MS Nursing (Entry level) chances?

Nursing Students Post Graduate

Published

Hello everyone,

I found this website through Student Doctor NetworkForums. I am 31 years old, and I recently completed my pre-requisites for DO school. In the process I realized that Med School wasn't a good fit for me, not to mention the fact my GPA was pretty low, a 3.3 now, due to getting crushed in Physics...I really don't want to do a special masters program and keep trying for med school. As soon as I found the MS entry in nursing, I felt it would be the perfect fit, and this way I could work my way towards DNP. I've always been interested in Family Practice. I was wondering if anyone could tell me what my chances are, I heard the MS programs are pretty competitive as well.

I'm an IL resident. My overall gpa is 3.4, science 3.3 with a downward trend (C's in Physics). My BA was in psych and I did a post-bac which brought me down to the 3.3ish. I had a couple of "w's" as well...dropped calc and physics and gen chem the first time I took it. Bio were A's, both semesters Ochem B's.

I have very little healthcare experience, only about 1 year part time as a MA and some shadowing hours. Do I need to obtain more healthcare experience to be more competitive? The last year I did research for about a year but no patient contact, not sure if this would hurt my app? Also, is it possible to shadow a DNP? Does getting a letter of rec from one help?

Also, not sure how to explain my switch to MS nursing from pre-med...do I even have to mention this in my personal statement? Ah, not sure about this approach.

I'm very new to this, but very excited to embark on the nursing path. Any insight would be appreciated!

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I don't think a lot of entry level MSN programs require healthcare experience at all. PA programs do, but most entry level MSN programs dont, so any healthcare experience would help. I emailed a lot of schools about their average GPA and they ranged everywhere from 3.2 to 3.8, so research the school you want to get into to provide insight on where you stand. A rec letter from a DNP you shadow should help because I know some schools require 2 academic/work related rec letters and 1 rec letter from someone personal (not family though). As far as mentioning why you switched from pre-med to nursing, I would since most personal statements ask why you chose nursing or why you chose this program anyways.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I think you have great chances. I'm actually considering the opposite switch (was just accepted to entry level MS programs; now thinking about applying to DO/MD school instead.. ack!) so I can understand where you're coming from. Don't let your GPA stop you, these programs should be much less competitive than medical schools, especially considering many of the classes your poor grades are in aren't even required for nursing (i.e. physics!). From my experience applying to these programs, they seemed interested in my application as a whole package.

Your one year of healthcare experience will still exceed that of many applicants (some who apply with only volunteer hours, which suffices in many cases). I think it is really critical to be able to pinpoint why you want to go into healthcare, AND why you've chosen nursing. The first half of that should carry over directly from your DO application. For the second part, I would suggest some shadowing with a nurse practitioner (as you said you're interested in the DNP... if you're just interested in shadowing a RN, then I'm sure you could set that up). This shows an interest in nursing, and furthermore an understanding of the field. Consider doing some shadowing at a MinuteClinic or something similar if you're interested in family practice. Additionally, if you can't manage to shadow for whatever reason, seeking your own personal care from a nurse practitioner instead of a physician can also serve to further educate you about the profession and show the schools that you really "get" what you're signing up for and how it differs from medicine. I actually talked about receiving care from a nurse midwife in one of my interviews, and it led to an interesting, positive conversation.

I hope this is helpful! Good luck to you :) I'm also in Illinois/applied to many of the schools here, so if you have any questions about specific schools I may be able to help.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Thank you both for the advice, much appreciated.

Sarasays- yes! I would love to pick your brain about the individual schools, and application process. Where did you apply? Where was your undergrad from and what were your stats and experience when you applied? I only found 3 programs in IL: DePaul, Rush, and UIC. Can you tell me which school has a better program? Which one is easiest to get into? Also, why did you end up switching to pre-med? Did you take the MCAT? I was scoring low on the practice tests and I decided the stress wasn't worth it, plus I can't go away to school because my husband wouldn't be able to move with me, so those are some additional reasons I decided DNP would be best. Sorry about all the questions! :)

-Raina

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Your story is very similar to mine! I am also 31 and went the pre-med route during my undergrad (B.S. Exercise Physiology). In my opinion, you sound like a great applicant for Direct-Entry MSN programs. Don't be so down about your GPA. My cumulative GPA was 3.4--one thing to consider is the science courses taken as pre-med student are higher level courses than the sciences for nursing (nursing usually requires the "introductory" courses, e.g. not the full-blown year long chem sequences), and the schools you apply to are aware of that, and will likely take that in to consideration when they look at your application. AND, like sara said, they won't even look at your physics grades, I have yet to see physics as a pre-req for nursing school. I also had a downward trend in my grades from undergrad because I was experiencing a debilitating personal crisis during the last two semesters. I used my personal statement to *briefly* describe the circumstances, how I learned to cope, and why those grades weren't a true representation of my capabilities.

Many (not all) Direct-Entry programs look at their applicants holistically--GPA and test scores generally won't make or break you. I took the TEAS V and GRE as required by some of the programs I applied to. I did not apply to any schools in your area though.

I applied to 5 programs: accept-2, reject-2, wait-list-1. I was actually accepted to my top choice.

As far as health-care experience goes, I chose to get certified/licensed in phlebotomy and have been working as a lab assistant in a hospital for the past year. The experience has really solidified my decision to pursue nursing over medicine. What it boils down to for my personal situation is that I do not want the doctor life-style--or lack of "life" I should say.

I would suggest getting very strong letters of recommendation from any former professors and health-care professionals that can speak highly of your motivations and talents. I know I had great recommendations which I am sure held some weight with admission committees.

As far as explaining pre-med to nursing in your personal statement, don't worry--you are not the first applicant to jump ship. I explained how my experiences led me to nursing and why it is a better fit than medicine for me.

I hope this helps a bit! I know how stressful this all is so I am here to answer any questions you have as best I can!

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Ceci,

It does sound like we are on a very similar path! Thanks for your insight on the application process, it makes me feel a whole lot better.

Congrats on your acceptance to your top choice program! I will seek out some additional healthcare experience. I would love to do phlebotomy, however, its more classes and $ for the certification so I don't think it would be realistic for me, but I'll try to find something to get more exposure. I've been working on my resume, and will try my luck at the local hospitals.

Can I ask which programs you applied to? I am considering some out of state if I don't get accepted to schools in IL, but it would be nice to stay here because of family and all...

Thanks again :)

~Raina

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Thank you!! I applied to Western University of Health Sciences (Pomona, CA), Samuel Merritt University (Oakland, CA), UCSF (San Francisco, CA), Pacific Lutheran University (Tacoma, WA) and University of Hawaii at Manoa.

I will be beginning at Western U this Fall. You might want to check out their program design, I know moving away from home and your husband is not ideal, but their program only requires full-time on campus attendance for the 16-month pre-licensure phase. Once you pass NCLEX, they require you obtain employment as a RN part-time or full-time while you complete your specialty/graduate coursework online. There are 2 seminar weekends (usually Fri, Sat, Sun) per semester you must attend on campus, but otherwise you can live wherever you want as long as you are employed as a RN and can find preceptors for your specialty local to you.

I got really lucky with the hospital job, they paid for the phlebotomy course, but I live in a rural area so there weren't exactly a bunch of phlebotomists for them to choose from, haha. Maybe you can find a facility that will pay for some certifications for you.

I remember having the exact same concerns when I was getting ready to apply, I'm happy to help!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Mental Health.

Have you taken the GRE yet? Getting a very high score can surely make up for the GPA, which isn't that low but a high GRE will greatly improve your chances... If you want study advice for the GRE, just send me a PM. I did very well (1450) after studying for a month, so I can tell you what resources I used.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Thanks again to everyone for the helpful information. As far as the GRE, I did not take it because the schools I plan to apply to have a "GRE waiver" so I think I just make this cutoff. Would it be best if I took it anyway just in case??

Thanks!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Thank you!! I applied to Western University of Health Sciences (Pomona, CA), Samuel Merritt University (Oakland, CA), UCSF (San Francisco, CA), Pacific Lutheran University (Tacoma, WA) and University of Hawaii at Manoa.

I will be beginning at Western U this Fall. You might want to check out their program design, I know moving away from home and your husband is not ideal, but their program only requires full-time on campus attendance for the 16-month pre-licensure phase. Once you pass NCLEX, they require you obtain employment as a RN part-time or full-time while you complete your specialty/graduate coursework online. There are 2 seminar weekends (usually Fri, Sat, Sun) per semester you must attend on campus, but otherwise you can live wherever you want as long as you are employed as a RN and can find preceptors for your specialty local to you.

I got really lucky with the hospital job, they paid for the phlebotomy course, but I live in a rural area so there weren't exactly a bunch of phlebotomists for them to choose from, haha. Maybe you can find a facility that will pay for some certifications for you.

I remember having the exact same concerns when I was getting ready to apply, I'm happy to help!

These are great schools, I would love to apply to CA. Did you need the GRE for Western? I looked at the requirements online and for some reason did not see it mentioned.

Thanks :)

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Mental Health.
Thanks again to everyone for the helpful information. As far as the GRE, I did not take it because the schools I plan to apply to have a "GRE waiver" so I think I just make this cutoff. Would it be best if I took it anyway just in case??

Thanks!

It's up to you. Even if you just made the cutoff, you'll be competing against people with much higher GPAs. Any leg up you can get is worth it. Also, some schools give out grants based on GRE scores.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Western does not require the GRE :)

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Add a Comment