Entry into Practice: Direct Entry MSN Programs

[VickyRN]

Direct entry MSN programs are approximately three years in length. They provide basic nursing curricula during the first year or so of the program (pre-licensure phase), with graduate core courses and specialty course work during the remainder of the program (graduate nursing concentration phase).

The first masters program for non-nurse college graduates was instituted at yale university in 1974. These programs have grown slowly over the ensuing years. In 2008, the American Association of Colleges of Nursing reported 56 direct entry MSN programs.

Entry-level MSN programs are very demanding, as they not only provide students with a general foundation in nursing, but masters-level courses for leadership or advanced practice as well. These programs are fast-paced, usually involving five-days a week intense study, with a combination of classroom theory and clinical coursework interwoven throughout.

Some programs award learners a BSN at the halfway point of the program, and then an MSN at the end of the program; others only confer one degree: an MSN upon graduation from the program. In the latter case, students forgo a second bachelor's degree. In either type program, students must pass the NCLEX-RN after successfully completing the pre-licensure component, before progressing to the graduate-level courses offered during the second half of the program. Following program completion, students are then eligible to sit for national certification exams for advance practice nursing specialties.

Areas of study in direct entry MSN programs include nurse practitioner, clinical nurse specialist, clinical nurse leader, executive nurse leader, nursing administration, health care systems leadership, and certified nurse midwife. I have even heard of some programs offering nurse anesthesia by way of direct entry. An example is Georgetown university direct entry to advanced practice program. Another surprise is nursing education, which is offered in some direct entry programs.

A big controversy remains concerning entry-level MSN programs: are graduates adequately prepared for advanced practice nursing? What is the job market for advanced practice nursing graduates from these programs? Are they taken seriously by prospective employers? Many people are of the opinion that advanced practice nursing is just that - advanced practice. Critics assert that registered nurses need at least 2 years' experience at the bedside before entering into advanced practice.

What do you think?

[MaritesaRN]

Is Domiguez Hills online still?

I would think if you are staying in the Same Regional Accreditation of Colleges

They will except all your Credits those other courses

Best Of Luck to you.

When I was in school w/ Dominguez , on line was pretty new. the classes were in my facility where I worked at that time and it made it really easy. I will have to call them again and start the process all over again and see .

thank you so much all for your inputs ! :loveya:

[Bree124, BSN, RN]

I have a question for the DEMSN students here: do you find that your programs are good at student retention? Do you feel that the faculty is mostly supportive? The reason I ask is because on AN, there are often so many horror stories about students, usually in entry-level programs, who fail out of their programs by half a percentage point, sometimes in their very last semester, or get dropped because of minor transgressions like wearing the "wrong" shoes to clinical or being five minutes late to clinical when policy stated that they had a ten-minute window.

I know this is a little old now, but wanted to chime in - We started with 49, and two quit for personal reasons within the first few months (one for a pregnancy, one because she just realized it wasn't what she wanted to do). So we have a high retention rate. I have always felt that I was treated as a peer, and as an intelligent person. The faculty had high expectations of the students, but not over petty issues like shoes.

[Anise1]

The computer erased my post!! well, basically, I remembered this topic thread from a month ago, found the info I'd been looking for, and came back with it. there's a de psych np program I've been very interested in. however, I've heard so often that np grads without prior rn experience can have a lot of trouble finding jobs. has anyone done this type of program and taken a break halfway through to work as an rn for a period of time after passing the nursing exams? it just seems like this would make so much more sense. anyway, here's the program description-- it's at oregon state health university:

Quote

1 (#2) can (2 1/2 c.) cream style corn

1 c. milk

1 well beaten egg

1 c. cracker crumbs

1/4 c. minced onion

3 tbsp. chopped pimiento

1/4 tsp. salt

dash of pepper

2 tbsp. butter

1/2 c. cracker crumbs

heat corn and milk, gradually stir in egg. add 1 cup crumbs, onion, pimiento and seasonings. mix well. pour into greased 8 1/2" x 1 1/2" round pan. melt butter and pour over 1/2 cup crumbs. sprinkle the buttered crumbs over corn. bake in moderate oven, 350 degrees for 20 minutes.

accelerated bacc to master's

nurse midwifery and psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner

the accelerated bachelor of science to masters program is designed to allow those students who have or will have an accredited bachelor's degree in a major other than nursing prior to matriculation to take the nursing courses required to get a b.s. with a major in nursing and then continue into the master level courses that are required to achieve a psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner or certified nurse midwifery ms/mn degree.

students on this track are concurrently accepted to the abs program and either the nurse midwifery or psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner program, and will start the master's coursework after completing the required courses necessary to achieve the b.s. degree and passing the nursing licensure exam. this 3 year program begins with a five quarter, full-time course of study in the accelerated undergraduate program, beginning summer term.

at the completion of the bachelor of science nursing curriculum, the b.s. degree is awarded and graduates are eligible for professional registered nurse licensing examinations. the graduate program coursework begins in the fall term, following successful completion of the b.s. degree and nursing licensure exam (nclex). the school of nursing also offers an accelerated bachelor's program.

[briang30]

My program at UMASS-Worcester (http://www.umassmed.edu/gsn/index.aspx) is a 3 year program direct entry non-RN to NP program. We take the NCLEX during the fall of our second year. We are expected to work 1,000 hours as an RN (for which we get paid) during our 2nd and 3rd years while we are taking our masters/NP courses. Right now, many of the second year students are having trouble finding their RN jobs, but graduates are not having trouble finding NP jobs. Many are getting offers before they graduate. Unfortunately I do not have any stats for you. They are still accepting applications for next fall.

[Anise1]

Thanks so much-- and oops, I'm sorry about that scalloped corn recipe addition. I was making Thanksgiving dinner at the time and it kind of got accidentally added in. (It's a very good recipe...) I need to find out specifically from the OSHU program. Why are the 2nd year students having problems? Is it just because of the general extremely high unemployment most people are dealing with right now, or something about that particular area?

[melmarie23, MSN, RN]

I am a DE MSN student. I just finished my first year and have one more to go.

Ours is year round (summer semesters included) for two years. We receive "provisional" status into the graduate school once accepted. Our status will change once we pass NCLEX, which we sit for after a year and half. So for me, I will be sitting for the boards this upcoming June.

The program is front loaded with the basics: fundamentals, patho, pharm, psych, OB, Pedi, Med/Surg, community health....as well as some of our master's courses. In my first year, I've completed 585 clinical hours. This spring, we have our immersion, in the specialty we're planning on going in upon the programs completion, which is 400 clinical hours. The last summer and fall semesters is mostly dedicated to our research, which will be in the same hospital/unit as our immersion.

After passing the NCLEX we're expected to start working. Its not mandatory, but its strongly encouraged. Additionally, many past cohorts have been hired from their immersion placements, contingent on passing the boards. So needless to say, this upcoming spring is huge for me.

My school's DE MSN is for the CNL role. We were told at the beginning that we mostly likely WONT be hired into this role, but rather we'd matriculate into it after a year or two experience under our belt. To help us gain that experience, we sit for the boards 6 months before graduating and are then encouraged to work as we wrap up the program.

I will likely sit for the CNL exam when I graduate next December. I can also continue on, and become an NP as my school also has a certificate program. However, I plan on working for at least a few years before I continue my education.

Why did I chose my particular school and program? Initially it was to both go to graduate school, and to become a nurse. I already had a Bachelors, so I didn't want to work backwards so to speak. What I liked about the CNL role is that is bridges what I did in my past life (my Bachelors is in Biology and I worked in research for three and a half years before starting the DE program), but still allows us to work at the bedside. Yes, the CNL is still a bedside nurse. I still want to work with patients, but also solve problems, improve patient outcomes and advance the profession as well. Additionally, at my school, I have the option to continue on and become a practitioner, which is a long term goal of mine.

I know this thread is a old, but I still wanted to share my story.

[VickyRN, MSN, DNP, RN]

Thank you for sharing, Melmarie23 :) I wish you the best in your new career.

[darrell]

jd2nursing said:

So, with that backdrop, what I would ask those of you who are skeptical of ELMSN programs: what else should people like I do instead?

I think folks are saying that the issue is moving into advanced practice without any experience at the bedside, as with floor nursing. If you are going to use your RN to start on the floor, I think you fall outside the area of concern.

I was an EMT when I started Nursing school. I felt that I needed more practical experience than I would get in clinicals in order to be confident when I graduated, so I worked part-time as a tech in a hospital and at a substance rehab for over two years until licensure. It was an experience I recommend to new nurses!

After graduation, I continued next to floor nursing. I do not expect to make a long-term career out of that - I am interested in counseling - but every shift adds to my strengths and to my toolbox. As with advanced practice, my future moves will require new skills and new thinking, but I will be glad to have the diverse patient care background I have been building.

D

[LuLu2008]

This is a very clever strategy for bypassing the traditional rites of passage to enter the nursing profession. In my community, it makes little difference whether one has a 2 year, 3 year or BSN degree - employers simply want to hire RN's at the lowest possible wages. Once a nurse applies for a job with an advanced degree it is another situation entirely. Then it becomes a question of extending a physician for the lowest possible wages with the credentials to be eligible.

[Just a Dose]

I couldn't imagine even going through an accelerated bachelors of nursing... and because I wanted to save money, I got my ADN - and it was way harder than my Bachelors in Information Systems. Now I face an extraordinarily slow route to get into Advanced Practice. Thankfully, I really want to be 'just' an ICU nurse for now...

So, even though I envy those in DE APN programs, I don't think that they'd be especially unprepared. Someone brought up the PA earlier - which is 2-3 years of Medicine. Lawyers - 2 years of Law. MDs have 4 years of medical school before they start practicing on patients in Teaching Hospitals. Why is it so different for these NPs who have 3 years of school + all the prerequisites?

[Just a Dose]

BCgradnurse said:

I don't understand why professors/programs would "try" to flunk students. I would think that would be a poor reflection on the school and discourage future students from applying.

Unfortunately it's very common, especially in ADN programs. They have really silly rules, and are hell bent on enforcing them. And some instructors go beyond petty and want to fail at least 1 or 2 of the 10 in their clinical every semester... But it's typically for personal reasons and since clinical is so subjective you can't really stop this.

Also unfortunate is the school being totally aware of bad instructors because of sooo many serious complaints, but are unwilling to get rid of them because they are unable to fill that position. I do believe I would have been respected more in a Bachelors level or higher program... or at least be treated somewhat humanely.

[rockinRN1975]

I am posting to offer 2 things: 1. the perspective of a DE MSN dropout (where are they now?) and 2. advice to the ADN who recently posted that they had a long road ahead to advanced practice (I encourage you to search for a RN to NP bridge program. I came across a few in my search for MSN programs that would accept a nurse like me in my state of educational limbo! They made me wish I'd never enrolled in a DE program!) I was enrolled in a very competitive Boston DE MSN program. I absolutely loved it. The faculty was supportive and my fellow students were all extremely motivated (a bunch of nerds like me really!) I dropped out after receiving RN licensure b/c I just wasn't sure what I wanted to do, what type of NP if even a NP at all, and paying all of that money for another degree I wasn't sure about just seemed ludicrous at the time. After coming from a non nursing background, all of the options that became apparent to me once becoming a RN were dizzying. Not to mention the realizations I had about myself after struggling through phase I of this very grueling program, and my first year as a nurse. After becoming a RN I found I really liked the hospital setting and was kind of confused about which direction to go in for advanced practice. I originally chose the DE MSN route into nursing as a career changing non nurse b/c I already had a BS and MS from my "previous life" and as another poster said, I did not want to "work backwards". However, as touched upon in other posts, I am in a bit of a pickle now. I am still considered a "non degree" RN despite a BS and MS in the sciences, which severely limits my career and educational options. Hardly any MSN programs will accept a nurse in my situation (I've found two and one of them is Phoenix Online which seems to have a dubious reputation depending on who you ask so there's no way I'm spending $50 or so grand on a degree through them.) The big teaching hospitals won't hire me b/c I don't have a BSN. So far I've been happy as a RN in the community hospitals I've been working at, but I don't have the energy to be a floor nurse forever, and figuring out my next career move is quite stressful given my limited options. I would encourage anyone who does not have first hand experience in the nursing/hospital environment to think long and hard before entering a DE program that does not offer a BSN for phase I. I've since moved about an hour away from my DE MSN program & am in my mid 30's so commuting back to the big city for class and clinicals for the next 2-4 years sounds thoroughly exhausting and just about incomprehensible. I just don't have the motivation or lifestyle that had back when I first enrolled. I've applied to the only other reputable MSN program that will accept a nurse like me, but it is a CNL program so if I want to become a NP I will have to do another 32 credits after that for a post masters certificate. If I'd done an accelerated BSN or even a ADN instead of DE it would have made a world of difference (cost, financial aid, marketability, graduate study options). I wish I'd had someone experienced to offer me such an opinion while I was making my decision about the best way into nursing for me. If any other DE MSN dropouts are reading I would LOVE LOVE LOVE you to post what you've been doing (or planning) for work and education since leaving!