Charles Drew University ELMSN FAll 2013

U.S.A. California

Published

Hello All

I plan on applying the Charles Drew's Entry Level MSN program. I am currently at SFSU in a post bac pre nursing program. I will be finish with the program and my pre req's in May. Has anyone else already applied or preparing to apply? Also, any individuals currently in the program that would't mind sharing a couple of things about the school. EX: typical day, clinical sites, and what CDU typically looks for when selecting nursing students?

Thanks!

Hello Butterflyprincess, did you apply at Charles Drew University, that is where I applied and turned everything but no response yet. They told me the classes start August 26,2013 but still I haven't got the response.

Hello everyone...finally got the response I'm in for Fall 2013 CDU. I'm in San Diego is there anyone from San Diego let me know.

Specializes in Family Medicine.

Congrats you guys! I'm in too. See you guys on the 14th. :)

Good luck and congrats! I got in but declined te tuition is too steep for me. So whomeer on the waitlist got my spot! Congrats!

Hi all, I'm considering CDU but info on their website is really limited. They still have up the application deadline for the Fall 2013 class. I'm looking to apply for Fall 2014. However I'm a little discouraged by the fact that they want GRE. So far, they are the only school I've come across that wants GRE. For those who took it, how much time did you have to put into it?

Hi 35572vb703, Congrats on getting into UCLA MECN! I'm trying to do my MECN app right now and am really stressing out... Would you mind sharing a little about what worked for you? Personal statement, letters of rec etc? Also how do you like the program so far?

Hi ntenret,

I spent a lot of time preparing my application and was strategic with my LORs. I had two nurses and one physician write me letters. I gave my recommendors my resume, a rough draft of my personal statement and a short paragraph about the program I was applying to. I believe this was helpful because the more they know about the kind of work you will do in the program, the more they can tailor your letter to highlight the skills that represent your potential to fulfill the program's objectives. I had three people review my personal statement and that was very helpful. Make sure to you talk about why you want to be a nurse, why you are a good fit for that particular specialty (Ex NP, CNL, CNS etc) and how the activites you have done have prepared you for success in a graduate nursing program. I did not have a competitive GPA, so I focused on other attributes such as my volunteer and research experience.

I just started the program a week ago but its great so far. Its a lot of hard work but I would not have chosen any other school. The professors and staff are committed to their students and doing everything they can to make sure we succeed.

Hope that was helpful and best of luck with your applications. I was in your shoes a year ago and know how stressful and time consuming they are :)

any current students here?

HI Bronze,

I am applying by September 1st and am looking forward to attending this program by January. Have you gotten in and how is the program so far since you enrolled? Are there red flags I should look out for or prepare for? Thank you for your time and help?

Hi you guys! I hope CDU is going smooth so far for you guys! I am applying for this spring 2015 ELMSN and am pretty excited. How is the program so far? Are there are red flags to look out for or prepare for? I should be started this January 2015 and will be going through your path soon. Big congrats to those of you who are going through the program. Your input and advice will help me a lot! Thank you for the work and dedication you guys have done so far! :)

Hi mayjulie:

I'm a current ELMSN program (started fall 2014). We're 4 weeks into the program.

I will give you MY opinion of the ELMSN program:

1. HIGHLY disorganized and dysfunctional at the faculty and administrative level - it is borederline infuriating for me. In talking with previous cohorts (that are still here) apparently we have it better than they. I can't imagine what it was like earlier. There are avenues where you can address your concerns, but having sat in on these meetings student concerns and issues are placated and brushed-off at best, and ignored at worst. There seems to be zero desire to actually FIX some real problems and dysfunctions here that, it seems, have plagued the nursing school since its inception.

2. VERY self directed - I consider myself a fairly intelligent person, and I have no doubt I can be successful in this program because I know how to self-study and critically think. BUT! I don't believe in a self-directed nursing program. Nursing is a practical, skills-heavy profession and at the Fundamentals level (which we are in now) this program fails entirely.

My impression is that they have yet to find strong Fundamentals educators for this course. And they have yet to get it right. Though our cohort does have a new lead FUND instructor (who is well-respected and very intelligent) the lectures are simply power point slides that regurgetate the material in the book. There has been an attempt to ask clinical style questions in the lecture, but the slides are so numerous that there is little time for any kind of higher-level thinking or working through. My hope was that I would be intellectually challenged by the program, and that our lectures would teach us things beyond what we can read ourselves. So far, I'm really disappointed.

My experience in skills lab has been underwhelming as well, and I would say I have a fairly strong skills group. Skills labs are on different days (all weekdays) depending on your group. FYI logistically: we are split up into 3 groups: 2 day groups (8am-4pm), and 1 evening (4:30-9pm). It hasn't happened in my skills lab but there is another group in our cohort that has already complained that they have yet to move beyond taking vital signs (and it's week 4) and that half their skills day is taken up by lecture (which is not shared in other groups). There are members of previous cohorts who say that they do not feel prepared for their critical care clinicals (which is year 2), in terms of skills readiness - and these are strong, mature, academically-motivated students. We have a member of our cohort who has told us that Charles Drew students have a reputation in the community for being weak on skills. To me this is the most painful thing to swallow. Theory and information I can digest and critically-think through on my own if I need to - skills is something else, I feel. The skills instructors in Fundamentals have good clinical skills but the disorganization and faculty/administration dysfunction gets in the way of strong skills lab education.

3. The nursing school is nice and new - the sim labs are state-of-the art. There is opportunity to schedule extra time in the sim labs with the clinical coordinator. If you get in the program I would recommend using this, especially as skills get harder.

4. Previous cohorts are very inclusive of incoming cohorts - and they got out of their way to mentor and guide incoming students. There is an unofficial mentor-mentee program you can sign up for, which I would recommend - if not for sanity alone.

5. The program is entirely HESI driven and uses Elsevier Evolve resources for almost all courses. We are the first cohort to have the HESI for our exams, and I'm hoping this will improve our NCLEX pass rate as a program. The cut off for HESI is pretty strict but I think that's a good thing.

6. This is my personal, biased opinion on the level of academic diversity in the cohort: It is very VERY spread out. I had hoped that at the EL-MSN (graduate) level that academically we would range on the higher end of the spectrum. This is not so. There are, flat out, people in our program who absolutely should not be in a nursing program, anywhere - let alone at an MSN level. That's not true of everyone of course - there are some really smart people here but it's not the entire cohort as it should be. Maybe the program will get more competitive as the years go by, but right now I'd say we're on par with a West Coast University which anyone can buy there way into. (I say this as someone who was NOT strong academically in my undergraduate but who was strong in my pre-reqs and is, well, smart ;-) )

7. When making your choice about coming to Charles Drew I would recommend asking yourself the type of nurse you want to be, and why you want to come here over other places. For me I chose this school because: a. It's mission - despite its dysfunction, it's mission is to serve the underserved and that's why I want to be a nurse. I want to go to school in the community I want to be involved in and that's CDU, b. It's the least expensive ELMSN (aside from state schools which are, frankly, too competitive for my undergrad grades) out there, c. It is 2 years and d. I already have a bachelor's - I really don't want to go backward in my education. That ALL said, I am - at this moment - reconsidering being in the program. I haven't made a terminal decision yet, but I am even willing to go the A-BSN route and I'm actively considering it prior to the withdrawal deadline here.

These are just my personal opinions and observations about the program. There are wonderful people here who have chosen this school (including folks who got into Western's ELMSN program) for reasons beyond academics - so things that are important to me may not be important to you.

My advise is VISIT the school, ask hard questions of the administration and faculty, know yourself and what you want and go with your gut.

Specializes in Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner.
Hi mayjulie:

I'm a current ELMSN program (started fall 2014). We're 4 weeks into the program.

...

My advise is VISIT the school, ask hard questions of the administration and faculty, know yourself and what you want and go with your gut.

I am not a student of the school, but I have a friend attending. I've heard his opinions as well as the opinions of those in his cohort. It's a mirror of what snhelm said. If you can, find some CDU students on the board, and PM them if you have further questions.

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