Brandman University DNP

sixty3dayswithSarah, BSN, CNA, RN · Nov 2, 2012

Is there anyone out there who has been attending Brandman University? Would love to know how the experience has been, specifically the psychiatric NP program? How manageable is the course load with work, particularly in year three. Appreciate any input.

I am awaiting my application decision for the Psych program... I have spent a great deal of time researching every single school on the planet, and from what I can tell, this is probably the most doable BSN-DNP programs- one class at a time is condensed, but its still one class at a time, versus four or five.... And in the 3rd year many of the FT sections, I think 5 of them are content/clinical=6.

I am praying that I get in here, but I did apply to several other schools too just incase.

Rich

sixty3dayswithSarah, BSN, CNA, RN · Nov 2, 2012

CONGRATS

LPN2RN2BSN2MSN · Nov 2, 2012

Rich,

I've got my fingers, toes, and hair follicles crossed for you and I both! Good luck to you, Ayanna.

sixty3dayswithSarah, BSN, CNA, RN · Nov 2, 2012

I was just about to say the same to you! I just realized, or think I figured out something obvious, are you a MSN-DNP student? Your screen name and post tend to lead me to believe you are.... I am a BSN-DNP applicant. I wonder if we will have classes together. Psych programs for NPs are generally small from my experience, it would be nice to connect with someone- especially since this is distance oriented, someone who has your back and vice versa bc as we all know life happends. In my case, I will be in India for a month awaiting the birth of my baby via surrogate mother, so the remote access works out well.... But, its hard to predict three years ahead.... Plus the immersion sessions, require travel, stay in a hotel, etc... Im not trying to be too forward, but it also might be nice to split a double hotel room with someone to cut costs, lets face it we all need to! Not to worry, I am gay and married to a man, having my third child- so I wont hit on anyone, nor do I expect someone to automatically vollunteer to share a room, it was just something the school suggested.

Question, when was you application complete? I just received an email- that I think was meant to be sent from one dept to another- not me, stating that my application is awaiting final approval from the dean (my app was complete in Sept '12) its killing me the wait.....

I will keep you in my prayers, and as I said before, Brandman appears to have the most do-able program compared to (Rush, Drexal, Vanderbilt, USI, Northeastern, UNMC, UMN, and about 12 other programs I applied to.) As stated previously by the person who is in her second year, although I am not a student yet, I did agree with what she said about the school/program.... I think that this program is state of the art, and even though its not a "brand name" school, ultimatly, all that matters is the outcome.... and I think we would both be excellent in practice, take a look at their program outline, it seriously- for me- although condensed terms, just the fact that you can focus on one course at a time is a huge bonus!

Have you thought about their new post DNP incorporated second specialty cert, its only 15 credits to add another ANCC cert.... I wish they offered FNP, bc I might double in that....unfortunatly Family Psych does not connect with many of the other second specialties.

BEST WISHES and POSITIVE VIBES sent your way- we should know soon- keep me posted, and Ill do the same!

Rich

perioddrama · Nov 2, 2012

Rich,
I've got my fingers, toes, and hair follicles crossed for you and I both! Good luck to you, Ayanna.

Good luck to you both!!!!

I shall cross my fingers and toes and hair follicles as well for you both. :)

LPN2RN2BSN2MSN · Nov 3, 2012

I created my screen name before I was ever aware that a DNP existed! So, I too have applied for the BSN to DNP psych track. IF, I get accepted to Brandman then I guess I will have to change my screen name. LOL. I wish I did have my MSN because then I would not have had to face that dreadful GRE! I think that I submitted my application sometime in September, but I was waiting for references to come through and that held me up for a looooonnnnnggggg time! I received a letter dated October 26th that said that my file was complete and being forwarded for review and that I would be notified by mail of the decision. I would not be opposed to sharing a room (IF accepted into the program), it would be the Double Tree in Irvine, CA. That is the one that is literally a stone's throw from the college, but I think its about $200.00 per night! I visited the campus in May and I was very impressed with the lab, and yes I was also attracted to the one-class-at-a-time schedule. However, I don't know if you have ever taken an eight week class but just as the other student said, it is "fast and furious." I took an eight week class in my last semester of undergrad and it was a lot of work and that wasn't even at the graduate level! I was told that one should expect to commit about 24 hours per week to a class in order to be successful at Brandman. Of course, year three will be the greatest challenge, because you will be doing the one class every eight weeks and about 32 clinical hours per week in order to fulfill the 1000 hour requirement. So, that probably means no work for the last year. Add kids and any other familial obligations, I don't think that this is going to be a walk in the park by any means. But, I feel that I am up for the challenge because life isn't always as much about smarts as it is about pure will and the refusal to be defeated. I only applied to two other programs because they were the only one's whose deadline had not passed by the time that I completed my BSN. I must have literally called/ visited by internet, 100 programs. I applied to University of Alabama (not excepted), Saint Louis University (no word yet) and Brandman (no word yet). So, my anxiety over being accepted is literally keeping me up at night, because I only have two chances left, and Brandman is my top choice. I have started to formulate my back- up plan already, which is to attend UNLV as a non-degree seeking student and at least get the patho and pharm out of the way and start applying for colleges with summer start dates, like SUNY at Stony Brook. Well, my daughter wants me to play Cinderella with her now, so I will post a bit later addressing the FNP/FPMH combo. You probably already know this, but Northeastern (Boston) offers that dual specialty option and its almost the same number of credit hours as Brandman. I actually started a thread to get some opinions about what people thought would be most valuable; dual MSN specialties or DNP in a single specialty. No one ever replied though. Chow for now, A.

sixty3dayswithSarah, BSN, CNA, RN · Nov 3, 2012

I actually was accepted at Northeastern University and started the program, however, I was driving from NH-MA four evenings a week, the commute was 90 minutes each way.... I could not commit to living like that for two years, and then a family emergency (my brother and new sister-in-law where fatally wounded while honeymooning, and as next of kin I needed to travel to get them home- Northeastern gave me such a hard time- I am glad I am not going there....)

I hope I didn't put you on the spot by suggesting sharing a room, the idea just popped into my head since we are in the same major, and track- I realize you do not know me from adam, so we could talk via phone or try and skype to get to know one another. One of the key things that got me through my BSN program was the fact that I connected with two other female students and we stuck together, watching one another back (if I was out sick, they made sure I got notes, v/v for example...) Any particular way I can save money is a plus, Obama cut students loans so I am nervous about money stuff.... Plus, my partner and I are expecting baby number 3 in April '13 via surrogate mother in India... and we are planning on a final attempt once this baby is born, so between school cost and the cost of surrogacy, it was just an idea. I would totally understand if it was not something you where interested in, maybe we could meeet up at immersion 1 and see how things go? No pressure, I hope I didnt sound like that! I feel like I put you on the spot. FYI, im 34, and came out as gay 23 years ago, so nothing to worry about in that dept!

I just realized, where are you from, I never asked. I live in New Hampshire... We seem to be hitting it off, maybe I met my study buddy? we do seem to have a lot in common, I too was an LPN first, then RN.... actually I started of as CNA, then LPN, then RN. I imagine skype is required at Brandman, so I have been trying to figure it out so that I can try and work with other students face to face, even if they are in TX, Alaska or Montana with me in NH. I invested in an IMAC for home and a macbook pro for travel to allow for this... Gosh I pray that I am accepted, it's killing me... I got a similar email about my application, so we both should know soon, but not soon enough...

I have been talking with someone at Univ of AL, and she confirmed that they received 800 application for the BSN-DNP program, and accept about 50% depending on specialty. BC they are so inexpensive, they are competitive, over-all though, i have not heard many positive things about USA, Brandman- very positive. I also applied to University of Southern Indiana, Duquesne University, East Tennessee State University (in case you are still looking at programs, they are all distance like Brandman too...) I invested so much time and energy in applications, but, other than Brandman- Im not as interested... I heard the same stuff about the condensed semester one class at a time stuff... I am prepared to eat and sleep that course each term, I was just referring to how other programs have you take 2-5 classes at once, and for me (I think I have ADD) I have a hard time organizing that many courses and devoting the amt of time necessary, so for focus reasons, one class is a dream, even if I need to study 24 hr per week!

I emailed the school to inquire on potential timeline for notification of decision, I heard a few weeks, but wanted to confirm... so when/if they get back to me, I will let you know.

I am a pessimistic "hope for the best, expect the worse" and am always afraid to even hint, stating "IF I GET IN" all the itme, just like you... Until I found "The Secret" its a book, and they have a DVD, it teaches you about thinking positive and how the energy put into negative or positive thoughts effect outcomes- I have read the book and watch the DVD like once per month to keep me on track thinking positive.... I recommend this for you, it helped me try to stay optimistic... I am going to go on record stating, we will both be accepted and in 3 years at graduation, we are going to look at one another and say "remember we stressed out of decisions and here we are!" (IF I GET IN) but I say that thinking positive. If I reviewed my application, I'd accept me...

perioddrama · Nov 3, 2012

Hi I just found out today that I got accepted for the Acute Adult-Gero DNP! Is anybody starting Jan 2013? I am so excited. Hope to hear from somebody. thanks -

Just wanted to know the dates for: 1) When did you apply? 2) When was your application considered complete? 3) When did you receive acceptance?

Thanks! I want a general time-line.

LPN2RN2BSN2MSN · Nov 3, 2012

To Perioddrama: I just looked back to my application and it says that I submitted it on August 27th, however my references took forever to come in. I had to harass, beg and stalk people to get them all in! I just got a letter dated October 26th that my application was complete and being forwarded for review. I have not received a decision to date. But I was told that the different tracks were reviewed separately by the head of that department, so " Baltimore" is doing acute adult/gero and we are doing psych. Hope this helps.

LPN2RN2BSN2MSN · Nov 3, 2012

Rich,

I was not put on the spot by your suggestion of sharing a room. I know in theory that what you are saying about thinking positive is right but I just can't help thinking that if I make any plans that I will jinx myself and not get accepted. Now I know this sounds like a very primitive way of thinking, but for the last year it seems like positive thinking has not gotten me anywhere. This is kind of off the subject of school, but I have been homeless (living with my mom) for over a year now. I'll give you the short version: Sold my house in August 2011, was in contract to close on a new house, the deal fell through after I had already sold my house, I was left with nowhere to go but my mom's house. I have put in offers on at least eight other houses since then, most recently yesterday, to date none of them have panned out. Why? Because in my opinion, I jinxed myself by making plans and buying furniture before the deal closed. So, there you have it. That is why I keep saying if, if, if, because I don't want to jinx myself. On top of that, you probably are thinking, "she's a little off, maybe I don't want to share a room with her!" LOL. Just kidding. IF I get accepted I would have no reservations about sharing a room with you whether you were gay, straight, round, square, pink or purple! I pride myself on being open to cultural, sexual, dietary and religious diversity. This is one of the most important concepts that I learned in the BSN program. Having a study buddy is a great idea, especially in a distance learning format because you have someone else to be accountable to and this keeps you from procrastinating because it's easy to do that with online classes. I had a study buddy when I was studying for the NCLEX and we were not even studying the same thing. However, we made a commitment to show up at a specific day and time to study for a specified period of time. She was studying for the LSAT and in the end we were both successful! IF we both get in then we will be married for three years!

I know exactly what you mean about focusing on one class at a time as opposed to organizing assignments for several classes, it does seem easier. If you really look at many of the MSN programs then you will see that they take just as long to complete as this DNP program. Ok, from now until we get decision letters I am going to chant everyday that we both get accepted, but I will not make any plans based on the assumption that I am going to get into Brandman. I don't want to jinx myself or you.

Okay, the thing about the double specialty MSN vs single specialty DNP: My thoughts based on information that I have gathered is that if you are not using both then it will be difficult to maintain your certification which must be renewed every five years. I gave it a lot of thought because I want to open my own visiting practice when I complete school. I figured if I went to see an adult patient regarding psych issues that I could also address medical issues and be able to bill for two types of visits. Now it's possible that I just don't understand the process and that it would not work that way. However, theoretically that would be the most efficient way to work. I have done home health almost exclusively since 2003. I had a psych patient diagnosed with bipolar disorder as well as DM, renal failure and HTN. So I was just thinking if I was a an NP I could combine medical and psych together when seeing patients. By the way, we should probably move our conversations to private messages. This is a lot of information that is not related to this thread topic. TTYL. A.

sixty3dayswithSarah, BSN, CNA, RN · Nov 3, 2012

OKay,

I feel so much better now. I felt like I put you on the spot... I will also confirm that I use to be VERY round - but I had gastric bypass surgery and it essentially erased any inkling I was ever over-wt.

I think that you and I are going to become best friends.... We are on the same wave length, same life happenings... Odd, I think we where destined to meet ( a red thread .) After my divorce from my partner (first same sex divorce in nh, me;)) I got the house and full custody... I also got the balloon mortgage that quickly rose from $1500/mo to $4200 per month. I applied seven- seriously- times for a Obama Modification and was denied, and I not only met criteria, my estimated payment under his program was to drop from $4200/month to $1241/month. Finally, I realized I could not keep up with this payment, I seriously would get paid and be left with no money for another two weeks (I went so far as to rent out my finished basement and I had a friend move in to rent a bedroom, and I was still struggling (ps I ended up marrying the roommate two years later!) I, like 30% of the foreclosures in my state told the bank to take the keys, im done... But, I was fortunate that since so many others had done the same thing, I was able to buy a foreclosure, which is actually bigger and nicer than the house I had and cost 1/3... I am so sorry that this happened to you, it's terrible. My mother, similarly, came to my rescue and helped me get my house... AND, even though I wrote those things about being positive, I must concur, I have had the same year, all my positive thinking did nothing- but- in June, it seemed things turned around for me and I have been steadily on a positive movement- but I to will continue to say IF.!

I feel like we are walking the same path! I wanted to do the dual specialty thing too but bc you need to practice in two areas, your right, its too time consuming. I am hoping to finish the program, and provide private practice out of my house as 50% of my time, and continue working with Adoptive families and people seeking assisted reproduction. I think the dual idea is good if you need it but stinky if you dont, especially Brandman, they are a bit pricy, so the extra 15 cr would cost around $14,000 and an extra year.... I'll pass for now;)

Man, these letters cannot come fast enough. I am actually going to check the mail right now!

Keep me posted!

perioddrama · Nov 3, 2012

To Perioddrama: I just looked back to my application and it says that I submitted it on August 27th, however my references took forever to come in. I had to harass, beg and stalk people to get them all in! I just got a letter dated October 26th that my application was complete and being forwarded for review. I have not received a decision to date. But I was told that the different tracks were reviewed separately by the head of that department, so " Baltimore" is doing acute adult/gero and we are doing psych. Hope this helps.

It sure does! Thanks!