Hello all. Last week was a busy one, and this week looks
like it's going to be even worse, but at least this weekend is a
3-day weekend! This past week I received an email from a
prospective student asking some questions about some specifics of
the day-to-day here in Florida. As I was responding to the email,
it dawned on me that I had not really gotten into these kinds of
the things here on the blog. Being that there is no time like the
present, and for the fact that a camera crew was down here last
week snapping shots of us in our new digs, I'm deciding to crack an
egg of knowledge on you about our campus.
The Florida campus of National University is located in sunny
Pinellas Park, located in northern St. Pete. We are part of the
University Partnership Program of St. Petersburg College (SPC) and
use their campuses as well as facilities. The partnership program
also includes other universities such as Florida State University,
University of Florida, University of South Florida, and Barry
University among others. National, as well as these other
universities share several SPC campuses.
Facilities
NUHS Phase 2 students and faculty just moved into a new
building, the Health Education Center Annex, all to ourselves.
Incoming students along with Phase 1 students and faculty are part
of the Caruth Health Education Center campus one block away. The
health center is equipped with several state-of-the-art interactive
classrooms, a technique lab, physiology lab, and our pride and joy,
the anatomy/dissection lab. Our new Phase 2 facility will be
highlighted on the new NUHS website soon, and includes its own
spankin' new technique, phlebotomy and radiology labs, as well as
interactive classrooms and student lounge.
Curriculum
So the facilities are fantastic, but what about the actual
classes? In my opinion, there is no better education one can
receive than here at National's FL campus. I know Lombard has
incredible teachers, with a wealth of knowledge and experience, but
down here we have the same, with a fraction of the student
population.
The maximum class size of 20 students makes student-teacher
interaction a breeze, and the question and answer time is that much
more intense (nowhere to hide in a class of only 20). Twenty
students is the maximum. That doesn't mean we have classes that
size yet, with National's unique "track system" students have the
option to lighten course loads to fit more along their personal
schedule. A full time student here at National can expect
trimesters to reach around 28 credit hours, so for those students
with families or jobs that may need a some more personal time, the
load can be lightened by taking a "reduced track."
A majority of my current trimester's classes include myself and
two other students, with two classes with just one other classmate.
The personal class sizes ensure our knowledge of the course
material and allow ample time for questions and practice.
Finally, an NUHS campus wouldn't be complete without a clinic.
National's Student Clinic here in Florida currently has a 2-week
wait time for appointments. The services we offer to SPC students
and faculty is free, with minimal costs for anyone else. Rudy
Heiser, DC, MS, DACBR, watches over and guides our Tri 9 and 10
interns through clinic rotations, ensuring their passage from
students to physicians.
I hope this week's entry sheds some light onto our new campus
that we are very proud to be a part of. I'd like to thank "the man
who knows the man," Dr. Joe Stiefel, our dean. He has made the
Florida campus a reality, and without his tireless work I don't
think we would be here right now learning this incredible
profession in the warm Florida sun. If there is anything that I
missed, or if anyone has any questions regarding the FL campus, do
not hesitate to email me, dexalvarez@student.nuhs.edu.
If I don't have the answers, I'll find someone who does and get
back to you as soon as I can.
Catch ya on the flip side,
Dex