Direct Entry Programs - work as an RN or NP?

GOMER42 · Sep 1, 2008

Hi everyone,
My name is Stephanie and I'm a senior at Stanford.
Yale has the Graduate Entry Prespecialty in Nursing (GEPN) for non-nurses. Three years of full-time study results in a "masters-prepared registered nurse."
Does that mean that graduates from the GEPN program receive a MSN, but are not ready to be licensed as a NP? Or does it mean that they ARE able to be licensed as an NP after the program?
Also, does anyone happen to know of any good direct entry programs with good financial aid for low-income students? I think UPenn is the only one that meets 100% need.

I would suggest emailing the program director with any questions specific to these programs.

... and just curious: You currently go to Stanford and are contemplating Yale, yet, are asking for financial information for low income students?

If these schools are a reality, you should contact their finaid offices with your specific questions. Or you could always look at less expensive programs. The expense of a school is not equal to the level of skill acquired. The pass rates are a more substantial indicator of program efficiency.

swhwang · Sep 1, 2008

Contrary to what most people think, large private schools have much better financial aid than small institutions because the well-known private universities have the large endowments. Even though Stanford's price tag may be 45,000+ I'm not even paying 3/4 of that. Therefore it's cheaper for me to go to Stanford than to go to UCBerkeley which is a state-public school. I pay almost nothing to go to Stanford. Harvard, Yale, Pomona College, and other private schools have similar financial aid packets. They meet 100% of the need a student has.

I know that Yale and other grad schools do not have the same financial aid as undergraduate programs. I'm asking more about fellowships. For example there's a fellowship at Emory which pays for tuition for the whole 3 years for direct entry students. Anyone know any others similar to that?

Keysnurse2008 · Sep 1, 2008

contrary to what most people think, large private schools have much better financial aid than small institutions because the well-known private universities have the large endowments. even though stanford's price tag may be 45,000+ i'm not even paying 3/4 of that. therefore it's cheaper for me to go to stanford than to go to ucberkeley which is a state-public school. i pay almost nothing to go to stanford. harvard, yale, pomona college, and other private schools have similar financial aid packets. they meet 100% of the need a student has.
i know that yale and other grad schools do not have the same financial aid as undergraduate programs. i'm asking more about fellowships. for example there's a fellowship at emory which pays for tuition for the whole 3 years for direct entry students. anyone know any others similar to that?

duke is another institution that meets 100% of need. most msn/np programs are 2 year programs if..if you have a bsn in something else. i know Vanderbilt University offers a direct entry program. i would definitely clarify with the program director exactly "what" degree you will be receiving bc ....you can attend another college and definitely get direct entry and complete in far less time probably than 3 years. also...have you thought about contacting a hospital in your area and asking the director of each program to allow you to "shadow" them for a day? you could do that in peds, trauma for acp, etc so that you will know 100% for sure if you like that particular specialty. i would encourage you to do this. most major teaching hospitals will work with your college( stanford) to allow you to do this.

Penelope_Pitstop, BSN, RN · Sep 2, 2008

yale has the graduate entry prespecialty in nursing (gepn) for non-nurses. three years of full-time study results in a "masters-prepared registered nurse."

stephanie-

to me it sounds like this is not a program that would result in qualification for an advanced practicing nurse (including np). it sounds like, upon graduation, you would be an msn and able to sit for the nclex, then become an rn, and your titles would be rn, msn.

i could be wrong, so as suggested, contact the program.

great job on choosing a career, and i wish you the best with it!

keep us updated!

- jess

Adenium · Sep 2, 2008

I think Yale clarifies this on their website and the best is always straight from the source, but yes it is intended to produce functioning NPs. There are a lot of accelerated 2nd Bachelor's/certificate programs for people coming in with a bachelor's degree from another field. Yale, and some others, make a program designed to move you right through and there's no step-out year to gain RN experience. That's what scared me away from it. Now, they know that all the people completing the NP portion have no experience outside clinical and thus their instruction is designed to compensate for it. But still, it seemed strange to me and provokes some resentment from other staff from what I've seen. It's been running for many years, though, and graduates seem to be functioning fine. I know there are several on this board, and they could probably give you better answers.

My understanding is that you take the NCLEX after the 1st year, thus can get your RN license, then continue on in your specialty track that you chose when you applied. You sit for your NP exam in that specialty at the end of the 3 years.

The other option is another accelerated program to become an RN, whether certificate or BSN, and then working to get experience and THEN entering a Master's program. This is what I'm doing at UCONN....I'll take the NCLEX in December after a year-long intense program, and I'm automatically accepted into the Master's program for when I feel ready to step back in (unless all of a sudden I get C's). The first Master's level courses are not track-specific, so I can be gaining experience as an RN before I decide where I really want to go. If I move out of state, I can always apply to another MS program.

I would highly suggest a lot of shadowing if you think you want to try one of the one-fell-swoop programs where you're deciding on a specialty very early. And ask the schools to put you in touch with some recent graduates too - it's a long expensive endeavor to take on without knowing what you're really getting into. You want to know you'll be happy in that geographic area for a few years, that finances will line up, that you'll have the clinical exposure you want, and that the job market looks good for the specialty you think you'll choose, in the area you want to eventually work in. Going to school near where you'd like to work is nice, as you have connections ready-made from clinicals etc.

kimiij · Jan 11, 2009

After completing Yale's program you are then eligible to take the qualifying exam for whatever specialty you choose.

After the first year you sit the NCLEX and become an RN. The two remaining years are your specialty years where you learn how to be a midwife, fnp, whnp, etc. After you graduate you then take your certifying exam with the appropriate organization based on your specialty.

sunray12 · Jan 11, 2009

Contrary to what most people think, large private schools have much better financial aid than small institutions because the well-known private universities have the large endowments. Even though Stanford's price tag may be 45,000+ I'm not even paying 3/4 of that. Therefore it's cheaper for me to go to Stanford than to go to UCBerkeley which is a state-public school. I pay almost nothing to go to Stanford. Harvard, Yale, Pomona College, and other private schools have similar financial aid packets. They meet 100% of the need a student has.
I know that Yale and other grad schools do not have the same financial aid as undergraduate programs. I'm asking more about fellowships. For example there's a fellowship at Emory which pays for tuition for the whole 3 years for direct entry students. Anyone know any others similar to that?

This is true. My out of pocket cost to attend a private school with financial aid was less than it would have been at state u.

In my experience the best way to get info about fellowships is to communicate directly with the school. In some cases you have to submit additional paperwork for fellowships, in other cases if you've filled out FAFSA then that's all you need to do. If your FAFSA indicates that you have a need then in many instances the school will do what they can do fill it.

You should also check out the np board under the specialty tab at the top of the page. There is extensive discussion about your questions.

Now, they know that all the people completing the NP portion have no experience outside clinical and thus their instruction is designed to compensate for it. But still, it seemed strange to me and provokes some resentment from other staff from what I've seen.

Resentment from potential coworkers down the line is not a valid reason not to go for a particular degree.

madwife2002, BSN, RN · Jan 11, 2009

Why do you want to be a NP?