Welcome to PREPARE
The Bill and Brittany Conway PREPARE Program for prelicensure students
We are excited for you to become a part of the UIC Nursing family. Your own excitement might be mixed with a bit of anxiety about the new concepts, new ways of thinking, new ways of learning and many more new experiences ahead. That's why we've developed PREPARE: Pre-licensure Readiness Education Program for Aspiring Registered nursEs.
PREPARE: Pre-licensure Readiness Education Program for Aspiring Registered nursEs Heading link
The Bill and Brittany Conway PREPARE program is a mostly virtual program that delivers evidence-based programming to strengthen your knowledge before your first nursing course. You will be introduced to ideas and content that are known predictors of success in a prelicensure nursing degree program, and you’ll be exposed to faculty expertise on critical topics. There will be pre- and post-assessments and links to resources so you can continue to work on improvement.
This program is no cost to you. It is funded in this first year by a grant from the Illinois Board of Higher Education and subsequently by a gift from the Bedford Falls Foundation.
It is anticipated that students will spend two to five hours per week on PREPARE, but this is very individualized based on your assessments. You can spend more time if you wish. There is no grade associated with PREPARE.
PREPARE is a six-week program, beginning on Monday, May 13, and ending on Friday, June 21. The first session is a mandatory, and you’ll spend that day learning some of the most important information for your first steps at UIC Nursing.
In addition to PREPARE, UIC Nursing offers the Seminars for Excellence in Nursing Sciences (SENS) Program. Scroll down for details.
Bill and Brittany Conway PREPARE program dates
PREPARE program dates Heading link
| PREPARE Event Name | Date | Time | Campus | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PREPARE Kickoff and ATI orientation - MANDATORY | May 13 (Mon.) | 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. | Chicago, Springfield, Urbana | Zoom link (Meeting ID: 839 6923 5475; passcode: wsRm7h7F) |
| Lunch and Learn: Getting started at UIC Nursing–Springfield | June 10 (Mon.) | 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. | Springfield | Zoom link (Meeting ID: 839 9187 6159; passcode: 6aSH7JHM) |
| Fire Chat: Clinical and onboarding requirements | June 13 (Thurs.) | 12 to 1:30 p.m. | Chicago, Springfield, Urbana | Zoom link (Meeting ID: 879 0107 2111; passcode: 3njnnuVJ) |
| Virtual Orientation to Urbana - MANDATORY | June 24 (Mon.) | 8:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. | Urbana | Zoom link (Meeting ID: 863 8735 8062; passcode: NSO2024!) |
| Lunch and Learn: Finances | June 25 (Tues.) | 12 to 1 p.m. | Springfield | Zoom link (Meeting ID: 839 9187 6159; passcode: 6aSH7JHM) |
| Fire Chat: First-semester overview and a day in the life of a UIC Nursing student | June 27 (Thurs.) | 12 to 1 p.m. | Chicago, Springfield, Urbana | Zoom link (Meeting ID: 858 9210 3274; passcode: HChLx3ZM) |
| Transition to Nursing (Virtual Modules) | July 8 (Fri.) - Sep. 6 (Fri.) | Asynchronous on Blackboard | Chicago, Urbana | Chicago self-enrollment link Urbana self-enrollment link Directions: Click Link>Sign In to Blackboard>Click "Enroll" (Left Hand Panel)>Click "Submit" Questions: cschultz@uic.edu (Chicago) or asperry@illinois.edu (Urbana) |
| Lunch and Learn: Campus housing | July 10 (Wed.) | 1 to 2 p.m. | Springfield | Zoom link (Meeting ID: 839 9187 6159; passcode: 6aSH7JHM) |
| Fire Chat: Q&A session on UIC Nursing policies and Student Handbook | July 18 (Thurs.) | 12 to 1 p.m. | Chicago, Springfield, Urbana | Zoom link (Meeting ID: 875 0409 4180; passcode: RcWeyie7) |
| Lunch and Learn: Common student resources | July 25 (Thurs.) | 12 to 1 p.m. | Springfield | Zoom link (Meeting ID: 839 9187 6159; passcode: 6aSH7JHM) |
| General College of Nursing Virtual Orientation - MANDATORY | Aug. 19 (Mon.) | 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. | Chicago | UIC College of Nursing–Chicago Campus, via Zoom BSN Zoom link (Meeting ID: 856 4723 6475; passcode: UICNURSE24) MSN-GE RSVP Here |
| General College of Nursing Orientation - MANDATORY | Aug. 22 (Thurs.) | TBD | Springfield | UIC College of Nursing–Springfield Campus, UIS University Hall Building, Room 2008 BSN RSVP Here |
| General College of Nursing Orientation - MANDATORY | Aug. 22 (Thurs.) | 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. | Urbana | UIC College of Nursing–Urbana Campus |
| Transition to Nursing | Aug. 23 (Fri.) | 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. | Chicago | UIC College of Nursing–Chicago Campus RSVP Here |
| Transition to Nursing | Aug. 23 (Fri.) | 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. | Urbana | UIC College of Nursing–Urbana Campus |
Beyond PREPARE: Seminars for Excellence in Nursing Sciences Program Heading link
Looking for more resources before the semester starts? Check out the 2024 Seminars for Excellence in Nursing Sciences (SENS) Program. These no-cost, high-impact courses run from June 24 to Aug. 1, with each course meeting on several days.
Note: With the exception of the Advanced Study Skills course, each SENS course requires a fully refundable $50 deposit to register. Refunds are issued at the end of the program, after attendance has been verified. If you register but later decide not to begin the course, you have until June 7 to cancel and receive a full refund of your registration deposit(s).