The Baker College of Muskegon

Date: Mar 16 2011
Major: Nursing (This Major's Salary over time)
Baker Makes promises it can never keep. They will spout their figures on how many graduates get jobs (98%), but will not give info on how many students never make it to graduation. Most teachers (not professors) are basically temp hires with no benefits. Usually only department heads are full time. Think of what kind of service you would get at Olive Garden vs Burger KIng. The faculty may care to some degree, but as part timers, they really want to focus on student data that will help keep their job.

students get a list of SLO's (student learning outcomes) which chould be used for determinig how well the course is taught, how well the student is learning, and what is expected for success. At Baker, they are used as an excuse for more busy work. They love to assign papers and projects (If I ever wanted to learn how to make a medical info brochure, I would have gone into Graphic Arts) that are based singly on an SLO. Instead of teaching based upon best techniques for student learning and success, it is only based upon the clerical needs of the teacher or college. They wer keeping our homework to use as proof of SLO completion for their Med Assistant course certyification. The course work was designed for the completion of the college's certification needs, and not the needs of the student. You have to get on the bandwagon and play their games to succeed. Academic students(those who thrive on homework and tests) will be considered best, but those whose primary goal is to learn first and worry about grades later, will fail. If youu really care about your chosen career, and have great desire to do your best for future clients, bosses or patients, then I would STRONGLY advise you to stay away from Baker; they will suck the life right out of you.

In the MA program, we never even looked at a BP cuff until week 5, and didn't start to use them until week 7. Their were people in this class who did not know systolic from diastolic-things that should have been learned in pre-req classes. The practical skills are given the back seat in the bus, while the front rows are filled with all the SLO BS work. I planned on working with MD's and RN's to help and serve patients, and this major part of the career was given back seat.

After some very difficult preparatory classes, in which we learned all aboout papers and displays and brochures and powerpoint presentations, and had a high work load to learn all the basics; we then after a competetive entrance end up in a specialty program that wants to repeat damn near everything we should already know, and use up all our precious learning time with worthless, make-work,time consuming BS papaers and brochures and presentations and etc…When the hell were they going to get on with teaching us to be MA'S? I feel like I came here and repeated high school twice. Don't be fooled—Why do you think Baker spends so incredibly much money on it's TV commercials and print advertising? They are a proprietary college that exists to make money. Once they got yours, they really don't care.