UCONN MbEIN Class of 2010

ELFMwife · Sep 27, 2009

I went to the orientation on Monday the 21st in Storrs, and the assistant dean was not clear on whether or not the class of 2010 would make the cutoff for the Master's APRN program. The problem is that after you pass your NCLEX, which in our case won't be until January or February of 2011, you need to complete 2000 clinical hours BEFORE you can start the master's program (you couldn't start until fall 2012). The program is set to be phased out in 2014. This would only allow for 1 1/2 years of study, and the program is 2 full years full time. The DNP program is an additional 30 credits on top of the master's program. Any questions I would contact Rhea Sanford in Storrs SON. Since Rhea was not sure herself completely of the fate of the program, I am going to keep in close contact to see what happens. I will consider the DNP if necessary.

DKNYFaith · Sep 28, 2009

accepted into Stamford 2010 class... anybody else out there? our orientation is coming up on 10/1.

thanks all, you've all been so helpful.

nessam828 · Dec 4, 2009

Hi everyone,

I'm in the MbEIN program at Waterbury. Does anyone now where do start on Jan. 9th, is it at Naugatuck Valley CC or at UCONN waterbury campus?

Sincerely,

Samantha

corporal · Jan 5, 2010

Hi all,

I'm starting at Waterbury on Jan 8th. We have class on the 8th and then lab on the 9th... Anyone else out there?

StudyinginCT · Jan 5, 2010

Hello from a successful MbEIN 2009 Graduate! Passed NCLEX, had my first interview yesterday.

Wanted to address the concerns about the MSN issue @ UConn. The person to talk to is Regina Cusson. MSN degrees will still be granted for Adult NP degrees and the Neonatal degree. The way they "get you" so to speak is that you must continue to take classes towards the DNP. You can take them one-at-atime or you can choose not to take classes and pay a continuous enrollment fee, similar to the way the BGS program works. You can of course choose to not take DNP classes, not pay the continuous enrollment fee and be dismissed from the university. You can also start back up again to get back in, but there are higher fees associated with getting reinstated.

So basically, in english - you can get an MSN @ UConn. You do not have to get your DNP. They offer Adult NP, Acute Care NP and Neonatal NP, and all of the Clinical Nurse Leader tracks will still be available for terminal MSN degrees in all specialty areas.

If you have other questions, don't hesitate to ask! Good luck to you all, it's quite a ride. Try to stay positive and support one another. Get all the sleep you can, now!!

Those in Stamford have EXCELLENT instructors for clinical and classroom. Those in Waterbury have an excellent Med-surg professor!

corporal · Jan 5, 2010

congratulations studyinginct !!!

you're such an inspiration. what's your advice regarding passing the nclex once we have the coursework behind us? wish you all the best in your new career.

StudyinginCT · Jan 5, 2010

I think the timing on taking the NCLEX is a very individual decision. Everyone takes tests differently. It's a standardized test, and some are better than others at taking those and as such, have differing levels of confidence regarding NCLEX. UConn provided a test review/practice tool called ATI. It was pretty decent. You take ATI tests on the computer each semester, and they always count for a decent chunk of your semester grade. The question format is very similar to NCLEX. That was all I used to prepare. I am blessed with the ability to take standardized tests well. I did very well in the program. For me, I wanted to get it over with as fast as possible. I felt information flying out of my brain with each day that passed after the program ended.

I got my ATT (authorization to test) on Mon Dec 28. I took the test the following day. I studied for about 6-8 hours on Monday. I was very confident walking into the test. Because the test is adaptive, it not only targets your weaknesses, it also gives you super hard questions if you get the easy and medium ones correct. Basically, the test passes you and ends when you have shown it that you meet it's competency level @ 95% confidence level.

What this means to me, the test taker, is that I thought the test was obscure, random, and HARD. I was 100% positive I had failed, even though I got the minimum # of questions. There were whole content areas that I was not tested on. The test messes with your mind.

But I passed. Apparently, if you get super hard questions that means you are testing far above the minimum passing level. You can know all of this going in (I did) and still take it and be positive you failed.

My advice is, know your strengths, know your weaknesses. Figure out how you learn best, and trust your gut. In my opinion, the ability to take standardized tests is not at all correlated with intelligence. If you know what allows you to succeed, choose that path. I'm impulsive. I work well under pressure. I don't like to over study, because then I get overly analytical about the questions, think too much, and get them wrong. I knew I needed to take it immediately and get it over with. Others in my class are waiting until mid January. Others are taking a Kaplan course before scheduling their exam.

I'm sorry that's so not-specific, but I think it's a really individual thing.

best of luck to you!

CT_student · Feb 22, 2010

Does anyone know the REAL information on the Adult NP track? Say a student is starting in 2011, they start the graduate program in 2012 after passing the NCLEX (they will be working as a nurse while also getting the Master's).

If all the requirements are met, can the person graduate or stop schooling and be a licensed Nurse Practitioner? Or MUST the student continue to get the DNP before they may practice as a NP with patients?

Thanks. I know who to contact, but this is very confusing still. And the school doesn't seem to have an answer either.

ELFMwife · Feb 24, 2010

The MbEIN class of 2010 is the last class that is eligible to do the master's track for an APRN career. Subsequently, if you apply and are accepted into the class of 2011, you will have to do the DNP to be an advanced practice nurse. We heard this from the Dean herself on Monday.

If you look on the UCONN SON website, and look at the Masters of Science, they have posted a note stating this.

kobes393 · Mar 5, 2010

hello everyone!

I am considering the MbEIN program for 2011, but wanted to know a little about it from those who are either going through the program now or just recently finished. I have to finish my prerquisites this summer, and plan to apply in time for the August admission deadline. Is preference given to student who apply to earlier deadlines, or how does that work? It says they review applications in Jan, June, and August, but if they have a lot of qualified applicants after the first review, do they fill up a lot of the available spots, leaving less availability to those that can't apply until later? Or do they have a certain number of spots they fill up after each application review, giving equal opportunity for each applicant pool?

Another question, for those that have gone through the program, I was trying to research graduate entry programs and came across some opinions/ past experiences that concern me. Is it more difficult to find a job as a graduate entry nurse who recieves their RN than someone who went a more traditional method (like a BSN)? I saw a posting that said that the majority of people who go the track similar to the MbEIN program aren't usually hired to work in the same areas as BSNs and have a much harder time finding jobs. It even stated that they knew of people that recieved their Masters entry degree and the only job they could get in the hospital was at the gift shop. One singular, possibly jaded and exaggerated opinion? yeah, sure, but it did cause a little concern.

Would it be more "secure," per say, as far as the guarantee to get a job post-graduation to look into accelerated BSN programs? I would assume they wouldn't offer the MbEIN program if nobody would hire the graduates, but you never know! Has anyone heard anything regarding this, or to those that have gone through this program, have you had more trouble than expected finding a job afterwards?

Thanks!!

wifee47 · Mar 27, 2010

*bumping for response* I have the same concerns, Kobes! =P

hello everyone!
I am considering the MbEIN program for 2011, but wanted to know a little about it from those who are either going through the program now or just recently finished. I have to finish my prerquisites this summer, and plan to apply in time for the August admission deadline. Is preference given to student who apply to earlier deadlines, or how does that work? It says they review applications in Jan, June, and August, but if they have a lot of qualified applicants after the first review, do they fill up a lot of the available spots, leaving less availability to those that can't apply until later? Or do they have a certain number of spots they fill up after each application review, giving equal opportunity for each applicant pool?
Another question, for those that have gone through the program, I was trying to research graduate entry programs and came across some opinions/ past experiences that concern me. Is it more difficult to find a job as a graduate entry nurse who recieves their RN than someone who went a more traditional method (like a BSN)? I saw a posting that said that the majority of people who go the track similar to the MbEIN program aren't usually hired to work in the same areas as BSNs and have a much harder time finding jobs. It even stated that they knew of people that recieved their Masters entry degree and the only job they could get in the hospital was at the gift shop. One singular, possibly jaded and exaggerated opinion? yeah, sure, but it did cause a little concern.
Would it be more "secure," per say, as far as the guarantee to get a job post-graduation to look into accelerated BSN programs? I would assume they wouldn't offer the MbEIN program if nobody would hire the graduates, but you never know! Has anyone heard anything regarding this, or to those that have gone through this program, have you had more trouble than expected finding a job afterwards?
Thanks!!

kobes393 · Mar 30, 2010

I still have the same questions, but I did go to an info session and wanted to share some things they told me regarding the application process... They did say it is kind of a first-come-first-served basis, so they don't have a specific number of spots for each application time, but it did seem like it wasn't too big of an issue (they said they had spots at the Waterbury campus still open after applications were all in and Stamford only had a handful of students)...they also said they are looking to open up a program at the Avery Point campus for 2011 and there was a lot of interest in that, so that may also free up space at the other programs and allow for more people to be accepted.

Still curious about the other concerns though!