A small notebook (Post-It was sufficient for me) and a pen
- Whitecoat (I would say optional as you are not required to wear as long as you are not wearing a pair of jean. You should be wearing semi-casual.) I am a male, 5’7″ and 135 lb. I ordered size small and felt about right or slightly bigger.
- Name tag that school makes you order. You will get an email regarding this from school. I didn’t feel like it was really needed as you will be receiving another name tag when you get there. But I heard some instructors did check when you take the Immersion exam.
- Dress code: As long as you are not wearing jeans and T-shirts with open-toe shoes, you are fine. Semi-casual is what I wore and that was more than sufficient. For the day 3 exam, you need to wear something that you can show your tummy easily as you will need to expose your tummy for the assessment exam.
- You must purchase the DayPass in order for you to enter Q-Center. Adding meal plans or not is up to your decision.
Some people buy a set of items in a bulk pack that has everything in it. So, it will be all depending on your preference. *Price may differ.
Where to stay?
You can stay at the Q Center. It will cost you about $400 for 2 nights including dinner on day 1, 3 meals on day 2, and breakfast on day 3. The $400 package also includes a ride from/to airport.
The Q Center standard room looks like this.
Doesn’t look too bad? Well, this is “very” well-taken picture with the stretched lens. I felt like the bed was smaller than a single bed size. I felt like it was a sofa seating size or slightly bigger. The room width is the size of a closet width. Don’t get disguised by their pictures. =p
This is the restroom and shower. The restroom felt like the size of a closet or a little bigger. More detailed pictures are here.
I have heard that some rooms didn’t have AC or AC didn’t work. You can also pay more to get a bigger room with a queen-size bed. I didn’t see it but you are only going to be sleeping there. I don’t think extra money to be in the bigger room matters.
I did Airbnb ($75 for 2 nights) and stayed about 20 minutes away from the Q Center. I rented a car for driving back and forth. I love exploring new areas and looking at houses. That’s why I decided not to stay in the Q Center. It ended up saving about $100 including food. (I am not a big eater at all.) This particular host had 2 rooms that he rents out. 1 room with a queen bed and the other room with a single bed. If 2 of you go there, half the price!
The Immersion event is in the Q Center of St. Charles, IL. (Click for google map) The Q Center is about 35 minutes to the east of O’Hare airport. The Q Center is quite of size “hotel” with event halls. It’s a maze to get around the Q Center. So, use their “Q Center” app on the phone. The app icon looks like below.
When you are at the Q Center, open the app and it will prompt you to turn on the Bluetooth. The app uses Bluetooth to navigate inside of the Q Center. They have gift shops, restaurants, and etc.
The Immersion Agenda
So, what happens during the event? You can download the Immersion Agenda.
For Friday – Sunday: Day 1 is Friday, day 2 is Saturday, day 3 is Sunday.
For Thursday – Saturday: Day 1 is Thursday, day 2 is Friday, day 3 is Saturday.
Day 1 – Trip day. Basically, you can arrive at the Q Center on any date prior to day 2 by 0800. I strongly suggest you get there on day 1 and meet with classmates to practice the head to toe assessment each other. It feels very different when you practice with your family members compared to some random strangers. Day 1 is just simply a free day. No specific Immersion activity.
Day 2 – You will be asked to gather at a hall at 0800 and you will see about 450 students. Professors come out to and welcome you and generally go over the Immersion event. Then in small groups, students will gather up in classrooms for the hands-on learning experience of several different stations. I really felt that I learned something from the classes for the first time during the entire CU classes! Lunch will be provided for all students. Their food is not bad actually. Classes are completed around 1630 and you will be hanging out with all the students at the Reception event. Some finger food and beverages are offered there. Yes, some alcohol too. Each person will be given a “drink” ticket. Then you are free. I ended up meeting with a few students and practiced head to toe.
Day 3 – Gathering is at 0745 at the hall where you met all 450 students on day 2 morning. You will be called out with your partner for the Head-to-toe Physical exam. I was the 1st one to be called out and I was done by 0900. My flight was not until 2230 later that day. Hearing from others, the exam ended around 1400. But do not buy a ticket too close to 1400 as you will not know when you will be called out for the exam until the morning of day 3. I have seen people changing their flights on day 3 morning.
Suggestions/tips
- Start viewing the head-to-toe assessment early. You don’t need to watch the entire video. Just watch section by section and repeat while you are driving to/from work from the 1st day of the NR509. I did the same and I never really spent extra time to memorize it at home.
- When the exam starts, your examiner will have a timer on a table. The examiner will tell you to push on the start button whenever you are ready to start. Before you start, I suggest you lay out the exam equipment (otoscope, stethoscope, Taylor Hammer, and Snellen chart) on the table. This way, you know what equipment you used or not and remind you to use each equipment. Some examiners would let you write a note once the timer start. Ask your examiner if you can write stuff on a paper once the timer starts. If the examiner is ok with your writing, then write what you usually miss. I wrote CN 1~12 and checked off one by one as I completed each. This would be another check-off system. Remember that you only need 104 out of 124 for you to pass. That’s 20 points and missing 10 sections. 10 sections are a lot you can miss.
- Book tickets early for a cheaper flight. I flew LAX to ORD for $214 round trip! And I only paid $14 for it by using AAdvantage credit card. When you sign up, at least when I sighed up, you get $200 credit for purchases. I used Hopper app on the phone to track the lowest price. Once you are done with the trip, you can cancel the credit card to avoid the $99 annual fee. 1st year AAdvantage credit card membership is free. (I am going back to Chicago for 661 review class and I actually saw $144 round trip on April 2020 from LAX!!)
- Most of all, just relax and practice. Worrying about the Immersion exam isn’t going to help with the study. We all did it. You can do it!!!
- Expect flight delays! OMG. Flight delay in/out of Chicago was crazy! I had many classmates get stuck in the airport for over 12 hours due to delays by the weather condition.
- What I would do differently? I would have gathered up a couple of people and rent an entire house from Airbnb near the Q Center and stay together. I could have practiced the head-to-toe among the roommates and have an amazing time. Of course, you can also do it in the Q Center too. You will see people gathering in small to large groups to practice all over the Q Center. Transportation in Chicago was not cheap via Uber, especially as single travelers. (*If you are staying in the Q Center, the transport to/from airport and Q Center is provided.) But, if you are in a group of 4 or so, Uber can be much cheaper as you will share the cost with among others. I would rent a decent size car and fit 4 or more and share the cost for Airbnb, food, and car rental. As you go through the Immersion, you will find your “favorite” people. Since you will be returning to the Q Center again for NR661, it would be a good idea to plan for a group Airbnb rental.
- You rented a car? Rental companies will scare you with “toll road” and make you purchase the toll pass scanner for about $10/day + tax. The toll fee supposed to be about $2.5 or so on each pass and it can definitely add up. However, from ORD to the Q Center, it will take about 40 minutes or so without going through the toll roads. Just make sure that you place “off” on the toll roads on the google map or GPS, and go through local streets. You will find amazing Chicago pizza places! It will probably take 10~15 minutes more to get to the Q Center from the ORD. I wouldn’t mind driving that. So, don’t get the toll pass.
- June 2019, the gas price at Costco was about $2.79/gal. The rental car companies will charge you $2.99/gal for not filling up.
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